All told, nearly 1,400 delegates from 74 countries came to San Francisco, making it the largest such world conference to date. They participated in 61 plenary and breakout sessions featuring 283 speakers; toured labs and sat down to lunch with scientists from our host institutions the University of California, San Francisco, and the University of California, Berkeley; made connections and new friends during the gala opening and closing events; and visited some of the San Francisco Bay Area’s prominent attractions during post-conference field trips.
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All of this was accomplished through an extraordinary group effort by selfless volunteers, generous sponsors, committed partners, and hard-working committee chairs, all of whom piece by piece, panel by panel, event by event made this conference come together as one. Yes, indeed “the whole was greater than the sum of its parts.”
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We salute the hundreds of U.S. and international delegates who traveled to WCSJ2017, engaged with the program and with each other, and brought the buzz of human energy and enthusiasm to our truly global conference. They returned home armed with new skills, knowledge and stronger connections that advance our profession.
Cristine Russell & Ron Winslow
Co-chairs, organizing committee for WCSJ2017
Quotes are taken from the Final Report’s introduction. Download the WCSJ2017 Final Report here.