In March 1999 when I received a letter from Dr. Mary Rogers saying that my application for ISB student grant had been approved I had more than one reason to be happy. Not only was my abstract accepted and I could afford to attend the XVIIth ISB meeting in Calgary but I would also get to see the magnificent Rocky Mountains again. Ten years ago, as a master student, I had spent a year in University of Victoria in Vancouver Island and I had visited the mountains from the British Columbia side. In August it was finally time to leave the University of Jyväskylä and start the journey towards Calgary. On the flight from Frankfurt to Calgary I had a chance to thank personally for the travel grant two presidents of the ISB. Prof. Dr. Gunter Rau, who was spending his last days as acting president and Prof. Kit Vaughan who was to receive the hammer in the upcoming days had both chosen to take the same plane.
My first ever scientific congress was the XVth ISB congress in my home town Jyväskylä. Now four years later I was again standing in front of my poster. I was very pleased with the number of people interested in my topic of eccentric and isometric forces. The best part of the congresses is that one actually gets to talk to the people whose names are familiar from articles and textbooks. What makes it even more enjoyable is, that after going to a number of congresses in the past few years, one now meets "old friends". Sometimes these scientific discussions may even continue to the small hours which may be connected to why the jetlag always seems to be much worse going back home??
Despite certain tiredness after returning home the whole journey was well worth it. Excellent presentations throughout the week gave a lot to think about. To me of my own special interest were the papers dealing with motor unit activation patterns and muscle mechanics. Some of the personal after presentation - and late night discussions may lead to some form of co-operation in the future. And finally, who could forget the breath-taking view of the beautiful Lake Louise.
Looking forward for the next ISB meeting.
Vesa Linnamo
Ph.D Student
Neuromuscular Research Center
Department of Biology of Physical Activity
University of Jyväskylä, Finland
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