Summary
Maria Alexander opened the final day of the Advancing Research 2023 conference by recapping the event's three themes: research as a transportation force, researchers as organizational change makers, and transforming the craft. She provided important logistical information, such as adjusting to local time zones, utilizing the conference program page, and accessing sessions via live stream or Zoom for sponsor content. Maria stressed the significance of community engagement through Slack, where attendees can ask questions, seek support, and connect with sponsors. She introduced the digital swag bag, explained how to access it via QR codes or URL, and acknowledged the critical role sponsors and the conference librarian, Lauren Cantor, play in delivering a valuable experience. Maria closed by emphasizing the importance of kindness, respect, and adherence to the code of conduct to ensure a safe and positive virtual community experience.
Key Insights
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The conference focused on three main themes over three days, culminating in transforming research craft.
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Maria Alexander is the conference facilitator, guiding attendees through logistics and engagement tips.
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Adjusting session times to local time zones is crucial to avoid missing presentations.
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Sponsor sessions run parallel but do not overlap with paid conference sessions and are free to attend.
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Sponsor content is delivered via Zoom to distinguish it from the main livestream sessions.
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Slack is the primary platform for active community discussions, questions, and support during the conference.
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Questions for presenters should be posted in the specific thread associated with their talk to avoid being lost.
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The digital swag bag offers virtual goodies accessible with either a QR code scan or a direct link.
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Lauren Cantor, the conference librarian, curates session notes, resources, and links to enhance participant experience.
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A strong code of conduct is maintained to ensure all participants feel safe and respected in the virtual community.
Notable Quotes
"We are on our third and final day of Advancing Research 2023."
"Please be sure to make sure you change your conference itinerary to your local time zone."
"The sponsor sessions are optional but offer incredibly high content and are not sales pitches."
"If you want to attend sponsor sessions, just click the Zoom link in your itinerary once to register for all."
"Slack is where most of the discussion is going to be happening, including questions you can ask presenters."
"Please put your question in the thread associated with the talk so it doesn’t get lost in the feed."
"You do not need to take notes; session notes, sketch notes, videos, and slides will all be shared online."
"Lauren Cantor is our conference librarian, who keeps all links and resources organized so we don’t have to Google during sessions."
"Even though we are a virtual community, we are still a community obligated to treat each other with kindness and respect."
"If you don’t feel comfortable engaging or have an issue, please let us know. It’s important you have a positive conference experience."
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