I enjoy presenting at conferences because I get to combine some of the creative and social aspects of my research while also sharing my work with others.

Often before I write, I will adopt and/or create some type of a metaphorical image, drawing, or diagram that I develop and interact with as I write. I also enjoy occasional white board rants across a range of resilience concepts. Conferences force me to make presentations for broader audiences, and I enjoy making the slides because it provides me with a way to express my research with art.

The social aspect of conferences provides me the opportunity to combine my creativity with presentation. The social dynamic of presenting my work to peers and taking questions afterwards is invigorating for me. I always have fun presenting, and I enjoy connecting with others and learning about their perspectives and research in resilience. Conferences provide me with a way to extend academic and professional connections beyond the university and meet new colleagues, scholars, and leaders in related fields.

The presentations below are some of those I’ve given over the past couple of years. I have also included the slides from my proposal defense in April 2016.