This year was my first time attending DEN’s conference, as well as my first-ever time being on a panel and presenting my research to an audience of peers and academics. In my final year of university, I found the event a satisfying conclusion to my time at Westminster, a culmination of my three years studying here, and the past 8 or so months I have been a member of DEN. I remember back in my first year, Farhang Morady mentioned DEN in one of my seminars, but I was too scared to get out of my bubble and participate. Two years later, I started attending DEN and went nearly every week, throwing myself into the opportunities it offered. When Farhang posed writing a chapter for the annual DEN book, I jumped at the opportunity to write about what I am interested in: sustainability and the environment. My chapter in the book titled “Environmental Cost of Generative AI” is a look at how the current expansion of GenAI and current sustainability policy aren’t aligned to not destroy the natural resources on earth. While I was scared to present at the conference, I felt ready to take that leap in my personal development, knowing I would be ready when the time came. The DEN conference, held on the 8th of May, was more than I could have imagined. It was so fun and insightful, learning from students from Westminster and internationally, from Uzbekistan to Poland to Thailand. Hearing from the varied perspectives people took in their research was inspiring, and I plan to continue my research and knowledge-building even after I leave university, as being open-minded to diverse ideas will only broaden one’s own perspective. While I was anxious and doubted my ability to present to the room prior to presenting, being on stage and explaining what I had spent months researching to a room of avid listeners kept my confidence high. DEN has offered me so many opportunities to grow and become more active in the student community. For that, I am forever thankful. While this is my last year as a student at the University of Westminster, I plan to return next year for the 10th conference, as a guest, to continue learning from students globally.
Lucia D’urbano