17 Mar 2014
Amanda Mills, recipient of a Rideal Travel Bursary, reports from the 12th Magnetic Resonance in Porous Media conference in Wellington, New Zealand:
I am a third year PhD student at the University of Birmingham, who was given the opportunity to share my work by giving an oral presentation on my recent research. Between 9 - 13 February 2014 I attended the international Magnetic Resonance in Porous Media conference in Wellington, New Zealand.
My talk was entitled 'Investigations of CTAB Reverse Micelles using Diffusion NMR and Molecular Dynamics' which outlined the research I have undertaken during my PhD and showed how my work has been able to expand the current knowledge on reverse micelles. My talk took place on the fourth day of the conference in the chemical engineering section.
Throughout the conference there were a total of 60 oral presentations, seven of which were from specifically invited personnel who were known to be influential in the field of magnetic resonance in porous media. The talks covered a broad range of applications of magnetic resonance in porous media which included petrophysics, medical applications, environmental science, MRI, advances in NMR equipment and many more.
Attending this event has particularly made me realise the broad range of applications and the versatility of magnetic resonance has in research today and goes much further beyond the application used in my research and within my research group.
Giving a presentation in front of renowned researchers as well as my peers was an exhilarating experience. It has not only allowed me to improve my presentation skills but it has also given me more confidence in presenting my work. Attending has helped me to improve my networking and communication skills considerably.
This was the first conference I have been to, and has helped me to gain many new contacts from around the world as well as some new friends. It has definitely helped me to get recognised as a scientific researcher within the magnetic resonance community, and will no doubt help me in my future career.
It was also an enjoyable experience as I managed to see the sights of Wellington, and the rest of New Zealand's North Island. I was lucky enough to be able to spend some time after the conference exploring its picturesque sights and exploring some of its Maori culture.
I would like to thank my supervisor, Dr Melanie Britton, for encouraging me to attend, and supporting me throughout my PhD. I would also like to thank the conference organisers for giving me the opportunity to give a talk and for organising such an enjoyable event.
A special thank you needs to go to SCI for awarding me a Rideal Travel Bursary, which contributed considerably to my travel expenses, enabling me to go to New Zealand. This is definitely an experience any young researcher should do if given the opportunity.
Amanda Mills
University of Birmingham
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