Here is a thought. I spent quite a bit of time on faculty search committees for computer science during the past two years. Through this experience I became familiar with Fuzzy math and neural networks. Frankly, this has revolutionized the way I look at my data sets. This morning it occurred to me (maybe someone said this earlier) that we spend too much time going to meetings in our pigeon-holed disciplines and never venture out. If you attend a few talks on a topic you know nothing about, but can grasp, you can look at your data in a completely different way using techniques that aren't necessarily novel to other fields, but definitely so in your own.
Maybe everyone knows this, but it is new to me! :) On Wed, August 8, 2007 5:51 am, Dragos Zaharescu wrote: > I attend international meetings at distance at least= > > Dear ecologgers,=0A =0AI attend international meetings at distance at > least= > 2 /year on a regular basis and often changing the field (not different > fie= > lds but rather related ones).=0AReasons I do that instead of limiting to > pa= > per readings? =0A:=0A1. Unifying the field around the globe by updating > the= > tools we all use=0A2. Find new ideas within and from out of the field: > for= > richness=0A3. Of course networking with people from different cultures > whi= > ch I found it quite exciting=0A4. Getting out of the routine (lab and > field= > ) for coming back brainstorming and with enthusiasm.=0A5. Why not, a > person= > al discovery of new territories wherever they are=0A =0AAll this provide a > = > rich experience and is non just theory. Since we are still humans, getting > = > in touch phisically and moving around is healthy and enjoyable and I will > b= > e continuing doing it for years.=0A =0AWell, financial reasons for not > thin= > gs are always there as well as others. Personally I save money throughout > t= > he year for attending conferences and never regreted. I consider it a > perio= > dically refreshment activity, from many perspectives, and encourage you > all= > to practice it.=0A=0A Liane is wright in hers last statement > but,...lookin= > g for potential employers did not gave me much results so far. Does any of > = > you have got positive results in this respect? I am quite interested in > fin= > ding that.=0A=0ACheers=0A=0ADragos=0A=0A=0A=0A=0ADragos Zaharescu=0AAnimal > = > Anatomy Laboratory=0AAnimal Biology and Ecology Department=0AFaculty of > Bio= > logical Sciences=0AUniversity of Vigo, apd. 874=0A36200, Vigo, > SPAIN=0Azaha= > [EMAIL PROTECTED]@uvigo.es=0A =0A=0A=0A=0A----- Original Message > = > ----=0AFrom: Liane Cochran-Stafira <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>=0ATo: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > V.UMD.EDU=0ASent: Tuesday, August 7, 2007 6:25:30 PM=0ASubject: Re: > Skippin= > g meetings=0A=0A=0AAt 04:53 PM 8/6/2007, Andrew Park wrote:=0A>Dear > Ecologg= > ers,=0A>=0A>As for meetings, I suspect that they are usually more about > net= > working=0A>(careerism again) and less about achieving progress in a > particu= > lar=0A>field. That's why I do not go to them these days unless I > am=0A>pre= > senting something specific.=0A=0AAndy,=0AI'm rather surprised by this > state= > ment. Yes, grad students and =0Arecent grads may be looking for potential > = > employers, but that is =0Ahardly the main reason people attend ESA or any > o= > ther scientific =0Ameetings. The main goal is to find out what is going > on= > in our own =0Alittle corner of the research world as well as to scout out > = > what's =0Anew in other areas of ecology, microbiology, or whatever. As > som= > eone =0Aelse has mentioned, it's impossible to read all the ecological > =0Ar= > esearch papers, but if I spot an interesting abstract, I can easily =0Aget > = > more information in the form of a talk, seminar presentation, or =0Aposter > = > session. And, I can discuss the research with the author in =0Aperson. > N= > ot sure what meetings you've been attending to come away =0Awith such a > nar= > row view of their > value.=0A=0ACheers,=0ALiane=0A=0A=0A=0A******************= > *********=0AD. Liane Cochran-Stafira, Ph.D.=0AAssociate > Professor=0ADepartm= > ent of Biological Sciences=0ASaint Xavier University=0A3700 West 103rd > Stre= > et=0AChicago, Illinois 60655=0A=0Aphone: 773-298-3514=0Afax: > 773-298-3= > 536=0Aemail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]://faculty.sxu.edu/~cochran/=0A=0A=0A > = > =0A___________________________________________________________________= > _________________Ready for the edge of your seat? =0ACheck out tonight's > to= > p picks on Yahoo! TV. =0Ahttp://tv.yahoo.com/ > Malcolm L. McCallum Assistant Professor of Biology Editor Herpetological Conservationa and Biology [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
