A Student’s Guide to a Successful Annual Conference Experience

 Western Section Student Affairs Committee - Updated 1/2013

Attending a professional wildlife conference is a great way to share information among peers -- specifically to learn about how wildlife work is done, see who is doing the work, and note who is funding the work. Most professionals cite “networking” as their primary reason for attending. For students, attending an annual conference provides a valuable opportunity to meet peers, interact with prospective employers or graduate research advisors, and hear directly from researchers.  We hope this guide helps you prepare to make the most from your conference attendance!

Pre-conference

Prepare to NETWORK! Print basic business cards with contact information and interests – essential items include Name, school affiliation, course of study with anticipated graduation date, phone number, and e-mail. List broad interests – for instance, “Interests include Game-bird Management” or more specific interests like, “Seeking technician jobs in point-count surveys, vegetation mapping, bat acoustics” or “Looking to begin Graduate School in Fall 2015 in Conservation Ecology or Wildlife Management.” Compile, update or revise your resumé. Include all employment, volunteer, and educational experience. Include a brief cover-letter that states your interests and any post-graduation goals you may have, like graduate school, technician positions, summer internship, etc. Bring 10 or more copies – some to hand to prospective employers or research leaders, and one to use and evaluate in the Resume Workshop.  Bring a digital copy on your laptop or USB.

Make TRAVEL PLANS As Soon As Possible. Book your hotel room early. A credit card may be required when you make a reservation, but you are not charged until check-in. Consider sharing a room with students from your school and bring sleeping bags to make sharing easier – call the hotel and ask about beds, in-room couches, or rollaway beds.  Attending conferences doesn’t have to break the bank. Try to ride-share or carpool to save resources. Join the organization's Social Networking site and check discussion boards for posts on ride & room shares. Through your local chapter, make contact with professionals in your region, or contact your student chapter officers to see if they can connect you with somebody else going to the conference.

PACK Smart - Bring decent “business-casual clothes” which may include your school sweatshirt and jeans, but leave the jeans with holes in the knees (or other places) at home. Remember that this is casual attire but not sloppy or overly revealing. You will potentially meet employers, professors who have graduate school positions, etc. Don’t forget to bring comfortable shoes – you may be on your feet a fair bit during receptions and breaks. Include a small computer-sized bag or portfolio clipboard with your business cards, resume, and room for personal items like a water bottle or coffee mug so that you don’t use paper cups or plastic water bottles during the conference – Reduce your carbon footprint! Bring pens, a highlighter, small notebook, and post-it notes for organizing your conference program booklet and taking notes.

PACK Like a Wildlifer! Bring binoculars and any field guides you’d like; you never know when you will encounter wildlife! Ducks frequent the hotel pool and surrounds; visit a wildlife area on the way to or from the conference site. Save money by bringing a cooler with basic sandwich fixings, snacks and drinks. Bring ziplock bags and make use of the hotel ice machine! The in-room coffee maker will give you unlimited hot water (think instant soup!)

PLAN Your Itinerary - The final program is typically posted to the conference website by the weekend prior to its start date. Visit the conference web site, peruse the program and any announcements. Note specific talks you’d like to attend and/or any speakers/professionals you’d like to meet. Let your advisor(s) know that you’d like to meet these folks.

Upon Arrival

REGISTER! Find the Conference Registration Desk (look for signs inside the hotel or conference center) and pick-up registration materials, if pre-registered or register as soon as you arrive. Double-check your registration to see that all of the events you signed up for are included in your receipt and are indicated on your name badge. Wear your name badge anytime you leave your room! Find a place to sit and read through the program booklet. Highlight and tab or use post-it notes to mark which sessions and events you want to attend. Use a different color highlighter or method to mark the talks/events you do attend for future reference. Realize that you probably can’t “do it all,” but prioritize what talks you want to see; have a few back-up ideas in case of cancellations, and look for “schedule change” sheets at the conference site or in your packet. There is a sample itinerary found on the student page of the conference web site.

