Can you hear me? Your microphone is muted! Did it open? These may be some of the most commonly heard phrases of 2020 and 2021, as millions of virtual meetings were held every day around the world.
With the adaptations needed to ensure the safety of CNPEM’s staff and partners, new forms of communication and interaction were established to make sure that training and extension activities continued as planned.
Although in-person interactions were interrupted, the virtual events provided significant learning and a greater reach for the Center’s events and workshops, making it easier for participants and lecturers around the world to participate.
Looking for security amid uncertainties. Reinventing ourselves, learning, and accepting the shift to the virtual format was crucial in the beginning. We were able to master virtual event platforms in a short time, which helped preparation and confidence during the process of planning and carrying out the new events. It was not easy, but instead a major challenge.
When events are well organized they build identity and have a positive influence, facilitating communication between external and internal publics. But just transferring experience from face-to-face events to the virtual setting is not enough: the key word is adaptation.
Social distancing has reinforced the importance of dialog between people, but the virtual setting confirmed that even behind screens, videos, buttons, and various tools, this can be possible when everyone wants to make it happen. The virtual format can also be a great enabler, and a new gateway for domestic and international participants.
It was a privilege to work with professionals at CNPEM who were willing to improve and explore this “new world.” Without this teamwork, CNPEM’s successful virtual events during recent years would not have been possible.
When in-person events are possible again, I believe there is a chance both modalities will be combined into hybrid events that incorporate the best of both formats as an alternative to engage and attract different audiences to the Center.
Lucas Dias
Administrative assistant at CNPEM
On May 17, 2021, CNPEM held a virtual guided tour at Sirius to celebrate the International Day of Light, which is celebrated each year on May 16. Over roughly an hour, visitors were able to learn more about the project and details of Sirius’s first experimental stations, that use different types of techniques to reveal the structure of all types of materials. The virtual visit featured the presence of Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Marcos Pontes, and was broadcast live on CNPEM and MCTI’s YouTube channels. Also present was Minister of Health, Marcelo Queiroga. The visit was reported by various large-scale as well as local news sources including TV Bandeirantes, G1, UOL, and CanalTech. On CNPEM’s YouTube channel, the tour received over thirteen thousand views.
JOÃO CARLOS SETUBAL
Full Professor, University of São Paulo, Institute of Chemistry, Biochemistry Department, Brazil
“I first got to know CNPEM during a visit to the researcher Mario Murakami, scientific director of the LNBR, in October 2018. It was a great visit: Mario offered us a tour of the facilities, which are first class. The campus is also very nice, with a number of lush trees. My experience participating in the online IBSB: Enzymes for Biorenewables event was excellent. The event was very well organized, and the lectures I attended were at a high level. The audience’s participation was also very stimulating.
But it must be said that an online event is not the same as a face-to-face event. In terms of on-paper (or on-screen!) programming there may not be much difference, but in terms of chances to interact with participants there is a world of difference. And it is precisely during these informal interactions (coffee breaks, for example) that a lot happens and many things are learned.
So being unable to have this interpersonal contact is a great loss. But we shouldn’t get too upset about this, since that is not the main comparison. During these pandemic times, the main comparison is whether you have an online event or have no event. And clearly, having an event is much better than not having one. For this reason, I am very grateful to the IBSB organizers for taking the initiative to offer it.”
MUNIR SALOMÃO SKAF
Full Professor, University of Campinas, Center for Computing in Engineering and Sciences, Brazil
“I have been familiar with CNPEM for several years and I have been working with several scientists from this magnificent set of national laboratories.
The scientific work that is being done at CNPEM is at the highest level, and the researchers, mostly talented young people, are very open to and supportive of cooperative work. This not only adds value to the science, but makes it enjoyable to work together.
This third edition of the IBSB Workshop, like the previous ones, was outstanding for its high academic level and the informal atmosphere that encouraged the significant participation by the public: not only as listeners, but as active participants, willing to ask questions and able to discuss the different topics without the inhibition that is seen in many scientific events. Much of this was due to the excellent work by the organizers, who emphasized from the outset that “it’s all about talking, participating, and interacting” so that science can move forward better. The group of speakers was especially well chosen. There was wide variety of topics and scope of techniques, as well as representativeness among the speakers, which made this event one of the best I have participated in recently.
A face-to-face conference obviously has its advantages in terms of peer interaction. We are social animals by nature, and having coffee together while discussing science is priceless, but the digital format does not leave anything to be desired for lectures. The quality of the seminars is not affected and you gain from the audience reached, which is much greater in an online setting. You also can have a speaker on the other side of the world, very conveniently and at zero cost. I personally have adapted well to the remote style for seminars and group meetings. Being able to wear shorts and flip-flops also has its advantages.”
MARÍA FERNANDA MERA
Centro de Excelencia en Productos y Procesos (CEPROCOR), Argentina
“I work on a phytoremediation project for soil contaminated with toxic metals, in order to reduce childhood lead exposure. Even low levels of exposure can cause severe and, in some cases, irreversible neurological damage. Techniques based on synchrotron light are increasingly used in soil/plant systems to evaluate toxic metals, and have important environmental science applications.
The AgroEnviro Workshop helped me learn about innovative techniques based on synchrotron light and their applications in environmental science. The event also gave me the chance to meet new researchers who work on topics similar to my line of work.”
A moment of exchange between the various audiences that make up Ilum was essential for establishing the identity of this innovative teaching initiative in Brazil
As a way to support and feed the pedagogical maturation process, Ilum promotes a cycle of discussions on topics related to teaching, science, technology and innovation,“ Ilum Dialogues”. The event aims at educators, potential students and others interested in science and teaching. In 2021, thirty lectures were held on topics such as Meaningful Learning, Scale-up teaching methodology, the role of scientists in scientific dissemination, contributions from the neuroscience to teaching, modelling and experimentation in science teaching, phenomena and devices particles, form, function and information in biology, environment, history of science, mathematics applied and “fuzzy logic”, among others.
PATRICK MAIA MERÍSIO
Labor Prosecution Office
Workgroup on Nanotechnology – Impacts on workplace health and safety
“I have been in contact with the impacts of nanotechnology in the work environment since 2017, on behalf of a study group (which was later converted into a working group). I have interacted with social movements, public agencies (particularly the MCTI), researchers, scientists, and legal scholars, with the challenge of ensuring sustainable development amid precautions and considering the impacts of regulating nanotechnology, with participation from the public and society at large through making information accessible to the population.
The event helped a lot, because it provided experiences and case studies, revealing significant concerns with the scientific methodology of sustainability and environmental protection. I was able to become familiar with accessible data from renowned experts and researchers, especially on environmental and occupational safety.”
CARLO DE OLIVEIRA MARTINS
Researcher at the John Innes Centre, United Kingdom
“In my current role, I provide support for mass spectrometry experiments to researchers at Norwich Research Park, as well as external users, in addition to a wide variety of proteomic experiments, mainly in co-immunoprecipitation. We also work with small molecules.
I used LNBio’s open mass spectrometry installation throughout my doctorate for protein identification.
I’m always working on new projects; I always need to learn new techniques to help researchers answer their scientific questions.
I always try to participate in the LNBio workshops, which bring in influential speakers from the area of proteomics. We have the opportunity to discuss and always learn something new in mass spectrometry. The event always presents the most recent developments in proteomics, an area in which changes occur very quickly.”