Special Conference Support Scheme - Travel Reports
From this page you can read conference travel reports submitted by the following postgraduate students:
Jeromy Anglim
I have recently returned from Italy where I attended two conferences and met with key academics relating to my PhD. The trip was aided financially by the department's Special Conference Support Scheme. The first stop of the trip was the ACT-R Workshop in Trieste (http://act-r.psy.cmu.edu) where I was able to learn about cutting edge research in ACT-R, a tool for developing simulations of human cognition. This smaller workshop allowed me to make key contacts with such established researchers as John R. Anderson and Niels Taatgen as well as others earlier in their academic careers. After a two day respite seeing the picturesque sites of Slovenia, attention turned to CogSci2005, in Stresa, Italy (www.psych.unito.it/csc/cogsci05). Here I
presented a paper based on my PhD, attended two practical workshops on cognitive modelling and made numerous contacts. Anyone eager to read the paper will find it here: www.psych.unito.it/csc/cogsci05/frame/poster/3/p465-anglim.pdf
Melinda Carrington
In June I attended the annual APSS (Associated Professional Sleep Societies) conference in Philadelphia where I presented my abstract, "Does frequent arousal from sleep prevent the sleep related fall in blood pressure in young healthy individuals?" Attendance was made possible through the Department's Special Conference Support Scheme. This conference is the premiere international meeting on sleep and sleep disorder research. It gave me an opportunity to discuss the research of others' in the field and the opportunity to receive feedback on my own research. This was imperative in the final write-up stages of my PhD candidature.
I also included into my trip to the US a visit to Dr Ian Colrain and Dr Kate Crowley at SRI International, Palo Alto. Here, I presented the research findings of my PhD to the staff of the Center for Health Sciences and explored post-doctoral opportunities. Both Drs Colrain and Crowley were co-authors on a paper I was working on for publication and it was a great benefit to work together on the paper. I also shared my experience in collecting heart rate and blood pressure data in different sleep states to assist with work beginning in their new laboratory in the Human Research Sleep Program investigating autonomic nervous system function during sleep.
Linda Gonzalez
- February 2-5 2005, International Neuropsychological Society 33rd Meeting, St Louis, Missouri, USA
- February 6-12 2005, Invited Professional visits to Cleveland Clinic Foundation and Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
With the benefit of funds awarded through the Special Conference Support Scheme, I was able to undertake the above trip to the USA in early February 2005. This trip occurred shortly after the submission of my PhD, which examined memory function in children with Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (TLE) and their healthy peers. The timing of this trip was optimal to communicate the findings of the completed study and discuss the implications of the results in an international forum.
The first stage of my trip involved attending the INS meeting in St Louis. This is the largest annual meeting of clinical and research neuropsychologists and was attended by approximately 1500 delegates. I presented a paper reporting on the interface between neuropsychological and questionnaire memory measures in children with TLE and a large control sample. The paper was well received and led to several one:one discussions with eminent researchers in the field and requests for further details of the study and the everyday memory questionnaire in particular. These requests bolstered my enthusiasm to publish the findings, quickly! Further highlights of the conference included the opportunity to attend four workshops given by world-leaders in neuropsychological research.
The second leg of my journey took me to Cleveland, where I spent three days 'shadowing' two paediatric neuropsychologists at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. This centre has an international reputation as a leader in paediatric epilepsy surgery, which is highly relevant to my research and clinical interests. I had the opportunity to attend clinical meetings, view their video-monitoring facilities, observe clinical interviews and discuss differences between the Australian and North American models of paediatric neuropsychology, of which there are many. The most pertinent difference is that testing is performed by a technician not the clinician. During this visit I presented an overview of PhD research to the neuropsychology staff, including established researchers, and academics invited from the Case Western Reserve University. This talk was received with interest and generated discussion of the numerous implications the results raise for clinical practice and possibilities of international collaboration. This stimulating trip was concluded with a day visiting a professor of paediatric neuropsychology at the Case Western Reserve University. We discussed further research possibilities and different approaches to clinical assessment. In addition to this fairly demanding schedule, there was plenty of time for social outings and forging friendships with the Cleveland group.
