In August I attended the International Society for Behavioral Ecology (ISBE) 18th congress in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was one of the best conferences I have ever attended. Not just because of the great science I expect to find, but because this is one of the most child-friendly conferences in my field. There were fewer participants than usual, which meant I could interact with people more easily. The range of topics covered and the plenaries were inspiring - which is exactly what you want a conference to be. It was set in the beautiful and friendly city of Minneapolis. Above all though, ISBE provided free childcare and travel grants for early career researchers. As an early career researcher, part postdoc part lecturer, and with a young family (I have a brood of three), this is an amazing opportunity to present my work, meet colleagues and travel with my family. I submitted a poster and a travel grant and was lucky enough to secure both. As I started preparing my poster, the children were interested in what I was doing. It seemed fitting that they should prepare their posters too. And so they did. We went along to the conference with all posters rolled up in my tube (even managed to retrieve it after forgetting it during the security checks!) and the two eldest and I (the youngest wasn't so keen in preparing his), attended the poster session. Needless to say, their posters were far more popular than mine! The children loved the evening sharing their work with other conference participants, it was the highlight of our stay. After the conference, we took some time to explore the green and blue state of Minnesota, which is just about perfect for a family of nature addicts. Below is a selection of our favourite nature shots. If you ever get the chance, Minnesota is gorgeous.
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AuthorGraziella Iossa Archives
August 2023
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