ANZCA Conference summary

Newcastle University is set in pleasant surroundings and the organisers of the conference have done a wonderful job. What a pleasure to be there.

The program is different to other conferences that I have attended because it has the keynote speakers and panel sessions interspersed between the parallel sessions. As a result there is a variety of sessions, rooms and a mixing of attendees. This format is good for networking and interaction.

I presented in the first session after lunch and the presentation was well received with some interesting questions – always a positive sign. Our session chair was particularly good in managing the pace of the session and audience participation.

The presentation by Marjorie Kibby was particularly interesting with regard to space in the digital environment, which is of particular interest to me in the context of altered first principle concepts within the digital environment.

Amy Johnson was also interesting with her research into the role of digital media in military families. I believe that her research is long over due as it represents an extremely positive and constructive aspect of digital technologies in the development and maintenance of family and social infrastructure. This is a refreshing view when considering the significant focus on the addictive and negative aspects of technology on social behaviours.

Robert Taylor’s presentation had a profound impact on me. Robert was presenting a complicated technical topic to a diverse audience, which could have left the audience floundering. However he was able to impart his information on the normalisation of loudness for music streaming in a way that satisfied both those requiring complex technical answers and those who had no idea of the topic. I believe that his research will be worth following. He is going to the USA with his new PhD.

The final person I wanted to mention was Pita Shelford who is working on Maori Mens Health. His approach was not only interesting but I found it refreshing to see proactive research into men’s issues. He is turning to traditional concepts and building from the ground up.

The Dinner was also one of the highlights because it provided an opportunity to network with everyone in a relaxed way. All in all, the Newcastle ANZCA Conference was certainly worth attending. Thank you to all those who made it possible.