ICOPA XII - Day 2 - POSTER DAY

Today was poster day...the day I was slotted to hang up my poster presenting my research along with 300 other researchers. The day started of with a Plenary session on Mapping the Global Distribution of parasites. The speaker, Simon Brooker, introduced a newly launched website www.thiswormyworld.org that allows the users to look at the distributions of several parasites in Africa. Their goal is to eventually have the whole world mapped. The webpage is based on an article written by Norman Stoll - This Wormy World...which happened to be cited a few times today, so I will have to make sure I check it out. After the second speaker introduced his research into parasite neurobiology, it was time for morning tea.

I rushed down to the main lobby to put up my poster for maximum viewing time and was already stopped by 3 different researchers. One in particular, Tomas Sholz was very cool and while we didn't have much time to talk seemed like a great contact to make sure I spoke with later in the week. Off to the Aquatic Parasitology session, I got to hear the end of Dr. Sholz's talk where he gave a great plug into my co-supervisor and co-lab mate Sean & Dave's work and praised them endlessly...pretty cool.

It was time for lunch, so I headed back down to my poster. I was armed with copies of my presentation as well as pins of the Canadian flag to hand out to visitors at my station. They both seemed to be a great hit. While only perhaps another 5 out of the 300 researchers had handouts as well...I was the only student with pins :) So I think this made me memorable :) Just as I am standing there answering questions of one researcher, one of my great mentors Dr. Jean Mariaux, walks up to my station. OMG! How cool is that? Here I was thinking I would have to track him down, and he came to my poster! He is a super great guy and I was able to talk with him a while about my research. He even went to find another of my mentor's Dr. Tim Littlewood and brought him to see me! Even cooler! Both seemed interested in my research and congratulated me on my project. Dr. Mariaux paid me the highest compliment saying that I should have no trouble at all getting my research published!

I was floating :) I met even more interesting people during the lunch break, a researcher from Iceland who thinks he can get some samples for me and another who may have some contacts in Africa (he'll keep me in mind :).

Off to the second Aquatic Parasitology session I enjoy the talks that are presented there. Afternoon tea passes very quickly, and one researcher who I had chatted to at lunch has searched me out again. So we chat a bit more, and I was politely walked to the next workshop that I wanted to attend. The workshop was on Global Education though electronic means. The first session was fascinating! There is a new software created called slidebox that uses Google Earth technology to put slides onto a computer based software that students can then have access to. And not only do the students have access, the professors do as well, seeing where the students are going, what they are looking at on the slide and even what magnification they are using! How amazing is that! I can't wait to mention it to the Teaching Centre at Concordia. I think we should definitely check it out!

Finally time for the formal poster session. Back downstairs I once again 'man' my poster like dog with a new bone. I don't want to miss any opportunity to meet with people whom are interested in seeing my poster. At least another dozen people come by and we have great discussions and some more promises to see if they have some specimens that they could share with me. At least 4 or 5 of the people that came to see me was out of curiosity because they new my co-supervisor Dave Marcogliese. So, even though my supervisors weren't with me physically - they still helped ease the way with some introductions. Thanks guys!