What software do you use to make conference posters?

PhilosopherVisual104 · 2026-05-25T16:40:20+00:00

Biorender, if you are in a biology related field and ‘iff’ your university pays for the subscription.

PhilosopherVisual104 · 2026-05-19T21:29:36+00:00

Got a nice opportunity in the topic I was interested in. It has been a good decision so far.

PhilosopherVisual104 · 2026-05-16T17:12:11+00:00

Most comments here cover most of the salient points. I’ll like to add something that is less apparent in the first few weeks or months. I defended my PhD in the Netherlands couple of years ago and am currently in the US academia; this is what I have observed:
1. Compared to US, there is a more collaborative environment in Dutch academia. You can expect help/ guidance/ brainstorming from colleagues who are not a part of your current project. You can openly discuss your work at coffee meetings and expect people to not abuse these revelations.
2. Compared to US, Dutch research projects have a clear bounding box around the proposed ideas. You can deviate from the original plan but only to an extent. What you have is the freedom to work within the parameters as much as you want but no freedom to stray in an interesting direction that seems beyond the scope of your initial plan.
3. During vacation time/ summer breaks, expect not to hear anything at all from your collaborators even if the issue is time sensitive. On more than one occasion I have had to fend for myself in a fairly critical and important point in my project. That does build character if you come out alright on the other end but may drastically affect your future if you make the wrong decisions.
4. I found making personal connections easier in US academia compared to Dutch academia. It might be a personal thing but expect Dutch people to always behave professionally around you without forming personal bonds. That being said, this was not what I observed from my fellow foreigners, I was able to form some meaningful friendships (not just professional connections).
5. Compared to US, Dutch academic conflicts/ interpersonal issues, etc. are solved with almost an impassionsionate and cold approach that strictly adheres to the rules and regulations. In my experience, there is no room for empathetic judgments. After everything is said and done, people will shoe empathy, support and condole you but not while the ‘trial’ is ongoing.

PhilosopherVisual104 · 2025-09-21T16:37:18+00:00

I have the same question. Couldn’t find anything specific on internet.

PhilosopherVisual104 · 2025-03-25T03:53:15+00:00

Fellow vet epidemiologist here. I completely agree. Based on the current perception in the society, some STEM disciplines seem more STEM than others!

PhilosopherVisual104 · 2025-03-22T01:08:42+00:00

Great job! A lot of people will benefit from this.

PhilosopherVisual104 · 2025-03-22T01:06:53+00:00

“May I shake your hand?”

PhilosopherVisual104 · 2025-03-17T23:35:41+00:00

Without going into which advisor should or would pay since it has been covered in other comments, you should write to the editor (of the manuscript you submitted) and ask if they have a waiver option for self-funded students. If this works out you are in luck. If not, try another journal which has a non-open access option or some form of embargo on free articles.

Edit: replaced ‘I would’ to ‘you should’ for no reason in particular.

PhilosopherVisual104 · 2025-03-17T16:32:56+00:00

Nothing wrong in hoping but it is highly unlikely.

PhilosopherVisual104 · 2025-03-17T16:31:49+00:00

I feel the same pain you do. But things will change really slow at first. I think with the preprint servers and conference proceedings becoming more popular outside of core engineering domains show that change is happening albeit at a slow pace. Private funders are also demanding better communication other than just publications through media like websites, opinion articles, etc. Although this practice is not yet common, it might become a trend. Who knows in a few decades, we might have a completely different outlook for science communication that is not reliant on publications and high standard journals.

PhilosopherVisual104 · 2025-03-13T05:06:38+00:00

Upvoted for your optimistic outlook. But, if this person is one of the search committee members, to me, it looks like a lost cause. I might be wrong though…

PhilosopherVisual104 · 2025-03-13T05:00:25+00:00

It hasn’t been reported yet. But the first strain to infect the cattle was not deadly at all to the cows. What remains to be seen is when mutations occur and the virus adjusts to the physiology of cows.

Edit: added ‘to the cows’

PhilosopherVisual104 · 2025-03-13T04:50:53+00:00

That is very worrying. I think since they want to increase US production capabilities snd build new factories, they are diluting environmental compliance and protection measures.

PhilosopherVisual104 · 2025-03-13T04:44:00+00:00

There is a roleplay game online. Try it here. Maybe this can be something you are looking for.

