The CASA-VLBI workshop goes virtual

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.© Mikhail Lisakov, Ilsang Yoon, Des Small

Originally intended as an in-person workshop for ~40 people, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the organisers of the CASA-VLBI workshop to an online platform. A week before the workshop, there were almost 200 registered participants, from 40 different countries and 16 different time zones.

The lectures covered a range of topics, addressing both beginners and advanced participants. A consistent core of 50-60 participants was very active, and as widely spread as the registrations indicated.

Live streaming to YouTube enabled access to captioning for non-native English speakers and people with hearing impairment. Interactions with participants were mainly through the MatterMost chat platform, where tutors literally had their hands full in keeping track of everything. Each day there were several plenary sessions where important processing issues were discussed.

Social interaction is severely limited in online meetings, but does not need to be entirely absent. Following the idea of the ‘Future of meetings’ meeting, a joint walk was organized using the WorldWalking platform. The meeting ended with a very successful pub-quiz, and the winner will receive a fabulous JIVE mug.

Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, many participants indicated that they could not have joined for an in-person meeting. With the lessons learned from this edition, the future CASA-VLBI workshops will surely have a virtual component.

All materials from this edition will be kept for future reference on the workshop website.