Posted on by Joey Hulbert

Attending conferences as a post-graduate student

Conferences are more important for networking than they are for sharing or learning when you are a post-graduate student.

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A conference without networking is just a proceeding of abstracts or papers. You may disagree, especially if you are shy, but depending on who you meet, attending a conference could change your life.

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The reason I am here writing this for you is because I met my current advisor at a conference.

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So what is the point of networking? Is it only useful if you are looking forward? Why drum up the courage to talk to the Prof or even the Minister of Science?

 

Even if you are not looking for anything, every meeting can still be beneficial. Below are some questions that you can ask any scientist. Even if you study biology and they study astronomy, or if you study plants and they study marine mammals, such conversations could be beneficial to you.

  • ask for advice (e.g. how does a young, South African scientist get ahead in the world?)
  • ask what they would’ve done differently,
  • ask about an experience they recommend (for an international student in SA for example)
  • ask about their personal story (what inspired you to become a scientist?)

 

The timing of conferences is certainly relevant to the pants you wear, but even if you are far from transitioning to a new degree or job, meet as many people as you can. If you meet someone outside of your field or someone irrelevant to your mission, ask if they recommend anyone at the conference that you should to speak to.

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Meet people that aren’t immediately relevant to your project, maybe they will inspire you to shift specializations, or alternatively, bolster your current interest. Conversations with strangers will help you find out more about yourself.

 

There is a positive linear relationship between the importance of networking and the time spent on your current degree, assuming you want to continue learning and pursuing science further after you finish. If you are close to finishing, and you want to continue on the path of advancing knowledge, treat every conference as a career fair, update your CV and make some business cards.

 

Perhaps the best advice I can give is to contact people ahead of time, especially for bigger conferences. Look through the schedule of presentations, take note of the talks relevant to your interests, and send those individuals emails. Introduce yourself and attached your CV. Then, when you meet them at the conference, you can say: “My name is… I contacted you a few weeks ago”.

 

 

Here are some suggestions for taking the next step to actually meet strangers:

  • Follow up with questions. Perhaps the most obvious is to approach people after their talks. This is generally well accepted and usually expected.
  • Eat with strangers. Less obvious but even more casual is to use meal opportunities. Pick a random table and sit next to someone you don’t know to eat your food. Then, start or join a random conversation.
  • Attend social events. Many conferences also arrange social events, generally providing liquid lubricant to alleviate the awkwardness of scientists. Never miss a social event at a conference.
  • Use your poster as a conversation starter or activity. Stand by your poster more often than the actual designated poster session, check back occasionally to see if anyone is perusing it. Also, use your poster as a tool to explain your interests and current research, ask people if you can show them your poster and arrange a time or walk to it with them.
  • Meet people through twitter. Twitter is an incredible tool to participate in discussions centered on conferences. You can shamelessly promote yourself or your poster, or you can use it to have conversations, summarize a main point, add your perspective to discussions or talks, and set up meetings. “Hey I am at this conference too! Come by my poster tomorrow”

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There is enormous variation in science persona, but I am yet to meet a scientist unwilling to entertain a short introduction. Use these opportunities to ‘pick their brains’. Avoid the comfort of your friends and put yourself out there for one or two nights to maximize your conference experiences.

Posted on by Aliza · 1 Comment

Balance/ choices

On this year’s National Women’s Day, I really wanted to blog about work-life-balance in academia. But it was a public holiday and I had to play with my 1-year old son most of the day. I have to admit, we did end up “working,” going to a local wolf sanctuary to help one of my students out with her research. It was a beautiful day, and my family had a great time (including the incident with the peeing on my pants. Note the correct preposition).

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Shortly before I became “territory”

And yet, it was also a day of choices. Five, six years ago, a public holiday would have given me more time to get my own academic work done — habits instilled by years as a postgraduate student. I would routinely grab an hour here and a day there, just to get some things off my to-do list and perhaps finish a paper or two. I figured that this was and always will be the way to stay ahead of the academic game.

Then I met the love of my life, became a wife, a lecturer, a Principal Investigator, a subject coordinator, a grantholder, a dog-owner, an aunt, and a mother…A beautiful life, with way too much on my plate.

I have energy, I have intellect, I have zero free time.

Under similar circumstance, some academics would simply continue throwing themselves into their work and get on with things, putting in 60 h work weeks to stay ahead of the game. And to be honest, that was my instinct too. Luckily, I married a nag, who insists that I step away from my books when I get home. Luckily, I fell in love with my babScreen Shot 2016-08-24 at 15.06.33y boy, who is determined to eat any electronics and books I hold in my hands. So, now, we stare at the sky and dig in the garden when I return home. And I do it rather early in the afternoon, otherwise we’re both in a mood.

I put in the extra hours by waking up early (though not quite as early as the #past3amsquad). And I’m becoming better at saying No, sticking to the things that are important in my work and my life.

 

This seems simple, right?

 

It’s actually surprisingly difficult to maintain; it’s a decision that I have to keep on making every day. Right now, my colleagues are attending conferences where I desperately want to be; I see the speed at which some of my seniors publish (30 papers a year, are you kidding me?); I become jealous of some of the insightful and productive collaborations my peers are forming simply because they have the time to make connections. I need to remind myself every single day that work-life balance is really work-life choices (wisdom I overheard at the Young Scientists’ Conference last year).

There is research to support my decision: working academic mothers are (in the long haul) more productive than their colleagues. Parents in academia are becoming more and more vocal about the support they need, as well as the invaluable contributions they make. And for me, the simple truth is, I don’t want my gravestone to read, “She was a great scientist.” That is not enough.

What I want to tell you here, is: balance is a choice, and it’s yours to make. Even though you are competing with people who spend 24/7 in the laboratory, and who laugh at the thought that you can achieve success while having a life. Even though in South Africa you may really be in the minority with that kind of mindset. The narrative is changing.