Dr Christopher Kirk, Society Representative and Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Physiology at Sheffield Hallam University, UK. Chris is working on applied physiology of training and competing in combat sports, with a particular focus on mixed martial arts.
I have been a member of The Physiological Society for the past four years. I joined when I started my PhD, drawn to the Society because of their support for early career researchers (ECRs) and their recognition of sport and exercise as an important model for understanding human function.
After attending and presenting my preliminary work at Future Physiology in December 2019, I was very much looking forward to going to more of The Society events and conferences, but of course we all know what happened next – the pandemic began! So, when it was announced that the Biomedical Basis of Elite Performance 2022 (BBEP) Conference would be fully in-person in Nottingham, I submitted my abstract as soon as registration opened.
Bringing the community together to talk about science
The pandemic restricted us to attending conferences virtually. After years of only interacting with other delegates via various direct messaging apps, it was wonderful to meet and see people face-to-face once again in an open environment to do what we all want to do – talk about our science.
Being able to directly communicate with the person explaining their work to you makes the conference experience so much more enriching. They are able to give you a far more detailed understanding of their research than we could ever get from the stilted online environments that became a necessity over the last few years.
So, to celebrate our return to face-to-face communication, here are four things that I have missed about in-person The Society events:
1. Socialising with your community
Online conferences still allowed us to find out about the new work coming out of research groups and made us aware of the names we might need to look out for in the coming years. However, they were missing the ‘social’ part, which I feel is at the core of The Society. Being able to mingle over coffees and around posters, meeting new colleagues and catching up with old ones is probably the most fruitful thing about being at face-to-face events. It was great to get back to that.
2. Hearing from experts in your field
Keynote sessions can usually be a highlight of conferences and events. I don’t think these translate as well during online events for numerous reasons. Being back in front of genuine pioneers of physiology as they discuss their work highlights how important these events are. At BBEP, we were most fortunate to have Dr Claude Bouchard, Professor Louise Burke and Professor Martin Gibala. Placing world leaders like these alongside ECRs reinforces that we all work within a joined field with similar aims and goals.
3. ECRs are given chance to shine
Being a name on a screen does not deliver the same impact as individual’s physical presence in a room. It does not give an ECR the same opportunity to show themselves and their work that an in-person event does. Being able to interact directly with the other delegates allows us to show our own personalities as well as enabling deeper conversations about the work. This is how we are able to grow our names and networks.
4. Travel
Being able to get out of our spare rooms and going to different cities has been sorely missed. This was my first trip to Nottingham in a few years and getting the chance to explore the city the day after the conference was a bonus.
Helping me grow as a physiologist
The Society have supported me in my professional journey. The grants they offer are vital for ECRs to be able to attend these events, given how scarce money can be at our career stage.
I was able to attend this event because of the Conference Attendance Award. It has proven invaluable to me in creating and nurturing new contacts and growing my network in addition to communicating my work. The Conference Attendance Award also have a focus on ECRs, with prizes for best presentation and best poster. I was lucky enough (and surprised!) to finish as a runner up in the best poster prize.
Realising my potential and aspirations
As well as this being a nice way to end the conference, these prizes help ECRs to see that their work is valuable, helping us realise that it is going in the right direction and is of a high standard. These prizes can be the first step towards joining the list of physiology pioneers and one day delivering a keynote of our own at a Society event.
Overall, being at an in-person event for the first time in almost three years revealed how important these events are, and how much we were all missing from them. I can’t wait for the next one!
Don’t miss your opportunity to build new relationships. View our list of exciting upcoming events and sign up to meet colleagues, grow your community and form valuable collaborations.
The deadline for the Conference Attendance Award is 31 July. Apply now for funding to go to Europhysiology 2022 and our one-day meeting on Environmental Impacts on Pregnancy and Offspring Outcomes: Lessons Learned and Avenues for Intervention
