Earn your #Evol2013 conference merit badges

Already updated with new badges!

Scientific conferences present a lot of challenges, even to those of us who’ve been to a few. A good conference means presenting your own work in an interesting way, learning about a lot of other folks’ projects, asking good questions, meeting a lot of new people, catching up with old friends, maybe even tracking down some of your scientific idols—and then making a good impression when you do.

Making a game out of it all can help—and in that spirit, Sarah put together Evolution Bingo for the Evolution meetings in Ottawa last year. You could certainly re-use that bingo card for the Evolution meetings that start in Snowbird, Utah, today, but we’d also like to offer something new for Evolution 2013: Conference merit badges!

Descriptions for how to earn each are given below; click on the thumbnail for a high-resolution version of the badge when you’ve earned it. We’ll add others as we think of them and Jeremy has time to design them—nominate suggestions in the comments!

	New network edge: Add a link to your professional network by introducting yourself to someone you’ve never met before.
	Timely talk: Finish your talk with time left over for at least one question.
	Laughter is the best science: Make your audience laugh at least once during your talk or poster presentation.
	Any questions? Ask a question at someone else’s talk or poster presentation.
	That’s a good one. Ask a question that the presenter can’t answer.
	I know that one! Answer a question about your talk or poster presentation.
	Early bird: Attend a talk at 8:30 in the morning every day of the conference.
	Attendance Star I: Attend talks during every time slot, plus the poster session, on a single day.
	Attendance Star II: Attend talks during every time slot, plus the poster session, on at least two days.
	Attendance Star III: Attend talks during every time slot, plus the poster session, on every day of the meeting.
	Life listed: Spot an organism you’ve never seen before, at any time during the conference.
	Cheers! Use up all your drink tickets at conference “mixer” events.
	Bottoms up! Use up all your drink tickets—and some of someone else’s.
	Capital tee total: Go the entire conference without a drop of alcohol.
	Who needs caffeine? Go the entire conference without a drop of coffee.