1
|
Brohus M, Bootman MD, Bultynck G. Sustainability in a broad sense: An essential aspect of scientific conferences. Bioessays 2024; 46:e2400017. [PMID: 38713171 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202400017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2024] [Revised: 04/17/2024] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
This article reflects on sustainability in the context of scientific conferences with emphasis on environmental, diversity, inclusivity, and intellectual aspects. We argue that it is imperative to embrace sustainability as a broad concept during conference organization. In-person conferences have an obvious environmental impact but mitigating strategies can be implemented, such as incentivizing low-emission travel, offering fellowships to support sustainable traveling, and promoting use of public transport or car-pooling. Utilizing eco-conscious venues, catering, and accommodations, along with minimizing resource wastage, further reduces environmental impact. Additional considerations include facilitating hybrid format conferences that allow both in-person and online attendance. Hybrid conferences enhance global participation whilst reducing resource consumption and environmental impact. Often-overlooked benefits can arise from the simple recording of talks to enable asynchronous viewing for people unable to attend in person, in addition to providing a legacy of knowledge that, for example, could support the training of early career researchers (ECRs) or newcomers in the field. The longevity of a research field, intellectual sustainability, requires an inclusive conference atmosphere, offering optimal opportunities for ECRs, minority groups, and researchers from emerging countries. Diversity and inclusivity not only enrich conference experiences but also enhances creativity and innovation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Malene Brohus
- Laboratory of Medical Biotechnology, Aalborg University, Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Martin D Bootman
- School of Life, Health and Chemical Sciences, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, UK
| | - Geert Bultynck
- KU Leuven, Laboratory of Molecular & Cellular Signaling, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Leuven, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Speelman-Rooms F, Vanmunster M, Coughlan A, Hinrichs M, Pontisso I, Barbeau S, Parpaite T, Bultynck G, Brohus M. 10th European Calcium Society symposium: The Ca2+-signaling toolkit in cell function, health and disease. Biol Open 2024; 13:bio060357. [PMID: 38661208 PMCID: PMC11070784 DOI: 10.1242/bio.060357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
The 10th European Calcium Society symposium, organized in Leuven, Belgium on November 15-17, 2023, focused on the role of Ca2+ signaling in cell function, health and disease. The symposium featured six scientific sessions, 16 invited speakers - of whom two were postdoctoral researchers - and 14 short talks. The talks covered various aspects of intracellular Ca2+ signaling and its implications in pathology. Each session was opened by one or more invited speakers, followed by a series of presentations from speakers selected from submitted abstracts. Through short talks, poster presentations, awards, and sustainable travel fellowships, the symposium also fostered opportunities for the active participation of early-career researchers. At least half of the short talks were allocated to early-career researchers, thereby offering a platform for the presentation of ongoing work and unpublished results. Presentations were also broadcast in real-time for online attendees. In this Meeting Review, we aim to capture the spirit of the meeting and discuss the main take-home messages that emerged during the symposium.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Femke Speelman-Rooms
- KU Leuven, Lab. Molecular & Cellular Signaling, Dep. Cellular & Molecular Medicine, Campus Gasthuisberg O/N-I bus 802, Herestraat 49, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
- KU Leuven, Lab. Chemical Biology, Dep. Cellular & Molecular Medicine, Campus Gasthuisberg O/N-I bus 901, Herestraat 49, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Maarten Vanmunster
- KU Leuven, Lab. Molecular & Cellular Signaling, Dep. Cellular & Molecular Medicine, Campus Gasthuisberg O/N-I bus 802, Herestraat 49, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Aled Coughlan
- Cardiff University, Biomedicine Division, School of Biosciences, Sir Martin Evans Building, Museum Avenue, CF10 3AX, Cardiff, Wales, UK
| | - Macarena Hinrichs
- University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, The Calcium Signalling Group, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Biology, Hamburg 20251, Germany
| | - Ilaria Pontisso
- Institut de Biologie Intégrative de la Cellule (I2BC) - Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-Sur-Yvette, 91190, France
| | - Solene Barbeau
- UC Louvain, Institute of Neuroscience, Pôle Cellulaire et Moléculaire, avenue Mounier 53, 1200 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Thibaud Parpaite
- UC Louvain, Institute of Neuroscience, Pôle Cellulaire et Moléculaire, avenue Mounier 53, 1200 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Geert Bultynck
- KU Leuven, Lab. Molecular & Cellular Signaling, Dep. Cellular & Molecular Medicine, Campus Gasthuisberg O/N-I bus 802, Herestraat 49, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Malene Brohus
- Aalborg University, Dept. Chemistry and Bioscience, Fredrik Bajers Vej 7H, 9220 Aalborg, Denmark
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Parys JB, Bultynck G. Preface to the Special Issue of the European Calcium Society in honor of Professor Sir Michael J. Berridge. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-MOLECULAR CELL RESEARCH 2021; 1869:119172. [PMID: 34774604 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2021.119172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jan B Parys
- KU Leuven, Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Signaling, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine & Leuven Kanker Instituut, Campus Gasthuisberg O/N-1 B-802, Herestraat 49, BE-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Geert Bultynck
- KU Leuven, Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Signaling, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine & Leuven Kanker Instituut, Campus Gasthuisberg O/N-1 B-802, Herestraat 49, BE-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
| |
Collapse
|