pelf-ism is contagious
… you have been warned…
What’s the SCCS like?
3I was very fortunate to be awarded a bursary to attend the Student Conference on Conservation Science (SCCC) at the University of Cambridge. My bursary included my return air tickets, meals, transportation to and from the university as well as accommodation during the conference. Though my apartment at St. Chad’s was about 10 – 15 minutes walk from St. Catharine’s where I had my breakfast everyday, I’m not complaining, because I woke up to this every morning..
And because I was such an early riser (I woke up at about 6 – 6:30am daily), I didn’t have to queue for the bathroom, and because of that, I got to leave my apartment way before breakfast so that I could enjoy this..
After breakfast and a leisurely 5-minute walk to the conference venue, like any other good conference participants, we obediently entered the Lecture Hall and found ourselves a seat before the talks for the day began, like this..
After each oral presentation session, we had a short break, where we proceeded to the Elementary Lab just across the hallway, for a cup of coffee or tea and some shortbreads. The breaks on Day 2 and Day 3 included the opportunity to check out the posters that were put up for viewing (there were too many posters!).
Each poster presenter was given a display board and six pieces of velcro tape for attaching the poster to the board. I took about 5 minutes to put my poster and some pictures up, and here’s what my board looks like..
Because there were so many posters, and so many people, there were almost always somebody reading my poster. And I tried to take a picture with them whenever I could, but sometimes I got too carried away I forgot about the pictures..
One of the best things about the SCCS is that there was a Wine Reception. In the Zoology Museum..
Not only we get to drink and socialize in the museum, we get to see really cool stuff like a python skeleton..
And some really pretty shells too..
We had a very successful conference, thanks to these people and their team of volunteers who were always there for us, answering our never-ending questions, and making sure that we were always on time..
So did I enjoy myself at the conference?
You bet! :D
P/S: The Student Conference on Conservation Science (SCCS) is designed for young conservation researchers (targeting mostly graduate students) from biological, environmental and geography departments of universities as well as conservation and resource management agencies. If you would like to participate in such a student conference, check out SCCS Bangalore (dates to be announced) and SCCS New York (12-14 October 2011).
In and around Cambridge
2The day before the Student Conference on Conservation Science began, conference participants were taken on a walk around Sheep’s Green and Coe Fen by the River Cam in Cambridge.
Sheep’s Green and Coe Fen formed part of the commercial area of the town where up to three watermills once stood. The land between the artificially raised banks of the watercourses was prone to flooding and was therefore only really suitable for grazing – sheep on Sheep’s Green (west of River Cam) and cows on Coe (cow) Fen (east of River Cam). By the 19th century, the Fen was mire and it was partly drained to avoid disease in the town. The land remains today as a semi-natural space and is an important part of the setting of the core area.
Much of the area is cattle-grazed medieval flood meadow, criss-crossed by streams and drainage ditches, with scattered trees, especially willows. Ms. Monica Frisch, a member of Cambridge Natural History Society (CNHS) which carried out an extensive survey of the area, led the walk and pointed out things of natural history interest.
It was quite an interesting way to “discover” Cambridge, though I was pretty sure the majority of the conference participants were either getting to know each other, or fighting jet lag, LOL. Nevertheless, Ms. Monica Frisch must be commended for her time and for sharing her knowledge of the area with us :D
After the walk, a few of us joined a punting tour offered by Scudamore Punting Company (it kinda reminded me of this backwater cruise that I joined in Fort Cochin, India). Our punter, I forgot to ask for his name, was a Kiwi, and he gave quite an elaborate description of the history of the city and some buildings that we saw along the river. He even sang us a song under a bridge! :D
Now, you won’t be able to take really good pictures of the buildings (mostly churches and colleges) because you’d be sitting in a boat in the river, so if you’d rather see the buildings up close and take pictures, the punting tour might not be your best option.
I paid £10, and I thought that it was quite pricey for a river tour. But if you must go punting in Cambridge, I’d recommend Scudamore’s :D And because you’d be sitting in a boat for about an hour, and listening to your punter, I suggest you pick one whose accent you could understand easily.
Crisis in Cambridge
6My first impression of Cambridge, even before arriving, is that it is a safe place. In fact, one of the ever-helpful conference organizers insisted that it would be perfectly safe for me to walk 10 minutes from the college where I’d be picking up my room key, to the college that I’d be staying at throughout the duration of the conference. Even if it means walking by myself in the middle of the night. With a 15 kg luggage. In the cold.
As luck would have it, my luggage wheels were broken upon arrival at Stansted International Airport, and I had to drag the 15 kg bag from the airport to the train station, which was quite a distance away. The broken wheels, combined with friction, made the 15 kg bag felt like 40 kg! My sister later commented that I have always had (bad) luck with my luggage whenever I travel, and frighteningly enough, she was right. But we’ll talk about that another day.
So anyway, I arrived at St. Catharine’s College, where I was supposed to pick up my room key, at about 11:30 pm and by the time I walked to St. Chad’s College, where I would be staying, it was past midnight (remember I had a broken bag?). And since I had been traveling in the past 25 hours, I had no problems falling asleep :D
St. Catharine’s College, where I had breakfast for 5 days.
So the next day was spent looking for a luggage that wouldn’t cost a limb (because I can’t be lugging the 40 kg bag when I go to London in a few days’ time!) and I am eternally grateful I met Angel. Angel arrived a few days before the conference began and she had had time to check out the town and she knew where the malls were located. When I told her I had to hunt for a new luggage, she offered to show me a few places where I could buy a one at a bargain, and within about 2-3 hours, I found myself a new luggage!
Pretty flowers at the market
Thank you, Angel! *hugs*
