One Attempt at Building an Inclusive & Accessible Hybrid Astronomy Conference: FRB 2025
Alice P. Curtin, Reshma Anna-Thomas, Amanda M. Cook, Carolina Cruz-Vinaccia, Jason Hessels, Robert Main, In\'es Pastor Marazuela, Lauren Rhodes, and Vishwangi Shah

TL;DR
The paper describes the organization and outcomes of FRB 2025, a hybrid conference designed to be inclusive and accessible, demonstrating that such events are feasible within modest budgets and can effectively engage diverse participants.
Contribution
This work presents a practical model for inclusive, hybrid scientific conferences with specific strategies and positive feedback, advancing accessibility in academic gatherings.
Findings
High online engagement and positive feedback from virtual participants
Effective implementation of low-cost hybrid conference strategies
Identified challenges and areas for improvement in accessible conference organization
Abstract
The rapid expansion of the Fast Radio Burst (FRB) field has been accompanied by a simultaneous growth of FRB conferences. While these meetings are essential for interacting with other researchers and establishing collaborations, many remain only accessible to those with substantial travel funding, flexible schedules, or geographical proximity. This introduces barriers that predominantly affect early career researchers (ECRs) and people from under-resourced regions, limiting the growth, diversity, and sustainability of the community. To address these issues, the FRB 2025 conference, held in Montr\'eal in July 2025 with over 200 participants, was designed to prioritize inclusivity and accessibility alongside scientific excellence. In this work, we describe how we implemented these goals, including: organizing committees spearheaded by ECRs, a fully hybrid format including YouTube…
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Taxonomy
TopicsConferences and Exhibitions Management · International Science and Diplomacy · Radio Astronomy Observations and Technology
