Missed conference connections | Nature Geoscience

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many scientific meetings online. Virtual conferences can increase access, but community engagement is needed to foster inclusivity. In April 2020, we wrote1

that, although the pandemic presented an opportunity to test virtual meeting technologies, it was hard to imagine a geoscience mega-conference such as the American Geophysical Union (AGU)

Fall Meeting operating online. We were wrong. Following the online-only and hybrid AGU meetings of the past two years, virtual meetings remain firmly on the menu for 2022. Many scientists

want virtual meetings to stay. A _Nature_ poll of readers2 found that 74% of respondents wanted virtual conferences to continue, with 49% finding them more accessible. However, virtual

technology does not guarantee accessibility — and certainly not inclusivity — without an active and engaged community. The traditional conference format is hindered by inequities in access3.

With lower travel costs and registration fees, fewer logistical hurdles, and more flexibility in attendance, virtual scientific conferences potentially welcome a broader representation of

researchers than in-person meetings. Virtual meetings can boost participation, especially by early career scientists and those from non-research-intensive universities, and increase gender

and geographic diversity (for example, see ref. 4). Aside from making attendance easier, virtual conferences can also remove or lower some barriers to active participation. For some, asking

a question in a chat-box is less daunting than stepping up to a microphone in a crowded room. The ability to watch talks and look at posters online allows participants to accommodate other

responsibilities in their jobs and lives, and there is the potential for more open science if presentations are made available beyond conference attendees. Virtual conferences do not

guarantee inclusivity, however. High-speed internet is required, which not everyone has. Different time zones can make attending sessions impractical. And, although many conferences in 2020

kept registration fees low or waived them altogether, substantial registration fees are now being requested, limiting gains in participation from those without available funds. The top

complaint regarding virtual scientific conferences is the limitation for networking2. As editors, this is what we have missed most. Virtual networking can also be more exclusive than in

person meetings (which are far from perfect). The norms of interacting online can make communication less cordial, which may exacerbate inequalities in participation and make it harder for

junior or underrepresented community members to network3. It may be easier to attend a virtual meeting, but active and useful participation can be more difficult. Without a physical poster

hall to wander through and in-person networking opportunities, it can be harder for an early career researcher and their work to be noticed in a virtual setting. Although small meetings have

had some success with virtual breakout rooms, chat boxes, and social spaces, not all participants may be interested in or comfortable socialising as an avatar. The opportunities for

networking are also limited by a lack of participation and engagement of more senior scientists, who hold the keys to career development. For example, although attendance at the 2020

Goldschmidt conference showed gains for students, professional attendance was down — particularly for men, who dominate at more senior levels5. Whatever the axis of diversity — gender,

career stage, geography, and so forth — virtual conferences can be socially exclusive as they reinforce existing networks, creating echo chambers (just like other online social networks).

Exclusion is not only a problem for the career progression of individual scientists, but for the progression and communication of science, particularly for increasingly urgent fields. So

many scientific findings are a result of a casual chat or chance meeting at a conference. There are some intangibles of a scientific meeting — such as serendipity and the cross-fertilization

of ideas — that are hard to reproduce online. But in-person events can be difficult to navigate without a pre-existing network to make introductions: virtual networking has amplified and

exacerbated division that has long been entrenched at conferences. With the grand challenges facing the planet, we need these events to deliver. Improved technology will not be enough to

overcome the shortcomings of virtual conferences, nor do hybrid conferences necessarily provide both greater access and improved networking. Instead, it has proved difficult to ensure an

equally rewarding experience for both types of attendees. Whatever the conference format, more community engagement is needed to make conferences more accessible and inclusive. Senior

scientists need to embrace virtual participation and engage as mentors. The scientific community must adapt to conference formats as they evolve so that online and virtual can best

complement each other, and actively engage beyond existing networks. Like many geoscientists, we have struggled navigating virtual conferences throughout the pandemic and engagement has been

difficult during a stressful and busy time. One of our editors went to AGU in person last month and it was invigorating to meet geoscientists and hear about their research-in-progress.

Meeting up in person is great and hopefully there will be more of it in the near future, but community engagement is needed for inclusive and productive conferences, whether online or not.

REFERENCES * _Nat. Geosci_. 13, 257 (2020). * Remmel, A. _Nature_ 591, 185–186 (2021). Article  Google Scholar  * Niner, H. J., Johri, S., Meyer, J. & Wasserman, S. N. _Socio Ecol.

Pract. Res._ 2, 253–256 (2020). Article  Google Scholar  * Skiles, X. et al. _Nat. Sustain._ https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-021-00823-2 (2021). * Pourret, O. et al. _Geochim. Cosmochim.

Acta_ 310, 363–371 (2021). Article  Google Scholar  Download references RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Missed conference connections.

_Nat. Geosci._ 15, 93 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-022-00907-4 Download citation * Published: 10 February 2022 * Issue Date: February 2022 * DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-022-00907-4 SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: Get shareable link Sorry, a shareable link is not

currently available for this article. Copy to clipboard Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative