{"id":777,"date":"2020-01-29T18:55:20","date_gmt":"2020-01-29T23:55:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/determinants\/?p=777"},"modified":"2025-04-29T10:04:50","modified_gmt":"2025-04-29T14:04:50","slug":"5-tips-to-help-you-rock-your-first-scientific-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/determinants\/2020\/5-tips-to-help-you-rock-your-first-scientific-conference\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Tips to Help You Rock Your First Scientific Conference"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n 5 Tips to Help You Rock Your First Scientific Conference\n <\/h1>\n \n \n <\/header>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n

Depending on how you feel about discussing your research and networking with professionals in your field, scientific conferences can be exciting or intimidating experiences. Personally, I enjoy conferences. They are always full of energy, opportunities for learning, and a good time to take account of everything I\u2019ve accomplished in the previous months. But like everything else, you get out of a conference what you put into it. You can just go to present your work and get it over with, or you can prepare and make the conference an enriching experience. Here are five tips, or five things to do, to help you rock your first (or nth<\/sup>) conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before you go:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1 \u2013 Prepare your finances<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Attending conferences can be expensive. Conference fees can figure into the hundreds of dollars. If the conference is outside of your city, you\u2019ll have to plan for transportation, accommodations, meals and incidentals (I always forget my phone charger). Thankfully, there are a few ways to get help funding your travels. Most graduate student associations have funds or grants to support their students. It is good to apply for this funding as soon as you know you\u2019ll need it since these grants are often distributed on a first-come first-served basis. Additionally, it can take a few weeks for the graduate student association to process your funding request. The Carleton University Graduate Student Association travel grant information can be followed through the following link: https:\/\/gsacarleton.ca\/travel-grant\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also discuss funding for scientific conferences with your program supervisor or departmental administrators. There may be additional funding opportunities at your university and your supervisor may have some funding available to support your travels. Experiencing a scientific conference is an important part of your professional and academic development after all!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2 \u2013 Prepare to introduce yourself<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Conferences are exciting since they gather scientists and stakeholders from many different institutions into one location. At my first conference, this was the thing I found most intimidating. I was surrounded by legitimate professionals<\/em>. I didn\u2019t have a problem presenting my research, but I seized up when networking. This task became much easier after practicing my networking skills. There are tons of online resources for successful networking but the first thing to do is to prepare to introduce yourself\u2026 a lot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You will be spending a few days with professionals in your field, some of which you planned to meet, and some others who have planned to meet you! First impressions are very important, so prepare how<\/em> you will introduce yourself. Go beyond your name and job title. Try to add information about what it is you are good at, what it is you like, how you contributed to the project, and what you want to be remembered for. Make this information flow and feel natural and try to deliver it in 15-20 seconds. Being succinct will let you expand on these points in your conversations afterwards! Prepare a few different introductions, some for people you really want to meet, and some for people you will just speak to in passing. Once you have your introductions drafted, practice them with your colleagues or lab mates. They can give you some honest feedback or you can identify opportunities for improvement when you say them out loud to another human! Finally, consider making business cards with your phone, email, website, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Google Scholar, ORCID accounts. It may seem old school, but people ask me for business cards all the time \u2013 even when my info is plastered all over my presentation slides or poster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How to introduce yourself so you’ll be unforgettable (in a good way!)<\/a><\/blockquote>