First Academic Conference!!

Elisha Bae
May 4
4 min read

Three people at a conference; smiling and holding a badge. Warm-lit modern setting. Background shows attendees and a sign reading "SRCD".

This week, I had the chance to attend my very first academic conference. Not just attend, but actually present. It still feels a little surreal to even write that. I went to the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) 2025 Conference, which was held this year in Minneapolis. It was my first conference and my first time visiting Minneapolis, so the entire trip was full of new experiences.

Traveling with the Kid Lab

One of the things that made this trip feel less intimidating was that I got to travel with my team from the Kid Lab at Swarthmore. There were seven of us, plus our professor, and we flew out together. Traveling with the group made everything feel much less stressful. We spent time chatting at the airport, sharing snacks, and getting a little lost trying to find the right gate, all while feeling the collective excitement of flying out for something official.

When we arrived at the hotel, it still felt like a fun trip. That changed once we walked into the convention center. The moment we picked up our conference badges and name tags and saw all the researchers moving through the massive conference space, it suddenly felt very real.

The First Day: 4 Talks in a Row

I jumped right in on the first day. I attended four sessions back-to-back, each lasting 90 minutes, with only about 20 minutes between them to find my next room and grab some tea. By the end of the day, my brain felt completely full, but in the best way.

The talks covered areas that aligned closely with my developing interests. Many sessions focused on topics like:

Technology and child development
Moral development in relation to tech use
Parent involvement in children’s media and learning
The role of play in education

It was exciting to see how my interests in developmental psychology, education, technology, and parenting are all interconnected. Each talk left me with more questions, which made the entire experience even more engaging.

Asking Questions

Before attending, I set a small personal goal: to ask at least one question during each session. This kept me fully engaged throughout the talks since I had to listen carefully and think critically. I wanted to make sure my questions weren’t repetitive or already addressed by the presenters.

Asking questions also led to some interesting follow-up conversations with the presenters. Many shared additional insights or behind-the-scenes details that weren’t covered in the presentations. Although it was a little nerve-wracking at first to raise my hand, I’m glad I pushed myself. These small moments of interaction made the conference experience feel more meaningful and personal.

Second Day: An Unexpected Reunion

One of the most surprising moments of the entire trip happened during a quiet break. I was sitting in one of the conference center’s lounge areas, catching up on notes, when I overheard Korean being spoken nearby. I glanced over and immediately recognized two familiar faces.

They were two grad students I had worked with during my summer internship at Yonsei University. None of us had expected to run into each other, especially halfway across the world. We caught up quickly, and one of them even pulled out the travel toothbrush set I had gifted her before I left Yonsei.

She said she still brings it on every trip and had brought it to SRCD as well. It was one of those moments that made the world feel unexpectedly small and wonderfully connected.

Last Day: Presenting Our Poster

The biggest part of the trip was presenting. Our Kid Lab team had submitted a research poster that was accepted for presentation! Standing by our poster and talking with other researchers was one of my favorite parts of the entire conference.

To my surprise, I wasn’t as nervous as I expected. After spending so much time working on this study, presenting it felt very natural. It was great to engage with people who were genuinely interested, answer their questions, and have conversations with others working in similar fields. Many shared their own projects and perspectives, and some offered feedback that gave me new ideas to think about moving forward.

Discovering My Interests Even More

One thing I took away from the conference was a stronger sense of where my interests are heading. I am especially drawn to Play Education and the ways in which playful, exploratory learning supports child development.

Many of the sessions I attended focused on how well-designed programs can create meaningful, playful learning experiences. I also heard about the importance of parental involvement and responsible technology use in supporting these outcomes. These sessions left me with many ideas for future research questions and directions.

Although I won’t write out every talk in detail here, I did take extensive notes. I’m attaching my PDF for anyone curious.

The End of a Busy Three Days

The conference itself went by quickly. After three packed days of talks, presentations, and countless new ideas, we flew back to Philadelphia, arriving on campus around 12:45 AM. We were exhausted but content.

I’ve always known I enjoy academic spaces, but this conference confirmed how much I love being part of these conversations. Hearing new research, connecting with people in the field, and having meaningful discussions were incredibly motivating. I’m already looking forward to attending more conferences in the future.