By In Trieste
Photo credits Erin Johnson
Trieste hosted the EuroScience Open Forum from 2 September to 6 September – a grand opportunity for the city. We interviewed Erin Johnson, an American expat living in Trieste, who works at ICTP for the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World.
What was your job during the forum?
Erin: I was working as part of the press office, “on loan” from my organization (The Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World) to the ESOF organizers for the week. I did various tasks, including organizing press conferences during the five days of ESOF, helping to translate and proofread press releases, and covering some of the sessions to recap them for media.
How would you describe these 5 days?
Erin: Intense but fun! We were there for at least 10 hours every day for a week, and there was a lot happening at any given moment, but it was nice to be part of executing such a big event after this long period of working from home or alone in the office. This was the first big scientific event in the post-COVID era and the first to attempt this hybrid format, with some participants attending in person and some remotely; it felt a bit strange at first to have these big rooms with few people, but in the end the presentations were still great and it’s important that they were able to hold the event, as we can see that science is more essential than ever.
Did you get to meet anyone famous?
Erin: I got within about two meters of Prime Minister Conte, but alas, I didn’t get to meet him (though some of my luckier colleagues did!). I also interviewed an interesting scientist named David Budtz Pedersen, who is not famous but he’s doing really cool research on a topic called humanomics.
What was the best part?
Erin: Seeing Conte of course was a highlight, but there were many great parts – it was nice to work with new colleagues, to attend very interesting sessions on the frontiers of science, and to see what they’ve done with Porto Vecchio and the new convention center there. It felt fitting that this “rebirth” of the old port coincided with the rebirth of life after COVID.
