(no subject)

[moonwise]

I just submitted an abstract and an application to the Gordon Research Conference in California in January.

I'm excited.

I'm also scared to death.

It's a trial by fire, my first REAL conference, in which I'll have the chance to interact with other students and professors. It's a plane trip and a new environment.

It will be my first trip to the West Coast.

Of course, this is contingent on the abstract being accepted, but two other folks in the lab will be going, and maybe, maybe, maybe....

but it's really scary for little old me, who's never happy about public speaking and who's terrified of her own inadequacy.

I hope I'm up to the task.

I want to do well. I want to not make an ass out of myself. I don't want to make my ignorance too plain.

My first conference... (heh heh wasn't I having this conversation a few nights ago? Well here it is, and Arafel's coming to pump the keg.)

Wow.

Comments

[ssilverfish.livejournal.com]

Yay! I'm so excited for you... I think conferences are really rejuvinating. :)

*Cheers!*

Did you sign up to give a talk or a poster? I'm with you on public speaking -- I find it very stressful!

[arafel.livejournal.com]

Poster! I think I'd die of nervousness with a talk. Aieee!

I don't even like giving group meeting.

Did you submit your abstract? :)

[ssilverfish.livejournal.com]

I'm not a fan of giving talks either... so far, I haven't given a talk at a conference, though I was asked to a couple years ago. I completely chickened out and made my advisor do it, since I'd only been in the field for a couple of months and didn't think I could handle the q&a. After that, she said I would have to give one at the next conference, but when the time came, I basically refused... it would be important if I were going into academia, but I know I'm not going to, so I told her I didn't think that it was worth the torment. Thankfully, she understood, and didn't make me do it. Now, I'm always very specific on my abstracts -- I want to give a POSTER! At Gordons, the risk of a student being asked to give a talk is pretty slim anyway, so that makes me feel better.

Noooo, still not done. Bleah. It's data I've not written up or presented anywhere yet, so I'm starting from scratch, and it's still going pretty slowly. I'm reading my abstract from the last Gordon, and it's kind of crappy, so I'm not sure what I'm worrying about... I should just give myself a deadline, otherwise I'm going to spend all afternoon on it!