[Taxacom] Video-conferencing (was: Symposium on "Integration of fish fossil...")

[Kenneth Kinman]

Hi Francesco,
       Don't mean to pick on this symposium in particular, but this
seems like a good example where future such symposia could get a broader
participation (probably even at a lower cost) by spending funds on
offering skype or other internet conferencing (or even traditional
video-conferencing) rather than subsidizing air travel, hotel expenses,
etc., and also achieve a wider range of international participation.  
      
     And as travel expenses continue to increase and the cost of
internet conferencing options
decrease, such alternatives will increasingly become so much less
expensive that it will become a no-brainer.  It's also environmentally
more responsible, and I believe that wider participation would also
outweigh any of the supposed advantages of face-to-face interactions of
a more limited number of researchers at international meetings. 

      It doesn't make sense to continue 20th Century type meetings when
21st Century meetings can be done less expensively, in a more
environmentally responsible manner, and also bring in a wider range of
participants.  Of course, it is always difficult to challenge the system
and the momentum of doing things in the "traditional" manner, but
eventually economic considerations will take over anyway, so why not
embrace such changes in a gradual manner (rather than having them forced
upon you more abruptly in the near future).  Puzzling to me why some
people would opt for being dragged into the 21st Century kicking and
resisting, rather than embracing such changes for all the advantages
that they will bring to a wider range of scientific information
exchange.  
             ----------Ken

-------------------------------------------------------------
Francesco Santini wrote:
    Dear colleagues, 
I would like to bring to your attention the symposium on "Integration of
fish fossil data into phylogenetic and comparative studies" that will
take place on July 4 at the University of Liege during the upcoming
European Congress of Ichthyology (http://www.eci-14.ulg.ac.be/). I am
hoping that this symposium will be a chance to bring together both neo-
and paleo-ichthyologists that are integrating fossil data into
systematic and macroevolutionary studies (e.g., phylogenetic inference
using both extant and extinct taxa, dating of molecular trees,
morphospace evolution across major clades, historical biogeography, mass
extinctions, etc.) to discuss some of the advances in the field and some
of the remaining challenges. Some financial support is available to help
defray registration or travel costs for a few students and postdocs that
plan to attend this symposium. Please note that the deadline for early
registration for the congress and for submitting abstracts for the
symposium is March 12th. Interested parties should feel free to email me
with any questions. 
Francesco Santini 
-- 
Francesco Santini 
Senior Research Associate 
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 
University of California at Los Angeles 
610 Charles E. Young Drive South 
Room 2153, Terasaki Life Sciences Building 
Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA