The importance of the ‘community aspect’ in science (and why travel restrictions are not good)11/27/2021 I have already spoken (well, written) multiple times about the importance of being nice to each other - a foundation of my idea of the triade of sustainability where looking after the ‘neighbourhood’ is essential .
I have written about community from an ‘anarchism’ point of view and self-organisation ( taking example from mussels who do it so well) and I have written about specific communities : like the ‘sustainability’ one but also the ‘sailing’ community . Today is time to delve back into science. Yes. The science community is so important . Without collaborations and cooperation we probably wouldn’t have much of what we have today. And while some science may be viewed as ‘competitive’ it is actually a mix of competitiveness and collaboration, with one thing leading to pushing boundaries and the other leading to the realisation that boundaries are much better pushed when forces are joined. And yes , one may have the idea of the genious scientist working alone in the lab, but chances are (s)he wouldn’t have had that idea without the conversation in the pub (where most science happens) with the other scientist the night before .. and no, (s)he is not stealing ideas. So, collaborations are important but collaborations do need to be encouraged and are not just born out of thin air . Have you ever wondered why scientists often travel to conferences ? And seem to have a week which is jam packed between presentations and the ever so important lunches / dinners and drinks ? It’s not just an excuse to travel ( rarely get the chance to explore anyway) or to stay away from home, but it’s a chance to make those ever important connections. The pandemic , with its lockdowns and travel restrictions has put some obstacles to this knowledge transfer . Yes, we have had the opportunity to have conferences from remote but that’s not the same. As I mentioned, it is not only about those 10 minutes presentations which I see merely as ‘introducing one own science and kickstarting the conversation’. The last online conference I went to used a platform which slightly improved the situation , with more mingling opportunities. So I stood in a virtual congress hall eating my ‘1 min to assemble’ lunch (because, no catering, and relative short break , and many people to chat to) and organised cross countries collaborations. It was close. But it wasn’t the real deal… as I am sending a proposal for a special session at a conference in September 2022 I am here crossing my fingers that I won’t have to sit in my lounge instead and that I can indeed make it to s Sebastian . We joke that it is a beautiful place and then the surf’s up. But really. I just wanna be in that ever so encompassing science bubble , where nothing else matters, once more .
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