Scientific conferences? Liz Leininger is a pro

It’s never too early to start attending—and shining—at scientific conferences, whether you are a seasoned instructor or an undergraduate researcher.

Ask New College Associate Professor of Neurobiology Liz Leininger, Ph.D. She is such an avid proponent of conference culture that she recently co-wrote and published a paper about it—a kind of “tips-and-tricks” guide for trainees and their mentors.

Leininger was the lead author of the July 15 piece in the Public Library of Science (PLOS) Computational Biology Journal entitled Ten Simple Rules for Attending Your First Conference.

“We wrote this piece to demystify the process of conference attendance for trainees. We include discussions of in-person, as well as virtual, conferences, and we include tips for mentorship,” said Leininger, whose co-authors included Kelly Shaw, Ph.D.; Niema Moshiri, Ph.D.; Kelly Neiles, Ph.D.; Getiria Onsongo, Ph.D.; and Anna Ritz, Ph.D.

“Conferences are a microcosm of their discipline,” the authors wrote, “and while conferences offer different perspectives in different disciplines, they all offer experiences that range from a casual chat waiting in line for coffee to watching someone present their groundbreaking, hot-off-the-press research.”

Scientists of all career stages converge at these gatherings to share their innovative ideas, but the format is not always easy for first-timers (or even regulars) to navigate.

“This paper covers the process of attending a scientific conference from start to finish. There is a lot to plan and experience—from selecting a conference that aligns with one’s goals, submitting abstracts, figuring out travel logistics and funding, making the most of the scientific program, and following up after the conference,” Leininger said. “We hope that making the process more transparent will help students have a smooth experience.”

Leininger has introduced New College students to the advantages of industry conferences for years—and has briefed them on the “do’s” and “don’ts” of scientific communication.

“When my students attended the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology conference in 2019, for example, they got to meet other scientists working on similar problems,” Leininger said. “It was a thrill for my students to share their research with scientists whose names they recognized from articles they read.”

The Student Research and Travel Grant (SRTG) Program at New College also provides competitive funding for students of all areas of concentration to attend conferences, hone their grant-writing skills and present their scholarly work.

Leininger and Ritz added that the principles outlined in the Ten Simple Rules paper are applicable across multiple academic subjects.

“While there are certainly differences between scientific disciplines, some tips seemed to be universal. So, we wrote a paper with a broad perspective of STEM disciplines on conference attendance,” Ritz said. “We want this paper to transparently help first-time conference goers get the most out of the conference, and provide mentors with a starting point for helping their trainees navigate scientific meetings. We hope that this project doesn’t end with the publication and that people submit their own tips, thoughts and advice about conference attendance through the web portal.”

Another aim of the paper was to encourage equity and inclusion among conference attendees.

“Writing this paper was a chance for us to reflect on our own biases. We are all at U.S.-based institutions with teaching-focused positions, where our schools especially care about undergraduate training,” Ritz said. “There are enormous benefits of virtual conferences for disabled researchers and international scholars who may not be able to travel. We learned how conferences in our fields could better serve the community by being more inclusive.”

Perspectives from numerous authors gave the paper broader impact.

“I was a first-generation college student who did not know what a conference was until I attended my first conference in graduate school. I can empathize with navigating unfamiliar spaces. I know how helpful knowing what the unwritten rules are in a space can be,” Onsongo said. “Joining a new community can be nerve-wracking even for those who have a lot in common with people in the community. This perspective is the basis for one of the rules in the paper, preparing to (safely) get out of your comfort zone.”

Want to get out of your comfort zone and learn more about attending a conference? Read the paper here, and reach out the Center for Career Engagement and Opportunity for more details at ncf.edu/ceo.

To learn more about the Division of Natural Sciences at New College, visit ncf.edu/academics/undergraduate-program/division-of-natural-sciences.

Abby Weingarten is the senior editor in the Office of Communications & Marketing.