First conference
Yesterday, I gave my first conference presentation at the Third MIT Conference on Computational Fluid and Solid Mechanics. My topic dealt with computing the strength of materials at the microstructural level in a friendly, cohesive toolbox. You can read the Powerpoint presentation here. I know the slides are ugly: it was not my choice!
Anyhow, the whole experience was interesting, nerve wracking, and somewhat fun. I think I did a pretty good job. Next time around, I'll try to finish up my slides earlier so that I have plenty of time to rehearse--I ended up bringing along index cards to help me remember the difficult parts (which I thought would be better than looking backward to read the slides). I got a few other nice pointers from the guys in my lab. I had a pretty good audience--the classroom was essentially full--and they all seemed interested in what I had to say. I was able to answer all the questions I was asked too.
I also met several people who had really nice things to say about our lab, saw several interesting presentations, and learned there may be a way to mesh real three-dimensional microstructure images. It seems there's currently a big push to simulate the human heart accurately. I really wanted to attend one of the seminars, but they all conflicted with other seminars I had to see.
So that wraps up the technical side of things. As far as the rest of the experience went--it was interesting. I drove up with my labmate Baskar as my passenger. Baskar was leaving for North Dakota today, so we just made a one-night trip out of it. The trip over was basically uneventful, but I've never seen anyone so excited about McDonalds (except maybe me after my marathon). Baskar has this strange ability to sleep for five-ten minute periods and then wake up startled and apologetic.
When we got there, we met up with Baskar's friend Lux, another Indian guy from Purdue whose name I instantly forgot, assuming I ever heard and understood it. Lux had swimming lessons to attend, and I wanted to go for my six-mile run. Luckily, Baskar was also up for a run, so we took off along the Charles River at a pretty good pace. My Forerunner was struggling to figure out where it was with the move, the clouds, and the tall buildings, and it was only 50 degrees out, so we decided to run an hour. I'm sure we covered at least six miles. The end was a bit of a struggle, but we finished. I still felt strong, but I think it was a little much for Baskar. Afterwards, we found Deep and Lijian, two other guys from my lab who were also attending the conference, met up with Lux and the Purdue guy, and waited for Anita, who I was staying with, to arrive so we could get some dinner.
We went to a place that none of the locals had visited but that had been highly recommended to them, my suggestion of Legal Seafood being rejected for fear of a lack of vegetarian dishes. We arrived, and I had a bad feeling about it. A glance at the menu, and I was feeling a bit defeated. I suggested we try somewhere else, but was outvoted. We all ordered. No one really liked the food. Only Deep ate most of his fish, which was too bony for him. For my part, I was having a hard time looking away from the gruesome fish eye. I was just glad Deep didn't eat it. I ordered a prawn and noodle soup. The smell was nauseating, but the noodles and prawns were actually decent. Afterwards, we dejectedly headed to a desserterie, which is a place where you can get desserts for $15+ per portion. I had the creme brulee, which was decent, but not up to French standards.
I finally arrived back at Anita's dorm around midnight, when I discovered she didn't actually have a bed for me. No big deal for me--I noticed a long couch when we arrived. After around ten minutes of Anita's claims that the floor would be good for her back and that she would really be more comfortable there, I convinced her to let me sleep on the couch, and she convinced me to take her pillow. I checked over my slides, read a little, and finally got to bed around 1:30.
The couch was surprisingly comfortable, and I felt pretty good up until noon the next day, when wandering around with my laptop, its accessories, and the MIT conference package began causing noticeable pain in my right shoulder. For some reason, I cannot comfortably carry my laptop (or my purse) on my left shoulder. I think it has something to do with keeping my dominant arm free of burdens. The pain grew worse all day until my entire back was aching. I was relieved when we finally headed toward my car to drop off the laptop and head to dinner. Finally, I got to take everyone to Legal Seafood.
I was a bit nervous because I had been talking about the restaurant all week, and I wanted everyone to like it as much as I do. Baskar had never really eaten seafood before, but he was eager to give it a shot. I knew Deep would like it because he loves salmon. I didn't know how Lijian would react. I introduced Baskar to the mojito. He loved it. Deep found a tasty salmon dish. Lijian ordered fish with a Chinese fruit sauce, which he really enjoyed. The waitress helped Baskar settle on haddock, which is apparently a mild fish. He had it cooked with the Cajun seasoning and loved it. I had the lobster casserole... Mmm... Obviously, the restaurant was a big success. Even better, the guys all spontaneously decided I should pick the restaurants at all future American conferences. So a big thanks to my dad for introducing me to Legal Seafood and winning me new respect in my lab. =)
Baskar and I didn't hit the road until 7:30. I drove through a number of storms, some bad, before we made it across the state line and into dryer weather. The trip back was uneventful, and we finally rolled into Ithaca around 1:30 AM. I slept past noon today but am still tired. I think I'll probably head to bed soon.
