I got the following email:
Dear Dr. Broman,
Greetings. Although we have not met, I believe that you know one of my colleagues [clip]. He regards you very highly, and after seeing your credentials I can understand why !
On behalf of the organizing committee, I am writing to invite you to be a keynote speaker at the 3rd International Conference & Exhibition on Biometrics & Biostatistics, which is scheduled for July 14-16, 2014, in Baltimore MD. Please see http://www.omicsgroup.com/biometrics-biostatistics-conference-2014 for the conference webpage and http://www.omicsgroup.com/conferences/biometrics-biostatistics-2013/Biometrics_finalprogram.pdf to view the program from the previous conference. Although the schedule for the upcoming conference has not yet been constructed, I anticipate that a keynote speaker will have approximately 40 minutes to talk. Moreover, my understanding is that the OMICS Group will waive the registration fee for a keynote speaker and will also cover two nights’ stay at the conference hotel.
Please let me know if you are available to participate.
Best Regards, [clip]
My response:
Dear [clip],
Thanks for thinking of me, but I must decline to participate.
I’ve only heard bad things about OMICS Group Conferences. They appear to exploit scientists desperate for recognition.
Consider the following posts about others’ experiences with OMICS Conferences:
http://cabbagesofdoom.blogspot.com/2013/07/omics-group-conferences-sham-or-scam.html
http://scholarlyoa.com/2013/09/12/conference-attendee-to-omics-i-want-out
The registration fee for the meeting is extraordinarily high ($800 now; $1000 after March 21), and looking at the agenda for the 2013 meeting, it’s hard to see how that could be worth it to anyone. Particularly odd is the session on Day 3 in which 4 of the 5 talks share the same title.
Regards, karl