The CSE Annual Meeting is just around the corner, and your 2019 Program Committee and Short Course Subcommittee have been hard at work since last summer developing an exciting and educational agenda. Whether you are hoping to strengthen your grasp of nascent issues or seek practical advice from trusted colleagues (or both), this year’s meeting has something for everyone.

Did you know that Columbus, Ohio, was the origin of the first female pilot’s flight around the world? This year’s theme, “The Spirit of Scientific Publishing: Inclusion, Identity, Technology, and Beyond” is a nod to Ms Jerrie Mock and her red Cessna, the “Spirit of Columbus.” In setting the theme for this year’s meeting, we also considered the trending topics and movements that have taken flight in recent years and how they are reflected in our publishing community. From issues of identity and diversity to wellness, FOMO (fear of missing out), and screen time, these big-picture trends and influences mirror the questions we grapple with in our field—issues of transparency, privacy, individuality, and responsibility. And the driving and uniting factor behind all of these things—how we do our jobs as well as how we connect and communicate and share information—is technology.

Our plenary speaker, Bernadette Melnyk, will address the sometimes-fraught and always-timely issue of work-life balance and participate in a panel discussion following her presentation. Our keynote, Marjorie Hlava, will dig into the details with a presentation on taxonomy and information systems.

We know you come to CSE to learn about the latest issues impacting scientific publishing, and this year promises not to disappoint by providing a variety of exciting topics with late-breaking information once again, including sessions on General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Plan S, conflicts of interest, data/reproducibility, and the Manuscript Exchange Common Approach (MECA) Initiative, as well as popular annual favorites like the Ethics Clinic and Knowledge Exchange: Roundtable Discussions.

Looking for something more? Consider registering for a Short Course. The ever-popular CSE Short Courses will be held May 4–5, just prior to the annual conference. We are very excited to be launching a new 1-day course entitled Advanced Publication Management. This course will include in-depth discussions of a rich set of topics and issues that experienced managing editors and their colleagues deal with regularly. It is designed for the more veteran publication managers to understand and collaborate on effective solutions for today’s (and tomorrow’s) challenges. We will also hold the Publication Management Short Course, a workshop for Managing Editors, Production Editors, and Publication Managers, with topics such as management and leadership, production basics, metrics, and roles of the journal production players. For manuscript editors and copy editors, we offer the Short Course for Manuscript Editors to stay current on the skills and tools required for mechanical and language editing of scientific material. Finally, the 2-day Journal Editors Short Course, designed for Editors-in-Chief and their colleagues, provides a comprehensive survey of their roles and responsibilities. We enlist exceptional faculty to drive these interactive courses and all participants take away innumerable tricks of the trade.

The CSE community is warm-hearted and welcoming. As noted in CSE’s new Code of Conduct, “CSE is committed to diversity and inclusivity, and to providing a safe and welcoming environment that allows for free expression of ideas and productive dialogue.” The Program Committee took this message to heart, encouraging moderators and session coordinators to seek out new voices and perspectives when recruiting speakers. New this year, look for gender-neutral restrooms.

Wellness: Get your stretch on! Meeting days can mean long hours sitting in chairs, so start your mornings energized with yoga from a local Columbus studio.

Need a break? Go outside and explore Columbus before the meeting starts! Grab a few colleagues and sign up for “Secret Columbus” by former TV News Anchor and Secret Columbus book author Anietra Hamper, a Columbus Segway Tour of rivers and bridges, or head out on your own to visit the world-renowned Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Columbus Botanical Garden, or Columbus Museum of Art.

We can’t wait to see you in Columbus!

Mary K Billingsley and Shari Leventhal are Program Committee Co-Chairs. Mary is Executive Editor with the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Shari is Managing Editor with the American Society of Nephrology. Nancy Devaux is the Short Course Subcommittee Chair. Nancy is Manager, Production Services, Sheridan.