Academic conferences
help doctoral students find new lines of inquiry and methodologies that may be
relevant and useful to their research. My initial foray into international
conferences was based on what internet provided me on google searches. I chose
to attend these conferences to gain extensive knowledge on international
aspects of climate change and sustainable development. I believed
conferences could be an opportunity to meet experts, academics and professors
who have the innate ability to shed light, providing wealth of information and
updates on topics of interest. After having participated in six international
conferences, I must say I have gained meaningful insight into the world of
academics, understanding the intricacies involved in research and scholarly
writing. I am hoping this post motivates and inspires students to take up
research and further their quest for knowledge with an intent to gain
expertise.
My first academic
pilgrimage was to Lausanne, Switzerland in the year 2012. The Cooperation
& Development Center (CODEV) had organized its second major
international event after being recognized as a UNESCO Chair in Technologies
for Development in 2007. The conference was held at EPFL in Switzerland, aimed
to highlight ‘science and technology’ as an agent of change in societies that
were impacted by climate change. The presenters either invented gadgets or came
up with theories on use of technology for sustainable development and to
eradicate poverty. The idea of discussing sustainable development, which is
currently evolving as a major discourse under international law, at a science
and technology conference seemed interesting enough to register.
The Conference was held at École Polytechnique Fédérale De Lausanne
(EPFL) that housed ‘The Rolex Learning Center’ a modern marvel of architecture.
Lausanne, itself is a historic city where the Treaty of Lausanne, a peace
treaty between the Ottoman Empire and the Allied Forces was signed
in the year 1923 after World War I. The city had for one of its attractions,
the Olympic Museum and a replica of the Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris. During my
first visit to Lausanne, the Museum was closed for renovation and it was during
my second visit the following year that I visited the Museum. Tourists who
visit Geneva, should be able to travel by train to Lausanne and visit the
Museum that takes visitors through the origins of Olympics in Athens into its
evolution as a modern international event.