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Conferences Beyond UW

There are hundreds of conferences outside of UW that undergraduates have participated in!

Below are some conferences UW students have presented at in past years through the conference travel award. This is a great place to start your conference hunt, but we encourage you to not limit yourself to this list!

Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences

American Association of Biological Anthropology Annual Conference

Conference Description:

The American Association of Biological Anthropologists, or AABA, is the world’s leading professional organization for biological anthropologists. Formed by 83 charter members in 1930, the AABA now has an international membership of over 2,200. The Association’s annual meetings draw more than two thousand scientists and students from all over the world.

Annual Convention of the Society of Social and Personality Psychology

Conference Description:

The Society for Personality and Social Psychology, founded in 1974, is the world’s largest organization of social and personality psychologists. With over 7,500 members, SPSP strives to advance the science, teaching, and application of social and personality psychology. The core focus of SPSP is to serve its members through educational events, networking opportunities, resources, science funding, publication and promotion of research, and mentoring the next generation of social and personality psychologists.

National Women’s Study Annual Conference

Conference Description:

Established in 1977, the National Women’s Studies Association has as one of its primary objectives promoting and supporting the production and dissemination of knowledge about women and gender through teaching, learning, research and service in academic and other settings. Our commitments are to: illuminate the ways in which women’s studies are vital to education; to demonstrate the contributions of feminist scholarship that is comparative, global, intersectional and interdisciplinary to understandings of the arts, humanities, social sciences and sciences; and to promote synergistic relationships between scholarship, teaching and civic engagement in understandings of culture and society.

IEEE VIS: Visualization and Visual Analytics

Conference Description:

VIS will be the year’s premier forum for advances in theory, methods, and applications of visualization and visual analytics. The conference will convene an international community of researchers and practitioners from universities, government, and industry to exchange recent findings on the design and use of visualization tools. We invite you to share your research, insights, and enthusiasm at IEEE VIS.

The Global Post Human Network Symposium

Conference Description:

The Global Posthuman Network (GPN) is a global, and local, platform dedicated to the posthuman paradigm shift. ​Our goal is to connect all the scholars, artists, scientists, researchers, human and post-human beings, who are envisioning our posthuman era.

Middle East Studies Association Annual Meeting

Conference Description:

Since 1967, MESA has held an annual meeting in the fall where members gather to share research. MESA has been the hub for scholarly exchange from its first meeting at the University of Chicago in 1967 (where a small group gathered for eight sessions), to MESA’s 50th anniversary meeting in Boston in 2016 where 312 sessions delighted more than 2,000 attendees. The meeting features panels and special sessions on a variety of topics related to Middle East studies. It is complemented by meetings of MESA’s affiliated groups, a film festival, a comprehensive book exhibit featuring the latest in the field, and other events. The meeting provides an opportunity for friends and colleagues from a variety of disciplines to gather to share their common bond: the study of this important region of the world.

CSDH/SCHN Digital Humanities Conference

Conference Description:

The Canadian Society of Digital Humanities / Société canadienne des humanités numériques is a Canada-wide association of representatives from Canadian colleges and universities that began in 1986, founded as the Consortium for Computers in the Humanities / Consortium pour ordinateurs en sciences humaines. Our objective is to draw together humanists who are engaged in digital and computer-assisted research, teaching, and creation. The society fosters work in the digital humanities in Canadas two official languages, and champions interaction between Canadas anglophone and francophone communities, in all areas reflected by its diverse membership: providing opportunities for publication, presentation, and collaboration; supporting a number of educational venues and international initiatives; acting as an advisory and lobbying force to local, national, and international research and research-funding bodies; working with allied organisations; and beyond.

Association for Psychological Science Annual Convention

Conference Description:

The APS Annual Convention is the premier global event in psychological science, providing a forum to share scientific findings and ideas. The program features invited and submitted content from all areas of the field so you can find outstanding programs in your area of research, as well as from other areas that may be relevant to your work. Attend the APS Annual Convention to connect with researchers from around the world, renew acquaintances, and foster new collaborations.

Western Psychological Association

Conference Description:

The Western Psychological Association was founded in 1921 for the purpose of stimulating the exchange of scientific and professional ideas and, in so doing to enhance interest in the processes of research and scholarship in the behavioral sciences. Membership in the Western Psychological Association is open to both students and professionals who wish to support these goals and who would like to be a part of the network that we have created to further them.

SCRA Biennial Conference on Community Research and Action

Conference Description:

SCRA Biennial Conferences draw together SCRA and other community members from around the world to engage in stimulating conversations about recent developments in community research and action. These conferences provide attendees with a special opportunity to exchange ideas and resources, forge new collaborations, re-connect with old friends, and deepen one’s knowledge and skills in topics of particular interest.

