Being There

A Case for In-Person Lecture Attendance

BY THE WALS OFFICE STAFF

Multitudes of scientific breakthroughs have been born of chance encounters. Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman met for the first time in 1997 while both were waiting to use a photocopier at the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia) and conversed about seemingly idle concepts that ultimately would lay the foundation for mRNA COVID vaccines and earn them a Nobel Prize.

Similarly, Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna met at a conference in 2011 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and got to chatting about bacterial genetics and biological chemistry, the seeds of the CRISPR-Cas9 method. And, if we can trust the veracity of certain television commercials in the 1970s, the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup came about when two inattentive individuals—one eating chocolate and the other, inexplicably, eating peanut butter—collided on the street and inadvertently combined their foodstuffs.

Unfortunately, in a world of virtual meetings and remote lectures, chance encounters are rare these days, aside from with your IT support. And that’s a problem. Although there’s no way to quantify this, we are likely missing out on all those people, places, and things in your peripheral vision, and in front of your face, that spur new ideas and spark the insights so critical to the advancement of science.

We actually have a vehicle at the NIH for chance encounters. It’s called the Wednesday Afternoon Lecture Series (WALS), initiated by former NIH Director Harold Varmus 30 years ago. Varmus envisioned a set time to gather with colleagues to hear about fantastic science, regardless of the discipline, and to be inspired.

“We are all slaves to our schedules and creatures of habit, so I am glad to be able to block out Wednesdays at 3 p.m. for the coming academic year to listen to the wonderful people who have agreed to tell us about their latest work,” he told the NIH Record in 1994.

A Nobel laureate himself, Varmus attended most WALS talks during his tenure as NIH director. We have since moved WALS to 2 p.m. at the Lipsett Amphitheater because, frankly, we seldom attract a sizable crowd to the Masur Auditorium. Can you imagine this grand venue with only 35 audience members?

What has caused the decrease in lecture attendance, and what are the ramifications? We have pondered this question.

Clearly, the COVID pandemic has “changed everything.” The convenience of remote viewing (and remote work) appears to be eclipsing the desire to attend events in person. Yet, the decline in attendance started before the pandemic as science has become increasingly balkanized. Many who are focused on one discipline—be it neurobiology, immunology, or evolutionary biology—are now less inclined to hear a lecture on a topic outside of their expertise. That’s a pity. Varmus saw equal value in just getting out of the lab to hear new ideas. Like Varmus, NIH Deputy Director for Intramural Research Nina Schor attends most WALS talks, as did Michael Gottesman before her.

Statistics do show that total WALS attendance has remained nearly the same as five years ago, but the crowd once in the auditorium is now in front of their computer. We must question this level of engagement, though. It’s analogous to watching a movie at a theater or at home. At the theater, you are invested and absorbed; at home, you may be inclined to check email, text a friend, or move about the house and not fully appreciate the movie.

As for the lack of a chance encounter, the ramifications, as noted, are profound. Consider the trainees and what they may be missing if they are largely confined to their labs, among only their peers, and are rarely exposed to the diversity of ideas that define the NIH. Indeed, at the NIH, much like at the famed Bell Labs in Murray Hill, New Jersey, home to ten Nobel Prize winners, you are all but guaranteed to have meaningful chance encounters. What is the value of an NIH trainee experience if not to explore the NIH as a physical entity?

In addition to WALS, the Office of Intramural Research hosts the Demystifying Medicine courses from January to May, another cross-disciplinary lecture series that offers continuing medical education credits (CMEs). The 2024 season was crazy good with Francis Collins interacting with a patient with progeria, Tom Insel and George Koob discussing the mental health crisis, and Nora Volkow sharing the stage with a recovery coach speaking about fentanyl.

The series wraps May 7 in Lipsett with a talk on “Artificial Intelligence in Scientific Publishing” by Holden Thorp, editor of the Science family of journals, and Vardit Ravitsky from the Hastings Center. Join us—you will have no problem finding a seat.

Chance favors the prepared mind. We are confident that the NIH is filled with prepared minds. Why not take a chance and join us for a live lecture?

For more information about WALS and to view the 2024 calendar, visit https://oir.nih.gov/wals.

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