This was an enormously rewarding trip that has influenced the direction of my further post-PhD research endeavours. I have benefited greatly from the opportunities provided by the Special Conference Support Scheme and encourage all other students to take advantage of this program.
Warwick Hosking
I have recently returned from a highly enjoyable and successful academic trip to the United States of America, which was made possible by funding through the department's Special Conference Support Scheme. My first stop was New York City where I met and discussed my doctoral work with Professor E. Tory Higgins (Columbia University), a leading figure in my research field, self-regulation. This was an important meeting as I was able to receive helpful feedback and suggestions regarding my current research while cementing a very useful academic contact.
The second stop was Durham, North Carolina, where I met with colleagues from Melbourne University who are now working as post-doctoral research fellows at Duke University. The third and final stop was New Orleans, the host city for the 6th Annual Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP) Conference. Here I presented a poster detailing the results of my first PhD study, and established connections with other researchers in my area with whom I may collaborate on future projects.
Attending and presenting at this conference was an invaluable experience. It allowed me to disseminate my research findings to a broad North American audience, to establish useful contacts, and to see many prominent figures in the social psychology field talk about their work. I thank the department for their generous financial support, and my supervisor Associate Professor Jenny Boldero for her guidance throughout my doctoral studies thus far (and for being an excellent travel companion!).
Dean Lusher
Departmental Special Conference Support Scheme in 2004
In May 2004 I attended a workshop and international conference in Portoroz¸ Slovenia due mainly to the generosity of the Department of Psychology Special Conference Support Scheme. My request for financial assistance was kindly granted and it helped me with a substantial part of the expense of my flight and my conference registration. Without this support I would not have even contemplated being able to afford the journey. I soon realized what an opportunity the Department offers to postgraduate students and I understood that an international conference was not just something for 'other' students.
The conference and workshop were terrific for me for a number of reasons. Firstly, I learned a considerable amount in my dedicated research area. This all happened at a really crucial time for me, about 18 months into my PhD where I was struggling a bit with some of the more difficult concepts of social network analysis, the main area of my research. I can't imagine not having gone now as I gained so much from a number of high calibre presentations. I suggest taking up the opportunity of conference support at a time when you are still trying to learn many new things that can help your PhD rather than leaving it right till the end to present the results of your studies. Secondly, I met some great people whom I am keen to catch up with again, not just for their intellectual challenges but because they were lovely people too. Friendships are something that should be fostered in all work environments, and in academia we are lucky that these may also be international. Thirdly, I was very fortunate that the countries I traveled to were just fantastic (as most countries) and so I incorporated some sightseeing into my trip. Apart from Slovenia, which is just a beautiful country, I got to stop in Venice on the way as it is one of the closest cities to Portoroz. But wherever you travel there is going to be something special about it certainly. Furthermore, as I was in Europe when the conference was over, I was also able to extend my journey and go to Turkey for a holiday. It's difficult to get to the other side of the world, so while you are there there's no point coming straight back again. I should point out that the Department did not cover these extra fares, just in case you are wondering, but a small addition of my own money got me a well enjoyed rest. And this leads me on to my fourth point. The break away from long hours at a computer in the department or at home really refreshed me. Although conferences involve quite long hours, followed usually by catching up with people in the evenings to discuss things further over dinner (and sometimes drinks), it was so much fun and made me feel like I'd had a holiday, even before I did have a holiday.
In short, going to an international conference was invaluable for me in a number of ways. I encourage anyone contemplating such a venture to take the opportunity, especially given the generous financial support the department offers. I returned feeling I'd accelerated my learning in the main field of my PhD by at least 6 months. I have made some contacts that may be able to open doors for me should I decide I'd like to work abroad at some point. Also I met some wonderful people, who stimulated me intellectually and who were fun to be around. The whole experience was something different that reminded me that my PhD needn't feel like a life sentence. I look back at the experience with a lot of fond memories and know it was one of the best things I've done during my time as postgraduate student.
