2019/09/24 by Laura Prichard, Prichard, Laura, M.C. Oliveira +13
Decision Sciences · Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Social Sciences · #Conferences and Exhibitions Management #FOS: Physical sciences #Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics (astro-ph.IM) #Sports Analytics and Performance #scientometrics and bibliometrics research
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1909.10996
openalex publication_date 2019/09/24 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Conference attendance is fundamental for a successful career in astronomy. However, many factors limit such attendance in ways that can disproportionately affect women and minorities more. In this white paper, we present the results of a survey sent to 164 research staff at the Space Telescope Science Institute to determine what reasons motivate their attendance at science conferences and what aspects prevent researchers from attending them. The information collected through this survey was used to identify trends both in aggregate form and split by gender and if respondents had dependents. We propose a set of recommendations and best practices formulated by analyzing these trends. If consistently adopted, these recommendations will achieve greater diversity in astronomy through the broadening of conference participation.