International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry

Conference Description:

ICQI has been held annually on the campus of the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). Founded in 2005, its mission is to facilitate the development of qualitative research methods across a wide variety of academic disciplines. ICQI provides leadership to demonstrate the promise of qualitative inquiry as a form of democratic practice, to show how qualitative inquiry can be used to directly engage pressing social issues at the level of local, state, national and global communities. The Congress sponsors the journal International Review of Qualitative Research (IRQR), and three book series. It is the largest annual gathering of qualitative scholars in the world.

New York University Policy Case Competition

Conference Description:

The Policy Case Competition encourages students to think critically, analytically, and creatively to present policy solutions to real issues.
Undergraduate and graduate students from all over the world are invited to research, design, and present their team’s policy proposals on current issues in this three-round competition. During the second and third rounds, panels of expert judges evaluate the proposals in real time and give actionable feedback. The Policy Case Competition is a great way for students to gain hands-on experience in policy-making outside the classroom, with two workshops to help competitors refine their skills in policy memo writing and presentations. The winning team will receive a prize and a meeting with leading minds in the field of policy!

Children & Nature Network International Conference

Conference Description:

When children spend time outdoors, they are healthier, happier and more successful in school. But over the past few generations, childhood has moved indoors, disconnected from the natural world. The Inside-Out International Conference and year-round Leadership Series events bring children and nature leaders together for networking, workshops, special events and our world-class conference. Let’s turn the trend of an indoor childhood back out to the benefits of nature!

American Psychological Association National Convention

Conference Description:

APA is the leading scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States, with more than 133,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students as its members. Our mission is to promote the advancement, communication, and application of psychological science and knowledge to benefit society and improve lives.

Production and Operations Management Society

Conference Description:

Production and Operations Management Society (POMS) is an international professional organization representing the interests of POM professionals from around the world.

The purposes of the Society are:
– to extend and integrate knowledge that contributes to the improved understanding and practice of production and operations management (POM);
– to disseminate information on POM to managers, scientists, educators, students, public and private organizations, national and local governments, and the general public;
– and to promote the improvement of POM and its teaching in public and private manufacturing and service organizations throughout the world.

Empowering Women of Color Conference

Conference Description:

EWOCC is recognized to be one of the longest-running conferences in the nation that addresses the need and concerns of womxn of color. The conference has brought together cutting-edge womxn of color activists such as Angela Davis, Elaine Brown, Cherrie Moraga, Gina Palcado and Chrystos with Bay Area community leaders and academics (especially students) to discuss and strategize ways of impacting the current issues facing womxn of color.

Formal Epistemology Workshop

Conference Description:

The Formal Epistemology Workshop 2022 will be hosted by the Department of Logic and Philosophy of Science at UC Irvine. We invite paper and poster submissions in formal epistemology broadly construed, including but not limited to probability, decision and game theory, philosophy of science, logic, philosophy of language, social epistemology, as well as suitable papers that intersect with aligned scientific disciplines, such as economics, statistics, cognitive science, computer science, artificial intelligence research, linguistics, applied mathematics, and others.

American Society for Theatre Research (ASTR)

Conference Description:

The American Society for Theatre Research (ASTR) is a U.S.-based professional organization that fosters scholarship on worldwide theatre and performance, both historical and contemporary. Members of the American Society for Theatre Research say the Society is a space to share scholarship and a home for networking within the profession. ASTR also sponsors or coordinates several awards, grants, fellowships, and prizes to support and recognize outstanding scholarship in theatre and performance studies.

Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Conference on the Ancient World

Conference Description:

The Society for Ancient Studies (SAS) — an interdisciplinary graduate student organization at New York University. This conference, organized and moderated by graduate students for talented and advanced undergraduates, will offer participants the opportunity to present their scholarship in the professional setting of an academic conference. Interdisciplinary study of the ancient world is an important, integrative, and fruitful approach to understanding past peoples, cultures, and religions. Providing a space for students of ancient texts, material culture, and art to come together and share their ideas will broaden young scholarly horizons and uncover the potential for future interdisciplinary research.

Medicine & Health

International Society for Autism Research (INSAR)

Conference Description:

The INSAR Annual Meeting (formerly IMFAR) is an annual scientific meeting, convened each May, to exchange and disseminate new scientific progress among autism scientists and their trainees from around the world. Having an annual interdisciplinary meeting focused on scientific progress in understanding and treating autism provides an unparalleled opportunity for recognizing, supporting, and motivating talented graduate students and postdoctoral fellows into a career in autism research.

