Yuting Lin Wins Best Student Presentation Award at SVPCA Conference
The conference was hosted by the University of Southampton between 11th and 14th September, culminating in a field trip to the Isle of Wight, which is well renowned for its rich geological history and abundant fossil deposits.
Yuting's presentation 'How emus stand up, analysed with musculoskeletal models, simulations and experiments' is part of Yuting's PhD research at the Royal Veterinary College, co-supervised by Professor John Hutchinson and by Professor Mehran Moazen at University College London. The presentation included the predictive simulation of the 'sit-to-stand' transition in birds.
On winning best student presentation, Yuting said:
"I was incredibly honoured to receive the Best Student Presentation award at the conference. I work in biomechanics, and I faced the challenge of making my research resonate with a diverse audience, including palaeontologists, evolutionary biologists, comparative anatomists, biomechanists, and museum professionals.
'To engage with diverse audiences, I used relatable examples, such as demonstrating the sit-to-stand transition with a chair and sharing my personal experiences of getting up from bed. I even attempted to sketch a dinosaur, and to my surprise, the audience provided wonderful feedback on my abstract drawing."
'I have developed skills in predictive simulations from a simple concept model to complex 3D musculoskeletal simulations, particularly with birds like the emu. After conducting over 2,000 trials, I successfully simulated an emu standing up.'
'In addition to the presentations, I've gained valuable insights into a wide array of topics, such as fossil conservation, behavioural inference in extinct species, macroevolution, paleoecology, and so on. I also had the opportunity to participate in a field trip to the Isle of Wight, where I walked by giant dinosaur footprints. The enthusiasm and passion of the SVPCA community were truly inspiring.'
'I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to LIDo for the support of my research and conference attendance. I am also deeply grateful to the Southampton team for this invaluable opportunity. Special thanks go to my colleagues and collaborators who have helped me transition from a veterinary background to mastering simulation skills. The insights and connections I gained from this symposium have further strengthened my commitment to pursuing research in evolutionary biomechanics."