AsianScientist (Dec. 12, 2014) – It was a bright cold day in April and the clocks were striking 13:00 hours—time to line up at the conference registration desks and receive our accreditation!
Personally speaking, I love attending conferences. Of course, the way one enjoys a conference will differ depending on the size of the meeting—large international conferences give me that rush of sensory overload, like going to a theme park, while the intimacy of smaller conferences provide ample opportunities to network and discuss The Science. Regardless of the size, there are a number of things that are guaranteed to happen at any conference.
- Your presentation and/or poster
Whether you give a talk or present a poster, both have their pros and cons. I’ve had bosses who preferred to give posters because they liked that they could speak at greater length about the project and the greater ease of approaching people. On the other hand, others cited the relatively short duration and the prestige of giving a talk as to why presentations are what you should aim for.
But let’s not get into the debate of which type of presentation is better—what matters is that the organizing board said that your work is worthy enough to show to everyone!
Bonus points
Presentation: Your reply to a question is so brilliant that you see people in the audience nodding in approval.
Poster: Your poster is swamped by crowds of people who tell you your work is excellent and should be published as soon as possible!Minus points
Presentation: Your reply to a completely irrelevant question is so fumbled that the audience is giving you pitying looks.
Poster: You are next to an attractive young PhD student whose poster is swamped by people, leaving you looking on in envy.
- Other people’s presentations
- Meeting a Big Shot in your field
- Conference food and drinks
- The trade display
On one hand, this is the reason why you’re there—knowing what other people in the field are doing will let you know if there’s still time to jump on any bandwagons or if you’ve completely missed the ship. On the other hand, going outside to enjoy the city/lake/snow is very tempting…
Speaking from personal experience, the first time I attended an international conference on my own, my PhD supervisor told me that I was expected to present a seminar on what I saw. After completing this, I received the comment that they were impressed with how many I had attended—they had expected me to go to the beach because that’s what they did at this conference!
Bonus points
You get to watch two big shots argue head-to-head on a topic—it’s like an ancient gladiatorial match!
Minus points
That awkward moment while you watch someone stumble over their reply to a question.
Oh. My. God. That person over there, it’s that person you’ve been citing in every paper you’ve ever written, from your Master’s thesis to your latest grant proposal! Your inner self is screaming like a teenaged One Direction fan, but you play it cool and make your way over to drop some devastatingly brilliant insight into their work.
No matter where you are, conferences will always offer you the possibility of meeting someone who is likely a hero in your field. Although, perhaps the funniest story I ever heard regarding meeting a Big Shot happened to a friend of a friend. At the conference dinner, he had a wonderful conversation with the very friendly and knowledgeable man he was seated next to. Later investigation turned out that that friendly man was a Nobel Prize winner. KAPOW!!!
Bonus points
You meet your hero and they offer to meet you during the conference dinner to discuss setting up a collaborative project.
Minus points
You meet them but they are…shall we say, not very nice.
Let’s face it—scientists as a whole are pretty hungry and thirsty people. And whether it’s a small meeting or a huge international society meeting, you’ll always remember if the sandwiches you were served for lunch were gourmet or if they were soggy. You may not remember everything if the alcohol is good, but that’s probably for the best. And you’ll especially remember the conference that served only finger-food canapés at the conference dinner.
Bonus points
The food is amazing and the afternoon break section features a CAKE BUFFET.
Minus points
COFFEE IS NOT FREE.
Extra Bonus Points
You collect some juicy rival lab gossip at the conference dinner!
The Trade Display of a conference can either be a wonderful or a terrible thing. Maybe you’ll win an iPad, maybe you’ll receive from not very tasty candy. At the very least, it’s the place to go to collect lots of different pens that will roll around the bottom of your work bag until the next conference rolls around!
A word from the wise—if you’re looking to score some free things, try on the final day when the trade displays are being dismantled.
Bonus points
You manage to score a lot of free and useful samples that can be used once you return to your lab!
Minus points
To get those freebies, you have to give your email to the companies and then receive constant emails for the rest of eternity.
This article is from a monthly column called The Sometimes Serious Scientist. Click here to see the other articles in this series.
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Copyright: Asian Scientist Magazine; Photo: Catherine/Flickr/CC.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.
