On Tuesday from 2:30 until 4:30 p.m., the Health Science Center Libraries will be hosting a Collaborating with Strangers (CoLAB) workshop on Sex and Gender Differences in Health geared toward developing cross-disciplinary conversations and solutions for health sciences.
“In a year, you may have 12 conversations with someone you don’t know. With a CoLAB, you can have 12 to 17 conversations in a matter of two hours,” said Bess de Farber, grants manager for the Smathers Libraries.
Participants fill out a profile board with personal information that they wear throughout the night. Having the boards facilitates better discussion, she said.
In three-minute increments, participants go around and meet different people and talk about sex and gender differences, de Farber said.
“I call it speed-meeting,” she said.
Participants are UF faculty, staff and students from all colleges and departments on campus.
“Many students came away with potential mentors or internships, and faculty left with new collaborators on their research, regardless of discipline,” said Hannah Norton, reference and liaison librarian for the Health Science Center Libraries.
Collaborating with Strangers on Sex and Gender Differences in Health will be in the McKnight Brain Institute, Room L6-110 A/B.
A version of this story ran on page 5 on 9/9/2013 under the headline "Event hopes to spark sex conversation"
