It has begun! After >10000 slack messages, and 1000s messages on twitter the Photonics Online Meetup is live, with a poster session today 9th and talks on Monday 13th. There is still time to register here https://sites.usc.edu/pom/.
Will the Photonics Online Meetup help improving our scientific discussions? will it reduce our carbon footprint? Will it broaden participation?
It all started with a tweet, discussing with @sylvaingigan an idea amplified by the the twitterverse, and by a great team @ProfArmani (US) and @Orad (Canada) our chairs, @mickeykats (US), @rachel_grange (Switzerland), @r1cc4rd0 (UK), and @igordownunder (Australia). https://twitter.com/r1cc4rd0/status/1170316966307016704?s=20
What really surprises me are the hubs, self-organised physical meetings which empower #POM20. Most of them secured local funding, offer refreshments, organise an additional poster session. This could not have been possible without you, thank you.
Now with over 700 registered users, 60 hubs covering the globe, the size of the largest photonic conferences. How exciting! Will it work? As a scientist I value the experiment, no matter which results it brings, so let's find out on Monday 13th 2020 @PhotonicsMeetup #POM20 (5/5)
References:
https://sites.usc.edu/pom/
https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/193668/physicists-hold-free-global-onlineonly-conference/