Research about the early phase of star formation from the formation of a molecular cloud to the formation of a pre-stellar object shows two distinct features:
No accepted paradigm
Many open questions |
Early star formation seems to be an interplay of many competing physical processes |
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Intense discussions call for a workshop atmosphere with a group of a few ten scientists |
Many topics are better covered in a large conference with dedicated sessions |
The EPoS concept combines the two needs:
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A small conference room is filled to its maximal capacity with 70 scientists.
The number 70 is a compromise
between variety in fields and still enabling discussions.
The small room supports the
workshop atmosphere bringing the speakers close to their audience.
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The talk time in contributed talks and reviews is reduced to enable more discussions.
Each oral contribution is followed by 10 minutes of discussion, each session by a larger
discussion block.
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Rather than smooth "Our instrument/code/model works perfectly" talks, highlighting the
open questions, the obstacles, and potential solution methods is the main presentation
mode.
- From Monday morning to Friday noon, about 9 half-day sessions are available to touch
all relevant aspects.
To compensate for this intense schedule, the meeting takes place at a decent location to relax during the breaks and the evening.
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As important as the discussions in the meeting are discussions in smaller groups or
between two scientists.
Focus groups discuss specific topics in a smaller circle.
The participants stay together for the entire meeting and share the social events in the evening.
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