NBER meetings virtual through June 30

From: James Poterba <poterba_at_nber.org>
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 2020 15:45:05 -0400

Dear Research Colleagues -

     In light of the uncertainties around the future course of the
coronavirus pandemic and desire to participate in in-person gatherings,
and recognizing that the health and safety of our research community is
of paramount importance, I have concluded that all NBER meetings until
June 30, 2021 will be held in virtually.  Making this decision now
provides organizers, as well as potential presenters and discussants,
with certainty about the meeting format as they begin to plan various
events.  In some cases, on-line meetings may be structured a bit
differently than their in-person counterpart.  A number of organizers,
for example, may opt for two part-day virtual meetings on adjacent days
rather than a single all-day meeting.  Please watch for meeting
annoucements for further details.

     I am very grateful to all of the participants in conferences over
the last six months who have adapted so quickly to on-line meetings, and
to the NBER conference team for supporting these virtual gatherings. 
While on-line meetings have a number of attractions, they are less
conducive to informal interaction and to initiation of new
collaborations than in-person events.  We have tried, and will continue
to experiment with, various ways to facilitate the networking that takes
place at traditional conferences.  I welcome suggestions about
strategies for achieving this goal.

     It is premature to decide the format of the 2021 Summer Institute,
which will depend critically on public health developments during the
coming months.

     I hope that you are navigating this extraordinary time as well as
possible -- all best wishes.

Jim Poterba
Received on Thu Oct 08 2020 - 17:46:57 EDT