WatIF-FAQ

Up to 300 graduate students from around the world from a range of disciplines including but not limited to Policy Studies, Biology, Aboriginal Studies, Anthropology, Civil Engineering (Eng.), Geological Eng., Chemical Eng., Mining Eng. Mechanical Eng., Geomatics, Geography, Geology, Environmental Sciences and Studies, Global Development, Health Sciences, Public Health Administration, Earth Sciences, Forestry, Business, Law, Sustainable Development, Urban and Regional Planning and Economics. Experts working in the water industry such as professors, post doctoral fellows, industry members, government representatives, non for profit leaders, among others are also invited to attend.

This conference is designed to empower the leaders of tomorrow. WatIF is a safe environment to strengthen your communication skills and get a feel for presenting your research. We encourage students to submit an abstract at all stages of research from budding ideas to a defended thesis. This is the perfect atmosphere to present your research for the first time, and the poster hour is the ideal space for new students to get feedback from their peers and water experts. Also, presenting is not the only avenue to get involved - WatIF's conference program has been designed to be very interactive, where students will gain something special from each activity they participate in.

Registration fees will be determined in late February 2019. We strive to make WatIF an affordable event for students. Please check back soon.

The student committee aims to notify students of their abstract acceptance in early May 2019.

Yes, WatIF is designed to provide to maximum opportunities for students to gain academic recognition. We will be publishing a conference proceedings with all of the accepted abstracts following the conference.

We encourage participants to bring their electronic devices. There will be many interactive online opportunities throughout the conference, as well as the conference program and other relevant documents will be made available online. Queen's is a part of the eduroam server so students whose universities have access to eduroam should be able to use their accounts. Otherwise, Queen's University provides a "guest" server which can be accessed while on campus.

We suggest you talk to your supervisor. WatIF is great conduit to the academic water community, and the following points are all good reasons your supervisor should be proud to send you to WatIF:

• WatIF is the premier conference for early water researchers with over 300 graduate students attending, and by sending you to WatIF, your supervisor will have representation of his/her lab, research group, department and institution;
• WatIF is an excellent opportunity to develop as a leader. Providing opportunities for students to grow is central to WatIF's mission and vision. Students can step up as leaders by becoming a University Representative, running a workshop or chairing a concurrent session. Also, if you're not comfortable playing a leadership role during WatIF, you will gain a plethora of leadership skills throughout the conference that you can bring back to your university;
• You will have the opportunity to improve your communication skills during concurrent sessions, the rapid thesis challenge, the poster hour and networking opportunities. WatIF is a safe environment where students will develop as strong academic communicators and receive feedback from experts and their peers. These skills are all essential while progressing in an academic career;
• WatIF a great addition to your CV for scholarship applications and furthering your career;
• Also, the networking opportunities for young researchers is unparalleled. The top early water researchers from across the world will all be in attendance and you will have a chance to build professional relationships with your future colleagues.

Also, WatIF is preparing to launch a local sponsorship campaign designed for students to raise funds in their local area. Please contact us if you are interested (david.blair@queensu.ca).

Yes, students who have graduated from a graduate program after May 2019 are welcome to submit an abstract.

Space is limited, but we are considering high caliber undergraduate students currently doing a thesis project who have the support of their supervisor and are considering graduate education.

Call for abstracts will open soon. Please check back here!

Experts are welcome to attend specific portions. In order to gain the most out of your WatIF experience, students who register must attend the full event.

All daily conference activities will be held in Mitchell Hall & BioScienes Complex at Queen's University, in Kingston Ontario. Student accommodations will be made available to students in one of Queen’s residence buildings on campus.

Please keep in mind that we are all striving early water professionals and as such the dress code for the conference is business casual. The Closing Gala will be a semi-formal event.