MAP student participates in EUROMAT23
From 3rd to 7th September 2023, I had the great pleasure and honor of representing both the MAP program and the Institute of Biomaterials at the EUROMAT23 conference. EUROMAT23 is one of Europe’s biggest and most prestigious materials science and technology congresses, where experts from industry and academia gather to discuss the latest developments in the field.
I was actively involved in the conference by presenting a poster of one of my projects carried out at the Institute of Biomaterials. As the conference covered a wide range of materials science topics, most attendees who stopped in front of my poster had never encountered a similar topic before. Therefore, I had to spontaneously adapt my short presentation depending on their background, ensuring they understood the main points of my research and hoping that my ideas raised their interest. In addition to trying to guide people through the world of biomaterials and bioactive glasses, I had the opportunity to attend various lectures, some of them with more familiar topics than others. Besides learning new concepts and coming across new ideas, I realized how strongly connected are the topics presented during the MAP lectures to the actual research directions. Even though, in the beginning, I thought that attending lectures on topics unfamiliar to me, in the end, I realized that I managed to get the main points quite easily. I am sure this would not have been possible without the strong background I built in the past year through the lectures provided by MAP.
In addition to witnessing and learning about cutting-edge research topics, EUROMAT23 gave me the opportunity to start networking, one of the key factors in building a solid and successful career. The coffee breaks and the poster presentation were perfect chances to ask questions and discuss the presentation’s main points with people from different backgrounds. Surprisingly and by chance, I came across two MAP graduates, one of them being also a former member of the Institute of Biomaterials. Besides discussing the results of their project, we talked about the MAP programme and how it evolved over the years. They also gave me precious information about the pivotal role of MAP in their future and how to successfully take advantage of my time as a MAP student.
Looking back at EUROMAT23, I learned new concepts and helpful information for future oral/poster presentations. I also became more confident in the knowledge gained during my bachelor’s in Romania and MAP master’s. I enjoyed being part of EUROMAT23, and I am happy that MAP and the Institute of Biomaterials were the ‘witnesses’ and ‘supporters’ of my first conference (with hopefully many more to come in the near future).
In the end, I would like to acknowledge the MAP team for giving me the educational grant and making it possible to participate in the conference. Last but not least, I am grateful for all the continuous support, encouragement and guidance provided by Professor Boccaccini, who gave me the opportunity to represent his institute at a world-leading conference.
By Andrada-Ioana Damian-Buda (matriculation group 2022)