Applied evolutionary education: The benefits and costs of hosting regional evolution conferences

Abstract

Regional academic conferences provide a variety of benefits to attendants, but hosting them can be costly. Here, we share benefits and drawbacks of hosting regional evolution meetings from the vantages of a tenured associate professor, a tenure-track assistant professor, and a doctoral student. We use experiences of hosting the NorthEastern Evolutionary Psychology Society (NEEPS), the Southeastern Evolutionary Perspectives Society (SEEPS), and the Mid-Atlantic Bioanthropology Interest Group (MABIG) as cases to address the benefits and costs. We highlight what are likely universal benefits and costs of hosting evolution conferences while also discussing the risks of excess service to women and underrepresented faculty members. We also draw attention to personal and circumstantial contingencies that evolution conference hosts may encounter.