Attending the 255th ACS National Meeting in New Orleans gave me the opportunity to present my research to a broader chemistry audience. While I have already gained experience sharing my research with other people through several poster showcases, this represented my first time giving an oral presentation to a chemistry audience including well-known experts in the field of polymer chemistry. As I spent a sufficient amount of time preparing for my presentation, I was not overly nervous and everything went well. I really enjoyed answering challenging question from the audience. In particular, I was able to help a person who was referred to me by my collaborator with questions he had asked at his talk earlier that day.
I really appreciated that the professor I worked for last summer attended my talk. He provided valuable feedback on my presentation skills and gave me helpful tips for graduate school. In my opinion, attending a conference of this size is the perfect opportunity to learn what makes a good presentation. Observing several poster and oral presentations helped me to identify the characteristics of a good presenter and successful presentation. In particular, I was fascinated by Prof. Jeremiah Johnson´s Nobel Laureate Signature Graduate Education Award address. He was able to display his authentic enthusiasm for his research and chemistry through his presentation style. I am confident that this experience helped me improve my presentation skills as well as communicate my research more efficiently.