Virtual Scientific Conferences: Benefits and How to Support Underrepresented Students

Abstract

Ecological conferences provide a unique opportunity for scientists in the field of ecology to develop meaningful connections and exchange research in a rapid, multi‐day, in‐person format. For students and early‐career researchers, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds, in‐person conferences are challenging to attend due to the burdens on finances and time. However, as COVID‐19 continues to restrict scientific societies' abilities to host large, in‐person conferences, virtual conferences have increased in prevalence. For students and early‐career researchers, virtual conferences present a multitude of benefits, including reduced attendance costs, increased accessibility to a wider range of conference resources, and reduced levels of anxiety. These factors make virtual conferences more accessible to those historically excluded from science. Further, microcommunities, which we define as a small network of individuals in the same career stage, can provide additional support for students via interacting closely with peers of the same identity, constructing workshops, and fostering belongingness in STEM. In this paper, we discuss the benefits associated with virtual conferences (focusing on students of underrepresented backgrounds), and we suggest methods to continue increasing inclusivity in STEM and scientific conferences as the world continues to adapt in response to the COVID‐19 pandemic.

Can virtual events achieve co-benefits for climate, participation, and satisfaction? Comparative evidence from five international Agriculture, Nutrition and Health Academy Week conferences

“…This is further compounded by registration fees (although not for ANH Academy Weeks) and visas, accommodation and subsistence costs, opportunity costs, as well as the time lost in transit. 6 Although our data do not permit a definitive conclusion, the higher online attendance and the doubling of LMIC geographical reach might have been enabled by lower financial and opportunity costs. However, the participation from high-income countries grew proportionally faster than that from LMICs, which might have been due to weaker infrastructure, lower bandwidth and connectivity, and fewer IT resources per households in LMICs; this suggests that there might be continued barriers to participation for researchers from lower-income settings.…”

“…However, virtual events can facilitate new types of participant interaction and lower accessibility barriers that might exist in the physical realm, for instance by democratising Q&A through chatboxes, using live captions and creating virtual spaces for poster discussions, and establishing social groups and platforms to connect researchers professionally for scientific exchange and collaborations. 6 , 14 Furthermore, although conference sessions at ANH Academy Weeks have always been recorded and posted online, the uptake was lower before 2020 when there may have been a change in attitude, culture, and competency to engage with online content. Virtual events can be programmed imaginatively using platforms that enable attendees to enjoy the entire conference, pause and rewind talks, and take in the science at their own pace.…”

“… 5 Financial barriers, social constraints, opportunity costs, and lack of accessibility hamper meaningful participation by traditionally under-represented groups, including early career researchers, women, researchers from low-income contexts, minority groups, and those with disabilities, among others. 6 A large fraction of international conference emissions come from participant air travel. Before 2020, aviation transportation accounted for 3% of annual global CO 2 emissions.…”

Moving conferences online: lessons learned from an international virtual meeting

“…Finally, the higher representation of early-career researchers at eDSBS ( figure 3 c , e ) was due to a combination of factors such as the meeting's particular focus on this group, the virtual format and ease of use, as well as the much lower registration costs compared with in-person meetings which has led to enhanced early-career participation elsewhere too (e.g. [ 5 , 22 ]). The wide participation of eDSBS from researchers of all career stages, indicates that there is an appetite among the scientific community for early-career-focused meetings with international attendance.…”

The Need for Sustainability, Equity, and International Exchange: Perspectives of Early Career Environmental Psychologists on the Future of Conferences

“…Researchers with disabilities (e.g., deaf and hard of hearing), an often-overlooked disadvantaged group, can benefit from unique features of virtual conferences such as the addition of subtitles to recorded talks ( Huyck et al, 2021 ). Virtual conferences may also increase ECRs’ active participation through reducing social anxieties ( Estien et al, 2021 ). In line with this, participants considered reducing inequalities a compelling reason to change current conference travel practices [ M = 5.89, SD = 1.44, on a scale from 1 (a very bad reason) to 7 (a very good reason)].…”