Emina Tuzovic, PhD student in Applied Linguistics presented at AWLL 10
Emina prepared a poster presentation entitled Negative L1 Orthographic Processing Transfer on L2 Literacy for a Literacy conference in Nijmegen in the Netherlands (AWLL 10).
Emina Tuzovic, PhD student in Applied Linguistics, presented a paper at a major conference
This year my supervisor Marjorie Lorch and myself prepared a poster presentation entitled Negative L1 Orthographic Processing Transfer on L2 Literacy for a Literacy conference in Nijmegen in the Netherlands (AWLL 10) which took place on 13th/14th May 2016. As PhD students, we frequently hit a brick wall and need that extra push to continue with our work and complete it. This is exactly what has happened with this conference. Once I got back from Nijmegen, I couldn't wait to sink my teeth into my data again and apply all the valuable suggestions I've been given by eminent scholars, who've been working in this field for years, as well as by my colleagues.
Taking part in this 'meeting' allowed me to meet quite a few prominent names in the field of literacy and cognitive development, such a David Olson, Geoffrey Sampson, Zohar Eviatar, David Share and Laurie Beth Feldman.
When I got to the Radboud campus (www.ru.nl/english) I was greeted by a majestic neo-gothic building dominating the landscape. Its interior was even more impressive, rooms full of grandeur which command respect. At first I felt slightly out of place but then I started chatting with a lovely older man who turned out to be David Olson himself! From then on, everyone, from the conference organisers to the presenters and research students, made me feel very welcome.
If you're a conference rookie, like myself, I’m sure the thought of presenting at one of these events seems quite daunting. That is precisely why I'd like to encourage you to choose a conference (perhaps with your supervisor) and just go for it! This will be an invaluable experience as it will give you a new perspective on your research. It's also incredibly inspiring to see other people being passionate about the same thing as you are!
‘Super geeky’ as a couple of us would reflect on the conference, while having a leisurely glass of wine on the porch outside that beautiful building that suddenly didn't look that scary anymore.
Written by Emina Tuzovic