Vascular Discovery: From Genes to Medicine Scientific Sessions

Conference Description:

The primary goal of the Vascular Discovery: From Genes to Medicine Scientific Sessions is to provide a forum for the timely exchange of information about new and emerging scientific research in lipids and lipoproteins, arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, vascular biology, genomics, precision medicine, peripheral vascular disease, and vascular surgery. One of the areas of emphasis for this conference is to encourage interactions between young scientists and more senior scientists in their research area to foster dialogue and facilitate the exchange of ideas. The format of the conference, with many invited presentations as well as a dedicated focus on poster presentations, is intended to maximize a thought-provoking flow of information and discourse among scientists.

American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases

Conference Description:

Programming at The Liver Meeting will primarily be delivered live in person, with some sessions live-streamed to the TLMdX platform. Sessions will be captured and made available on the platform within 72 hours, or sooner, of their in-person delivery. Some educational content will also be available on-demand at the start of the meeting. Attendees can anticipate: (1) The latest research on disease states like NAFLD, NASH, Hepatitis, 2) Educational sessions from leading hepatologists and public health experts from around the globe on the effects of the COVID-19 virus from both clinical and public health perspectives, (3) The specialty’s leading minds in our popular Meet-the-Expert sessions, (4) Ample opportunities to connect with your peers.

Associated Professional Sleep Societies Annual Meeting

Conference Description:

SLEEP 2023, the 37th annual meeting of the APSS, is a joint meeting of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society. The SLEEP meeting provides evidence-based education to advance the science and clinical practice of sleep medicine, disseminates cutting-edge sleep and circadian research, promotes the translation of basic science into clinical practice, and fosters the future of the field by providing career development opportunities at all levels. There is simply no other gathering of sleep professionals anywhere of this scale. The conference is attended by thousands of individuals from all around the world, all connected by their interest and/or expertise in sleep medicine. Many of these attendees are pioneering leaders in the field. If you are looking to network, you must attend SLEEP.

Orthapaedic Research Society Annual Meeting

Conference Description:

For over 65 years, the Orthopaedic Research Society has been the leading international research society dedicated to accelerating musculoskeletal discovery to improve health. The ORS community is multi-disciplinary and is comprised of members from academia, industry/private sector, government, and private practice at all career levels from around the world.

Health Care Systems Research Network

Conference Description:

The mission and vision for the HCSRN is to improve individual and population health through research that connects the resources and capabilities of learning health care systems. We aspire each day to realize our vision–to be the nation’s preeminent source of population-based research that measurably improves health and health care for all.

Immunology Annual Meeting

Conference Description:

The American Association of Immunologists, founded in 1913, is dedicated to advancing the field of immunology and fostering development opportunities for researchers at every career stage. Its members work together to address common interests and push forward the boundaries of knowledge.

American Epilepsy Society Annual Meeting

Conference Description:

The AES Annual Meeting brings together healthcare providers, scientists, advocates, industry, and other professionals dedicated to better outcomes for people with epilepsy. Join us for five days of top-notch medical education, cutting-edge science, networking with colleagues from all over the world, and the latest in epilepsy treatments and diagnostic tools from nearly 130 exhibitors.

Society of Hospital Medicine Converge

Conference Description:

SHM Converge 2023 offers world-class education for hospitalists, led by award-winning faculty. Engage with your global hospitalist community March 26-29, 2023 in Austin, Texas. Join us and take advantage of a broad range of unique opportunities to learn, engage, and network.

American College of Sports Medicine Northwest Annual Meeting

Conference Description:

The Northwest Chapter hosts an annual meeting every year between the months of February and April and is comprised of members primarily from four states: Oregon, Washington, Montana, and Idaho. For the first time in Chapter history, we are welcomed the Alaska Chapter to our 2016 Annual Meeting. ACSM Northwest is one of twelve regional chapters of the American College of Sports Medicine. The chapter conducts and assists with various public and professional programs, provides news articles for members, and publishes educational and research materials for professional use.

Americas Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association (AHPBA) Annual Meeting

Conference Description:

The Americas Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association (AHPBA), an incorporated, nonprofit organization, was created with a vision of devoting itself to relieving the human suffering caused by HPB disorders throughout the world, by improving education, training, innovation, research and patient care.

