My first conference

I attended my first scientific conference, the OIKOS 2025 Conference! What made this experience even more special is that the conference was held in my home city, Jyväskylä—a great way to begin my conference journey! The next one I attend will be abroad, so this felt like the perfect starting point.

What is a scientific conference?

Scientific conferences provide a platform for researchers to present their work, exchange ideas, and collaborate with peers. They play an important role in sharing new findings, exploring research directions, and building professional networks.

This was my first conference, but some people attend conferences already during their Master’s studies—especially if their thesis is part of a research group. My Master’s thesis was based on my own idea, so I wasn’t part of a larger group. I’m in a similar situation with my PhD project, which has made the journey more independent—but also rewarding in its own way.

Since I had no prior experience with conferences, I wasn’t sure what the typical dress code would be. In the end, I decided to wear the same kind of dresses I usually wear on regular workdays—comfortable but neat.

The OIKOS Conference

The OIKOS Conference is an annual event organized by the Oikos Finland Society, focusing on ecology and evolutionary biology. It brings together researchers from various subfields to share their latest findings, discuss theoretical frameworks, and build collaborations. I had heard that the atmosphere is warm and supportive at OIKOS, making it an ideal setting for early-career researchers to take their first steps into the academic community.

My very first access key to a conference!

 My days at the conference

The conference lasted for three days (plus one day dedicated to workshops). I had a great time catching up with old acquaintances and meeting new people, listening to oral presentations, attending the conference dinner and evening party, and participating in a workshop. I also gave my very first poster presentation, which I’d been a bit nervous about beforehand—but as it turned out, there was no need to worry. Everyone was kind and genuinely interested, and the experience was far more relaxed than I had expected.

A program of the conference. Source: https://www.jyu.fi/en/events/oikos-finland-2025-conference

 Before the conference

In the days leading up to the conference, I worked hard to prepare my poster presentation. I revisited key theoretical concepts, read through previous studies, and structured the information in my head to make it as clear and explainable as possible. I wanted to be ready for any questions that might come my way.

Unfortunately, just before the conference, I caught the flu. At first, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to attend at all, as I had a mild fever. Luckily, I managed to gather enough energy to take part in all the key sessions. I didn’t feel particularly tired, and I knew I was no longer in the contagious phase. However, since I wasn’t fully recovered, I decided not to take any chances and skipped Tuesday’s welcome reception.

The poster session

The poster session was held on the first day, right after the welcome reception. In a poster session, researchers display their work on large printed posters, which are attached to stands arranged throughout a hall or room. Each presenter stands next to their poster, ready to explain their research and answer questions from attendees who stop by.

Me asking questions about another researcher’s poster. The printed posters are displayed on stands like these. Photo by Māris Grunskis

My poster

Due to some technical issues, I haven’t been able to start my main experiments yet, so I created a poster based on my pilot study on the effects of low-frequency magnetic fields on plants, from which I had some early, directional results.

Creating the poster took quite a few days. My first version, made with Canva, didn’t turn out the way I wanted, so I ended up creating a new one using PowerPoint. What took the most time was learning how to create charts in R—a programming language commonly used for statistical analysis. It was a bit of a learning curve, but a rewarding skill to gain! I printed the poster a few days before the conference using the University’s printing services.

Since my poster is based on an ongoing, unpublished study, I’ve decided not to share a photo of it online just yet. Many academic journals have strict policies about prior publication, and I’m still learning the details of how those work. To avoid any potential issues with future submissions, I prefer to be cautious and keep the material private for now. Once the study is published, I’ll be happy to share more openly! But here’s a blurred photo where you can still see how proud I am of my first poster!

Me after picking up my poster from the printer—I couldn’t wait to see how it turned out!

People mainly asked me to explain what I had done in my study. Some were curious about whether magnetic fields exist in nature and what mechanisms might explain how low-frequency magnetic fields could affect plants. I was happy to see genuine interest in the topic. I don’t recall receiving any questions I couldn’t answer or facing any harsh criticism—overall, the atmosphere was supportive, and the conversations were constructive. It felt very encouraging, especially for a first conference experience.

Presentations and the conference dinner

The second day was packed with oral presentations covering a wide range of topics. I especially enjoyed the talks about using AI in research—it’s exciting to see how these tools are being applied in ecological studies.

To be honest, some of the presentations outside my field were a bit hard to follow. For example, I’m not very familiar with cellular or molecular biology, so presentations with methodologies based on those areas went over my head. But there's a chance I might end up using some DNA-based methods in my future experiments—so who knows, maybe I’ll get more familiar with that world soon!

In the evening, we had the conference dinner and evening party, which was a lovely opportunity to connect in a more relaxed setting. I met researchers from other universities, as well as people working in Finnish environmental organizations like SYKE. We shared experiences, laughed, and even ended up dancing. It was a fun and memorable way to end a day full of science—and the food was delicious!

Final day & the workshop on scientific writing

On the final day, I participated in a scientific writing workshop led by Carlos Aguilar and Marc Abernathy, which turned out to be a real gem. It focused on the reviewing process and how to structure a scientific article in a way that’s clear and appealing to reviewers. I found the workshop incredibly helpful.

Although I know many researchers say they dislike writing, I personally enjoy it—and I love getting new insights into how to use text as a tool to influence and inform.

But on Friday night, after I had gotten home, my energy levels crashed, and I developed a high fever—apparently the flu had caught up with me properly, maybe even an influenza. The high fever lasted for several days, which is unusual for me. I later heard that some others had also fallen ill, even during the conference. Despite that, I’m really glad I went!

Final thoughts and summary

Attending this conference was a significant milestone in my PhD journey. Preparing for the poster session pushed me to deeply engage with the core ideas of my research. Of course, I had already written about the background theories and hypotheses—such as how magnetic fields could affect plant physiology—but I had never truly structured this knowledge in a way that made it easy to explain to others. Because of that, I sometimes struggled to answer certain questions, which left me feeling uncertain about my own knowledge.

The process of summarizing my work—something that had been sitting on my to-do list for far too long—turned out to be incredibly valuable. It not only helped me organize my thoughts but also gave me much more confidence. After all, I believe that only when I can clearly explain something to others do I truly understand it myself.

Increased skills

The writing workshop was a highlight for me. It sharpened my understanding of how to write with reviewers in mind and gave me practical strategies to make my texts more persuasive. Writing is something I genuinely enjoy, so these new insights felt like tools I’ll definitely return to again and again.

Meeting new people

One of the best parts of the conference was meeting new people. It was lovely to catch up with people I had studied biology with and hear where life and science had taken them. I also met some amazing new people who seemed genuinely enthusiastic, curious, and kind—the kind of people who make you feel instantly welcome.

We exchanged thoughts about our research, shared experiences from our PhD journeys, and even talked about non-science things like hobbies and life outside the lab. These conversations reminded me how valuable it is to build connections in the research community—not just professionally, but personally too.

Looking ahead

This conference was just the beginning, and it has made me excited for the next ones to come. I know now that I’m capable of presenting, networking, and contributing, even if I sometimes feel unsure. And I’ve realized that even when things don’t go perfectly—like getting sick—it can still be a valuable and rewarding experience.

For this blog post, I used ChatGPT to help refine my writing, improve clarity, and structure my ideas more effectively