A Guide to Attending Conferences/Meetings

Tim Lucas 23rd November 2012

Introduction Graduated UoB: BSc. Chemistry

(2006)

Graduated UoB: MPhil. Chemical Education (research) (2009)

Currently: Final year PhD Student: Inorganic Chemistry

PGMSA Committee – Marketing and Events 2012

Talks Variety in Chemistry Education 2007

– Leicester University

Variety in Chemistry Education 2008 – Dublin City University,Ireland

Science Education Research in Higher Education– University of Glasgow

Total Scattering Training School 2013– Diamond Light Source (Didcot)

Posters RSC Solid State Group Christmas Meeting 2011

– Liverpool University.

The 2012 meeting of the British Zeolite Association– Chester University

International Union of Crystallography– Madrid

Diamond User Meeting 2010– Didcot

What are Conferences? A chance for academics to:

– Present their own research – Network– Form research colorations– Exchange ideas

To socialise with other people in your field.

What Types of Conferences are there? Some categorised on geography;

– Regional (sub 100), – National (100s), – International (1000s).

Smaller conferences tend to be more specialised than international conferences.

Different lengths - from one day to a week. There is no set structure to a conference.

What Types of Conferences are there?

Generic Components of a Conference

Talks (from 1 hour to 15 minutes)– Plenary lectures– Invited speakers– Contributed talks

Poster sessions. Plentiful coffee breaks. Conference dinner.

Going to the Pub. Sight seeing.

Contributed Talks

It is very rare a PG Student will be invited to give a talk. This is typically for high profile academics.

PG students can typically apply for talks by submitting an abstract in advance.– Check the deadline dates!

Great experience and looks great on the CV.

Discuss with your supervisor.

Attending Talks

It is really important to attend talks but there may be times where one or two may not be of much use.– Discuss with the supervisor

Take a notepad and try and write down references if applicable.

Don’t be scared to ask a question Don’t come in late or leave half way through.

Poster “Presentations”

Much easier to be given a slot for a poster presentation.

Not actually a presentation.

Brilliant opportunity to discuss your work.

Poster prizes = Good

Poster “Presentations”

Judges will be discrete so make sure you stand with/near your poster!

If you are not giving a poster presentation:– Check the list of posters

beforehand.– Go and talk to people who

are presenting!

Why Network?

Networking is a vital part of attending a conference.

Great for sharing ideas and setting up collaborations.

Really useful if you want to pursue a career in your field of research.

Be confident and don’t just sit in your hotel room!

Funding - Travel and Accommodation

Most studentships have money for students to attend conferences.

Your supervisor may suggest relevant conferences, or you can suggest some to them!

Check the conference website for more details.– Some will organise accommodation as part of

the registration fee. – Studentships can be available.

Conference “Do’s and don’ts”

Do register early – May get early bird prices and better accommodation.

Do check abstract submission deadlines. Do check the expectations of your supervisor. Do check the programme before you travel. Do try and identify people you would like to talk to. Do attend the conference dinner and try and

socialise as much as possible. Do follow up any connections made.

Conference “Do’s and Don’ts”

Don’t be late to sessions. Don’t be unprofessional. Don’t dress inappropriately. Don’t stick in a group of people you already know. Don’t worry about other people knowing more than

you. Don’t try and un-necessarily change the timeslot of

your talk or edit your abstract after submission. Don’t forget to get your supervisor to

read through your talk/poster.

Summary

Conferences are extremely useful for a variety of reasons.

Try and apply for poster presentations/talks.

Network, network, network!

Don’t be daunted and have fun!

Any Questions?Thanks for listening

www.graduateschool.bham.ac.uk