The BOU supported 12 early career ornithologists’ attendance of #IOCongress2018 in Vancouver. Here’s one of their accounts highlighting the take home messages from a truly international conference.
A great platform for early career researchers!
I can’t believe it has already been two months since I attended IOCongress2018. It was a great experience and at the same time overwhelming for me to be a part of such a big and prestigious conference. Attending conferences are important for researchers and academics but for an early-career researcher, presenting their research work at conferences is indeed a learning process. By attending international conferences, you get a platform to present your research findings and get feedback from the much wider audience from around the world.
I am currently in the last phase of my PhD and IOCongress2018 came at the right time for me to present my interesting results to important questions in avian ecology and conservation. Attending IOCongress2018 was an opportunity to present these findings at the world’s leading ornithological conference and for me to discuss my work with others who are interested in this field.
CLICK HERE for larger view of poster.
I presented a traditional poster on “How well do we know Himalayan Galliformes species’ range size?”. By presenting this poster I got feedback from experts working in my field and related areas which will help me in improving the manuscript. It was also an opportunity to hear of recent developments in many related aspects of ornithology, which has enhanced my overall understanding, and the context within which my work is presently set.
Being in my final stage, attending IOCongress2018 was really beneficial for me as I got an opportunity to socialise, meet people and discuss my career development. For example, finding out how others have taken their next steps, what do they believe is important for career advancement at the early stage that I am? This was the most opportune time for me to attend an IOC as I got a chance to make contacts with researchers with whom I might get a chance to collaborate with and take my research career to the next level after finishing PhD.
All in all, attending IOCongress2018 was a wonderful opportunity for me to present and receive feedback on my work, to socialise and learn about establishing a career in ornithology and all this would not had been possible if I had not got the BOU ECR travel bursary. Such bursaries are really important for early-career researchers’ careers (ECRs) and overall development. Since ECRs, especially PhD students, can’t afford to attend large conferences such as an IOC, and given how important it is for them to gain exposure, travel grants like these are of immense help to ECRs.
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