Thursday, 6th March 2025
We would like to acknowledge that McGill University (Tiohtiá:ke/Montreal), where our
conference is held, is situated on the traditional territory of the Kanien’kehà:ka, a
place which has long been, and continues to be, a site of meeting and exchange amongst
many First Nations including the Kanien’kehá:ka of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy,
Huron/Wendat, Abenaki, and Anishinaabeg. We recognize and respect the Kanien’kehá:ka as
the traditional custodians of the lands and waters on which McGill resides. As settlers
and global citizens, we have a shared responsibility to learn from the caretakers of
this land, to partake in its preservation and conservation, and to actively strive for
the success of future generations.
Indigenous ways of knowing offer incredibly valuable perspectives on cognition, yet they
have often been overlooked in scientific discourse. We urge you to consider the power of
mutual learning and the importance of integrating Indigenous knowledge systems into STEM
fields to strengthen our collective understanding. We encourage you to continuously
acknowledge the land you live on and how it provides for all of us, as well as your role
in challenging and dismantling systems of oppression.
Dear Cognitive Science Undergraduate Research Forum (CogSURF) Community,
For too long, science has operated within closed structures, with restricted access
to
literature, limited data, and exclusive entry barriers. Real progress requires
removing
these barriers, creating spaces for collaboration, and opening the doors to new
perspectives. Too often, undergraduates find themselves on the outside looking in,
waiting
for an invitation to engage in academic research. On February 27th, we made one
thing clear:
Your ideas matter. Your voices matter. And your work deserves to be celebrated.
CogSURF is about breaking down traditional academic silos for the next generation of
cognitive scientists, machine learning researchers, linguists, innovative thinkers,
and
more. The idea for the Forum was born from my years of involvement in various
student-led
initiatives throughout my undergraduate degree and my passion for research, which I
discovered by attending open events that fostered inclusive knowledge-sharing:
NeuroLingo,
The Montreal Neurological Institute’s Annual Neuropsychology Day, the Tanenbaum Open
Science
Institute’s Research Fair, and the UNIQUE End-of-Year Neuro-AI Celebration.
My goal was to create a free event open to individuals from all stages of learning,
disciplines, and universities to inspire the next wave of researchers to engage in
interdisciplinary collaboration, exchange ideas, and catalyze breakthroughs in our
understanding of the mind. I envisioned a space where a philosopher and a computer
scientist
could meet at the crossroads of logic, where a neuroscientist and a linguist could
trace the
wonders of language acquisition, where an economist could gather insights from
psychology
and the cognitive biases that shape our decisions, and where, for once, one is not
bound by
the limits of their own discipline. Because progress doesn’t happen in isolation. It
happens
when ideas collide, when disciplines intersect, and when we challenge one another to
view
the world through new lenses.
The inaugural edition of CogSURF presented undergraduates with a unique opportunity
to
showcase their work, expand their knowledge, and lay the groundwork for
groundbreaking
discoveries. We set out to build a community of individuals driven by curiosity,
eager to
push the boundaries of knowledge, and unafraid to tackle some of humanity’s greatest
unsolved mysteries.
Our logo embodies the spirit of collaboration. Each wave represents a different
discipline
in cognitive science, and together, they symbolize the convergence of the diverse
ideas and
perspectives that shape our understanding of the mind. The circular form reminds us
of the
cyclical nature of scientific inquiry and the fact that no single discipline holds
all the
answers, and that each new discovery fuels our collective pursuit of knowledge. It
was
crucial for this first iteration, as it will be for each future iteration, to host a
wide
range of perspectives. Student representatives from each discipline of cognitive
science
helped ensure diversity in topics, voices, and ideas, inviting contributions from
all
corners of the field. We were also privileged to feature an exceptional lineup of
invited
speakers and student presenters, including experts who have shaped the field into
what it is
today and emerging researchers who are shaping what it will look like tomorrow. We
had the
honour of welcoming world-renowned cognitive neuroscientist and Kavli Prize winner
Professor
Nancy Kanwisher, a role model to all of us, and some of the brightest minds from
across the
canonical disciplines of cognitive science: Professors Ian Gold, Stevan Harnad,
Karim Jerbi,
Doina Precup, and Charles Reiss.
At the heart of this event were the people whose unwavering dedication and
irreplaceable
efforts made it all possible. For nine months, I have had the privilege of gathering
and
working alongside an extraordinary team, and it is difficult to put into words just
how much
of our heart and soul we have poured into building this from the ground up. Our team
has
spent countless hours and sleepless nights bringing CogSURF to life. Benjamin
Lévesque
Kinder, Maria Lagakos, and Leatisha Ramloll: getting to know you and growing
together
throughout this journey has truly been the highlight of it all. I will always
cherish our
late-night planning sessions, road trips, and seeing your passion for CogSURF shine
through
in conversations across Montréal and beyond. As a founder, the best thing I could
have hoped
for was to find a team whose commitment to the vision rivaled my own. I am deeply
grateful
to all those who believed in this from the very beginning, to those who joined us
along the
way, as well as all the sponsors, advisors, abstract reviewers, judges, volunteers,
photographers, videographers, students, and countless others who have shown us
unparalleled
support.
While our focus this year was on making CogSURF a reality, our vision is for CogSURF
to
evolve into a large-scale, annual conference that attracts students from around the
world
and pioneers a future where interdisciplinary research propels major advancements in
our
understanding of the mind. I truly believe in the power of inclusive dialogue in
shaping a
better world. Together, we have the power to make an impact greater than any one of
us could
have made alone.
As CogSURF evolves, I look forward to seeing future leaders uphold the values of
inclusivity, interdisciplinarity, intellectual curiosity, and work towards these
long-term
goals:
- Grow CogSURF into the premier undergraduate cognitive science conference in North America and as a central platform driving the future of cognitive science.
- Expand participation to even more universities across Canada and offer grants to underrepresented groups and demographics historically excluded from important conversations on the mind.
- Build the Forum based on feedback to ensure that each event is better than the last.
This is just the beginning, and it only gets better from here.
Yours sincerely,
Thuy