This year’s long delayed CRC Autumn School will take place on November 19 and 20. In every other year, invited international experts and CRC members would gather on site in Chemnitz for two days of lectures, poster presentations, discussions, initiation of cooperations, and development of new project ideas. During the breaks and in the evening they would socialize, eat together and just have a good time.
Due to COVID-19, this year will be different. The international experts will only participate virtually as will some of the CRC members. Even though we are still hoping that the majority of the CRC members will be able to meet on site, social distancing will be the order of the day. We might even switch the Autumn School entirely to an online-only event if the situation demands it.
So this year is different. And yet the very core of the Autumn School will not change. Whatever its ultimate format, researchers with various backgrounds in embodied technologies will gather to jointly advance the field.
We have an exciting list of speakers who will present the latest developments in their respective research areas: Prof. Natalie Sebanz (Central European University, Budapest/Vienna), Prof. Natasha Merat (University of Leeds), Prof. Abdulmotaleb El Saddik (University of Ottawa), and Prof. Giulio Sandini (Italian Institute of Technology; University of Genoa). Two additional sessions will address key issues for scientific research in general and research in the CRC in particular: (1) equality in science and (2) the CRC’s information infrastructure. And last but not least, the CRC PhD students will present posters of their work and discuss their recent findings and planned research with internal and external experts.
Thus, I have no doubt that despite this year’s restrictions the Autumn School will be a success and will provide new insights, new synergies, and renewed verve. And yes, we will also have a great time.
Diana Armbruster (Coordinator Research Training Group)