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Re: Paying to present

On Sat, 06 Mar 2004 11:13:15 -0800 Bernard Cleyet <anngeorg@PACBELL.NET>
writes:
I think Dwight should present the organizers an honorarium bill.
Repeat it every month and add 1/2% interest after 60 days, just as do
the
other pros.
This contretemps reminds me of how well the NCNsection AAPT
observes what ME's questions imply, etc.

The idea of sending them "honorarium bills" is a novel
approach that sounds interesting but might be self defeating.
I agree that the bills are likely to annoy the officers
of the sponsoring organization when they arrive every 60 days.
But Dwight will have to pay 37 cents postage for each bill that he sends.

Sending the bills by messenger or by other carriers may
cost Dwight even more money. Perhaps he should send them
daily bills via e-mail instead.

Herb Gottlieb from New York City








Michael Edmiston wrote:

I do not have a good solution to the problem of financing
conferences
and publications, but I admit I am often upset about it.

When I have worked at places (such as national lab) that paid all
my
expenses to go to a meeting, even if I was not presenting, I was
amazed
at the overall cost, but I didn't have to pay it, so I did not
complain.

Now I am in a situation where the annual amount my employer will
pay
(even if I present) barely covers the registration fee, and I get
stuck
with transportation, meals, and lodging. Also, if I publish a
paper in
a journal with page charges, my employer will not pay. Yet, I am
expected to attend conferences and pursue a modest number of
publications as part of "keeping current in my field."

I often wonder if conferences have become things that can only be
attended by people who have generous support from their employers,
while
others are simply left out or have to pay substantial costs
personally.

I, myself, am likely to attend regional meetings I can drive to,
and I
appreciate it best when these are held in cities where it is
possible to
stay in reasonably-priced motels that are fairly conveniently
located
with respect to the meetings. Sadly, there aren't too many of
these,
and those that exist sometimes (but not always) have registration
fees
as high as national meetings.

Some of the questions I have are...

(1) Are conference planners making any attempts to keep costs down?
(2) Could registration fees be graduated according to the size or
type
of the participant's employer?
(3) Should there be more regional or state meetings held in
smaller
cities where it is assumed the participants will drive, and could
the
registration fees be held in check a little better than the
national
meetings?


Michael D. Edmiston, Ph.D.
Professor of Physics and Chemistry
Bluffton College
Bluffton, OH 45817
(419)-358-3270
edmiston@bluffton.edu







Herb Gottlieb from New York City
A friendly place to live and visit