The Total Perspective Vortex: Five Reasons to Submit an Abstract
11-23-2014
Are you thinking of submitting an abstract to the “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Protein Galaxy” Symposium at Purdue? You definitely should! We’ve got a great team of organizers, an outstanding (and burgeoning) list of invited speakers, and an excellent keynote speaker, all of whom will make this conference a great experience for attendees and presenters. But, if you need more convincing, here are five reasons to submit an abstract, from our five student organizers.
(A quick digression – The Total Perspective Vortex was one of the most brilliant concepts, among many, in The Hitchhiker’s Guide Trilogy. It is a device designed to show the user the entirety of the universe, and his or her place within in. While we cannot promise the whole universe, we definitely hope attendees will come away from this conference with a good view of the protein universe, or as much as we can show them.)
Five Reasons to Submit an Abstract:
1) This is an excellent opportunity to present a poster/talk, and it looks great on your CV. “Aside from the obvious intellectual advantages, attending conferences is an easy way for students to elevate their CVs and resumes. Even with pioneering work, having given presentations and posters in a variety of settings over a variety of topics is important to be competitive while applying to graduate school or while job hunting after graduate school”, says Brendan Sullivan.
2) The symposium will offer a retreat-like atmosphere, even on campus at Purdue, which will provide a great setting for discussions, networking and social interactions. “As researchers we love our cocoons. We bury ourselves in our buildings, stuck in our labs with our noses glued to our projects. Presenting and participating in our symposium gives you a chance to see what else is going on in Purdue and may just provide an avenue for experimentation that you have never thought of,” saysAdriano Mendes.
3) No one simply rolls out of bed and becomes a great presenter. It requires practice and information and time management for both poster and platform presentations. “As we try to explain our research in a short and concise manner to all the new people we meet in the symposium, it is a great opportunity to practice our elevator pitch,” says Sakshi Tomar.
4) Did we mention the prizes? “We’ll be presenting awards for the best poster and best student platform presentations. The award will be based upon an absolute standard of excellence and criteria developed by the Student Presentation Subcommittee,” says Satchal Erramilli. All student presenters will be considered eligible for the prizes, so make sure to identify yourself as a student when you register by checking the appropriate box.
5) “Wouldn’t it be nice to have your name and abstract on our official program?”, asks Duy Hua. This is the very first (of hopefully many) Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Protein Galaxy Symposium held on campus at Purdue. It is for you, the protein researcher, to attend and expand your horizons. Don’t you want to be a part of that?