On February 27, the first ever Cognitive Science Undergraduate Research Forum (CogSURF) took place in the SSMU Ballroom, chaired by Honours Cognitive Science student Le Thuy Duong Nguyen. Cognitive science is a multidisciplinary field bringing together insights from psychology, linguistics, computer science, philosophy, and neuroscience, to study the mind and behaviour in humans, animals, and machines. CogSURF’s mission is to “unite passionate undergraduate students from Montreal’s leading universities to cultivate interdisciplinary collaboration, exchange ideas, and tackle some of humanity’s greatest unsolved questions.”
The event brought together students and faculty from multiple universities to share their ideas throughout the day. CogSURF started off with a keynote by Dr. Nancy Kanwisher, Professor of Cognitive Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The itinerary began with flash three-minute student research presentations, followed by a poster showcase and a panel discussion with leading experts. CogSURF came to a close with a networking event within the historic halls of McGill’s Faculty Club.
CogSURF’s flash talks were a highlight of the conference. Challenging students to present their research in three minutes or less, they provided an insightful exercise for undergraduate researchers to gain confidence in presenting their research to a large audience. Topics spanned a diverse array of subjects: undergraduate students came onstage to speak on the effects of hallucinogens on the brain, childhood cognitive skills and emotional problems, the health impacts of gendered lifestyles, and how genetic markers of pathological insomnia could help shed light on Alzheimer’s disease, to name just a few. Speakers were able to present their research in a more personal manner during the poster showcase, allowing them to share discussions about their research with students and professors from various universities.
In the afternoon, Dr. Ian Gold, Dr. Stevan Harnard, Dr. Karim Jerbi, and Dr. Charles Reiss, Professors of Psychology and Cognitive Science from McGill University, Université de Montréal, and Concordia University; and Dr. Doina Precup, a leading researcher in artificial intelligence, convened for an informative panel to discuss a diverse range of cognitive science topics, notably on sentience and Large Language AI Models. An illuminating discussion, moderated by Nguyen, unfolded about current research methods and findings in these fields, as well as key challenges in the study of consciousness. The panelists ended their conversation with a strong message to the audience, urging them to consciously promote creativity in their research.
Finally, Nguyen wrapped up the conference by thanking everyone for their participation. In her parting remarks, she expressed her hope that the impact of CogSURF would continue to grow year after year as the messages delivered at this event echo beyond the walls of the ballroom and create waves in our peers’ research projects. The forum ended with a final and apt concluding statement by Nguyen: “never stop connecting minds and making waves.”
In the later hours of the evening, students were lucky to step inside the beautifully ornamented walls of the Faculty Club, normally reserved for university professors. Participants, students, professors, speakers, and staff alike joined a networking event in the interest of expanding the field of cognitive science. All in all, CogSURF was a full day promoting connection, discussion, and the sharing of knowledge around the innovative and growing sector of cognitive science. The CogSURF executive team has high hopes for next year’s conference and they hope to see you there!