Ten simple rules for organizing a webinar series

Abstract

Introduction Technological advancements are rapidly changing the face of science in terms of data acquisition, its transfer, storage, analysis, interpretation and dissemination of results [1]. In biology and genomics, this is affecting many traditionally considered purely wet lab experiments like genome sequencing [2], medical diagnosis [3], and drug design [4]. It therefore becomes essential for bioinformaticians to remain up to date with recent trends and innovations in the field. Within Africa, this is even more true as the continent is striving to foster the development of innovative tools and strategies to improve health outcomes on the continent. H3ABioNet [5], the pan-African Bioinformatics Network, was established with the aim of capacity building in mind to further advance genomics research in Africa. It is therefore complementary to its other training initiatives [6] to ensure African scientists have access to avenues to disseminate their research, discuss their work, and network with peers. Seminars and conferences are good opportunities for sharing and discussing new insights and networking with peers and can be considered as scientific meetings [7–13]. However, with prohibitive traveling costs and increased logistics, it is not always feasible to organize and attend numerous regular seminars. In an increasingly interconnected world brought about by technological advancements in communications, other alternatives can be used to supplement the in-person experience. Examples within Africa include: the H3ABioNet offering of a hybrid-delivery 3-months course, Introduction to Bioinformatics [18]. The Global Women in Data Science (WiDS) conference is another example of a one-day technical conference that is live-streamed from various locations across the globe (http://www.widsconference.org/). Mozilla Open Leaders (https://mozilla.github.io/leadership-training/), and global sprints (https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/opportunity/global-sprint/) are other examples of active engagement and community building that are arranged and conducted remotely. Through organizing regular online seminars, known as webinars, H3ABioNet is aiming to empower a predominantly African audience to reap the benefits of being kept abreast of current research trends by expert domain scientists.

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Fadlelmola FM, Panji S, Ahmed AE, Ghouila A, Akurugu WA, Domelevo Entfellner J-B, et al. (2019) Ten simple rules for organizing a webinar series. PLoS Comput Biol 15(4): e1006671. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006671

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