Presenting research
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Why do we need to write down a word to decide if it’s spelt correctly? Those attending the Postgraduate Research Festival will find out! |
If you’re considering postgraduate study in Macquarie’s Division of Linguistics and Psychology, their annual Postgraduate Research Festival on 7-8 December is sure to give you plenty of ideas.
The aim of the Festival is to provide higher degree research students with the opportunity to present their work, clarify their ideas, and solicit feedback from peers, supervisors and staff in a supportive environment.
“The Festival is a terrific environment in which to develop and practice your presentation skills,” says Psychology PhD student and organising committee chairperson Kerry-Ann Egliston. “If your research is in its early stages you can talk about the design of your project and get feedback before you launch into your research; or you might like to talk about particular challenges you’ve met along the way.”
2006 Festival
The Postgraduate Research Festival showcases the works of students from Psychology, Linguistics, the Macquarie Centre for Cognitive Science (MACCS), the National Centre for English Language Teaching and Research (NCELTR) and the Centre of Integrated Study of Animal Behaviour (CISAB).
This year’s Festival, to be held on Thursday 7 December and Friday 8 December, will feature the work of 127 students. Each student has 15 minutes to present their work with five minutes of question time following. External students are able to put together an e-presentation which will be available on computers for people to view.
The Festival also includes some social functions providing a good opportunity for students to meet their peers. “It is great to get out there and meet people from the division and talk over ideas” says Egliston. “From my own experience I have found the Festival very positive and beneficial.”
Honours students have been invited to attend the Festival for the first time this year. The Festival will provide these students with the opportunity to talk to potential supervisors, discuss topics and chat with PhD candidates about what it is like to be a higher degree research student.
A variety of presentations
With such a wide cross section of study areas, there is something for everyone. Some of the presentations this year include:
- the aetiology of adolescent depression
- who seeks treatment for cannabis dependence
- do hunting assassin bugs aggressively mimic prey in spider webs?
- mechanisms of social learning in Australian honeyeaters
- neuropsychological detection of concussive sports injuries
- how to reject people: a comparison of laboratory techniques
- news in war and peace: a diachronic, systemic-functional approach.
- why do we need to write down a word to decide if its spelt correctly?
Other Festival highlights
Apart from student presentations, the Festival will also feature an address from Macquarie University Vice-Chancellor Professor Steven Schwarz. Professor Schwarz will also present divisional awards for Excellence in Higher Degree Research.
Dean of Higher Degree Research Professor John Hooper will give an address and Federation Fellow and Scientific Director of MACCS Professor Max Coltheart will chair a workshop entitled ‘PhD from go to whoa’.
For further information visit www.lp.mq.edu.au/festival.htm or contact the organising committee festival@psy.mq.edu.au.