Every year almost every society or association of science professionals organizes annual conference with important and relevant theme. As a result, we have around 20-30 annual conferences of scientists in our country every year. How effective are these conferences? How influential are they? Do we see visible impact of those conferences? It is difficult to mention because we don’t have any tools to measure the impact of those conferences in our national life. Few of the conferences might impact our publication number as the conference proceedings are published acceptably. Otherwise, these conferences hardly have impact in our national scientific advancement because we are where we were in science and technology over many years.
However, these conference organizers should think how they could increase impact and influence our policy makers positively for scientific advancement of the country. From these conferences, there should have demand to the policy makers to increase allocation of money for research and development and other policy matters. One more thing that can help in scientific advancement of the country is guiding our fresh graduates in their higher study and early career researchers in the their career progression. All the conferences bring together bright and successful academics and researchers in the respective field. If a panel is formed from them and they give advice and share their experiences about higher study and career pathway, that would help fresh graduates to do higher study on right topic, with right supervisor in a right institute for his/her topic of interest. Early career researchers will also be immensely benefitted in finding right topic, right supervisor and right institute. With the increase of our fresh graduates and early career researchers with right topic, right supervisor in a right research organizations/institutes, we will also advance in science and technology.
At present status, a large number of our fresh graduates and early career researchers are not in the right path due to lack of proper guidance and mentoring. As a result, we are loosing huge potential in every subject or branch of sciences. If we can improve the guiding using the conferences that will reduce the wastage of brain and potential of our young scientists.
So organizers of scientific conference can think to accommodate a one hour or longer session for higher study and career advice session in their days long conferences. Apparently this small inclusion and accommodation will have huge impact in the scientific arena of the country as it will show right path for higher study and career progression to a large number of fresh graduates and early career researcher. Such inclusion will also motivate the fresher to attend the conference and conference will be full of life. Hope the organizers will think over the proposal.