Melissa Marot
I have recently returned from a highly successful and fascinating academic visit to Europe and the United States of America . This visit was possible because of assistance from a number of sources: Neurosciences Victoria providing travel assistance through my ARC Linkage APAI award, the Hay Group with their generous in-kind support as hosts in Boston , MATS and importantly through the Psychology Department's Special Conference Support Scheme.
My first port of call was the European Congress of Work and Organisational Psychology in Istanbul , Turkey , where I presented research based on the first stage of my thesis looking at the impact of commercial funding on research team effectiveness in the biomedical research sector. At the European Conference I was able to meet and network with a number of well-known academics and practitioners in the field of leadership and team effectiveness, and received much interest along with useful feedback and suggestions on my research. Most importantly the conference provided me with fantastic opportunities to discuss future directions and implications of this research.
After attending the conference in Turkey I made my way to Boston , Massachusetts in the United States of America . I stayed in Boston for six months and was primarily hosted by the " McClelland Center for Research and Innovation" (Centre of Excellence for the Hay Group). Here I had the opportunity to conduct my research with experts in the field of leadership styles and team effectiveness and had many lengthy discussions on analyses, interpretations of results and the practical implications of the research - that is, how it may inform the way research teams work in current funding conditions, how they may work better, and how this may affect organisational structuring as well as policy development. Boston is a world centre for biotechnology so I was able to meet with researchers and practitioners that are directly involved with biomedical/biotechnology private and public research organisations. During my stay in Boston I met regularly with Professor Richard Hackman of Harvard University (Chair of Psychology, Harvard University ) who is a world renowned specialist in team effectiveness. I attended a number of seminars including the "Groups Group" which was a forum for academics from universities in the Boston area meeting every fortnight, i.e. Harvard University , Harvard Business School , Sloan School of Management, Brandeis, Kennedy School of Government. I presented my research to this group and received some very helpful suggestions as well as some fantastic words of encouragement!
Participating and working in the research community in the Boston/Cambridge area in Massachusetts was an invaluable experience, as was attending the European Conference of Work and Organisational Psychology. Both destinations were intellectually stimulating as well as very beautiful and culturally significant! It was a fabulous opportunity to participate in such a strong, active and diverse research community and meet with numerous international visitors. The opportunity to disseminate and discuss my research with such a broad audience and prominent figures in leadership, teams and the biotechnology sector was invaluable. It has allowed me to establish some very concrete contacts and working relationships and I look forward to developing these relationships further. Many thanks to the Department of Psychology for the generous financial support, to my Industry Partners Neurosciences Victoria and the Hay Group for their very generous support, and to my supervisors Prasuna Reddy, John Selsky , William Hart and Paul Power for their guidance and wisdom throughout the project thus far.
Maja Nedeljkovic
36th Congress of the EABCT , Manchester, UK, September 8th - 11th, 2004
In September this year I attended and presented at the 36th Congress of the European Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapy (EABCT) in Manchester. The EABCT conference is widely recognized as one of the major international conferences in the field of cognitive and behavioural aspects of psychopathology, assessment and treatment. It has consistently attracted the most prominent researchers in the field of clinical psychology with the highlights of this year's congress including keynote speeches by Aaron Beck and Tom Borkovec, arguably some of the most influential theorists in the current cognitive and behavioural research. More importantly, the congress included several symposia that specifically focused on the processes involved in OCD, which is my area of research. Some of the leading researchers (including Rachman, Salkovskis and van den Hout, whose research and theories have informed much of the current conceptions of OCD and much of my work) attended the conference and presented their most current research and theories. Therefore, it was a great place/forum to present my Ph.D. findings on the neuropsychological, cognitive and metacognitive changes associated with treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Besides the invaluable experience of presenting in front of and discussing my findings with such an esteemed audience, it was a great opportunity to meet these academics, introduce my work and discuss possibilities of future research collaborations.