Explanation of Events & Why You Should Attend

Concurrent Sessions – these are the scientific presentations, many of which are not yet published research

Welcome Reception – the first chance to meet new associates and catch up with those you already know

Refreshment Breaks - These are held in between sessions but also have basic breakfast items like bagels and fruit set out in the morning, before the sessions begin. And coffee/tea is ALWAYS available

Poster Session – Printed research presentations, with photos and graphs, provides ample time to digest and learn more details, usually have a set time when the author is standing with his or her poster This is also a great first step for getting ideas on how you’d present your own research

Chapter Meetings – Each chapter (regional group of wildlifers) meets to discuss past and future business, including planning upcoming activities for the chapter. Attend in your current area or an area of interest to you, and  meet wildlifers who live and WORK nearby.

Plenary Session – Leaders in our profession presenting around a common theme and may have a panel discussion and question/answer portion

Resume Workshop – Work with an experienced career counselor to learn the basics of drafting oa new or improving an existing resume, C.V. or cover letter

Career Fair – State and Federal agencies, environmental consulting firms and non-profit groups exhibit job opportunities

Student-Professional Lunch – Free to students but you must pre-register to attend. You’ll be paired up with a professional over lunch to discuss their career path, your career questions, and ideas for how to transition from student to professional. Yes, you read that right, FREE FOOD.

Awards Banquet - You may think that the annual banquet is going to be too formal and stuffy – don’t!  We’re biologists, we like to have fun, and we usually have some decent food, drink, music or keynote and a raffle.  Yes, there’s about 20 minutes of necessary formal stuff in the mix, too.

Workshops, Symposia, field trips and other events are sometimes scheduled either before or after the conference (topics vary from year to year).  These can be a great opportunity to learn and meet like-minded people, and the post-conference events usually fit into the student schedule.

Business Meeting - *Honest* disclosure here: Our annual business meeting is pretty boring.  Wait until you’re an old coot before you attend!  Go take a walk or enjoy some down time instead.

Conference Etiquette

Talking to professionals: Don’t wait for a professional to find you. Simply introduce yourself and let them know you liked their talk or research. If they are talking with somebody else, wait until their conversation is finished and then step up. If they don’t immediately engage in conversation, just let them know that you would be interested in working with them in the future if an opportunity arises; then hand them your card. Ask what method is best to contact them after the conference and find out more about any upcoming research or job opportunities they may have.

Feel free to ask any participant at the meeting “where do you work,” “Where’d you go to college” and any number of similar questions.  If you want to find someone who specializes in any specific habitat or species, say, horned lizards, just ask around.

Look at the nametags of other participants – note ribbons or other indicators for Board Members, student mentors, speakers and other categories and those folks are good “ambassadors” for helping you find events or people you’re interested in.

Social events are networking opportunities; enjoy a beer or two if you are of legal drinking age, but keep in mind you will be remembered if you go overboard.

Post-conference

Contacting Professionals - Follow-up with contacts via e-mail; do not text them unless they specifically directed you to do so! Keep your message short and to the point, and compose it as a letter. Spelling errors or texting shorthand will stick out (in a negative way) so keep it simple, yet formal.

Re-state where you met them and why you are interested in their work; and give them your contact information and the best time to contact you.

THANK YOU/Acknowledgement - If you received a travel grant, scholarship, or even just a little heads-up assistance that enabled you to attend the conference, let that group or individual hear about it after your return! Chapters may be interested in hearing from you directly during a board meeting or social, and advisors or school officials who helped you arrange scheduling to attend the conference will want to know that you went, that you enjoyed it (or didn’t), how others might improve the process of attending, and that you’d recommend the experience (or not) to others. It never hurts to send a written thank you note -- a thoughtful e-mail at the very least.

Other Ideas - If you file itemized income-tax returns and your costs of attendance are deductible (check tax regulations) or are filing a claim for a travel grant, keep your receipts and expenses organized in an envelope or binder clip. File your receipts for registration, lodging, transportation costs, and food.

