Hi All,
This post provides updates on StanCon and solicits suggestions & proposals. With much deliberation the @SGB has decided that in lieu of a full day event, for the year of 2021 we adopt the format of a series of minisymposia. Each minisymposium will take approximately 2-3 hours, and four such events in total will be held throughout the year, roughly one per quarter. There are many factors behind this decision, including
- to improve engagement in virtual setting. From both collected feedback and personal anecdotes we see suboptimal cognitive engagement in many-hour online meetings. This is directly reflected on the quality of discussions.
- to reduce organization overhead. A large event like StanCon 2020 is built on many contributors’ effort, and the pandemic keeps bringing hardships. Spreading the events through the year helps to cope these new challenges.
- to make better Stan-themed events. Many of us are familiar with organizing in-person meetings while less so with large-scale online gatherings. More frequent events help us collect feedback and fine-tune future ones.
- to introduce alternative format to in-person meetings. Even with full reopening and return of in-person meeting, regular minisymposium could stay as another gathering opportunity for the community.
While we’re working on minisymposium guidelines, we’d like to hear from you, on issues such as
- how do we name this series?
- what format would you like to see?
- what topic would you like to participate?
- …
We’d also like to have a pilot run in April-May. So if you and someone you know could be interested in organizing the first minisymposium, please reach out to us (board@mc-stan.org) with:
- topic/field you’re proposing.
- potential presenters you can invite.
- potential dates/time zones.
All proposals and suggestions are welcome.
Thank you,
SGB