The Benefits of Scientific Conferences

Montaha Chowdhury

It has not been long since I attend the 2nd World Conference on Sheep in Nanjing, China. There I, an undergraduate student of Bioinformatics, got the privilege to present a poster on behalf of my research group. Presenting and sharing the platform of my research work with experienced academics and Professors was a mind-boggling experience. Thus, I would like to share some advantages of attending scientific conferences, in other words, the benefits you would gain or achieve from attending.

• Networking and Socializing: In the early stages of our careers, the science students often ask themselves questions such as: are we enough smart to attend an academic conference? The answer is simple, YES you can! It doesn’t matter whether you are an undergraduate, a professional, a teacher, or a researcher. Attending conferences is a great way for building networks and connecting with individuals. Who knows, you might end up impressing someone who is recruiting and looking for young talented scientists! Make sure you ask for business cards or exchange email addresses to keep in touch with them after the conference.
• A new learning experience: By getting to meet new people, you may learn about different hot topics and new areas of research in your field of interest. Also, you can improve your own skills and knowledge in the field you are interested in.
• Improving your CV: The more you attend conferences, the more you can improve your presentation skills. This is a great way to build up your CV. The job market, as we all know, is highly competitive. To stand out, in addition to networking, we need to be able to provide strong skills and advantageous qualities. It is more likely that meeting people can increase your chances of academic opportunities.
• WOMEN IN STEM: As women in science fields, we are already losing out. However, we can be stronger, and build ourselves up. Thus, we will be able to sit at that table.For all these reasons, let’s overcome our fears and hesitations, challenge ourselves, and attend conferences in the early stage of our careers. Continuing this for at least a year, we will definitely see that the benefits outweigh the costs. All we need to do is to make the most of these opportunities!