You Should Try Some PCP: A Model Scientific Conference

Recently we asked how many conferences scientists should attend each year.  The vast majority of respondents felt two conferences a year was the ideal number – enough to make it to a large society meeting and a small, specialized conference.  While most of us are familiar with the format of the usual suspects (ACS, AACR, SfN, Gordon conferences – the list goes on), there is another model out there that deserves some attention.

I recently attended The Pacific Coast Protease (PCP) conference outside of San Diego – a small meeting that might be thought of as a multi-lab retreat on steroids. The conference is a collaborative effort between several west-coast protease labs ranging from Vancouver to San Diego.  While a majority of the participants came from one of three labs, there were attendees from a total of six labs present.  Beyond the four PIs in attendance, five outside experts were invited to speak ranging from a Senior Vice President at a major pharmaceutical company to a lowly former protease guy who now works on a website for scientists… (They may need to revisit their definition of “expert”…)

To see why this meeting format has been so successful over the years, we first need to look at what we expect to get out attending a scientific conference.  Next, we’ll explain how the PCP delivered on these expectation and in many cases, exceeded what could be delivered at other meetings.

At a good meeting, we expect to have the opportunity to:

Attend.

While this goes without saying, not all conferences are completely open.  For example, Gordon conferences require applications, which means a desire to attend and a signed check is not enough.  If you want to spend a week this summer sweating it out in the dorms of a liberal arts college, you’d better have a good scientific story to tell…

At PCP: Labs are encouraged to bring as many members as possible – no applications, no labmates left behind.

Network with experts.

Conferences provide the opportunity to finally put faces with the names on the papers you’ve been reading for years.  More importantly, it’s a chance to put your face in front of those people.  Science can be a small world, and you just never know who your next boss, colleague or reviewer may be.

At PCP: What better way to engage experts in the field than to spend three days with them at a conference less than half the size of a Gordon conference?  And at PCP, they’re all leaders in your field, so the value of those connections are incredibly high. The meeting also invited five outside experts, most of whom worked on proteases at some stage in their career.

Practice presenting work.

Giving a good talk is like learning to walk – at first we’re wobbly, scared and glad to be wearing a diaper.  But after bumping into the corner of the coffee table a few times, we get the hang of it and we’re off and running.  Effectively communicating our work is a skill that only develops with practice.

At PCP: Everyone gives a talk – there’s no hiding.  And since the presentations are only 20 minutes long (outside experts’ are 25 minutes), early-stage students with few results needn’t panic.  A short talk in a supportive environment is a great way to let students take those first steps on their own.

Establish collaborations.

Wouldn’t it be cool if our lab had the resources to perform any experiment that we could dream up?  Yeah, and it would also be cool if Nascar wasn’t becoming our new national pastime, but what can you do…  Collaborations enable us to pursue aspects of our projects that might otherwise be impossible due to lack of resources or expertise.  Conferences are a great time to make connections and pitch new ideas to potential collaborators.

At PCP: Each year, the same three or four groups provide the bulk of the attendees for the conference.  As a result, the meeting felt more like a family reunion (without the creepy “uncle” nobody recognizes) than a conference.  The environment was supportive, collaborative and respectful of all ideas.

Learn cutting-edge techniques and science.

Conferences are a great time to hear about the work that’s in press or just about to be.  Maybe you’ll learn of a new technique that can help you get around the roadblock in your project.  Or maybe you’ll get a new idea from a story in a related system.  In either case, understanding the latest techniques and results may be the difference between a five year PhD and an eight year exercise in frustration.

At PCP: Since everyone had to speak and the environment was secure, a vast majority of the results presented were unpublished.  Unlike large conferences in which many of the speakers essentially read you their paper that was published last year, at PCP, students discussed the trials and tribulations of the work they were performing right now.

Develop critical thinking skills.

Asking questions is a great skill that comes with practice.  When just starting out, it can be terrifying.  At a mega-conference, asking the world’s expert a question in front of 2,000 people takes some serious huevos and most likely means we’d remain seated..

At PCP: The rule after any talk was that the first question must be from a student or postdoc – no matter how painful the silence.  As it turned out, there were no awkward silences – in fact, there were just a lot of great questions.

Gain recognition in your field.

After slaving away in the hood for years on end, we all want to be recognized for our work.  Knowing that someone appreciated our contribution can be just the boost of motivation we need to keep going.

At PCP:  The conference closed with an awards ceremony that started with the coveted “Half moon award” (the conference started in Half-Moon Bay) for best talk.  But that was just the beginning… In a show that would have made a stand-up comedian proud, a long list of awards was handed out.  In my personal favorite, one winner (who in describing a stroke-inducing protocol used the unfortunate choice of words, “then I stroke the mouse”) was awarded a box of condoms and a candle for the next time he needed to “stroke his mouse.”  Classic.

Beyond giving our livers a good workout, conferences are important for many aspects of our career advancement.  While the well-known conferences will always play a role in our training, there are certainly other models in which the return on our time, money and career may be much higher.

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For more information on how to start-up a PCP-like conference of your own, feel free to contact PCP founder Matt Bogyo at [email protected].

What conferences do you like to attend?  Which ones do you benefit from most?

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