Most of us have learned ‘how to conference’ by attending traditional conferences. Does this mean that there is no other possibility for a productive conference format? Already under the umbrella of conference formats are large (think of the Society of Neurosciences or the Society for Research on Biological Rhythms or the European Biological Rhythms Society), medium (think of the Gordon Research Conferences) or Boutique (think of Janelia Farms or perhaps Summer Schools) meetings. Just within these traditional models, there are many ways to accomplish ‚conferencing‘. Each format has its strengths and benefits. With CARE conferences, we will have to learn how to use this new format of sharing knowledge. Some ideas to that end:
We will ask questions differently in this format, thus, we will be discussing different knowledge.
The virtual hubs are a great opportunity to share chronobiology with local (non-chronobiology) colleagues who would otherwise not travel to a dedicated chronobiology conference. CARE conferences can strengthen local collaborations.
The ‘pop-up’ nature of the CARE format lends itself to short reaction times. If something ground-breaking is published, we have the opportunity to organize a conference on a specific topic very quickly, thus speeding progress.
Evaluation of CARE conferencing: what is it good for?
This conference is a first of its kind. Given the urgency of climate change, we think that this is one model for the future. We want to understand where CARE conferencing succeeds - and where it does not. Colleagues from Learning Sciences, under the guidance of Prof. Anne Frenzel, will accompany us and perform an evaluation to help us to iteratively improve this model.