5.13.2015

PhD Wednesday: Preparing for a Scientific Conference

Welcome to PhD Wednesdays! These posts will be dedicated to all things science and PhD life. If you're thinking about joining (or are already in) the world of science, I hope you will find these posts interesting and helpful! 



Scientific meetings are a BIG part of graduate school and a career in research. Conferences are an opportunity to share your work and learn about cutting edge projects in your field. They are also great opportunities for networking. If you are looking to find a post-doctoral fellowship, faculty position, or to start a new collaboration you can meet potential mentors and collaborators who are usually excited to work with you.  Preparing in an advance helps you take advantage of all the opportunities your meeting has to offer!

Scientific meetings come in three main flavors, the small specialty conference, the large general interest conference, and the gigantic general science conference. I have had the opportunity to attend and present at several different types of conferences but I am by no means an expert. This post outlines some of the things I've found helpful in preparing for the "small specialty conference". In Part 2, I'll share my tips for the "large general interest conference".

The small specialty conference will usually cover a relatively narrow area of science such as retroviruses, host-DNA damage responses, stem cell biology, etc. I say 'relatively' because narrow can be very relative especially to us scientists. In general, the subject matter is focused enough that you will likely recognize several of the labs presenting at the conference if you have been working in your area for a while.  The size of these meetings can be in the truly small range, about 300-500 people, all the way to up 3,000 people. These conferences have a lot of advantages due to their small size and will provide the most opportunities for genuine networking and collaborations.  I hope these tips will help you maximize your small conference experience!





Tip #1: Start Early

Even for the smallest conferences, the abstract deadline will likely be 2-3 months before the actual conference, which means you need to conceptualize your talk or poster at least 4-5 months before and start experiments at least 9 months-1 year in advance. Usually your lab or department can help you decide which conferences to attend based on your experience and career stage. If you don't have any guidance (which is rare), use your discipline's professional societies or your school's career development office to guide you to specific meetings. Starting early will give you time to survey the conference landscape. 
Things to look for:
Meeting and symposia topics, meeting size, previous abstract books, and available travel awards.

You will likely need to coordinate with your department or institution's travel office to approve your travel and  cover the cost of your meeting. This will take time. These offices will have specific travel procedures and forms that need to be filled out describing the purpose, dates and specific costs of the meeting, which will take time. You will also probably need signatures and various levels of approval which will (you guessed it) take time. Give yourself plenty of time to get this done, so that you don't miss out or  spend 3-4 harried days sending emails and running across campus!


Tip #2: Handle Logistics

Once your travel has been approved, you have to tackle booking hotels, flights, coordinating ground transportation, submitting your abstract, printing and transporting your poster, and formatting your slides. For me these are the most crazy-making aspects of attending a conference. To minimize the rush (Tip #1), make a travel checklist with the item, deadline, and the amount of time needed to complete each item!

Here is a sample checklist:


Now the "Fun" Part...


Tip #3: Read the Abstract Book 

If I am being honest, the "fun" part of scientific meetings is not always fun, but this part is definitely more exciting than logistics and planning. It can actually be really exciting to dig into the abstracts and pick out interesting talks and posters. Another reason to read the abstract book is to help you manage "meeting fatigue." Even during small meetings you WILL experience meeting fatigue from reading, hearing, and talking science all-day long for 3-4 days. Checking out the abstract book in advance will let you decide which talks to focus deeply on and which you can browse. You will also be better prepared to make connections with collaborating labs or potential mentors (See Tip #4). 


Tip #4: Do Your Homework

If you are interested in networking (for jobs or otherwise) as a primary goal of your meeting attendance. Do your homework! Read some papers from the lab or the speaker, do quick search of interesting work in the subfield, and come up with 2-3 questions about the topic.  Even if you aren't particularly interested networking you should still scan the abstract book and check out a few papers related to the keynote speakers and any interesting abstracts. This will prepare you for casual collisions with other meeting attendees.  At smaller meetings this is really important, you will usually the same people or labs you've collaborated with before. Be prepare to talk science with anyone. 

Elevator pitches are typically relegated to the corporate world, but if you tend to be nervous or are new to your project, take time to prepare a 30 second overview of your work. Then you will be prepared to talk about your work and your lab's work (read up if you need to!). 


Tip #5: Stay Engaged

You will inevitably experience meeting fatigue during the conference, but it will be much worse if you spend the days in your hotel room or in the corner on your iPhone. Be sure to stay engaged the meeting events, this is easier when you've familiarized yourself with the presenters. (See Tips  #3 and 4). At smaller meetings you will usually have to opportunity to attend all of the conference events. Although, it may be overwhelming push yourself to go to as many events as possible and pay attention when you can.  Three basic ways to stay engaged:
Visit at least 3 posters during poster sessions
Force yourself to ask at least 2 questions (even if you don't say them out loud, come up with at least 2)
Share meals: Never eat alone, try to share at least one meal per day with someone that you don't know, if you're brave seek out an someone that you would like to work with in the future!
Attend Non-science events: Like Happy Hour! My small meeting is the Cold Spring Harbor Retroviruses meeting, every year they host an official happy hour but many nights people head down to the bar to socialize. This is where all of the "action" happens at a small meeting, try to go and meet someone you don't know!
Bring your A-game: The best way to make a good impression is to have a killer talk or an interesting poster. You won't always have the most interesting findings or the hottest topic  at the meeting, but you can always be energetic and excited during your presentation. You can also take time to make your presentation look its best, making sure graphs are aligned and avoiding grammatical errors. This will go a long way in helping you make a good impression.

Tip #6: Team Up 

Use your lab mates, principal investigator (PI), or anyone else you know to help you navigate the meeting.  At smaller meetings, especially if this is your first time attending a conference, let your colleagues lead the way and help you meet people from other labs. If you are attending with your PI, he or she will usually introduce you to their friends and colleagues which can be a great way to make connections. Older lab mates will also help you navigate a smaller meeting. 

Tip #7: Follow-up (and be nice!)

If you've met someone that you want to keep in contact with be sure to send them an email in the days or weeks following the conference. Especially if you want to start a collaboration or join their lab. Include a key detail about your conversation like a note about your work or who introduced you.

Be Nice! At smaller meetings, especially if you attend annually, you will probably run into the same people multiple times. Be nice and be prepared. Try to make a good impression with your work and your personality.


How do you get ready for small conferences? What tips do you have for getting the most out of scientific meetings?






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