American Astronomical Society Examines Meeting Options
American Astronomical Society: COVID-19 and the 236th AAS Meeting
“In response to the increasing threat of COVID-19, the American Astronomical Society is looking into converting its 236th meeting, currently scheduled 31 May to 4 June in Madison, Wisconsin, from an on-site/in-person conference to a fully remote/virtual conference. … While this is an extraordinarily difficult decision, we believe it is the right one to protect the health and welfare of our members, staff, vendors, and other meeting participants. If we can pull it off, holding a virtual AAS 236 would likely have positive long-term effects. Our Sustainability Committee has been wrestling with how to lower the carbon footprint of AAS meetings and has been encouraging the Society to experiment with ways of enabling remote access to some sessions. Until recently, every software product we explored for this purpose left a lot to be desired. Now, though, virtual conferencing technology appears to have proliferated, matured, and become more affordable. We are optimistic that AAS 236 could not only be successful as an all-digital conference, but also that it could serve as a trailblazer to a future of more inclusive and sustainable AAS meetings.”
I recall experimental work done years ago with conferences in 2nd Life. Maybe it’s time to look at that technology again, particularly given the advances in gaming software.
That’s an interesting point about future meetings. Quite a few people dislike and have had bad experiences with video conferences, telecommuting, and similar things. In my experience, they can work well but require different habits and skills than traditional meetings and working in an office. So people try video conferences, it’s a mess because the people involved haven’t learned how to do it right, and that mess is used as a example of why we have to stick with the traditional, in person meetings. It’s rare for people to actually be forced into relying on telepresence for long enough to learn how to do. It’s possible COVID-19 will do that. That might cause a permanent change in the way people work.