Theory and Mathematics in Biology and Medicine (TMBM - 99)
Scientific Outcome: The TMBM conference was both scientifically and socially a great success. The 532 participants came from all over Europe and from other continents and far outnumbered the expectations. The scientific program was broad ranging and stimulating, the attendance of all sessions was continuously high (despite the seductions of Amsterdam). The conference was a living proof that large-scale meetings like this are very important for the field as a whole. Participants broadened their views by coming into contact with areas and topics that they would not encounter in specialist conferences that they would usually attend. Many of the session-topics and plenary speakers were chosen specifically to reflect areas that will certainly come into prominence in the next decade. The central message is that scientists who apply mathematical reasoning to obtain insight into biological and medical phenomena can obtain new ideas, methodology, and collaborators for their research at a broad scale meeting like this. Judging from the continuously high attendance and the fact that all meeting rooms, coffee areas and corridors were buzzing with discussion throughout the meeting we conclude that this central objective was achieved. The high attendance by young researchers (25% of participants), researchers from Eastern European countries (7%) and from Western Europe and the USA, together with the informal atmosphere of the meeting, induced considerable interaction from which all people involved certainly derived benefit. Only at meetings like this do researchers have the opportunity to discuss their work with well-known experts in diverse fields of mathematical biology. The program and set-up of the meeting was specifically tailored to create ample opportunity for these interactions. Participants: There were 532 participants, of which 25% was student. Students paid a greatly reduced fee (50%). One of the aims of the organizers to stimulate the attendance of students was therefore achieved. A second aim was to stimulate the attendance of researchers from Eastern Europe. This aim was also met since 7% of the participants came from Eastern Europe. This is substantially more than is usual for a meeting like this. Many of these researchers were subsidized from the EU-grant on a competition basis. We provided grants to 24 participants, all from Eastern Europe. These grants consisted of Dfl 600,00. In addition the fee was waived and the recipients received a free public transport ticket. Furthermore, they were assisted in finding good but affordable accommodation. Scientific Program: The program consisted of 24 sessions with 417 lectures and posters and a tremendous amount of scientific information was exchanged during the meeting. The level of the contributions was generally high as was the appreciation by the participants. The organizers invited 19 plenary speakers, who received a subsidy for travel and accommodation and a fee-waiver. The speakers were chosen with the aim to cover both established research areas, but also exciting new areas with which participants otherwise do not get into contact. Notably the latter type of plenary speaker was very much appreciated. One explicit aim of the organizers was to increase the quality of the poster session. Previous meetings with this broad range of topics tended to have poster sessions that were very ill attended. With increasing the quality we mean not just the quality of the contributions, but specifically the amount of attention given to it during the meeting. Also, the abstract book makes no distinction between oral contributions and posters, thus stressing that both are equally valuable as scientific contribution to the meeting. Also in this aim, the present meeting was very successful. The poster session, containing 162 posters, was scheduled in the middle of the afternoon on three consecutive days without any competing activities. Posters were put up for one day only, grouped according to the oral session of the corresponding day, and the researcher presenting the poster was present during the whole session. We can safely say that the attendance, discussion and interaction during these sessions was the highest of any comparable conference. It was uniformly very busy during all three sessions. At the closing of the conference three participants received a prize for their poster (and 7 others received an honorary mention) in front of all participants. Social Activities:
The social activities consisted of a welcome reception, where the
organizers provided a full Indonesian meal for all participants (which was
very much appreciated); ample time given to coffee and tea breaks in a
large area central to the lecture rooms where people met and discussed; and
a conference dinner in a authentic fisherman's village.
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