Planning a HDR Student Conference

ADVICE TO HDR STUDENTS, PRINCIPAL SUPERVISORS & DESIGNATED STAFF CONFERENCE PLANNING ADVISORS

Up to $1250 per year for organising student conferences or seminar series at Macquarie. Proposals should be submitted to the SCMP HDR Committee through your departmental co-ordinator. Applications will be accepted and reviewed at each meeting in relation to two lumps of $ 2500, one allocated for the first half and the other for the second half of the year. If an application is received from one Department in the first half of the year and it is successful, preference will be given to an application of merit from another Department in the second half, if students from the first Department apply again in the second half. The first half will be January 1 to June 30 and the second half will be July 1 to December 31. Applications should be received by June 30 and will be assessed at the first HDR Committee Meeting after that. Applications should be received by March 1 and will be assessed at the first HDR Committee Meeting after that. In both cases applications may be made prior to or after attendance of a conference and will be judged on merit.

Download Application Form for Conference Organization

STEPS

• The HDR student who is interested in organising should download and read the Application Form for Conference Organization available at: www.scmp.mq.edu.au/hdr_research.html
• S/he should get together with at least four other HDR students (preferably from different departments) who are interested in her/his conference idea. It is advised that this process should start at least 6 months before the date for the proposed conference.
• The five Principal Applicants/Organizers should discuss the conference concept among themselves, develop it and come up with a two page, brief proposal that includes the following:
• Description of proposed conference
• Academic rationale for the Conference (comment on interdisciplinarity)
• Advertising proposal
• Reporting plans (A post conference report is required by the HDR Committee)
• Principal organizers with responsibilities identified (An academic needs to be identified as Academic Adviser)
• Timeline
• Budget
• The Principal Applicants/Organizers should select a Staff Advisor who has experience in organising conferences. Supervisors will be able to direct them to such a person.
• Principal Applicants/Organizers should discuss their proposal with their Staff Advisor and further develop/refine it. Note that there are Divisional funds available through the Research Committee for Staff Members to invite visiting scholars. There may be a coincidence of interest between the conference organizers and a particular department or more than one department.
• Complete the Application form.
• Seek endorsement from your Academic Adviser.
• Seek endorsement from your principal supervisor.
• Submit.

The Principal Applicants/Organizers will be responsible for arranging to meet the Academic Adviser once a month in the lead up to the conference and twice a month in the last month. The Academic Adviser should ask for progress reports and provide advice if advice is necessary or if the Principal Applicants/Organizers solicit advice.

After the conference is over, a report should be submitted to the HDR Committee by the Principal Applicants/Organizers.