Neuroscience 2014.......

Starting the third and final year of my PhD I wanted to make sure that I attended a big conference to present my research. And after much trepidation, hoping, finger crossing and multiple applications for external funding I'm just a few hours away from departing Wellington to attend Neuroscience 2014 in Washington DC. Yes! YES! This conference represents a HUGE culmination of events. This past year I've faced several setbacks in my research, wallowed in some serious despair and then, within the last few months have been slowly emerging from that dark and difficult place. Presenting a good chunk of my PhD research at the largest neuroscience conference in the world - 30,000+ scientists will attend - is a huge accomplishment for me. Arriving at this point in time I'm realizing how much work has gone into what is written on the poster I will present at the meeting. During this process of reflection I've also realized that I'm completely nuts because in addition to the crushing workload associated with my thesis I've taken on additional work as a volunteer on campus, at the local SPCA and at Wellington Zoo. Despite this insanity my work in animal welfare at the SPCA and the zoo has led to some serious leads on potential work beyond my PhD. This is beyond incredible because the PhD consumes every part of you and I've felt so wrapped up in what seems like never ending work. You never think that it will actually end one day. But recently I've started to see glimpses of life beyond my PhD. I can't explain how strange and amazing this is for me. So it is with great pride, excitement and a dash of anxiety I depart Wellington tomorrow and arrive in Washington DC just five hours later. Five hours. Well, it's only five hours when you factor in the time zone differences. And yes, I'll lose that day when I return to Wellington. :) So I will post along the way about the conference and DC. This will be my first visit and I'm very excited to see our nation's capitol. More to come.