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The past week at #AGU18 has been such a whirlwind! Despite good intentions, I'm now convinced that *virtual* academic meetings will not work as well (especially for ECRs & academics of color).
A big reason for my attendance is not the scientific talks but meeting friends, colleagues, & future collaborators. Academia forces you to go where the job is & conferences are one way to keep in touch. This is a BIG deal for some of us.
Serendipity. I've had many fruitful conversations & planned future collaborations while standing in the beer-line or after being introduced by a mutual connection during breaks. This is hard in a virtual setting.
Finally, I also think these meetings are an important way for faculty of color to get their research out to the broader community, meet peers & senior scientists, & establish themselves in the field. This task will become difficult if meetings go online.
Virtual *talks* (not meetings) have an important role - it can help non-US based scientists attend these conferences w/o the onerous financial or legal costs (thanks to US visa rules) associated w/ in-person attendance.
We should all think carefully about the sustainability of our actions (including attending conferences). But shaming those who fly to conferences might not be the best way forward.
