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Preamble
I am a graduate student and a junior faculty staff member at the College of
Medicine, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria. I was privileged to be one of
the recipients of the XXXV International Union of Physiological Sciences
Travel Award for a Congress which took place at San Diego from March
31-April 7, 2005. Also, I was lucky to secure a visa to attend the Congress.
Hence, my expectation before the Congress was to make the best use of a rare
opportunity. This is pertinent because the conference came at a time when I,
like many other young researchers in developing countries, was yearning for
exposure to new areas of interests in modern research and the techniques
involved. This experience is necessary to be able to compete for slots in
international journals. It was also an opportunity to be able to interact
with other researchers, do a personal assessment, and plan for the future.
Impression
No doubt, much preparation went into the hosting of this Congress. This was
evidenced by the apparent ease in which the organizers catered to thousands
of participants at the event. Programs went on smoothly and on schedule,
too. There were many activities going on at the same time, and for one to
get the best out of all these, a daily guide was needed. Even with this, it
is always a difficult task drawing up a guide because choices have to be
made between two or more competing events.
The atmosphere was set right with the opening lecture and dinner. The
lecture, which addressed the theme of the congress (“From Genomes to
Functions”), was very educational and thought provoking. This lecture gave
insights into what to expect during most of the symposia. The dinner was a
memorable occasion, filled with lots of fun. There were nice meals, drinks
and games, and a wonderful band that sang famous tracks from every part of
the globe. A comic life-portrayal of participants by the San Diego Artists
Association is a wonderful souvenir that depicts the fun of the day. Indeed,
the dinner gave participants an enabling environment to interact with each
other and exchange ideas. Even language differences were no barrier on that
night and a breathtaking display of fireworks ended the day.
The role and participation of the City of San Diego is also commendable. Not
only was a day declared in honor of the International Union of Physiological
Sciences, every establishment and outlet made provisions to warmly welcome
guests to the city for the event. It was a first hand experience of
attributes that made San Diego and the whole of California one of the
leading tourist locations of the world.
Programs Benefited From
The APS/FASEB had in place symposia on various fields, and researchers with
meritorious findings were given the opportunities to present their works.
Notable scientists presented oral reports; explanations and paradigms were
given for new concepts, and perceptive views on various areas were provided.
The posters of interest were visited, explanations to some unfamiliar
concepts and methods were presented, and it was also an avenue of creating
contacts for possible networking.
Pre- and post-symposia were organized during the congress to address focused
issues. One of them was the IUPS Teaching Workshop at Pali Mountain which I
attended. Issues bordering on Laboratory Resource Manual, Curriculum
Planning and Design, Information Technology, and Issues in Classroom
Teaching of Physiology were discussed. Distinguished teachers of physiology
were in attendance, and it was a tremendous learning experience. This
translated to a better personal development which will also be beneficial to
my students. In addition, some instructional materials were given by APS to
participants, especially those from developing countries.
There was a Placement Service (Career Center) provided at the San Diego
Convention Center (the venue of the congress). This offered a unique
opportunity for graduate students and young researchers to know about
various opportunities available, and how they can prepare for and sustain a
successful career. I attended some seminars on personal developmental issues
and had my resume critiqued by an expert. Various scientific industries
exhibited their new products; there were demonstrations on how they work,
and some free sample software, journals, books, etc., were given to
participants.
Lesson Learned/ Potential Impact of My Attendance:
I learned from my attendance at the conference that the focus is more on
molecular or cellular mechanism of various concepts/mechanism of actions.
However, there is the need to integrate these molecular studies with whole
animal data, hence, the importance of animal research. Also the need for
networking among scientists was stressed, and there is much effort in this
direction.
There is a wide difference in the sophistication of research from the
developed country and developing countries, especially Africa. This is
mainly due to a lack of funds and equipment. Most of the equipment on sale
at the exhibition was way-out of the reach of most universities in my
country. In fact, the price of some single equipment was more than the
yearly budget of a college or university. My view of the situation is that
this gap was created over a long period of educational neglect in developing
countries. I also couldn’t help but wonder where most of the equipment used
in developed countries went to after they were replaced. Couldn’t it be
possible to get them to developing countries that are interested, even if
they had to pay a small price? The world is not only a global village
economically or politically, but also educationally. Developed countries
have many restrictions on the use of laboratory animals; this is getting
increasingly severe, while the obedience of basic guide and rule on care and
usage of animals is required in developing countries. Definitely, there are
many areas of possible networking between developing and developed
countries. This will only be possible if discrepancy in research quality is
not too much.
The use of information technology provides a very good opportunity for the
developing country to close the gap and correct the deficiencies in the
teaching methods due to funds or equipment. The restrictions placed on
animal usage have led to the development of practical stimulators in place
of animal experiments. Also, online tutorials (e.g., lectures, integrative
and animation), provide access to up to date information on various
concepts. My university now has a CD-ROM Committee (which I am a member), to
tap into this. However, there is the need for educators/instructors to know
where these instructional materials are available. Information technology if
properly used, will provide a meeting point. In addition, there might be the
need to gradually change curriculum to fit each particular situation.
I have acquired more knowledge about the field of physiology after the
congress than I could have ever imagined. I am very grateful to APS for the
Travel Grant and opportunity to present my research work at the congress. It
has led to tremendous career development; my university has benefited from
this, and my students are the better for it.
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