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