Notes on Graduate school, life and lessons from Oz

By Bridgette Kirk

For my senior year, I am participating in a study abroad program in Australia. I have just finished my first month and I would highly recommend it to anyone considering it. This has been a lifelong common sense lesson combined with hands on learning experiences in the field. I have gained information about how the natural resources field operates in Australia and the main message from our professors is to take your time and enjoy life. The route to higher education in Australia is one filled with much more leisure than the road paved by most American students. Many American students feel the need to get into their research right after their bachelors. In Australia, however, many of the researchers have just recently decided on their projects and may not have had any former knowledge about their subject beforehand, just the willingness to learn more. (disclaimer: I would just like to say that I am not trying to generalize but rather I am trying to get the point across that being motivated and driven to learn about a subject is important. If you are very knowledgeable about your subject that is tremendous. More power to you). We all possess curiosity for the unknown, but for me the idea of trying something new for your masters or PhD is quite daunting.

Below are a few tidbits I have picked up from chatting with Aussie professors and graduate students:

Take advantage of every opportunity regardless of monetary reward. Volunteering is quite important for building your resume and adding to your skill set. Many employers see volunteering as dedication because you were willing to do the job without being financially compensated or motivated. Volunteering is also a great way to figure out what you like and what you cannot stand to do for another minute.

Travel, travel, travel! Enjoy your youth: travel, explore and find out what you are passionate about. Have adventures while you can and before you are tied down with other commitments. While you are off having adventures try to volunteer at some sort of wildlife-y company/organization/reserve just to gain some more experience. Traveling also helps you to gain an international perspective that will help you with communicating with international scientists that you may or may not have the opportunity to work with.

Graduate school does not have to define your long-term career interests (unless you want it to, of course). One of my tutors here (we call them TA’s in the U.S.) did their graduate work on one thing, completed their research and in the process of doing so realized that they did not want to continue working on that subject. They have since switched to work on what they are truly passionate about. At least in Australia, professors seem to be lenient with regard to students changing their topics or subjects before they have totally committed themselves.

Professors are people too, usually. They are familiar with your situation, although for some of them it may be much more recently than others. Regardless, the main point is that they probably understand a lot of what you are going through and in general would like to help see that you learn and grow as a researcher and scientist. Communication is very important, especially when you are trying to select a professor to work with for your graduate work and when you are figuring out your project and planning the work you need to do.

To wrap this up in a few words: college is what you make it. I took advantage of the opportunity to study abroad and I know it is going to influence my wildlife career. Who knows, maybe I will be going back to Australia for graduate school or work or maybe even some place new. And, although I will not be graduating debt free, I have thoroughly enjoyed my time and learned so much from the experiences I’ve had and the people I’ve met in Australia. In the end, especially in the wildlife field, it is about learning (even if it’s mostly from mistakes), engaging yourself in worthwhile tasks and research to become a better biologist rather than a millionaire. So take the leap and travel somewhere, study if you can, meet people and discover how much more to the world there is outside of the U.S. bubble.

Bridgette is currently finishing up her undergraduate at U.C. Davis and serves as a co-chair on the Western Section Student Affairs Committee.

Tips for Students from the Hawaii Conference

I recently had the once in a lifetime opportunity to attend the TWS annual conference in Hawaii. I felt very lucky to have been able to go, and know it wasn’t possible for many students. I had such a great time and learned a lot and I’d like to pass some of what I learned on to those students who weren’t able to make the trip.

Every year at the annual conference after the student research-in-progress poster session, they hold a student professional mixer where students have to opportunity to mingle with professionals in the their field, to scope out jobs, look for graduate advisors and seek general advice.

Often these mixers start off feeling a little awkward for students, who conglomerate into groups with other students they traveled with. Breaking the ice can be a little difficult, but so much can be gained if one is willing to step out and chat it up with professional. I don’t find it the easiest thing in the world to walk up and start a conversation with folks I don’t know, but I braved it this year and gleaned some useful tips from professionals on what they look for in students and recent graduates. I spoke with a few folks and this is what they had to say.

