Failing Successfully: How unexpected results improve fisheries science” symposium at the upcoming AFS annual meeting in Grand Rapids, MI 8/20 – 8/24/23
This symposium came to mind after reading Failure: Why Science is so Successful by Stuart Firestein. It was a good read and made me think a lot about AFS plenary speakers and attended symposiums. After discussing it with fellow AFS members, the idea of celebrating science as it happens, and the bumps along the way, the failing successfully symposium was born.
The target audience for this symposium would be anyone who has been scared to take the leap into a project for the fear of failing. Students and young professionals come to mind right away as they see their peers with 15-30 years’ experience presenting on their recently published, NSF grant funded projects in a journal with an unbelievable impact factor. That is a daunting task to think that your potential project might not go the way it’s planned, and you “wasted” time pursuing the results that never came. But, like most discoveries in science, something in the process could improve, contribute, or provide a catalyst for future fisheries scientists.
Presentation slots will be given to those who are willing to present on projects that didn’t go as planned. This could be an “epic failure” as they say or a project with unexpected results that contributed to the field of fisheries. It could also be a presentation focusing on a project that left you with more questions than answers. This type of talk would allow the audience to serve as an unbiased observer to give a new perspective on their subject matter.
Any questions regarding this symposium can be sent to Drew Holloway, dholloway@msdeng.com
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