Attending EOU2019 was a great opportunity for me to present my study and obtain feedback. An essential step at the end of my PhD.
I like to thank the BOU member travel award program. Without this support I would not have been able to attend the 12th EOU conference in Cluj, Romania.
EOU2019 was the third time I have attended an EOU conference: the first in Norwich in 2013, was my first international conference, and where I presented the work from my Masters thesis; my second, in Badajoz in 2015, was at the beginning of my PhD; and finally, this year, in the last months of my PhD, I had the opportunity to give a talk in the oral session of “Birds and humans”, sharing the information of one of the chapters of my PhD thesis. This allowed me to practice my oral and presentation skills before my PhD defence. However, the most important outcome for me was the amazing feedback I obtained from other reseachers interested in my work, who wanted to know the minor details and judge it in the best way, with positive feedback which makes you feel so good and very grateful.
The organization of this conference, with its many symposia making sure there was always something interesting for me to see (the parallel session at times making it difficult to choose at times), and the well selected plenary talks with interesting topics, made this conference one of the most interesting and important in my work.
Attending EOU2019 has been very useful for me in both professional and personal ways. Conferences are perfect for networking, but in the case of this EOU conference, this is really noticeable. The program provides different opportunities to speak with different researchers, and not only during the conference but also socially as the location, in the centre of Cluj, with many restaurants, cafes and pubs in easy walking distance, made it easy to meet with the other participants. This networking is always essential, but even more in the last year of my PhD, where I need to search for new jobs and potential new supervisors for postdoc grants. Personally, this conference came at a perfect moment to meet old friends, with you only get to see at conferences because you live in different countries, and, of course, to meet new people and make new friends. It is fantastic for people with the same interest, making you feel comfortable since the very first moment you arrive at the conference.
I was very grateful to receive a BOU member travel award as this was the only way for me to attend the conference due to the lack of funding from my institute. It was one of the most interesting and useful conferences I have ever attended, and I recommend to all PhD students to attend to future EOU conferences due to its relevant level of scientific studies and the warm atmosphere, which makes you feel you are making the most of your time and very enjoyable.
