We are thrilled to share the experiences of Susan McKinlay, PhD student at the University of Milan, who was awarded the COST Dissemination Conference Grant. This grant enabled her participation in the BES Annual Meeting in Movement Ecology at the University of Southampton. Here are some insights she shared with us:
"The COST Dissemination Conference Grant gave me the opportunity to attend this year’s BES Annual Meeting in Movement Ecology at the University of Southampton. It was an incredible chance to connect with scientists studying movement in different environments—marine, aerial, and terrestrial. It was eye-opening to see how differently movement ecology is approached across these fields, and I came away with some great new insights.
One talk that really stood out to me focused on fish migration, where the researcher explained how they use isotope methods to track fish movements. Since I usually work with bird migration and biologgers, this gave me a fresh perspective on how tracking can vary in freshwater environments. Another fascinating presentation looked at how turbulence and wind affect bird flight—something I hadn’t really factored into my own research before. It was an important reminder of how much the environment can impact movement, especially in flight.
The postdocs and PhD students I met were just as inspiring. Their research in different areas of movement ecology really expanded my thinking, and the discussions we had at the end of each day were some of the best parts of the meeting. On the first day, we talked about the best ways to analyze movement data, both at the individual and population levels. The second day was all about vertical movement and how it's studied across different environments, which sparked some great conversations.
During these sessions, I teamed up with a PhD student working on landbird migration, and we decided to collaborate on a review paper with others from the meeting. The Annual Meetings in Movement Ecology are known for encouraging collaborations like this, and I’m excited about the potential of this project.
Overall, the meeting was a fantastic opportunity for networking, learning, and collaborating. I’m looking forward to applying the new ideas and connections I made to my future work. The meeting didn’t just expand my understanding of movement ecology across different environments—it also opened doors to exciting new collaborations and research opportunities."
We are thrilled by the success stories emerging from the EUFLYNET COST grants. These opportunities profoundly impact research and networking.
We encourage researchers to apply for our future grants to further their professional development. Don’t miss out on these transformative opportunities—stay alert for our next call and join us in advancing scientific exploration and collaboration.
Photos: Susan McKinlay
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