In a previous post, I promised a discussion about observing proposals, but Tyler beat me to it. So instead I want to shed some light on another aspect of the scientific life: the conference. I was thinking back on this, and amusingly, the first scientific conference I ever went to was the 1993 meeting of the Canadian Astronomical Society (CASCA), which was held right here at Western. I certainly never suspected then that I would end up back here as a prof.

There are different types of scientific conferences with different purposes. Scientific societies tend to have regularly-scheduled (N times per year, where 1/3<N<2) meetings. These provide opportunities for everyone in the field to get together: besides talks about science, they also often feature award presentations, trade shows, job interviews and meetings needed to run the society. We hosted the 2011 CASCA meeting here in London and have all mostly recovered from the experience. This type of meeting is often characterized as being more about networking than about science, though it can provide a good introduction to the field for new trainees.

Another type of meeting is the smaller meeting focused  on a particular topic. These meetings often have limited attendance and (at least in astronomy) are more likely to be on university campuses than at big conference centres. In this kind of meeting, the science talks and posters are the main focus. Networking also happens, of course, and can be more productive because all of the attendees have common interests.

I am going to 3 meetings this summer, which is more than usual. Meeting number 1 is the CASCA meeting in Calgary  which will feature an outing for the June 5 transit of Venus. Meeting number 2 is The Great Andromeda Galaxy, a specialized workshop on my favorite galaxy. And  meeting #3 is the 2012 Gemini Science meeting,  for which I somehow ended up being chair of the Science Organizing committee. I also wanted to go to a meeting called “Astronomy’s Discoveries and Physics Education”but it’s at the same time as meeting #2 above. Can’t be everywhere.

When I tell my non-scientist friends that I am going to a conference, they often ask “Are you going with anyone else from Western?” and “Will you have time to do any sight-seeing?” I try to explain that the purpose of going to a conference is not exactly to have a holiday with your friends. It really is all about meeting new colleagues (or old ones that you don’t see regularly) and talking science. Conferences can be intense and exhausting, particularly for introverts who find all the social interaction to be a bit much. But, in the best cases, conferences leave one energized and ready to go back home to work on all kinds of new ideas.

OK, I lied: sometimes conferences are related to holidays. My spouse is attending the 2012 annual meeting of the ISMRM and I am going along to Melbourne, Australia. Expect reports from the southern hemisphere next month.