Computer Vision News - July 2020

Event 66 Stefan Sommer, Aasa Feragen, Julia Schnabel and Mads Nielsen are the organizers of the 27th international conference on Information Processing in Medical Imaging ( IPMI) , due to be held on the island of Bornholm in Denmark from June 27 to July 2 next year. IPMI focuses on developments in the acquisition, processing, and analysis of medical image data. Stefan, Aasa and Julia are here to give us a sneak preview of what to expect from 2021’s event. Taking place biennially for over 50 years, with a gathering of 120-130 people each time and a modest industry expo, IPMI is a relatively small conference compared to others in its field. But the organizers point out that their size is their unique selling point – and they are not looking to grow. They say it allows participants to enjoy a much greater emphasis on networking and critical discussion that really pushes the science forward. Study groups have the freedom to scrutinize papers before orals, and there is no time limit set on discussions, which are allowed to develop naturally. Aasa thinks this is why people are so keen to submit their papers . “You’re putting your head on the block and allowing your paper to be dissected, ” she tells us. “But that also means that your work will be discussed in detail and you have a chance to show what you’re doing at a level that you would not get anywhere else.” IPMI has a tradition of being held in remote places, often on islands, where people stay for a full week and cultivate a truly collaborative group experience. Students, postdocs and faculty sit together for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day and can spend the whole week talking about science. Although science is the focus, the week is broken up with other social and leisure events. There’s usually a half-day outing, such as a hike, cycle ride or sightseeing trip. Another long-running tradition and conference highlight is the IPMI football match, which next year will be Europe v Rest of theWorld. “It’s like aworkcation!” Julia exclaims. “Let’s put it this way – "You’re putting your head on the block and allowing your paper to be dissected"