per ardua ad astra

09.05.2019

1) The great thing about conferences is that you all have a general interest or purpose in common. Go check out other presentations. This naturally sparks questions that I can either ask the presenter or audience members I see later.

2) Ask about research interests and how they came to study that area. This often often the door to talk about more personal things, since a person’s personal interest gives you insight to who they are as a person.

3) pause and give them a chance to expand and/or ask you a question. When they ask a question try to give a sentence or two to gauge interest and from there either expand, change subject, or pause. By this point you’ve either clicked and the conversation is rolling or you haven’t and probably won’t. So, just follow the course of the conversation if you’re enjoying it/it is useful, or find a reason to leave if it is not.

To expand upon the response above about going to presentations, specifically go to poster sessions if they’re available. Poster sessions are under-appreciated networking opportunities with very low stress, and they’re honestly so fantastic:

It’s already a one-on-one face-to-face convo!

And the topic is right there! No need for ice-breakers; just go up to a poster you’re interested in and say to the presenter: “Hi, can you walk me through your poster?” and voila!

You can then move the conversation along by asking the presenter questions about their research, their institution, their career path, etc etc. And then feel free to follow up with “I’m interested in asking you that because I’m also doing the same research” or “I’m interested in doing a post-doc at your university”, stuff like that.

If you want their contact info, all you gotta ask is “Do you have a business card? I would love to keep in contact with you to follow up on your research!” or things like that. (And then send them a follow-up email after the conference thanking them for the presentation, and with any other questions/comments you have. Not required, but a nice thing to do to keep them in your orbit). A plus if you also have contact cards to swap too!

The majority of poster presenters are students (mostly grad students and post-docs), which I (as a grad student myself) find less intimidating to start talking to.

Poster presenters are sometimes desperate for people to come up to them. Yeah, a lot of us are introverts, but there’s still nothing more disappointing than just standing there for 3 hours with no one interested in the years of work we’ve put into the research in our posters. So please come talk to us!

Related, if you’re giving a poster presentation at any point, feel free to strike up a convo with the presenters next to you! Something as simple as “so what are you presenting on?” or “uggh i can’t believe we have to stand here for 4 hours”

30 Brilliant Networking Conversation Starters from The Muse

Study marathon 1/13

Revising theories of evolution and then heading over to the realm of physics and maths. Inspiring quote of the day:

Assiduity, it means sit down until you do it. Commit yourself to your work and study.

31/3/2019

“Few come within the compass of my curse wherein I did not some notorious ill” 

For my close analysis draft essay of a Shakespearean speech, I chose the blood curdling declaration from Aaron in Titus Andronicus of his only regret being he could not do more evil than he already did. I find this speech fascinating and chilling. I love that in the 19th century this play disturbed and shocked people so much they did not want to associate it with Shakespeare, and so tried to shift the blame on Marlowe instead…