Cardiff is lucky enough to be part of a new group of universities, along with Exeter and Bristol, whose post graduates will regularly meet throughout the year and discuss the work we all do. Hopefully this will encourage work between the universities, improve our presenting skills and prepare us newbies on how scientific conferences work.
Yesterday was our first meeting, in Bristol, and I think everyone agrees it was a great success. It often feels in science that there is a fear of collaborating with other unievrisites and people too closely, a fear that people ideas will be diluted or stolen if shared with other people. A fear which is probably based on previous experience. But for the younger generation of scientists, surely for the future of research if will be beneficial to share our knowledge and ideas, as long as its in the right way.
So overall I think it was a very productive day and I look forward to the next one in the coming year.
The usual trip to the pub afterwards, for a beer and a pizza, also helped everyone come together. Talking at the conference is great, but its the relationships you build beyond your work which will make you want to work with someone again, I believe.
I hope these kind of collaborations exist throughout the UK, and throughout the world, because I believe the success of science comes from a strong community, not a strong set of individuals.
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