Presenting Your Research at an International Conference as a Bachelor's Student

My name is Marleen Tilga, I am a third-year Bachelor's student in Genetic Engineering, and I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in and present my research at the 28th Wilhelm Bernhardi Workshop (WBW28) conference, which took place on June 16–20, 2025, in Tartu. I received an invitation to the conference from the Kurglab (Institute of Technology), which was also the organizer of the event and the laboratory where I wrote my thesis. This was my first international research conference, and it was also the first time I had designed and presented a research poster on my own.

The idea to participate in the conference came from my supervisor, Professor Reet Kurg, who suggested that I submit an abstract and poster based on my Bachelor's thesis. Writing an abstract and designing a poster were new experiences for me, so I learned a lot during the preparation period. I had to clearly and thoroughly formulate the most important facts of my research, which turned out to be more difficult than expected. Fortunately, I received help from both my supervisor and my lab colleagues. I quickly realised that when it comes to research posters, the rule 'the less text, the better' is true. I placed greater emphasis on the visual aspect, figures and graphs, so that they would be illustrative, yet informative and easy to understand.

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The week-long conference included three full days of scientific presentations. The topics covered were wide-ranging, from epigenetics, including chromatin modifications and reorganization, to the cell cycle and cerebellar development. In addition, there were discussions about what cancer treatment might look like in the future and what areas deserve more attention. Although many of the presentations were not directly related to my field of research, I gained new insights and ideas from each of them that I can apply in my future research. It was very interesting to see how other researchers approached their research questions and what methods they have used.

The most nerve-wracking part was presenting my own poster – would I be able to eloquently and informatively answer all the questions? Looking back, it turned out to be the most memorable experience of the entire conference. A well-known researcher, whose articles I have read and referenced in my Bachelor's thesis, came to my poster. It was a great honor to introduce my research to them and answer their questions. I was pleasantly surprised and delighted that I was able to answer most the questions clearly and hear their immediate thoughts and feedback. They agreed with several of my conclusions, but also pointed out areas that could be given more attention in future research. Getting direct feedback in such a way was incredibly useful for me.

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I am very grateful for the opportunity to participate in the WBW28 conference. This experience taught me a lot: above all, how to present my research clearly and purposefully. It gave me self-confidence and confirmed my desire to participate in research conferences in the future. I definitely recommend other students to take advantage of similar opportunities, even during your Bachelor's studies, as they broaden your horizons, develop your self-expression skills, and help you establish valuable contacts in the scientific community, while giving you more experience writing and presenting scientific articles.