August 21, 2011

Excellence in Early Years Education (EYE) Collaborative Research Network Meeting


From 14-16 September the Excellence in Early Years Education (EYE) Collaborative Research Network met in Sydney at the Menzies Hotel for 2.5 days of intensive meetings to launch the CRN. Three universities are involved: Charles Sturt University (NSW), Queensland University of Technology (Queensland), and Monash University (Victoria). The 62 attendees included almost equal numbers of PhD students, early, mid and later career researchers; providing rich opportunities for mutual collaborations.
The speakers included Professor Sue Thomas, Professor Toni Downes, and Professor Jennifer Sumsion, who encouraged us to work together on researching the important and complex (wicked) problems in early years education. 

I was invited to lead a panel on the topic of Building a research career and networking. Later that evening I met with a group of early career researchers to discuss what this meant for them. We had a vigorous discussion about how to present the message and importance of their own research to any audience.