On Saturday, August 5th, 2017, nearly 100 psychology graduate students, undergraduate students, alumni and faculty from Singapore’s universities gathered at NUS for a day of talks, posters, and networking. The first two hours were dedicated to student talks – presenting research ranging from the clinical effects of mindfulness inductions to language development. Research in the areas of cognitive, clinical, social, and developmental psychology were covered in the presentations, and presenters included final year undergraduate projects, Masters and PhD research.
Following the talk sessions, we gathered in the main lecture theatre for an inspiring welcome address from the Head of Psychology at NUS, A/P Sim Tick Ngee, who explained the value of presenting work at conferences in both enhancing and refining the passion we have for our research. Next, we listened to an excellent keynote address by A/P Annabel Chen from NTU on the relationship between the cerebellum and working memory. After this address, the students and faculty mingled outside over lunch discussing their research, and plans for the future and careers.
Once lunch was finished, the day ended with students making their way to their posters lined up outside of the lecture theatre. For several hours, there was a buzzing atmosphere of discussion and questioning around the presenters’ work. Students took advantage of this opportunity to receive feedback on their work, discuss future directions, and articulate the value of their research. Participants have since commented on the success and usefulness of the event:
“It was a wonderful opportunity for me to present my research to my peers and also hear about the kind of research my peers are engaged in.”
“I have taken away quite a bit from the conference. It is really great exposure for students and I will definitely recommend it to my juniors in psychology”.
Overall, the event was a success – we had a healthy turnout of students and faculty, as well as provided a rare opportunity in Singapore for students to attend and present at a conference nationally rather than internationally. This hopefully allowed some students to develop the skills and courage needed to present at larger conferences in the future!
Click on the following link for some photos of the day! https://flic.kr/s/aHsm2kLk3E
