Most faculty and students attend conferences to present their work. This means they have either a poster or presentation that summarizes a project & shares the results with their community.
Good conference presentations are thoughtful, well-designed & carefully scripted. They are also usually summarized in an abstract or full paper in the conference proceedings. So if you miss the presentation, you may not miss much.
As much as I like presentations, the exciting parts of conferences are unscripted - where sometimes sparks fly!
That means going to panels.
Panels bring together scholars & practitioners with contrasting views. They are usually organized around a broad theme, include a few colorful personalities, & often deviate from the promised script in the abstract.
You never know what will happen, what will be disclosed, & what you will learn.
I have attended panels where people declare a method dead & the author of the method declared them fools, where people have accused editors of bias & editors have responded that people need to do better work, & where #seniorscholars & #earlycareerscholars have demonstrated they live in different worlds, e.g., the old seem out of touch.
Panels are where you learn about the fracture lines, disputed ideas, & what is coming next - because people really are speaking their minds.
They are where people drop comments that are repeated for years to come.
My fascination with them has reached the point where I often don’t attend #paper or #poster sessions & do attend panels - & consider a conference a success if I make it to more than one.
So how do I pick panels to attend? And what do I learn from them?
First. I pick panels on research topics & methods.
Usually, these panels are organized around either a breakthrough idea or innovation. I’ve found that they are great sources of ideas for what or how to study a phenomenon.
Sparks usually fly - as people defend their ideas or condemn topics as dated or boring.
Second. I enjoy panels on career management.
If I were #earlycareer, I would hit every one of them. They are wellsprings of ideas - & usually, there is a nugget or two that I haven’t thought about.
I enjoy hearing about the experiences of others.
Third. I look for panels composed of contrasting views.
Remember, I like watching the tussle of ideas.
If a panel is comprised of people who share the same worldview, it’s about as exciting as watching paint dry.
Fourth, I value panels with #diversemembers.
A good panel will mix men & women, people from different places or different experiences & capture the breadth of the field.
Fifth, I like panels after lunch.
Rarely have I heard a #controversialstatement before noon from the podium.
After lunch, the senior #faculty let their inner ogres out & squabble. It can be spectacular!
So don’t miss out, attend panels, & enjoy the show!
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