EWU co-sponsors student conference

A quarter's worth of hard work culminates June 4, 5 and 6 as communication students put on their first conference.

"The opportunity students have is unique because they are able to gain hands-on experience in helping to develop every aspect of an academic conference while earning academic credit," said Rachel Martire, a junior in the communication and interdisciplinary program. This was the first time the conference management course was offered at EWU, providing students with the opportunity to learn how to effectively put on a conference.

Since the course is not regularly offered, Martire stressed the importance of enrolling when it is available. "Each conference management course will be unique because students will be planning different conferences," Martire said.

This particular class spent the quarter planning a conference on menstrual cycle research at which international scholars will be speaking.

"We will have people like Jane Usher, psychologist and researcher from Australia and Dr. Prior, the director of the Centre for Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation Research at University of British Columbia speaking," Martire said. The conference is student organized but professionally executed as the students plan while the scholars actually execute the information.

"Every student has particular responsibilities, while also learning about the conference as a whole," Martire said.

The students were divided into teams such as regulation, hospitality, program design and logistics, and in addition to the work they did in their individual groups, the students worked collaboratively to construct the conference.

The international research conference, which is open to the public, is co-sponsored by Eastern and will be taking place in Spokane at the Red Lion Hotel.

"Anyone can come, but it is probably most appealing to professors and students interested in menstrual cycle research," Martire said. The conference will be led by David Linton, keynote speaker and communication scholar from Marymount Manhattan College in New York.

The course was taught by Elizabeth Kissling and Heather Robinson, esteemed professors in the communication department.

"The main thing we want to stress is the co-sponsorship EWU provided, it is Eastern that has made this whole thing possible," Martire said.