As part of my visit I also attended the meeting of the Obsessive Compulsive Cognitions Working Group (OCCWG), which is an international collaborative research program in the cognitive bases on OCD, that has conducted a number of large-scale collaborative research projects. The group held several meetings and workgroups in Manchester, just before the conference, to discuss and plan future research to be undertaken by the group. Sitting at the same table with a significant portion of my reference list, while they are brainstorming the new directions to be taken in research in the area, was an invaluable experience and will greatly contribute in the writing-up stages of my thesis. It was also a great opportunity to meet these academics, find out more about the research programs they are involved in, discuss my study and plans for the future. This will be of great value in considering possible post-doctoral opportunities, after finishing my thesis.
My attendance at the conference was made possible with the help of the Special Conference Support Scheme. I would strongly recommend attending and presenting at an international conference. It is the best opportunity to introduce yourself and your work to the wider research community, which would undoubtedly contribute to future research collaboration and career opportunities.
Julian Simmons
In October of 2004 I received a $250 travel award from the Department. This money helped me to attend the 44th Annual Conference of the Society for Psychophysiological Research in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where I presented at a symposium on the Emotional Modulation of the Post-Auricular Reflex. My talk was entitled, "The effects of chronic sertraline administration on the responsivity of the post-auricular reflex during affective picture stimuli in healthy volunteers". There was much interest in this research area, as the post-auricular reflex appears to be an indicator of appetitive motivational system engagement with affective foreground stimuli. No other such measure has been found, and research has focussed on the aversive motivational system. Continuing research in both areas will help us to further understand the way the human brain processes affective information, and how this relates to behaviour and ultimately psychopathology. Out of this presentation I received an invitation to visit Erica Forbes and Ahmad Hariri at the University of Pittsburgh, and Carien von Reekum and Richard Davidson at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. I've also been asked to speak at the Eleventh Annual Symposium on Emotion in 2005, focussing on genes, brain and emotion.
Attending the conference allowed me to make some very useful contacts, as well as have a lot of fun and meet some very nice people. Presenting to such a large audience was a nerve wracking experience, but has prompted me to present more often to gain experience, and this has lead to more great opportunities.
Sarah Lauren Whittle
I have recently returned from a trip to the United States , for which I received Departmental Special Conference Support to attend two conferences and visit local academics.
The first conference attended was the Society for Research in Adolescence Biennial Meeting, 23 rd to 26 th May, at the Hilton Hotel in San Francsco. I presented my research at a symposium titled The Biobehavioural Correlates of Temperament in Early Adolescence: Initial Findings from the ORYGEN Adolescent Development Study, organized and chaired by my supervisor Associate Professor Nicholas Allen. Fellow students from the Psychology Department, Marie Yap and Nina Cook were also present and also presented at the symposium. This experience was rewarding for several reasons. Firstly, it was the first time that findings from the ORYGEN Adolescent Development Study had been disseminated at a conference, national or international. We received very positive and encouraging feedback from conference attendees. Secondly, I received very positive feedback on my specific presentation, as well as ideas that will aid me in interpreting my results and writing an interesting and comprehensive thesis.
The second conference attended was the Society for Cognitive Neuroscience Annual Meeting, 8 th to 11 th April, at the Grant Hyatt Hotel in San Francisco . I presented my research in the form of a poster at a scheduled poster session. This conference was most interesting and relevant to my current interests in neuroimaging. This presentation was useful in ways that a formal oral presentation is not; it presented me with the opportunity to discuss my research in much more detail with interested conference attendees. As a result of attendance at both conferences, I was able to talk with other prominent researchers in related fields, share my research, gain advice, and make contacts for possible future collaboration.