Tandem Meetings: Transplantation & Cellular Therapy Meetings of ASTCT and CIBMTR

Conference Description:

The Tandem Meetings I Transplantation & Cellular Therapy Meetings of ASTCT and CIBMTR are the combined annual meetings of the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (ASTCT) and the Center for International Blood & Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR). Administrators, clinicians, data manager / clinical research professionals, fellows-in-training, investigators, laboratory technicians, MD/PhDs, nurses, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, physician assistants, and other allied health professional attendees benefit from a full scientific program that addresses the most timely issues in hematopoietic cell transplantation and cellular therapy.

Fanconi Anemia Scientific Symposium

Conference Description:

Research is at the heart of what we do. That’s why every year, FARF gathers prominent and aspiring FA researchers and clinicians together to share the latest updates in research and treatment and to form new collaborations. The 2022 Scientific Symposium focused on seven key areas relevant to FA research: gene therapy, bone marrow failure, DNA repair, fertility, FA neurological syndrome, emerging therapeutics, and cancer.

North American Primary Care Research Group

Conference Description:

NAPCRG supports and nurtures clinicians, scientists, students and patients around the world as they pursue primary care research.
Through our ongoing support, conferences, and programs, we bring researchers together, connecting them with the resources they need as they shape the future of primary care.

AMIA Clinical Informatics Conference

Conference Description:

AMIA’s Clinical Informatics Conference – CIC – is making a mark on healthcare. CIC is where clinician informaticists of all disciplines –physicians, nurses, physician assistants, technicians, HIT developers, data analysts, C-suite executives, and more – share their innovations in bringing the technology advances out of the lab and into the patient room. Our collective goal is to leverage technology in new ways, to advance healthcare delivery, access and outcomes.

Science, Engineering, Technology, & Mathematics

West Coast Biological Sciences Undergraduate Research Conference

Conference Description:

The West Coast Biological Sciences Undergraduate Research (WCBSUR) Conference is the oldest, continuously operating, intercollegiate conference of its kind in the nation. Founded in 1976 by Dr. William Eisinger, Professor of Biology at Santa Clara University, it was hosted by Santa Clara every year until 1986, when other institutions began sharing the responsibility, among them Colorado College, Loyola Marymount University, Occidental College, Pacific Lutheran University, Point Loma Nazarene University, the University of California at Irvine, the University of San Diego and the University of San Francisco. As of 2019, the WCBSUR Conference has drawn participants from 193 institutions in 37 states and Canada (see below). The purposes of the Conference are: 1) to provide a forum for undergraduate researchers to present original data they have generated in the fields of biology and biochemistry; and 2) to foster intercollegiate interactions among students and faculty who share a commitment to undergraduate research in the biological sciences.

Great Lakes Symposium on VLSI

Conference Description:

VLSI Symposium is an international conference on semiconductor technology and circuits that offers an opportunity to interact and synergize on topics spanning the range from process technology to system-on-chip.

American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Conference

Conference Description:

AIAA has dedicated itself to shaping the future of aerospace and our future includes YOU. We believe that aeronautic and astronautic professionals and students and STEM educators are the drivers of global innovation. We are committed to providing resources and experiences that assist in your personal and professional development. Together we make the world a safer, more accessible, and prosperous place.

ASM Microbe

Conference Description:

As one of the largest microbial science meetings in the world, ASM Microbe drives discovery, innovation and collaboration across the full spectrum of microbiology. Join us June 15-19 in Houston, Texas, to explore the latest, cutting-edge science in your specialty or delve into other disciplines. Build a customized experience through interactive learning formats and be a part of the community, making an impact at the intersections of science, industry and policy. Mark your calendar now to join us for an experience like no other!

Gordon Research Seminar and Conference: Bioinspired Materials

Conference Description:

The emerging, interdisciplinary field of Bioinspired Materials focuses on developing a fundamental understanding of the synthesis, directed self-assembly, and hierarchical organization of naturally occurring and synthetic materials that mimic and manipulate biological systems. A diverse array of bioinspired materials will be discussed, ranging from lipid and synthetic membranes, peptides and proteins, tailored dynamic active matter, protein condensates, and polymer-cell hybrids that mimic functional tissues. Speakers will describe how these materials could be used to engineer materials for diverse applications ranging from the development of artificial membranes and synthetic cells (protocells), the systematic delivery of therapeutics, the assembly of functional organoids, and the design of materials that can manipulate the immune system intelligently.

Joint Statistical Meetings

Conference Description:

The American Statistical Association is the world’s largest community of statisticians, the “Big Tent for Statistics.” It is the second-oldest, continuously operating professional association in the country. Since it was founded in Boston in 1839, the ASA has supported excellence in the development, application, and dissemination of statistical science through meetings, publications, membership services, education, accreditation, and advocacy.