Bob Lanka from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and Scott Lerich from the National Wild Turkey Federation were kind enough to offer some insights on what they like to see from students applying for jobs.

· First and foremost, students looking for wildlife jobs should be willing to get dirty, be outside in all weather conditions and be happy doing it (that’s easy right, that’s why we got into this field!).

· Practical knowledge of wildlife that doesn’t come from text books; grades are important but real life experience is critical.

· Hunting; you don’t need to be a hunter and if you’re a vegetarian that’s great, but it’s important to understand the value of hunting and what sportsmen offer to wildlife management.

· Common sense and outdoor skills; professionals want to know they are hiring someone they can send out in the wilderness and not worry about them. Skills like driving a manual transmission and orienteering are incredibly valuable. First aid, CPR and even Wilderness First Responder are certifications everyone should try to get and keep updated.

· Communication skills, both oral and written! You have to be able to communicate with people in order to build credibility, because it’s hard to gain and easy to lose, and if you plan on working for an agency or a non-profit, you will have to deal with the public and landowners. It is crucial to have real listening skills, even when someone disagrees with you and may not respect you or your organization. Without the ability to listen and establish a relationship with the people you work with and around you will not be successful.

· Being professional is another aspect of communication and is essential in today’s modern world. Maintaining your cool and projecting a professional demeanor even in controversial situations shows that you are really serious about your job.

· Despite the emphasis on field experience and practical skills, the knowledge you gain from your classes at university is essential. Core classes like mammalogy, ornithology, herpetology and especially botany and other plant related classes are key. Many students I know complain about habitat and botany classes, but without habitat there is no wildlife. Know your plants!

· Last but not least is involvement with your professional society. If you’re a doctor, you should be involved with medical associations; if you’re a lawyer, you should be part of the bar association; likewise wildlife professionals should be actively involved in TWS. As a student, you can be involved by running for board positions for your student chapter. If your university doesn’t have a student chapter, you can establish one! You need at least ten full-time students from your school, a faculty advisor or two, and a set of bylaws created for chapter conduct approved by The Wildlife Society Council. To get started contact your local professional chapter or your section’s Student Affairs Committee. Many times local chapters also welcome students on their boards, and any time you have the chance to attend a conference you should take it. Hawaii may be too far for many, but every year the National and Section Conferences are held in a variety of locations and student travel grants are available through Nationals, Sections, and often Chapters as well.

After talking with Bob and Scott I felt like they offered a ton of great advice but I also wanted to know what graduate advisors might be after in their students. For that, I spoke with Dr. Anna Chalfoun from University of Wyoming, Professor in zoology and physiology. She offered this advice to those of you out there looking for a graduate assistantship.

· Be engaged, motivated and professional!

· Today schools are more competitive than ever, so those G.P.A.’s and G.R.E. scores are more important than ever.

· Get out and volunteer, get research experience any way you can. Try to focus on your interests if you know what they are, but most important get out in the field.

· If you are applying to a graduate lab, know what they do, read about the research they’ve done and projects other graduate students have done. Address each lab individually; never send generic letters.

· Rather than spending energy telling them why you would be such a great addition to their lab, try to emphasize how your relationship can be mutually beneficial.

· Try not to be too focused on your favorite taxon; think more about how you want to study things, from what perspective you want to examine questions. Be flexible! Master’s degrees don’t need to be exactly what you want to do with your career, but they offer a chance to hone your skills, get experience writing and analyzing, and narrowing your focus.

· Try to find funded projects (no kidding right?) There’s lots of work out there with funding if you are willing to be flexible about what you study.

· Be respectful and convey that you understand what an investment it takes from graduate advisors to take on students; never take anything for granted.

With that I bid you aloha and hope you can make it to your next section conference and the National Conference next year in Portland Oregon!

