I attended my first conference, SPIE Medical Imaging, that ran between 19^th – 23^rd February 2023 in San Diego. This conference shared information by leading researchers in image processing, physics, computer-aided diagnosis, perception, image-guided procedures, biomedical applications, ultrasound, informatics, radiology, digital pathology, and much more. I was honoured to have a paper accepted to be published with the opportunity to present it at the conference as an oral 20 minute presentation (The Effect of Luminance on Depth Perception in Augmented Reality Guided Laparoscopic Surgery, Authors: Athena Reissis, Soojeong Yoo, Matthew Clarkson and Stephen Thompson). This was based on the work I carried out for my research project when studying on MSc Medical Robotics and Artificial Intelligence 2021-22 here at UCL. Attendees showed interest in my work through questions asked during and after my presentation and even with follow up questions asked a few weeks after the conference. I thoroughly enjoyed carrying out this research and it was an amazing opportunity to be able to present my first publication and begin my journey in this research world.

SPIE Medical Imaging put on a great conference with a variety of keynote talks such as translating computational innovations into reality, MR fingerprinting, brain tumour segmentation and the use of AI/ML in the field. They had also organised a number of events allowing me to network with a variety of different people, get inspired by others and create connections. These ranged from a women’s lunch, student meetup, exploring career path session and a panel discussions. I was also able to meet members of the board and staff of SPIE creating great relationships for the future. Attending the poster sessions, demonstrations and other presentations gave me the chance to discover what is being newly researched in both my area and new areas, helping me understand the extent at which the field is growing.

This trip also gave me the chance to explore the great city of San Diego. To begin with I made it just in time for the Super Bowl and instantly immersed myself in the American culture. I was also able to visit the old town, go to a college basketball game, visit beautiful beaches, see the hundreds of seals and of course eat amazing food. It was my first time trying a Californian burrito and with San Diego being so close to Mexico, they had the best tacos I’ve ever eaten. Of course I had to end the trip before my flight by getting my favourite, chicken and waffles, and I made sure to bring back enough of my favourite American snacks to last me a while. It is an amazing city and was an amazing conference and I am honoured to have been able to attend, represent UCL and present my work.

Athena is currently a PhD student on the EPSRC i4Health CDT programme and studied on the MSc Medical Robotics and Artificial Intelligence programme in the academic year 2021-22.