By: Ilana Cohen of @psychgradnetwork on Instagram
Tips for going to conferences, and what to get out of it
Research presentations can be an incredibly rewarding, and intimidating, component of your academic career. Whether you’re attending, presenting a poster, or presenting a talk, you have the opportunity to meet new people, learn about a scientific field, and share your interests. I’ve found that it is incredibly meaningful to be in spaces where everyone is interested in the same topic. In this space, you have undergraduates, graduate students, and professors who come from near and far to share new and exciting research.
What you might gain from attending a conference:
Practice asking questions and fitting your research into the larger scope
People get really excited when your research relates to theirs! I had so many nerdy conversations about potential connections between my research and others’.
Networking
You might end up putting a face to a name you’ve seen on papers, and get to ask them questions in person. I also had a mentor who met a professor at a conference and asked her about her work, who later became her lab manager, and then PhD student.
Learning about different parts of the field you may not have been exposed to before
This is especially exciting early in your research career, but honestly I could probably go to conferences for the rest of my life and still learn about a new niche or find a new interest every time. It really gives you a perspective of how broad a field is!
Tips for attending conferences:
Financial access: Conferences can be extremely expensive!
Many schools or labs have research funds that will partially cover your cost of attendance. Conferences may also have identity-based and other scholarships for undergrads and graduate students.
See if you can volunteer for the conference! Some conferences seek out volunteers to help register participants, and it’s a relatively low time commitment for free registration. When I did this, I also had more opportunities to speak with attendees, and I made some really positive connections.
You can go to nearby conferences or your college research presentations just to learn, network, and gain experience in research communication. (I’d 100% encourage undergraduates to attend senior thesis presentations if possible to gain inspiration and learn about research opportunities!)
There are virtual conferences that are more accessible, and are often free.
Have your elevator pitch down
If you’re presenting research, it’s important to have a one-liner prepared, because it’s likely that people will ask about your research in conversation.
Predict questions you’re likely to get, and practice answers to them.
If possible, practice talking about your research with a range of people – include someone who is in your field and knows all about it, and someone with a completely different area of knowledge. Make a mental note of any questions you’re getting, because you’ll probably get them again!
Know that you’ve likely done the hard part already
If you’re an undergraduate at a conference, you might feel intimidated by the professors asking you questions about your work – but remember, none of these people are out to get you! In fact, when they’re asking you questions, it’s due to genuine curiosity.
You might be surprised by how casual your presentation feels after you’ve practiced it enough. It starts to feel like a conversation about a project you did that you’re just happy to share with someone.
Commentaires