Developing a Food Ethic

Every day we make choices, and those choices often impact the world around us in bigger ways that we might think. As a student, I face the challenge of operating on a slim budget. I have very few dollars and must make frequent choices about what to buy with them. These choices are not always easy; I often find the toughest ones are those revolving around what I consume. Food is not something that finds itself very high on many students’ priority lists; very often, macaroni and cheese and ramen are the sorts of things students line their cupboards with. Sometimes we have to make do with what we have, right? The truth is, most of us don’t think about it much at all; eating can be this secondary thing we do once in a while as we dash from class to class and try and get our homework done. It is becoming apparent, however, that eating and the dollars we put toward it have much greater impacts than we may realize.

Well sure, you might think, nutrition is important; but nutrition isn’t the only consideration. For students of the natural resources, agriculture has massive implications for resource use. I study wildlife biology with the intent of working in conservation and management. It is certainly no secret that habitat loss and degradation are the number one threat to biodiversity worldwide; any good conservation biology text will espouse as much. So where is all that land going? It’s going to many things, but by and large the most acreage is devoted to agriculture. That in itself isn’t so horrible; modern industrial mono-crop agriculture, however, is another beast entirely. In the words of Aldo Leopold, “As for diversity, what remains of our native fauna and flora remains only because agriculture has not got around to destroying it. The present ideal of agriculture is clean farming; clean farming means a food chain aimed solely at economic profit and purged of all non-conforming links.” Leopold passed away in 1948, at the early rise of the Green Revolution, when synthesized fertilizers and man-made chemicals truly reached their height in modern industrial agriculture systems. Today, it has become a world-wide phenomenon, and truly threatens biodiversity and food security.

There are many of us who realize the dangers of “clean farming”. Many are outspoken about the injustices of modern agribusiness and are calling for a new way to grow, cook, and eat food. Many of us have gardens, and procure protein from nature with a hunting license. Farmer’s markets and community supported agriculture are on the rise. One of sustainable food’s most outspoken proponents, Michael Pollan, was recently interviewed on the subject (find the whole article at http://p2.to/19nf). He stated that “...we just don’t have the choice of continuing down the path of this highly industrialized, highly fossil fuel-dependent food industry, even if we wanted to. Food security... is endangered by having the food system we have. We have to figure out another way to do it. And to say the only alternative is the tiny artisinal farm is false. There are many ways to do it. All of them involve changing industrial agricultural, however.” This is all well and wonderful, but how about those of us with slim pocket books? The “food movement,” as it is often referred to, is frequently accused of being elitist, as organics in grocery stores can be more expensive and some farmer’s markets are as well. To that, Pollan responded, “A great many social movements in this country have begun with elites, with people who have the time and the resources to devote to them... go back to abolition, women’s suffrage, the environmental movement. The reason that good food is more expensive than cheap food is part of the issue we’re trying to confront. And has to do with subsidies, and the way we organize our society and our economy. Those are big systemic problems.”

We are merely students. We have projects and papers and finals to deal with; big systemic problems are too large and overwhelming for us to address. False. Every dollar counts. Every time we shop, every time we hand over a George Washington, we are voting. Our votes on ballots matter, too, and we must participate there. More importantly, we can make statements with our everyday choices. We may not be able to do it every time, but as often as we can, we should. “The evolution of a land ethic is an intellectual as well as emotional process... The mechanism of operation is the same for any ethic: social approbation for right actions: social disapproval for wrong actions.” Once again, Leopold provides a framework for us to build an ethic that supports life and diversity. This isn’t to say we should chastise ourselves or our friends for ramen on the shelf; that is not the message I wish to convey. I simply wish to provide a reminder that little things do make a difference, and conservation is not just about studies and papers, but about our personal choices as well.

What Would Aldo Do?

This is a blog to address contemporary issues related to wildlife conservation and the making of a modern wildlife professional. Bloggers are members of the Student Affairs Committee of the Western Section of The Wildlife Society