Student Events at ATW 2010

ATW is known for its student activities, and if you are a student in a graduate program or planning to pursue graduate studies, you don’t want to miss these activities planned with you in mind! Each activity aims to provide you with opportunities for networking, learning, professional growth and fun, all together in one package! Our priority as the organizers of the student events of ATW is to leave you with a sense of belonging in this large community of environmental scientists and to provide opportunities for personal and professional development.

Students should come prepared with cover letters and CV's as there may be opportunities to discuss jobs.

To alleviate the financial burden on students, the events are included at no additional cost, but pre-registration is required so that we know how many attendees to expect. So, make sure you plan to attend one or all of the following student activities:

Sunday Career Night (17:00 – 19:00)

Guest Speaker, Grant Trump, from ECO Canada will speak for 45 minutes on the career opportunities in environmental sciences, as well as tips on job-hunting. If there are specific topics you would like him to cover, please contact us (see below for contact information). The speech will be followed by a question-and-answer period. For the second hour of this event, students and invited mentors (identified with clearly marked name tags) will mingle over a buffet of light snacks and drinks. This event provides a rare opportunity for one-on-one interaction with established personnel in your field, so don’t miss it! At the end of this session, walk to the nearby ballroom hosting the Welcome Reception and enjoy more food and fun!

Student Co-Chairs and Judges

Students are invited to serve as co-chairs for the platform sessions and as judges (paired with mentors) for student award competition. These are great opportunities to gain some valuable experience and to learn how the sessions and judging programs work. Student co-chairing will involve introducing speakers and chairing questions from the audience. Student judges will be paired with a mentor and will be required to attend the presentation(s) or poster(s) they are assigned to judge and confer with their mentor prior to the submission of marks. The final decision for marking rests with the mentor.

Tuesday Student-Mentor Lunch (noon)

This event is another great networking opportunity where you will get the chance to learn more from mentors who have established careers in your field. The event will take place in the same room as the group lunch so that you can enjoy the plenary speech alongside your mentor.

Wednesday Awards Presentation (noon)

There are great prizes to be awarded for both platform and poster student presentations. First prize will receive $600, $400 for 2nd prize, $300 for 3rd prize and up to three honourable mentions ($100 each). Attend to support your peers and future colleagues and cheer on their achievements, and maybe receive an award yourself. More information on preparing platform or posters for the student presentations is provided here and an example of the judging form is here.

Volunteer Opportunities

There are lots of opportunities to volunteer and help make the student events a success. Not only will you be helping us, but your participation will allow opportunities for networking and professional growth and will be a great addition to your resume! All student volunteers will receive a t-shirt for identification and a breakfast meeting will take place Sunday morning. Volunteers will be needed to help with preparation of registration packages, staffing the student desk, acting as shutterbugs to capture important moments of the student events (to be posted on ATW’s Facebook), etc. Shifts are 1 to 2 hours in length. Please indicate your interest during registration.

If you have any suggestions, questions or comments, please contact us at the email addresses below. We can also be reached through the Facebook group “Aquatic Toxicity Workshop.” We would love to hear from you if you have any ideas or suggestions! During the conference there will be booth dedicated for students at the registration desk where you can find out more information about the student events, so feel free to drop by.

We look forward to seeing you all in Toronto!

Your ATW 2010 Student Program Committee

David Poirier - Ontario Ministry of Environment

Julie Anderson - University of Saskatchewan

Yamini Gopalapillai – University of Guelph/Natural Resources Canada

Last Updated Thursday, July 1, 2010 20:36 / © ATW 2010