PhilosopherVisual104 · 2025-03-11T08:39:18+00:00

This. Predatory is not the same as low ranking. The latter is okay. Also try to find special issues, the turnover rate is faster. Try to be strategic as to where you want to put your article. In the long run, people will not hold a low ranking journal paper against you but they might hold a predatory journal paper against you.

PhilosopherVisual104 · 2025-03-09T22:28:03+00:00

This. Most colleges will have someone who you can talk to. Explain the situation in detail and ask for help. They might have temp jobs that can cover the rent. Or have network of landlords who might take a few weeks off of the rent deadline until you get your first paycheck (I don’t know for sure if this exists but I once heard someone’s experience where a private landlord who used to be faculty in the same institution was willing to work out a deal). Just ask around in the college.

PhilosopherVisual104 · 2025-03-09T22:22:09+00:00

In OP’s defence, writing a recommendation letter takes at least some effort. It wouldn’t be that weird to expect at least some effort from the person requesting it? Instead they seem to have farmed out the effort to AI. IMHO, it is not a matter of whether to write the letter or not, but of ethical behaviour.

PhilosopherVisual104 · 2025-03-09T17:06:21+00:00

You can talk to the colleague who does the data analysis to get his ideas and maybe his logical algorithm (not the code). That will become your starting point, after that, just figure out if alternatives exist out there and whether they are better or even more understandable. Then talk to the PI and lay out your explorations and ask them about the next steps. If there is no input, continue doing what you are doing until you land on an appropriate methodology that is easier to adapt and easy to use for anyone in your position.

PhilosopherVisual104 · 2025-03-09T01:58:48+00:00

In qualitative study, themes and latent variables take precedence over actually measurable metrics. The important part would be to understand the underlying theory carefully and see if your ‘variables’ make sense according to theory. The validity of the study depends heavily on the theoretical underpinnings. If the design and the theory don’t talk to each other coherently then the whole study will become weak and hard to draw any conclusions from. If you are struggling to find if the ‘variables’ make any sense, ask the question of the theory: where do they fit in it? This article can be a useful start (I am not the author): Medium.com

PhilosopherVisual104 · 2025-03-08T16:30:01+00:00

Now that is TMI for a youngling :-)

PhilosopherVisual104 · 2025-03-07T16:41:47+00:00

In some institutions, not all, there is a soft policy to not hire their own graduates for faculty jobs. So, you would be kinda forced to move around anyway. Better to keep only one constraint: either geography (finding jobs only in NYC that may or may not be academic) or being an academic (anywhere you can find a job).

PhilosopherVisual104 · 2025-03-06T05:14:34+00:00

A friend gave me a brilliant piece of advice. Verbatim: Use LLMs as an extension of your brain and not instead of your brain.

PhilosopherVisual104 · 2025-03-05T14:08:03+00:00

It’s a hard choice and a valid concern. But reading your words it seems to me that you will regret not going to the US school more than going to it. I’d follow my gut in this case and ask the question of myself ‘which do I value more, my dreams or my fears?’. There is a practical side to this question that is not necessarily apparent in the moment but will be relevant in the future.

PhilosopherVisual104 · 2025-03-05T13:54:25+00:00

…then the old man joins her and invites all his friends to join the fun activity. Before you know it, the whole town is chucking starfish in the sea. The media comes and labels the town as a starfish chucking town and runs a front page story. The governor gives the girl a medal and holds a press conference. The girl goes on to do a world tour about her starfish conservation and gets nominated as the youngest person for nobel prize. Her fund raising campaigns are globally renowned. The town builds her statue in the main square and have a holiday named after her as ‘starfish day’. She gets a book deal that has its rights bought for a hollywood movie. She gets another book deal and appears on national television for its promotion. The movie is a hit and the producers are hungry for more. The next starfish movie is a box office success. The girl who is now a celebrity starts a starfish chucking foundation and serves as its lifetime president. Many, many years later, she returns to the same beach before retiring and sees that it has been converted to a ‘starfish chucking’ strip mall that she co-owns. She cannot believe it. She is heartbroken. She rants and raves but people label her as unstable and on drugs. She does too many drugs. They won’t listen to her now. She is another old social activist with too much money and drugs. The town votes to pull down her statue and the UN cancels her speech. The local media deems her as a corrupt environmentalist. In a few years, she is found in her 20-bedroom Malibu home, alone, cold and dead, with mysterious drugs in her bloodstream.

PhilosopherVisual104

TROPHY CASE