Why Student Early Career Researchers / Practitioners would consider attending or presenting at the annual AAG conference as a Student Early Career Group member (SECG)
By Dr Chiara Naseri
The annual AAG conference attracts diverse academics and industry leaders with a shared purpose from across Australia. Members of the student and early career researcher group (SECG), which makes up 30% of the total AAG membership are provided a unique opportunity at the conference to build collaborative relationships with experts in the field. The conference has been a pivotal and a rewarding experience for countless SECG members to realise their journey of improving the lives of older people, their families, and communities.
The AAG conference brings networking to the forefront at the pre-conference AAG SECG / Emerging Researchers in Ageing Workshop that focuses on developing research skills to advance research careers. Fellow SECR/P members inspire one another through the highs and lows of research during the Welcome dinner. Experienced and award-winning researchers and industry leaders share pearls of wisdom with SECG members during the highly-acclaimed Lunch with the Stars showcase event. SECG members have the opportunity to publish a conference abstract and hone their elevator pitch during the Rapid Fire sessions. During the SECG AGM, members gain insight into committee roles and projects. As a wind-up on the last day, the SECG Symposium promotes skill-sharing and career development.
Throughout the conference, the sense of community amongst SECG members is consistent with the culture of AAG. SECG members can leave the conference confident that their skills will continue to be developed through mentorship and peer learning to support future research grant opportunities with the support of their AAG collaborators.