How many conferences do academics attend per year?
I recently ran a poll about the number of conferences academics attend, and the results are in: the vast majority travel to 1 – 4 conferences per year.
I tend to attend a bit more than 4 conferences per year, because there are a number of conferences that I don’t like skipping – but my conference travel schedule tends to be packed and exhausting. And as a new mom, it’s time to reconsider and evaluate where my priorities lie.
Over the past years, I’ve attended these conferences:
- ACI Conventions: twice per year, always in North America – and I don’t like to skip these because I serve on committees that meet at these conventions.
- TRB Annual meeting: every January, in DC – which I don’t like to skip because of the committee meetings
- IABSE – holds symposium once per year and a conference once per year. I attend every now and then.
- IABMAS – holds a conference every other year, which I try to attend every time.
- IALCCE – holds a conference every other year, which I try to attend.
- fib – holds a symposium every year, which I try to attend.
- ESREL – Safety and reliability are not my main research topics, so I’ve been sending in papers only a few times.
- ICCRRR – these conferences are only every 3 years.
- Euro-C – only once every 4 years, and usually my co-author/colleague goes there
- ASCE Structures Congress – once a year in the USA, but I’ve only gone once
- Stuctural Faults and Repair – every other year. I’ve gone once; the other years their dates coincided with IABMAS.
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