In 2017/18 four-hundred and seventy students attended seventy-four conferences and competitions through the TRUSU Grants program. This program is a partnership between TRU and the Students’ Union that provides funding for students to expand and explore their educational opportunities outside of the classroom. This includes funds to subsidize the cost of attending conferences and competitions related to their fields of study. 

These conferences took place all around the world from Williams Lake to Hong Kong and topics ranged from environmental management and respiratory therapy to constitutional law and psychology. You can find the full list of conferences funded below. Students who attended had the opportunity to present research, network with professionals, and learn from experts in their field of study. Click on any of the photos below to find out more about the conferences and opportunities that some of our students were able to take advantage of. 

Thinking about attending a conference next year? Find out more about the TRUSU Grants program here!

“The value was mostly to network with industry professionals, we had a lot of great opportunities to put our names out there, we even got a couple of job offers.”

“Lincoln Best was exceptionally knowledgeable about the very specialized field, which made the workshop a unique and valuable experience”

“It was very useful as I got to hear lots of ways people were using eye tracking equipment. We are currently discussing how to calibrate and sync the videos in our lab so I got to find out how other labs are doing that. “

“This conference was impactful for each participant in very different ways. For some, it built confidence to speak up. For others, It was about pushing past boundaries that hold them back from achieving full potential. For me, it was about building stronger authentic relationships with people and I believe this conference has shown me that no matter where you go authentic relationships can be built.”

” Not only was the conference educational and taught us about what we wanted to do in a practical way it allowed for us to have a safe space to discuss issues that we face as black law students and to basically create a support group with other law students from across the country.”

“The conference itself was an amazing experience. I feel that I grew immensely over the short time that we were there. “

“The conference was a good platform to promote the image of TRU and the school of nursing, while adding richness to the world of academia.”

“The conference allowed me to meet many fellow historians that were experts in fields that I have not even considered. At the most basic level, I learned an incredible amount of new historical topics that I can now transfer into my own research”

“I gained many unique ideas for teaching that I can apply to my teaching practice in the future. I learned more about aboriginal perspectives on learning as well, and ways to integrate this into my teaching. “

“It provided us with an avenue to discuss global sports issues in an academic setting and gave us the opportunity to see how many different ways there are to utilize a degree in law, and its interplay with sports.”

“…the material was highly relevant to the social work profession. The insight the group learned in being compassionate and gentle to themselves and other was priceless.”

“Being a Marketing major its important to know what innovation is been happening on daily bases which is difficult for a student…I feel privileged that I was a a part of something on an International level. “

” Many of us were able to share our research with those in attendance, receiving excellent feedback about the nature and direction of our projects. The networking opportunities here were incredible, and discussing exciting new ideas in science with such enthusiastic and talented researchers was incredible.”

“Members of our group who went would say that the conference was infinitely valuable for them and for their faiths”

” I would say that the WDCAG conference is an indispensable experience for all geography students, both new and experienced, as well as all of our faculty. I would do it all again in a heartbeat.”

“…it was invaluable for our learning and gets us excited to go out in the world as RVTs.”

“The conference was excellent for our learning experience and taught us more about the history of WUSC, allowed us to meet other WUSC members and learn about there program. It left me feeling rejuvenated about our club and excited to see our future fundraising plans.”

“Attending this conference exposed me to natural resource management on an international level. It also furthered my understanding of science and management systems, in general.”

“…this conference has good value, especially for students interested in pursuing careers in fields related to environmental management, such as environmental consulting or regulation.”

“Many of our attendees went to the conference not knowing what they wanted to do with the tourism and events industry and came away with a passion and direction of what they wanted to do.”

“This conference, for our students, was immensely beneficial because it allowed us to connect with individuals who have careers that we aspire to replicate and learn from.”

“I was able to connect and network with legal scholars from all over the world at the 7th Asian Constitutional Law Forum.”

“Through this conference I developed a clearer focus of interests of teaching (EAP writing) and was exposed to the latest updates in TESOL in educational technology, political considerations, teaching strategies and best practices, as well as linguistic theories and their practices in classroom. “

“The conference was tremendously valuable. The content was relevant and cutting edge. The ability to learn from other like minded individuals and gain experience and insight into how to potentially craft a career in this dynamic field of law. “

“The trial itself was an amazing experience. While we weren’t the ones making the submissions, being able to go to the SCC and listen to our words and arguments be given to the Supreme Court Justices was completely surreal. Names like McLachlin, Wagner, and Abella were no longer just words on a page in a textbook, but they were the people sitting in front of us, listening to the arguments we had poured our hearts and souls into creating. “

“It was a phenomenal gathering of North American wildlife biologist experts in one area. It was fast paced and exciting with many workshops to attend that were interactive.”

“This conference was a valuable learning opportunity for me as I had access to a variety of different perspectives related to the field of gerontology. I learned more about this demographic, and have been able to incorporate these teachings into my social work classes.”

” It allowed students to hear about current and modern aspects of human resources that doesn’t fall into the curriculum of our classes. “

” Through various leadership topics, my group learned new strategies that can be used to strengthen our leadership teams on campus”