York and Stockholm chat over a virtual pint
Posted on 15 April 2008
They are meeting colleagues and conference participants in a virtual pub, which has been set up for the occasion using the latest video-conferencing equipment.
The use of video-conferencing [gives people] the chance to speak to other scientists and researchers in a more natural and enjoyable environment than by telephone or desktop webcam
Howard Cambridge
Hosted by Stockholm Resilience Centre, the three-day conference features distinguished scientists and politicians in discussion on ecology, economy and society.
Howard Cambridge, the SEI York lead on the project, says: "The use of video-conferencing will not always replace meeting people in the flesh, but it means that more people can participate in the conference when time and budget constraints don’t permit them to travel. They also get the chance to speak to other scientists and researchers in a more natural and enjoyable environment than by telephone or desktop webcam."
The link-up has been facilitated by the Centre for Sustainable Communications at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm (KTH) who have constructed a ‘Tele-Presence’ video-conference booth in York to discuss conference issues with delegates in Sweden in an informal ‘virtual Pub’ complete with free beer and nibbles.
The intention after the conference is to adapt the equipment to use in a more conventional setting — but still with high quality video and audio — so that staff in York and Stockholm can meet on a more frequent basis without having to travel.
"Reducing our carbon footprint by substituting flying with video-conferencing is another important reason for using this technology," says Howard Cambridge.
The Centre for Sustainable Communications is a recently established VINNOVA Centre of Excellence funded by the Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems (VINNOVA), KTH and partners from Swedish industry and society over a ten-year period.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- More information on Resilience 2008 Conference at http://resilience2008.org/resilience/?page=php/main)
- The Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) is an international, independent environment and development research institute. It is a part of an international network or centres with the York centre based in the Department of Biology at the University of York.
- The University of York’s Department of Biology is one of the leading centres for biological teaching and research in the UK. The Department both teaches degree courses and undertakes research across the whole spectrum of modern Biology, from molecular genetics and biochemistry to ecology