One Attempt at Building an Inclusive & Accessible Hybrid Astronomy Conference: FRB 2025

TL;DR

FRB 2025 addresses the problem of limited accessibility in a rapidly expanding FRB field by implementing an inclusive, hybrid conference design in Montréal with over 200 participants. The approach combines an ECR-led organizational structure, dual-anonymous abstract review, a pedagogical day, low-cost attendance, vegetarian catering, flash talks, and robust online engagement via YouTube and Slack. Post-conference feedback indicates strong online participation and value placed on the pedagogical day and content accessibility, while highlighting challenges in AV execution, visa timing, and the poster format. The work demonstrates that high-quality, inclusive, hybrid conferences are feasible on modest budgets and offers concrete recommendations for future FRB meetings and other scientific communities seeking greater inclusivity and sustainability.

Abstract

The rapid expansion of the Fast Radio Burst (FRB) field has been accompanied by a simultaneous growth of FRB conferences. While these meetings are essential for interacting with other researchers and establishing collaborations, many remain only accessible to those with substantial travel funding, flexible schedules, or geographical proximity. This introduces barriers that predominantly affect early career researchers (ECRs) and people from under-resourced regions, limiting the growth, diversity, and sustainability of the community. To address these issues, the FRB 2025 conference, held in Montréal in July 2025 with over 200 participants, was designed to prioritize inclusivity and accessibility alongside scientific excellence. In this work, we describe how we implemented these goals, including: organizing committees spearheaded by ECRs, a fully hybrid format including YouTube livestreams, low registration fees, a pedagogical day at the beginning of the conference, local vegetarian catering, and the implementation of flash-talks instead of posters. From a post-conference survey of participants, we were able to assess the effectiveness of our initiatives. Notably, we received very positive feedback from the online participants, which amounted to roughly half of the attendees, especially regarding the livestreams and talk recordings. The pedagogical day was also greatly appreciated. The low registration fees naturally led to challenges, in particular with the audio-visual management, and although areas for improvement were noted, such as poster sessions and support for attendees requiring visas, the conference was generally viewed as a success. Our experience demonstrates that highly accessible, hybrid conferences are possible within modest budgets ($\$20$k CAD), and we outline recommendations for future conferences, both in the FRB field and in other domains.

Figures (4)

• Figure 1: Survey responses to whether future FRB conferences should similarly have a pedagogical day.
• Figure 2: Top: Survey responses as to the usefulness of the pedagogical day content. Bottom: Same as above, but for the complexity of the content.
• Figure 3: Survey responses to whether participants expect to use the YouTube recordings in the future.
• Figure 4: Survey responses to whether the number of talks were appropriate.