March 2, 2017
As a graduate student at UT Austin, I’m no stranger to presenting my research at research meetings and conferences. I gained a whole new appreciation for poster sessions, though, when I had the opportunity to organize one myself and see just how much energy it takes to organize and execute a successful event.
Every February for the past six years, the Jackson School of Geosciences has hosted a Student Research Symposium sponsored by ConocoPhillips. It’s an AGU-style Poster session where ~110-150 students present their research and get feedback from peers, faculty, and JSG alumni/industry affiliates. This academic year, I volunteered as tribute to spearhead organization and planning for the event. With much guidance from other JSG students who have risen to the same task in previous years, I jumped into Symposium planning as soon as the Fall 2016 semester began.
There’s an endless list of tasks to accomplish leading up to an event like this, from advertising and calling for abstracts, to fishing for judges and volunteers. (Seven months go by so fast!!!). Instead of talking about logistics, though, I want to highlight here what I see in retrospect as my favorite parts about the experience.
First, it gave me the chance to get to know some graduate students that I hadn’t yet interacted with. At a place like UT, I think this is really valuable. We have over 200 graduate students, and sometimes you can really feel it—especially for someone like me, having come from a smallish university with an even smaller Geoscience program (shout out to Boston College!!!). Anyway, I got a chance to interact with students outside of my direct discipline more often than usual, and that was refreshing. Even if it was just for him/her to tell me they were withdrawing their abstracts (don’t worry guys, I’m over it I swear) I liked getting to know more students’ names and faces.
Organizing the Symposium also gave me a chance to glimpse the inner workings of the Jackson School. I was in constant communication with the development office, student services, and event coordinators, just to name a few. These people are so hardworking and dedicated to making the Jackson School a better place, keeping strong relationships with those who have moved on from here, and making events like our Symposium just a little bit better every year. I’m truly lucky to have built relationships with these incredible people and witness just a small piece of what they do to keep things moving forward every day. Endless thanks to all of you!
Finally, it is truly rewarding to see everything come together on the day of the event. It makes all the stress, energy, and time spent well worth it. The breadth of research on display is inspiring every year, and a true testament to the diversity of work being done at the Jackson School. This year particularly, I’m really proud of the 110 students that participated, especially the 20 undergraduates!
Having been behind the scenes of the JSG Student Research Symposium, I have a deeper appreciation for events like this poster session. On the day of the session, the students presenting their research make the event complete—but all the people, energy, and time leading up to it are the true heart and soul of the event. I’m honored to have been part of another successful Symposium, and thanks again to all the people who helped along the way!
