Bryn Savill
Cardiff University, UK 

https://doi.org/10.36866/pn.92.19

I arrived in Birmingham for the IUPS meeting, having had my poster abstract accepted many months before, and had little idea what was ahead having been swamped by my final medical examinations for the previous two months. This year I’ve organised two national conferences, and attended several sport and exercise medicine meetings (my research interest), so I thought I knew what went into producing conferences similar to this! Nevertheless, I was staggered by the sheer size of the event (it’s the biggest conference I’ve ever been to by a long way!) and with every last detail cared for – I cannot even imagine the level of organisation that must have gone into it. Each day The ICC was filled to the brim and there was a buzz from the expectant delegates awaiting the physiological feast on offer. The academia on display was in an area that I wasn’t overly familiar with and it was clearly way above that which I had encountered before, but it proved to inspire and prompt me into looking further into areas which I hadn’t explored before.

The biggest surprise of the conference for me, however, was the poster presentation sessions. The sessions, held in their own slot in the evening, were jam-packed with delegates discussing the latest research in the field. This was a refreshing change to what I had previously experienced at other meetings, where poster sessions were crammed into lunch with only the judges really paying any attention to them. As such, I found it a highly rewarding experience. My research was critiqued and questioned by leading academics, even more so than when I had entered posters into competitions at other conferences, whilst the discussions also provided me with new research ideas and angles. It was such an inspiration to be surrounded by this breeding ground for new research that I will certainly be trying to make the trip to Rio in 2017 with some new research! I would like to thank The Physiological Society for this fantastic opportunity to attend and present at this prestigious event.

IUPS: What was said …

“If physiology has moved off centre stage, it is coming back with a vengeance”
-Denis Noble, President of IUPS

“A great and unforgettable meeting, with an atmosphere of friendship and collaboration”
-Benedito H Machado, Organising Committee for Rio 2017

“It’s very unusual to have eleven different symposia at once and lots of choices to go to, I didn’t expect that at all. It’s very organised and the staff have been very helpful”
-Surawee Chuaiphichai, University of Oxford

“It’s been very interesting. The lecture on Monday on circadian rhythms was very clear, very accessible, not just for professionals”
Ksenija Cankas University of Ljubljana

“It’s been an eye opener, especially the Women in Science sessions. Women go through a lot, we all have common challenges”
-Oyelowo Oluwakemi T, University of Lagos

“It’s an exciting place to be because of the number and variety of physiologists here. I really enjoyed my poster session because I got a lot of excellent feedback and encouragement”
-Serena Cerritelli, University of Bristol

“What I found the best was that I could attend talks not necessarily about what I’m studying. I really enjoyed the keynote lecture on fish and global warming because it is not something I am normally interested in. Just fascinating”
-Gosia Furmanik, King’s College London