SciBarCamb2011

This topic covers a slightly different, an unconference! SciBarCamb is the fourth science unconference that has been organised, and this one took place in Cambridge, UK, over the weekend of the 8th-9th of April. The following report comes from Ret Mutant (@clearsci) who blogs at Clear Sci.

For more information as to why the event is called SciBarCamb, go here.

Name: Ret Mutant
Location: Cambridge, UK
Date: 9th April, final day of SciBarCamb.

SciBarCamb (the 4^th SciBarCamp) is a science unconference. In a nutshell, it’s a conference without invited speakers, or a pre-planned schedule. The concept has been around for about 15 years now and is a great way for people to meet and share their ideas with people from a range of backgrounds. I was lucky enough to be one of the organisers of this event, the first to be held in Cambridge. The growing popularity of unconferences is highlighted by the fact that the first set of tickets to go on sale sold out in just over an hour.

The 100 registered participants all came together on Friday night and everyone was invited to submit talks or discussions that they would like to host. Everyone was then able to vote on which they thought sounded most interesting and these were then scheduled for the following day.

The main event was held throughout the following day at the Cambridge Union Society and covered a diverse range of sessions applicable to various different aspects of science. Sessions ranged from enthusiastic discussions of celebrity endorsement of science and the future of peer review in research to making balloon DNA and presentations on the use of animation and computer graphics in science communication. There were also several more specific presentations discussing means to store, present and share genomic data effectively, investigating patterns in different types of music, and looking at how to teach computers to understand rare diseases.

SciBarCamb was well received by all and is a brilliant demonstration that all you really need to get interesting dialogue going is a group of people and somewhere for them to talk. Unconferences are a fantastic way to get to know all sorts of different people and are a great way of sharing thoughts on important issues in an interdisciplinary manner, which can give rise to all kinds of new research ideas and opportunities. The open format of unconferences like SciBarCamb is also a great way for young scientists who are unlikely to be invited to speak at conferences under the normal format, to develop their ideas and reputations in front of their peers and several pre-eminent scientists.

The day ended in the University of Cambridge debating hall, where a mock vote was held, on the motion: “We think scientists should reclaim the word ‘Boffin’ as our own, as we have already done with ‘Geek’ and ‘Nerd’.” A motion that was supported by the vast majority of attendees. Our model of the DNA helix, made solely of balloons, was then carried ceremoniously to the famous Eagle pub, in central Cambridge for the appreciation of all the patrons.

There have been many request for further SciBarCambs in the future and planning is already underway for @SciBarCampVIE (Vienna) which should be happening before the end of the year. An unconference is comparatively cheap and easy to put together and similar events have been organised for many different subjects, including CupcakeBarCamp. So if you want to discuss your work, share ideas or just get to know people, why not put together your own BarCamp on whatever catches your interest.