The Magic of In-Person Scientific Conferences

I recently attended my first in-person scientific conference in almost three years — an international meeting that I co-organized on ferroptosis, iron and reactive oxygen species in Awaji, Japan through the Cold Spring Harbor Asia office.

WELCOME-Meetings-Cold Spring Harbor Asia

The meeting was a great success, and I have been pondering the reasons that in-person meetings are so different from the Zoom conferences we have experienced throughout the pandemic.

Participants at the Cold Spring Harbor Asia conference on Ferroptosis

Here are a few of the reasons I found that in-person meetings are so different from online meetings:

1. No eye strain and lack of distractions. I find that like many people, staring as a computer screen 12–18 inches from my eyes for hours at a time causes eye strain. This makes it difficult to focus on the content of the presentation. In addition, when I am listening to a virtual presentation, there is always the temptation to multi-task and catch up on other emails and tasks. When watching an in-person presentation, I find I can focus on the content and retain the information better.
2. Connecting with people. Much of the enjoyment of a conference is meeting and re-connecting with colleagues from around the world over breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Sometimes these are scientific discussions, but often they simply connecting over shared experiences. We forget that part of the fun of science is getting to know other people who are passionate about the same topics, and yet come from very different backgrounds. Once you have run a lab for a number of years, there is also the opportunity to re-connect with former trainees, which is a special joy.
3. Experiencing local culture. Learning about other cultures is intrinsically rewarding for many of us. I always try to learn some of the local language before traveling to another country, and while there, sample some of the local cuisine. Sharing these new experiences with other colleagues at meetings compounds the fun. When I think back on meetings I’ve attended, these are many of the times I remember, much more than online Zoom experiences.

Of course, traveling to meetings takes time and effort, and these days, carries risks of infectious diseases. We can’t attend every meeting in person that we would like to. Nonetheless, carving out time to go to a few meetings in person every year pays tremendous dividends.