Biophysical Society Annual Meeting

Conference Description:

The Biophysical Society annual meetings are the largest annual gathering of biophysicists around the world. The meetings include symposia, workshops, 15 subgroup programs, over 500 platform speakers selected from submitted abstracts, the Biophysical Society Lecture, more than 4,000 packed poster presentations, as well as educational exhibits, exhibitor presentations, and career development sessions.

SPIE Photonics West BiOS

Conference Description:

SPIE BiOS is the most important biomedical optics conference in the field. Topics include biomedical optics, diagnostics and therapeutics, biophotonics, new imaging modalities, optical coherence tomography, neurophotonics, optogenetics, tissue optics, and nanophotonics.

iGEM Jamboree

Conference Description:

The most important global synthetic biology gathering – brought together over 3,500 synthetic biology researchers, industry, investors, startups, and policy makers from all over the world to witness the future of synthetic biology. Held for the first time in Paris, the 19th year of iGEM featured the synthetic biology projects of 350+ teams from 40+ countries who demonstrated their ideas for humanity’s most pressing problems, including the climate crisis, food security, human health, foundational advances, biomanufacturing and more.

Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting

Conference Description:

Founded in 1969, the Society for Neuroscience (SfN) now has more than 36,000 members in more than 95 countries. Year-round programming includes the publishing of two highly regarded scientific journals, JNeurosci and eNeuro; professional development resources and career training through Neuronline¸ the Society’s home for learning and discussion; science advocacy and public policy engagement including annual Capitol Hill Day; and a variety of engaging public outreach efforts, led by the expanding and interactive collection of public-facing resources on BrainFacts.org.

Annual Molecular Parasitology Meeting

Conference Description:

The Annual Molecular Parasitology Meeting covers all aspects of parasite molecular biology, cell biology, biochemistry, genetics, and genomics. Typically at the MBL in Woods Hole, in 2020 the conference was held online with more than 850 attendees and 250 presenters from around the world! We are grateful to our generous sponsors for providing free registration to attendees from low- and middle-income countries.

Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) National Convention

Conference Description:

Join us this Fall in Charlotte for cutting-edge content, skill building, and networking with many of the most influential organizations and leaders in STEM.
With over 10,000 attendees expected, the SHPE National Convention is the largest gathering of Hispanics in STEM every year and you won’t want to miss the fun and the familia on November 2-6 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The convention is made up of five distinct conferences – Pre-College, Academic, SHPEtinas, Professionals in STEM, and SHPETech – and has something for everyone. Beyond the educational workshops and inspiring keynote speeches, there are competitions, networking events, and the popular Career Fair & Graduate School Expo with over 170 exhibitors.

Materials Research Society Annual Meeting

Conference Description:

MRS Meetings serve as an international stage for the examination and dissemination of current and emerging materials research. At the heart of the meetings portfolio are the Spring and Fall Meetings. Researchers from all scientific fields, backgrounds and employment sectors—from students to Nobel Laureates—converge at these events to exchange technical information, engage in broader impact programming, network with friends and colleagues and contribute to the advancement of materials research. Large-scale exhibits add to the interactive meeting experience, as companies from around the world present innovative products and services to the scientific community, and in turn, gather information to develop new products and partnership that drive innovation.

American Geophysicial Union (AGU) Meeting

Conference Description:

AGU (American Geophysical Union) Fall Meeting is the most influential event in the world dedicated to the advancement of Earth and space sciences. Every year, AGU Fall Meeting convenes >25,000 attendees from 100+ countries to share research and network. Researchers, scientists, educators, students, policymakers, enthusiasts, journalists and communicators attend AGU Fall Meeting to better understand our planet and environment, and our role in preserving its future. It is a results-oriented gathering rooted in celebrating and advancing positive individual and collective outcomes.

International Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition

Conference Description:

ASME’s International Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition (IMECE) is the only event where research leaders from academia, government, and industry converge to make connections and share insights for innovation across engineering disciplines.

Present your research or attend to:
Meet your next R&D partner or employer in academia, industry, or government
Unlock new research ideas and deepen your expertise across nearly 20 technical tracks
Build your résumé and your organization’s brand
Share your insights with ASME’s largest and most diverse conference community

Network Science Winter Conference

Conference Description:

NetSci 2023, the flagship conference of the Network Science Society, aims to bring together leading researchers and practitioners working in the emerging research area of network science. The conference fosters multi-disciplinary communication and collaboration in network science research across computer and information sciences, physics, mathematics, statistics, the life sciences, medicine, food science, neuroscience, environmental sciences, social sciences, finance and business, arts and design.