So that's the long, relatively boring review of my first conference experience. I'm glad it's over, but I feel proud that it went as well as it did. Between it and passing my Q, I am finally starting to feel like I belong here at Cornell. It's a nice feeling.
Anyhow, the whole experience was interesting, nerve wracking, and somewhat fun. I think I did a pretty good job. Next time around, I'll try to finish up my slides earlier so that I have plenty of time to rehearse--I ended up bringing along index cards to help me remember the difficult parts (which I thought would be better than looking backward to read the slides). I got a few other nice pointers from the guys in my lab. I had a pretty good audience--the classroom was essentially full--and they all seemed interested in what I had to say. I was able to answer all the questions I was asked too.
I also met several people who had really nice things to say about our lab, saw several interesting presentations, and learned there may be a way to mesh real three-dimensional microstructure images. It seems there's currently a big push to simulate the human heart accurately. I really wanted to attend one of the seminars, but they all conflicted with other seminars I had to see.
So that wraps up the technical side of things. As far as the rest of the experience went--it was interesting. I drove up with my labmate Baskar as my passenger. Baskar was leaving for North Dakota today, so we just made a one-night trip out of it. The trip over was basically uneventful, but I've never seen anyone so excited about McDonalds (except maybe me after my marathon). Baskar has this strange ability to sleep for five-ten minute periods and then wake up startled and apologetic.
When we got there, we met up with Baskar's friend Lux, another Indian guy from Purdue whose name I instantly forgot, assuming I ever heard and understood it. Lux had swimming lessons to attend, and I wanted to go for my six-mile run. Luckily, Baskar was also up for a run, so we took off along the Charles River at a pretty good pace. My Forerunner was struggling to figure out where it was with the move, the clouds, and the tall buildings, and it was only 50 degrees out, so we decided to run an hour. I'm sure we covered at least six miles. The end was a bit of a struggle, but we finished. I still felt strong, but I think it was a little much for Baskar. Afterwards, we found Deep and Lijian, two other guys from my lab who were also attending the conference, met up with Lux and the Purdue guy, and waited for Anita, who I was staying with, to arrive so we could get some dinner.
We went to a place that none of the locals had visited but that had been highly recommended to them, my suggestion of Legal Seafood being rejected for fear of a lack of vegetarian dishes. We arrived, and I had a bad feeling about it. A glance at the menu, and I was feeling a bit defeated. I suggested we try somewhere else, but was outvoted. We all ordered. No one really liked the food. Only Deep ate most of his fish, which was too bony for him. For my part, I was having a hard time looking away from the gruesome fish eye. I was just glad Deep didn't eat it. I ordered a prawn and noodle soup. The smell was nauseating, but the noodles and prawns were actually decent. Afterwards, we dejectedly headed to a desserterie, which is a place where you can get desserts for $15+ per portion. I had the creme brulee, which was decent, but not up to French standards.
I finally arrived back at Anita's dorm around midnight, when I discovered she didn't actually have a bed for me. No big deal for me--I noticed a long couch when we arrived. After around ten minutes of Anita's claims that the floor would be good for her back and that she would really be more comfortable there, I convinced her to let me sleep on the couch, and she convinced me to take her pillow. I checked over my slides, read a little, and finally got to bed around 1:30.
The couch was surprisingly comfortable, and I felt pretty good up until noon the next day, when wandering around with my laptop, its accessories, and the MIT conference package began causing noticeable pain in my right shoulder. For some reason, I cannot comfortably carry my laptop (or my purse) on my left shoulder. I think it has something to do with keeping my dominant arm free of burdens. The pain grew worse all day until my entire back was aching. I was relieved when we finally headed toward my car to drop off the laptop and head to dinner. Finally, I got to take everyone to Legal Seafood.
I was a bit nervous because I had been talking about the restaurant all week, and I wanted everyone to like it as much as I do. Baskar had never really eaten seafood before, but he was eager to give it a shot. I knew Deep would like it because he loves salmon. I didn't know how Lijian would react. I introduced Baskar to the mojito. He loved it. Deep found a tasty salmon dish. Lijian ordered fish with a Chinese fruit sauce, which he really enjoyed. The waitress helped Baskar settle on haddock, which is apparently a mild fish. He had it cooked with the Cajun seasoning and loved it. I had the lobster casserole... Mmm... Obviously, the restaurant was a big success. Even better, the guys all spontaneously decided I should pick the restaurants at all future American conferences. So a big thanks to my dad for introducing me to Legal Seafood and winning me new respect in my lab. =)
Baskar and I didn't hit the road until 7:30. I drove through a number of storms, some bad, before we made it across the state line and into dryer weather. The trip back was uneventful, and we finally rolled into Ithaca around 1:30 AM. I slept past noon today but am still tired. I think I'll probably head to bed soon.
So that's the long, relatively boring review of my first conference experience. I'm glad it's over, but I feel proud that it went as well as it did. Between it and passing my Q, I am finally starting to feel like I belong here at Cornell. It's a nice feeling.
posted by megan at
8:38 PM
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