As well as attending these two conferences, my supervisor Nick Allen, fellow student Anna Barrett, and myself met with Dr. Brian Knutson, professor at Stanford University . Dr. Knutson has done some interesting research that directly relates to mine. During the meeting we spoke about my research findings and I gained advice pertaining to my data analysis and interpretation. I also learnt of his current research interests and ongoing projects.
I had also intended to meet with Dr Frank Sun, a researcher at UCLA. There were some issues with scheduling a meeting time, and unfortunately we were not able to meet during my time in California . We did, however, corresponded via phone and email.
Marie Bee Hui Yap
I recently presented some of my PhD findings at the 11 th Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research in Adolescence in San Francisco , California (23-26 March 2006), which was attended by more than 1500 delegates. I presented a paper at a symposium entitled “The Association Between Temperament and Emotion Regulation Behaviours During Family Interactions Between Parents and Adolescents”. The symposium was well attended and invited much positive feedback and interest from fellow delegates.
I also presented a poster at the conference entitled “ Parent Meta-Emotion Philosophy and Emotion Regulation Behaviours During Family Interactions Between Parents and Adolescents ”. The poster attracted a good amount of interest and I had the opportunity to have stimulating discussions with other researchers in the similar field.
After the conference I travelled to the University of Washington , Seattle to visit the laboratory of Professor Lynn Fainsilber Katz, who is one of the leading researchers in the field of parent meta-emotion and family processes. There I presented some other aspects of my thesis findings in a talk entitled “ Parent Meta-Emotion Interview, Parent Temperament, Symptomatology, Socialization & Adolescent Emotion Regulation ”. The questions, comments and suggestions I received from this visit proved to be really helpful in my conceptualizations of my data and have opened the way to future collaborations with Prof. Katz and her laboratory.
Overall I found the timing of this trip (with regards to the progress in my PhD) really opportune because I was at a stage where I had collected all my data and analysed a substantial part of it, and this trip presented me with the perfect opportunity to start communicating and discussing my findings with international researchers in the same field. Strangely enough this trip forced me to start being more confident about my work and the important contributions they can potentially make to the field. Altogether it has really fuelled my passion about my work and inspired me in terms of where I want to head in my research post-PhD. All this would not have been possible without funds awarded through the Special Conference Support Scheme, and additional support from my supervisor, Assoc. Prof. Nick Allen. Thank you!
Yu Zhao
I attended the 2006 International Sunbelt Social Network Conference (Sunbelt XXVI) in Vancouver , Canada and presented the work Dr. Garry Robins and I conducted in the area of multiple networks “Multiple networks: Comparing QAP and exponential random graph (p) models.” The International Sunbelt Social Network Conference, taking place once a year, is a major forum for social scientists, mathematicians, computer scientists, ethnologists, and others to present current work in the area of social networks. This conference gave me the opportunity to receive valuable feedback from other researchers as well as to share ideas and common concerns with others.
I met Dr. Olaf Rank, one of the few eminent researchers in the area of multiple networks in organizations, at the Department of Management, University of Bern , Switzerland . Dr Rank provided enormous valuable feedback and advice for my PhD thesis.
I gave one talk “Network in Organizations – Network Structure and Leadership Behavior” at the Center for Social & Economic Behavior, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences on 09.05.2006 and a lecture “Network in Organizations – Network Structure and Performance” at the Department of Psychology, Peking University on 10.05.2006. Prof. Kan Shi (Director of the Center for Social & Economic Behavior) showed great interest in my research. He is keen on collecting similar sample size data from Human Resources Department of a Chinese organization, therefore a cross-cultural study on Network Structure and Leadership Behavior would be possible.
I would like to take the opportunity to thank the Departmental Special Conference Support Scheme which made my trip possible. This trip gave me great exposure to the area of networks as well as organizational behavior. This trip was also valuable in ensuring an effective and efficient thesis write-up in the second half of the year.
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