Organizing a Scientific Research Conference
Personal Project
Personal Project
In April 2011, I was the chief organizer and chair of the 3rd Midwest Undergraduate Cognitive Science Conference (MUCSC). My responsibilities included:
The conference was a challenging and exciting experience for me, since this was the first time I have had to coordinate every aspect an event, from the initial stages of marketing the event to actually running the event during the day. I am proud to say my efforts culminated in my achieving the Outstanding Contribution Award from the Cognitive Science department at Indiana University.
The conference was a challenging and exciting experience for me, since this was the first time I have had to coordinate every aspect an event, from the initial stages of marketing the event to actually running the event during the day. I am proud to say my efforts culminated in my achieving the Outstanding Contribution Award from the Cognitive Science department at Indiana University.
Visual Identity
The Student Organization for Cognitive Science (SOCS) and myself collaborated to produce the first logo for the club, which was also used in the banner for the site and at the conference. The logo was designed to let students know that we were a lighthearted, fun group that also had a focus on brain and cognitive science. The colors are based on the Indiana Universityvisual identity, cream and crimson. Upon the creation of the logo, the banner was created in Photoshop, which included the conference name, location and date. The banner symbolizes the collaboration of the club members and Indiana University.
Website
The website was the primary form of conference communications, including submission/registration systems, information about Bloomington, links to social media arms of the website, and a full up-to-date schedule. Users are greeted with a scrolling banner that rotates to showcase different aspects of the site to users. Also located on the front page is the ability for users to share the site with others on Facebook. The Navigation menu persisted on all pages and allowed users quick access to various topics regarding the conference.
The MUCSC website was built on top of a CSS template and implemented PHP, JQuery and Facebook’s Open Graph. The submission and registration systems were two separate Google forms. The scrolling banner on the front did not use Flash; therefore, iOS devices could view the front page with no problems.
The Student Organization for Cognitive Science (SOCS) and myself collaborated to produce the first logo for the club, which was also used in the banner for the site and at the conference. The logo was designed to let students know that we were a lighthearted, fun group that also had a focus on brain and cognitive science. The colors are based on the Indiana Universityvisual identity, cream and crimson. Upon the creation of the logo, the banner was created in Photoshop, which included the conference name, location and date. The banner symbolizes the collaboration of the club members and Indiana University.
Website
The website was the primary form of conference communications, including submission/registration systems, information about Bloomington, links to social media arms of the website, and a full up-to-date schedule. Users are greeted with a scrolling banner that rotates to showcase different aspects of the site to users. Also located on the front page is the ability for users to share the site with others on Facebook. The Navigation menu persisted on all pages and allowed users quick access to various topics regarding the conference.
The MUCSC website was built on top of a CSS template and implemented PHP, JQuery and Facebook’s Open Graph. The submission and registration systems were two separate Google forms. The scrolling banner on the front did not use Flash; therefore, iOS devices could view the front page with no problems.
Social Media Marketing
Official communications were sent to individuals via an email list, but Tumblr and Facebook pages were also set up to echo these communications as well as provide behind-the-scenes looks at the set up of the conference itself. In order to engage potential attendees, I set up a Question of the Week system for users to feel like a part of the conference before the actual conference date. Questions were posted on both Tumblr and Facebook. Users could reply using either site. Additionally, a Twitter feed echoed posts from Tumblr and was used to provide live insights during the actual conference day. [Image = Question of the Week example on Tumblr]
Official communications were sent to individuals via an email list, but Tumblr and Facebook pages were also set up to echo these communications as well as provide behind-the-scenes looks at the set up of the conference itself. In order to engage potential attendees, I set up a Question of the Week system for users to feel like a part of the conference before the actual conference date. Questions were posted on both Tumblr and Facebook. Users could reply using either site. Additionally, a Twitter feed echoed posts from Tumblr and was used to provide live insights during the actual conference day. [Image = Question of the Week example on Tumblr]
Event Planning
My goal was to provide a professional level conference for undergraduates to simulate international conferences within the same discipline. Attendees were greeted outside the presentation room, where they were presented a conference booklet (created in InDesign). The banner logo was used on all conference materials, including signs indicating venue locations. People could either use the conference booklet or the large schedule to keep a track of the day’s events. The schedule for the conference included breakfast, a keynote speaker, presentations from undergraduates around the Midwest, and a poster session featuring undergraduates as well. I constructed the schedule around the availability of participants using input from the registration form on the website. The schedule was constantly updated on the site for quick access on a computer or mobile phone.
In order to showcase the interdisciplinary nature of cognitive science and the conference, the poster session for 2011 was hosted in the Informatics building while the presentations were hosted in the Psychology building. This required numerous communications between the two departments, as well as planning for the setup and teardown times of the event. Light refreshments were provided to attendees, and several signs were used to make sure individuals were routed to the appropriate location for the time of day.
Challenges
The event challenged me by forcing me to multitask several divisions of the conference in 8 months. Since there was no website, I had to work with the cognitive science office to establish server space for the conference and allow for official university communications on my behalf. This was also the first year that we used social networking to gain user interest. Additionally, several attendees had specific requests and required special accommodations, such as providing specific presentation times or gluten-free food for those with allergies. I also had to communicate with several department chairs in universities across the Midwest in an effort to spread the word about the conference. I learned how to manage a team of people and use their skills to help make the events run smoothly before and during the conference. I also learned how to manage my time and prioritize certain elements of the conference in order to create a quality user experience.
My goal was to provide a professional level conference for undergraduates to simulate international conferences within the same discipline. Attendees were greeted outside the presentation room, where they were presented a conference booklet (created in InDesign). The banner logo was used on all conference materials, including signs indicating venue locations. People could either use the conference booklet or the large schedule to keep a track of the day’s events. The schedule for the conference included breakfast, a keynote speaker, presentations from undergraduates around the Midwest, and a poster session featuring undergraduates as well. I constructed the schedule around the availability of participants using input from the registration form on the website. The schedule was constantly updated on the site for quick access on a computer or mobile phone.
In order to showcase the interdisciplinary nature of cognitive science and the conference, the poster session for 2011 was hosted in the Informatics building while the presentations were hosted in the Psychology building. This required numerous communications between the two departments, as well as planning for the setup and teardown times of the event. Light refreshments were provided to attendees, and several signs were used to make sure individuals were routed to the appropriate location for the time of day.
Challenges
The event challenged me by forcing me to multitask several divisions of the conference in 8 months. Since there was no website, I had to work with the cognitive science office to establish server space for the conference and allow for official university communications on my behalf. This was also the first year that we used social networking to gain user interest. Additionally, several attendees had specific requests and required special accommodations, such as providing specific presentation times or gluten-free food for those with allergies. I also had to communicate with several department chairs in universities across the Midwest in an effort to spread the word about the conference. I learned how to manage a team of people and use their skills to help make the events run smoothly before and during the conference. I also learned how to manage my time and prioritize certain elements of the conference in order to create a quality user experience.
