From Posters to Parades: Inside Woodstock.Bio² & Night Science Conference

Posted by NatanellaE, on 25 June 2025

A fever dream of science and spirit wrapped in the forests of Bohemia. Here’s an escalating list — starting with the standard (though nothing was standard about this) — and spiraling toward the legendary. This was what made Woodstock.Bio² & Night Science the most unforgettable conference of its kind (there is no such kind).

What We Had:

· Scientists across all career stages — from undergrads to full professors (yes, there was one undergrad! He’s ahead of his time).

· 6 stunning venues

· Cross-discipline scientific talks, showcasing cutting-edge (and sometimes delightfully mediocre) science.

· Scientific debates over coffee and drinks.

· A second screen showing live comments to the talk on bluesky.

· Poster session in the forest — because… why not?

· Walk-up songs (and often dances) for every talk, pre-chosen by the speaker.

· random schedule (you don’t know when you’re talking)

· The “Stunningly Naïve” session (thanks Maya Bar!) — for asking the “dumbest” questions we’ve been too scared to say aloud.

· A train chartered entirely for participants, from Prague to the woods of Bohemia.

· Canoeing

· Theology or Biology game by Yuval Ebstein.

· Confessions booth (yes, to the editor)

· The Barkley Marathons (Google it)

· Meditation sessions — finding peace beyond Reviewer #2

· Science debates turned boxing matches

· Round-the-fire singing and late-night conversations

· A wedding (!!) — congrats Lea and Daniel!

· A Disney-style parade, as a thank-you to the Bohemian fixers, instigators, organizers, and every single participant.

· Live Gypsy band party

· Dance floor ruled by DJ-scientists Jesse Veenvliet & Oded Rechavi

What Made It Epic?

The people. Each and every participant of this meeting.

In retrospect, being forced to choose a walk-up song might have been one of the most brilliant conference design decisions. It pushed us out of default mode, pipetted creativity and humor into the air, and made each session feel more like a show than a slot.

And because everyone was “performing” just a little — rethinking how to present their science in a more human, fun, or offbeat way — we found ourselves better able to stay tuned to ALL talks, even when they spanned wildly different disciplines. There was something about the levity and variety that made us listen more deeply.

Even the hashtag had a story. We used #TCTeAC on BlueSky – a compact string chosen as shorthand for #TheConferenceToEndAllConferences. It’s an acronym of the full phrase, but we also loved how it resembled a DNA sequence or binding motif. In a way, it was a motif — one you had to chant silently each time you typed it out.

TCTeAC… The Conference To end All Conferences…

But maybe it wasn’t just the events. It was the environment. Once a space was created where it felt safe — and common — to laugh, to question, to try weird things, to fail publicly, to be human — everything else followed. For all of us, as a collective.

People stepped out of their academic armor. Speakers forgot their next line, slides froze, and the crowd cheered. Honest dialogue blossomed. Ideas were born not just during talks, but on trains, under canopies, beside the fire.

“This project? It started with a chat on the train to the woods during Woodstock.Bio².”

Already thinking about the next one? The only spoiler I would give is that less than 24 hours after the ending of the meeting, the instigators and bohemian fixers were already conspiring on ideas for the next meeting. Needless to say the ideas are beyond imagination and bigger than life.

See you next time!

Location: TBD.

Instigators: