In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, we have decided to cancel the New Harvest 2020 conference scheduled to take place July 10 and 11 at the MIT Media Lab in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
July is four months away, and it is possible that the spread of coronavirus might slow by then. However, it might not. Out of an abundance of caution, we have decided to reduce uncertainty surrounding the event for everyone involved and make the call now.
It was a tough call to make, but we cannot continue planning for an event which might jeopardize the health and safety of our community.
We understand and share your disappointment. Our team had big plans for New Harvest 2020. Unlike past years, we held an open call for programming suggestions and introduced a theme: elephant in the room. Deliberately provocative, we hoped the theme would spark discussion about critically neglected topics in cellular agriculture. It worked. We received over 80 thoughtful and ambitious programming suggestions about important conversations for the cellular agriculture community to have in July.
We also expanded opportunities for remote participation through watch parties. We received 15 applications from community members across four continents and eight countries who proposed livestream events with a collective remote attendance of 510 people.
So what now?
We look forward to convening the community at New Harvest 2021. The date is TBD, but you can expect for the conference to be sometime in the summer of 2021.
In the meantime, we hope to address the elephants in the room of cellular agriculture through alternate engagements that keep us socially close but physically distant. Ideas? Email meera@new-harvest.org.
Stay tuned in the coming weeks to hear what we have planned for the rest of 2020! As always, our mailing list is the best way to stay in the loop.
Thank you for your patience, support, and enthusiasm. Stay safe!
The New Harvest Team
