Conferences are a great way to meet the experts in your field, learn the state of the art, and enjoy talking about research.
Eligibility
- If you’re first author on a lab paper that year, the lab will typically fund one relevant conference per calendar year (subject to available funds).
- Want to attend more than one? Apply for travel awards or student support, and Christina will help.
Funding
Typically lab-funded: registration, travel (flight/train/mileage), lodging, reasonable meals and local transit, and poster printing.
Not covered: extra nights for personal travel, upgrades (business class, premium hotels), alcohol or expensive meals, and avoidable late-booking fees.
How payment works: in most cases you pay upfront and get reimbursed, so keep itemized receipts. If the lab needs to pay directly (e.g., registration on the P-card), request that during the approval step.
Choosing a conference
Pick conferences that maximize audience fit, feedback quality, and career value. It’s valuable to alternate between engineering- and biology-focused conferences over time, but choose what best serves your project and goals this year.
| Conference | Field | Frequency | Month |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIAA Aviation | Engineering | Annual | June |
| AIAA SciTech | Engineering | Annual | January |
| GRC Multifunctional Materials & Structures | Engineering | Biennial | January |
| SEB | Biology | Annual | Varies |
| SICB | Biology | Annual | January |
The workflow
- Plan and get approval (before submitting or booking). Send Christina the conference name, dates, and location; what you’re submitting (poster/talk/paper); a rough budget; and whether you’ll apply for travel awards (recommended). Don’t book flights or hotels until you get a written “yes.”
- Submit an abstract. Conference titles can be less declarative than journal titles, since results can evolve. The Nature summary-paragraph style is a good default structure.
- Write the conference paper (if required). Keep it tight; aim for a version that can grow into a journal submission after incorporating feedback.
- Practice your talk or poster to the lab at least two weeks before you travel, so you can incorporate feedback first.
- Attend and represent the lab well. Network intentionally and use good judgment in professional settings.
- Share back at the next lab meeting: five minutes of top insights and one or two actionable ideas, and update the publications list.
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