Sunbelt-2015
The ANR-Lab staff attended the XXXV Sunbelt Conference of the International Network for Social Network Analysis (INSNA).
The ANR-Lab staff attended the XXXV Sunbelt Conference of the International Network for Social Network Analysis (INSNA), which was held in Brighton, UK, on June 23 – June 28, 2015.
The Sunbelt anniversary conference was attended by 18 members of the Laboratory. They presented the results of their research projects, many of which were introduced at a special section organized by the Laboratory "Network analysis in Russia: Progress and Prospects". In addition to oral presentation sections, the conference program included educational workshops and a poster session.
One of the invited speakers of Sunbelt-2015 was Thomas W. Valente, who was presented with the Simmel award. Currently Thomas’ research interests include the following areas: prevention of drug abuse, evaluation of treatments and health promotion programs.
"It was interesting to hear both the introduction of Thomas’ talk, which was done by his colleague in a very funny and informal way, and the talk itself. Thomas told us about the development of his professional career and the different factors that affected and influenced it. It turned out that the famous Malcolm Gladwell’s idea of "tipping point" was developed independently by Thomas Valente".
According to many members of the Laboratory, giving a talk at Sunbelt was a most memorable experience, as it provided an opportunity to share ideas and to receive some valuable critical comments about their work.
The experience of presenting my talk was probably the most useful. I was worried about the questions from other researchers, but it was not so bad!
In addition, participation in Sunbelt 2015 gave the opportunity to be inside the community of like-minded people. According to Benjamin Lind, a Senior Researcher of the Laboratory, "it is always useful to get acquainted with the projects of other people for the development of your research". Special features of Sunbelt Conference that encouraged networking between researchers were everyday evening receptions, where participants were able to communicate and discuss daily performances in an informal format.
About the Conference
Sunbelt Conference is being held for the last 35 years. It is not only the biggest event in the field of network research, but also the official meeting place for members of the International Network for Social Network Analysis (INSNA), which brings together more than 1,000 researchers worldwide. Sunbelt-2016 will take place in Newport, United States, on April 5-10.