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[southerntransplant]

Posit:

You are in a STEM field, and submit an abstract to a conference a distance X away from your location. You get word that you did not make the cut for an oral presentation but are welcome to present a poster.

Assume that the glamor and awesomeness of all places "X" away are equal, and budget is not a problem.

Question:

What is "X"?

[barred_owl]

Intriguing question, ST. 

If budget were no problem (this is a fantasy question, right?) and the destination were glamorous and awesome, I'd go halfway around the world to present the poster.  I forget how many miles that is, unfortunately (besides, it would be a function of my present latitude/longitude and the lat/long of the destination). 

Is it safe to assume that travel time is not an issue?  I might balk at going halfway around the world for a one- or two-day conference, unless I could charge additional travel expenses to the appropriate budget to allow for lay-overs, sightseeing, and such. 

Perhaps the time spent at the conference or in glamorous/awesome destination should be greater than the time required to travel there and back?

[thisisme]

Interesting question. I think this depends a lot on the conference. Even if budget is not a problem, it still means to invest my time and I would think about what is reasonable in that regard. Including what barred_owl said, if it is a long travel I will also want to spent sufficient time at the location and if I have never been there to see something around. So the main question is how long would I be away and can I "afford" that timewise?

Hence, it depends on the purpose and expected outcome of the conference. Is it "an important" conference in the field? Will there be people I want to network with, meet, meet again? Will it be a conference where people will indeed look at the posters? Or is it one of the events where only students go to poster sessions? Could I use the opportunity to discuss some ongoing/to be planned collaboration....etc.

In terms of "x": I am happy to travel a west coast - Europe distance e.g. for a Gordon Conference for a poster.

Half around the world for only a poster at a different type of conference, no. (But then again there may be certain reasons in a specific case where I might still think about it.) Preferably there will be a chance to visit other universities/institutes in the country of x where I could give an invited seminar talk or likewise including the usual scientific program around. That way the "output" per time absent from home increases, stay per travel time is more appropriate and it may also automatically create the gaps in the scientific activities needed to at least see a little bit of the "glamor and awesomeness" of the place (if there are universities at awesome place...) and - not that important but still - the whole thing also results in an invited talk in the CV (I do not list posters). Hence, if I can setup a decent composed program and have the time, I would go.

Alternatively, of course if you have worked hard and deserve a break and just really like the awesome place and the budget has no strings how effectively it should be spent - then this is also a very good reason to go.

Almost always I enjoy attending conferences and I do not mind long travel times....

[polly_mer]

Posit:

You are in a STEM field, and submit an abstract to a conference a distance X away from your location. You get word that you did not make the cut for an oral presentation but are welcome to present a poster.

Assume that the glamor and awesomeness of all places "X" away are equal, and budget is not a problem.

Question:

What is "X"?

X=f(conference time/travel time, probability of networking with new people/probability of seeing the same faces, ease of travel*, interest in the rest of the program)

If all those factors are high, then I'm going.  If not, the deciding factors are (in order from most important to least important): interest, networking, time, ease of travel.


*Can I take a commercial flight and taxi or is a burro involved at some point after the once-a-day bus?

[southerntransplant]

X=f(conference time/travel time, probability of networking with new people/probability of seeing the same faces, ease of travel*, interest in the rest of the program)

I usually throw in "cool place for STpouse to come visit" in that argument list.

The inspiration for my question came from the results of a bunch of abstracts we sent to a conference in Hawaii (the Big Island). One was accepted as a presentation and the rest were accepted as posters. We did not make a specific request, but the thought behind selection by the committee is that the really interesting ones are presentations and the rest are posters.

When I emailed one of my collaborators about this, his reply was, "I'm not sure I want to travel that far to present a poster." I don't think the reason is money - he's co-PI with me on the project we wanted to present, so I know he has the budget for the trip. In his mind there seems to be a limit as to where the time he spends traveling is weighed against the poster. This got me thinking how far he would be willing to travel to present a poster.

[wet_blanket]

But the awesomeness of all places "X" away isn't equal!  And if budget isn't a problem, then the awesomeness of the location is at least number 3, maybe number 2, on my list of priorities.  (Number 1 being someone whose paper(s) I have read and filed in my mind as relevant has been at that conference in the last two years/the last two times the conference was held).

Of course, I'm still a grad student and am happy to get even a poster at this stage of my career.

[polly_mer]

When I emailed one of my collaborators about this, his reply was, "I'm not sure I want to travel that far to present a poster." I don't think the reason is money - he's co-PI with me on the project we wanted to present, so I know he has the budget for the trip. In his mind there seems to be a limit as to where the time he spends traveling is weighed against the poster. This got me thinking how far he would be willing to travel to present a poster.

I only go to maybe two conferences a year.  Poster, talk, whatever.  If the conference is good and the timing is good, then I'm in, but I want to present something if possible. 

However, I can definitely see one of my graduate advisors, who travels multiple times a month, deciding to skip a given conference if he was "just" giving a poster.  After all, that conference is one of about 15 he will attend this year all over the world.  He's been lots of good places.  Eh, no trip to Hawaii this year.  No big loss for him.

[msparticularity]

Supposing for a moment that the budget is not a major issue (which is a major exercise in fantasy for me, given my state's and institution's current condition), my calculation would come to two issues: the degree to which I found the destination reasonably appealing, and the collegial/networking opportunities to be found. The latter category, BTW, resides not only in specific opportunities to further my own career, but in the chance to hang out with others that I find fun and interesting.

[totoro]

I've never presented a poster but they aren't that popular in my fields. I would think it an insult if my paper is demoted to a poster and probably wouldn't go. I'm not a big conference goer though and at this point am going to more invited workshops than conferences you need to apply to present at. Right now I'm in India at a workshop I was invited to (i.e. all expenses paid) and am going to the US at the end of September for the same kind of thing. I'm based in Australia. I wouldn't go to give posters for sure, given time constraints and hassle of travel.

[obprof]

If I submit something to a conference, and it is accepted (in any form), then I will feel obligated to attend.

Besides, posters aren't that bad. I like walking around and looking at them, and I've met collaborators that way.

[totoro]

If I submit something to a conference, and it is accepted (in any form), then I will feel obligated to attend.

Why? I guess this is going to be one of those disciplinary things. I think we have gone through before in fact....

[lurkingfear]

It comes down to two things for me - the awesomeness of the location, and the awesomeness of the conference. The latter can mostly make up for the former, though not entirely. I've never submitted an abstract that wasn't accepted as an oral presentation, but if the two parameters above were high, I would likely go even for a poster. It may also depend on the number of people who I already know that will be there. I hate going to meetings where I don't know a single person. I'm much more likely to make meaningful connections with people I don't know, if there are a few people around who I do know.

[larryc]

budget is not a problem . . . What is "X"?

Mars.  I'll go anywhere.

[spork]

e

[polly_mer]

If I submit something to a conference, and it is accepted (in any form), then I will feel obligated to attend.

Why? I guess this is going to be one of those disciplinary things. I think we have gone through before in fact....

I can think of some conferences where everyone except the handful of keynote folks will be giving posters.  "Only" giving a poster in that case means one is normal. 

The American Physical Society March Meeting poster sessions are where all the polymer people hang out.  People travel from all over the world to play meet, greet, and discuss at the poster session.  The choice of poster versus talk in that case is made more on whether one wants a lot of discussion spread over three hours or whether one wants to do a ten-minute "read my paper" advertisement with time for possibly two questions.

A poster isn't necessarily lesser; a poster is necessarily different.

Unlike LarryC, I wouldn't go to Mars (2 year trip each way with current technology), but I will fly anywhere in the US or Canada.