I have the privilege to be part of the organization committee for InterPore2020. As an organization, we do not have experience with organizing online conferences; however, some in our community do. Manish Kumar shares his experience organizing an online conference and reflects on its success. We’re partnering with professionals to make sure that all the technical aspects are covered properly. Meanwhile, Alberto Guadagnini and I are calling for your help with the social side of online conferencing.

Exciting news from the executive board! As previously mentioned in a Flashnews, our annual InterPore conference will continue this year as an online-only conference. More information can be found below and will be announced through the regular channels in the upcoming weeks. Despite lockdowns, social distancing and restricted lab access, science does continue. Two fascinating papers are highlighted in today’s Newsletter. And don’t forget to check the research positions, either for yourself or for someone near to you.

Since the news of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak surfaced, we have been monitoring the situation and have been considering different options. Although the situation is improving in many countries, currently there is too much uncertainty regarding the restrictions that will still be in place in September. We are committed to hosting InterPore2020 and have decided that holding an online-only conference this year is in the best interest of all our participants.

Being active in the InterPore community opens up doors across the world. Whether you’re a young researcher starting a career or a ‘seasoned’ researcher looking to expand your field of applications, it usually starts with having a strong network. With the InterPore elections coming up this fall, here is your chance to strengthen your network.

The Panhellenic Symposium on Porous Materials (PSPM2020), which hosts the Hellenic InterPore National Chapter (HINC) meeting, has been postponed due to the COVID-19 measures. The same applies for the HINC Kick-off meeting.

The InterPore Newsletter from two weeks ago sparked something exciting. Questions came from around the globe to help understanding the role of protective masks in preventing COVID-19 infections. Experimental results were sent in with a request to distribute the results amongst the InterPore community, just in case someone might be looking for it. Open Access 2.0! It all resulted in a new forum on our website. All details are in this week’s Newsletter.

A number of InterPore members have responded to the article by Noushine Shahidzadeh about face masks that appeared in the last InterPore Newsletter. Readers from Spain and Puerto Rico were interested in particular details of face masks, hoping to be able to produce safe masks themselves with local resources, given the global scarcity. Also, Dr. Roland Lennormand from France informed us that he has been studying masks by performing measurements on the permeability of FFP2 masks after a few ethanol cleaning cycles, so as to enable a safe re-use of masks.

The COVID-19 pandemic is viewed from many scientific viewpoints. Apart from causing tremendous misery all around the globe, COVID-19 raises a lot of scientific questions. One of those questions is: Should we all wear facial protective masks?

Wherever you are in the world, it is likely that you are reading the newsletter from home. A considerable part of the world is now in lock-down, either mandatory or self-imposed. The InterPore Executive Committee reflects on this and looks ahead. