Journals dominate scientific communications, but they are only one element in a multilayered information-sharing network. Conferences are an especially timely source of breaking news developments in every field.
Interview with Alex Lazinica
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Scientific advances can happen anywhere, of course. Most often, though, the incremental discoveries that add to human knowledge about the world occur in the laboratory and the library. Later – sometimes much later – the findings are shared in journals and other publications. But is that really the whole story?
A former robotics scientist and founder of IntechOpen, the world’s largest open access publisher, Alex Lazinica saw the need for a comprehensive, authoritative online platform to collect scientific lectures, research discussions, and livestreaming conferences.
Two years ago, Lazinica founded Underline.io as such a repository, and two months ago, when the coronavirus pandemic struck, he was ready for organizers and presenters who were forced to shift to a virtual conference experience.
“As we all know and appreciate, conferences play an important aspect in the scholarly communication process. They’re such a valuable format. But everything is, ‘one-and-done.’ After the event ends, everybody just forgets what happened, and they’re all focused on the next year’s event,” he says.
“Underline wants to change that,” Lazinica explains. And for that reason, we built the Underline platform, which is the world’s first repository platform custom-made for scientific conferences, lectures, and discussions, and livestreaming technology as well.
The COVID-19 crisis has brought the conference industry to a halt, notes CCC’s Chris Kenneally, and it will likely be some time before physical conferences are able to resume. Underline is poised to support the sudden shift to digital shift, says Lazinica.
“We are prepared with the technology, with the support, and with the expertise of my team,” he says. “Underline is helping societies and individual organizers in planning, hosting, and broadcasting the online virtual events. We are not just the software which provides a username and password for login, but we are collaborating with the organizers on a weekly or daily basis, supporting the speakers, and helping in production of the best online event possible. We have a professional TV studio with a host who is moderating the event and interacting with the speakers, panels, and audience during the livestreaming.”
