Testimonials from Previous Student Participants

Kerstin Bach, Universität Hildesheim, Germany (ICCBR-09 DC participant):

"I took part in the first DC held at the ICCBR 2009 and it was the first time I had the possibility to talk about my PhD thesis with CBR researchers outside our own research group. Writing the application material was the first time I had to describe the scope of my thesis, which is good, because it eases the question about the topic of you theses. During the DC, discussing my proposal was extremely helpful for getting a feeling how much context I should to explain, so other researchers can follow my approaches. Also, my mentor gave me useful advices on how to continue my work and additional sources I should take a look at. I really enjoyed the discussion about my work with all the mentors after the talk and it was quite impressive that so many CBR researchers were in the audience listening to the DC participants."

Alexandra Coman, Lehigh University, USA (ICCBR-10 DC participant):

"The ICCBR Doctoral Consortium is where my recently-begun research became real to me. It transformed, in my mind, from a somewhat artificial construction, held together by little more than my advisor's and my own interest in it, into something that knowledgeable people outside our lab microcosm might want to hear more about, point out the flaws of, suggest unexpected uses for, and, above all, graciously help improve. It takes greatness of heart to offer patience and guidance to a beginner who has read you name in countless reference sections; it has been my great fortune to meet such people at the Doctoral Consortium."

Michael Floyd, Carleton University, Canada (ICCBR-11 DC participant):

"I was very happy that I participated in the Doctoral Consortium at ICCBR 2011. I had published some parts of my doctoral research at previous ICCBR conferences and workshops but the DC allowed me to get feedback on my research as a whole. I received excellent feedback and advice from my mentor, Ian Watson, as well as other CBR researchers who attended the student presentations. The feedback I received did not only come during my presentation/question period but through the entire conference during many conversations and discussions. In addition to the student presentations, I also enjoyed the presentations by CBR researchers as they reflected on their career paths. Overall, I would strongly recommend this event to anyone thinking about participating."

Atilim Gunes Baydin, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Spain (ICCBR-11 DC participant):

"I participated in the ICCBR 2011 Doctoral Consortium in London. It was a great experience that has proven to be extremely valuable for my research, giving me a chance to receive feedback from the international research community outside the circle of my home institution. After my presentation, the comments and criticisms I have received were very constructive and made me realize the weaker points of my approach, giving me a chance to address these before they would come up during later stages of my PhD. I was paired with a definite expert for my subject, Kevin Ashley, as my mentor. After the consortium, following the kind advice of David Aha, this eventually culminated in a research visit to Prof. Ashley's group at the University of Pittsburgh. This event was definitely, and in many ways, a turning point for the progress of my PhD study."

Youssef Oualmakran, University of Girona, Spain (ICCBR-11 DC participant):

"I received a lot of interesting feedback at the ICCBR Doctoral Consortium in 2011 from both my mentor and other researchers at the presentation of my project. It was the first time I received so much feedback. The process of writing a 3 page summary and fixing it iteratively with the comments of the mentor contributes to clarify your ideas. The ICCBR is also an opportunity to meet PhD students facing the same kind of problems as you. So, if you are making a PhD related to CBR, I recommend that you consider participating in the ICCBR Doctoral Consortium.

Jay Powell, Indiana University, USA (ICCBR-09 DC participant):

"I participated in the first ICCBR Doctoral Consortium in 2009 and found it to be very helpful. I was able to present my work to a large group of people in a relaxed environment. The feedback I received from my presentation was especially useful. I was able to incorporate the advice into my thesis proposal and defense, leading to much stronger presentations. The advice I was given on how to clarify certain points in my technical paper also helped greatly while writing my doctoral dissertation."

Jonathan Rubin, University of Auckland, New Zealand (ICCBR-11 participant):

"My main motivation for attending the Doctoral Consortium at ICCBR 2011 was to discuss with senior CBR researchers the contributions of my PhD and get community feedback on my research. I was very happy with the overall experience. The reviews I received on my research summary were of great use to me and helped to identify areas of my work to focus on, going forward. During my presentation I received constructive advice and guidance from both mentors, as well as other DC attendees. Lastly, I gained a better perspective on my own research through the input provided to me by my personal mentor (Stefania Montani)."

Christian Severin Sauer, University of West London, England (ICCBR-11 DC participant):

"The ICCBR-11 Doctoral Consortium was my first opportunity to present my doctoral thesis, although in a very early stage, to a high profile audience comprising leading experts in CBR research. Even before the DC the feedback on my submission and the guidance by my mentor was swift and very useful. Presenting and discussing my thesis then during the DC helped me to focus my research questions. Additionally the feedback I was able to get, especially from my mentor, was very valuable to improve my presentation skills. Besides the valuable feedback on my thesis I enjoyed the very social atmosphere and the opportunity to directly discuss with the leading experts in CBR. The possibility to exchange my ideas with the other DC student participants also provided me with insight in their interesting work and the opportunity to develop links within the CBR community."

Gleb Sizov, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway (ICCBR-11 DC participant):

"Participation in the Doctoral Consortium at ICCBR 2011 was very helpful for me. The feedback I got from my mentor, Susan Craw, as well as other experienced CBR researchers inspired me to look into potential problems with the presented approach and to refine my research ideas. It was also very instructive to watch other DC participants presenting their research and getting feedback. A somewhat informal atmosphere of the DC provided a great opportunity to get in contact with other researchers in the field and, since it is part of the larger conference, there was enough time for discussions after the DC as well."

Raafat Zarka, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, France (ICCBR-11 DC participant):

"I had the chance to participate in the Doctoral Consortium during ICCBR-11 Conference. It was a great opportunity to meet other researchers and PhD students in CBR domain. I received interesting feedback and advice from my mentor (Klaus-Dieter Althoff) and the various participants, I tried to make use of them later to advance my research. I also had a publication in the conference, which helped me to continue the discussion and exchange of ideas during it. After the conference this helped me to remain in touch with some of the participants. It also helped me with my internship at Quebec this year working with one of the CBR community's senior researchers (Luc Lamontagne). This year I will be on the organization team of ICCBR-12 in Lyon. I would be happy to meet with new participants of the Doctoral Consortium during the conference."

Eduardo Lupiani, University of Murcia, Spain (ICCBR-12 DC participant):

"The Doctoral Consortium at ICCBR 2012 was an incredible opportunity to me. It was my introduction to CBR community and a milestone in my PhD studies. I had very interesting conversations with my tutor Ralph Bergmann, and David Aha. Besides, I was given good feedback because of participants' questions. The environment was relaxed and familiar, and you can see that both the questions and advices point you out the right direction in your research. Definitely, it is worthy of consideration to participate in this Doctoral Consortium."

Lotta Rintala, Aalto University, School of Chemical Technology, Finland (ICCBR-12 DC participant): 

"I'm a PhD student in the field of material science, planning to use CBR as a methodology for problem solving in my multidisciplinary thesis. Participating in the DC at ICCBR 2012 was a great opportunity to meet and get feedback from the researchers in CBR domain. I got plenty of good advice and new aspects to think about. I had very interesting conversations with my mentor (Agnar Aamodt), which helped me to understand how to outline the CBR part of my thesis more precisely. Discussions about how achievable my goals were also very useful. I warmly recommend participating in the DC for all the postgraduates whose research is connected to the CBR."