Blog
“I learned that actually, I quite enjoy presenting at conferences such as this, and would be open to presenting in the future.”
In this blog, Alfie Hands, undergraduate in Electronics and Electrical Engineering at the University of Birmingham, and UKESF Scholar sponsored by CSA Catapult, shares his experience of presenting at an industry conference for the first time, and what he has learned from taking part…
- How did the opportunity to present at the ARMMS Conference come about?
The opportunity to present was shared with me by the Radio Frequency (RF) engineers that I work with at CSA Catapult. The ARMMS conference is primarily an RF & Microwave Engineering Society conference and being in a team with experienced RF engineers who were aware of the conference and had attended (and in some cases presented) before was critical for me. They encouraged me to present, as they saw it as a good opportunity. We worked together to come up with some ideas for what work I could present, which is what led to me presenting.
- How did you prepare for presenting at a professional conference?
I prepared by creating my presentation, creating a loose script and practicing it a few times. On my own to begin with, then in front of some colleagues at CSA Catapult. They gave me some feedback which I incorporated and I found helpful.
- What did you learn from the experience? What skills did you use?
It was definitely an enriching experience. For this conference, I had to write and submit a technical paper, as well as deliver a presentation about the work in said paper at the conference. I learned about how best to format the technical paper for submission, including IEEE standard captioning and labelling of figures. I wrote my first literature review, which I am sure will come in handy for my final year project. I learned how to read journal papers too. On a more personal level, I learned that actually, I quite enjoy presenting at conferences such as this, and would be open to presenting in the future.
- What was the highlight of the day for you?
The ARMMS conference takes place over two days, beginning at around 12:00 on the first day and ending at around 16:00 on the second day. My favourite part was the dinner that is hosted on the first night. This gives you a chance to talk a little bit with the other attendees, learn more about them and their personal lives, as well as making some connections and talking to some of the more experienced engineers about careers’ advice.
- How do you think presenting at conferences like this will benefit your future career?
I believe that it has massively benefitted my career. For one, as an undergraduate student to be presenting at a technical conference and getting my name out there known amongst the wider RF & Microwave community is huge. You get to meet people and expand your network, which could be a useful tool in the future. Gaining that experience of presenting in front of a large audience too is very valuable. It is important as an engineer to be able to speak and deliver these types of presentations.
- What advice would you give to another scholar who would like to present at a conference, but might be unsure or feeling nervous?
My advice would be that while yes, it is very nerve-wracking to stand up and present to an audience of 50+ people (the majority of whom are practicing engineers), these things are an excellent opportunity to get your name out there and get some good experience. The ARMMS conference specifically is a good environment for this. It is not an academic conference, and so the environment is more relaxed, and the audience aren’t there to grill you or put you down. So long as you are prepared, and you have practiced and you know what you’re talking about, you will be fine.
Find out more about presenting at ARRMS conferences here
