Thanks to the support of the Gold Opportunities Fund, I was able to attend and present at an International Conference in Germany.
Why did I wish to attend?
During my 10-month internship at Victoria University of Wellington's 'Affective and Criminal Neuroscience Lab' (Afcrin Lab) in New Zealand, I had the opportunity to present my research at one virtual conference along with a mix of three national and international conferences.
Towards the end of my placement, my supervisor encouraged me to apply to present at the “Psychologie und Gehirn” (“Psychology and the Brain”) conference, which was hosting its 50th anniversary in Würzburg, Germany. This was a great opportunity for me to share my work over the past year and to make new connections.
Applying for the Opportunities Fund
In order to present at the conference, I firstly had to pay a registration fee to allow me to attend. I also wanted to attend one of the two-day workshops that were available to students which also had a cost to partake in. I also had to look into flight costs and accommodation in Würzburg. After having worked in an unpaid placement for the last year, any financial support I could get was greatly appreciated.
So, I applied for the Gold Opportunities Fund and received support with financing flights, accommodation, and workshop fees. This was an easy process, where I calculated the estimated costs of the experience and explained why it would be beneficial for me to attend.
My week in Würzburg
On Monday I arrived in the beautiful city of Würzburg and was greeted with the stunning sights of the Marienberg Fortress across the canal lined with cafes and restaurants. Exploring the city I discovered the Würzburg Residence (a World Heritage site), Marienkapelle (a Roman Church), and vineyards in the distance. I really enjoyed walking around the city in the evening and taking in all the sights and sounds.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, I attended a two-day workshop on "Multiverse Analysis for Neuroimaging". Multiverse analysis is a method arising from the growing concerns of the replicability crisis in science. This workshop highlighted the importance of transparency in research and the extensive range of outcomes depending on data processing and analytical choices. I also ran code in Python for the first time! During my placement I learnt to code in R, therefore I was able to apply my knowledge when learning these new skills. On Tuesday night all workshop attendees went out for dinner and on Wednesday evening we attended the 'Welcome evening' event where we could begin to meet and network with others before the conference the next day.
Over the course of the next three days of the conference (Thursday to Saturday) it was great to learn about the current and ongoing research being conducted by students and academics, with many interesting and exciting ideas being put forward. Particular highlights for me included listening to a symposium on the neuropsychobiology of aggression and learning about new tasks developed to measure frustration and aggressive behaviour as well as talks on stereoscopic depth and investigating dyadic interactions and social anxiety in VR. I also enjoyed my poster presentation and sharing my work on Emotion-Induced Blindness and Psychopathy from the past year.
Reflection
Attending 'Psychologie und Gehirn' was a wonderful opportunity not only to present my research and learn from others, but also to make new friends and connections, all whilst exploring a beautiful city in Germany. I really enjoyed my time in Würzburg and I hope I will get the opportunity to attend PuG again in the future!
Responses
This sounds like such an awesome experience Kasia! Well done for taking the plunge and submitting an application for what I imagine could be quite a daunting conference.