Scientific Conferences: AGU 2018

Happy New Year! We here at Science on Main hope you all have a great 2019!

For such a big part of an academic's life, conferences are rarely written about in the world of science communication. The to-do list of things just to attend conferences is long before an attendee even gets there: writing the abstracts, registering, making lodging and travel reservations, doing the proposed work, preparing the posters and oral presentations, and setting up meetings with colleagues are all part of conferences, and that's on top of the official stuff like sessions and workshops! But what happens at these conferences? What's the point of going to them at all? What are they like?

Granted, I can only speak to my own personal experiences at conferences, and each conference has its own particular feeling and style. Some things are similar for all though. It's usually hundreds, if not thousands of people who are all interested in a particular subject arriving at one location to speak to each other face to face. These are not just scientists, as the conferences I go to also have industry representatives who are there to both recruit new employees and sell their company's products. Conferences usually last for a whole work week, and if it's in a new city, I'll try to go at least one day early or stay a day later so I can do some exploring. I know I'm not the only one who does that. It's fun to explore a new city, or even a new country, like I did when I went to Rome, Italy to participate in a conference hosted by the European Space Agency.

The #AGU100 sign outside of the Exhibit Hall at this year's conference.

 The conference I went to in December 2018 was the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Conference in Washington, D.C. It's by far the largest conference I go to because it spans all fields related to geoscience on Earth and elsewhere in the solar system (which is my field: planetary science). This year was special because it was AGU's centennial year, and they were definitely celebrating it. At least 27,000 scientists, exhibitors, students, professionals, volunteers, and organizers came to the nation's capital to share their results and network. Off the top of my head I can't list every discipline represented, but here are a few: planetary scientist, educators, atmospheric chemists, heliophysicists (they study the sun), seismologists, oceanographers, computer scientists, and statisticians. The other main conference I go to is only planetary science, and more specialized conferences mean fewer people attend. It's always good to dive deep into my subject, but I like AGU because it allows me to see techniques and ideas in other fields too.

Perhaps a third of the posters in the poster hall at #AGU100.
I'm guessing the whole thing was 1/4 mile long!

One of the best parts of conferences is how many events there are to go to at any given time, which means everyone can pick and choose what they want to attend. That choice can be a double-edged sword too, since going to one thing means saying no to potentially several others. I try to find friends who will either tweet or take extensive notes during their sessions, that way I never miss anything! This year at AGU I made sure to spend time in a few of the science communication workshops that the Sharing Science division puts on every year, including one that taught me the technical details of how to start a podcast. I came away invigorated and excited to pursue new ideas! This is in addition to the dozens of talks and posters I saw, the volunteering I did at the Arizona State University booth, and the one-on-one meetings I had, of course.

The AGU booth was selling stuffed owls in
sweatshirts. I couldn't resist. It was so cute!
I named him Dr. Whoot.

Speaking of the meetings, that's another major positive about conferences, especially for people who, like me, are approaching graduation and are looking to move to a new position at a new place. At AGU, I was able to meet with senior scientists from all over the country, including NASA Headquarters, to talk to them about potential positions for me. Conferences give young scientists a chance to display their body of work to the entire community and to make connections that will last years, perhaps decades, and many projects. I know of a post-doc who was offered a job the day after he gave his talk, which would not have happened without a conference. For people who are working on projects together, it is always more efficient to meet in person instead of emailing, as questions and concerns are addressed immediately. It improves the quality of the science done too!

Conferences are exhausting and crazy, but they are essential for science to grow and continue. To be able to talk to experts directly about their work increases my knowledge about the field and shows me what work needs to be done in the future. I also gained new collaborators and friends. I've only shared a fraction of the stories I got at this year's AGU, but I hope it was enough to show you a little of what a science conference is all about!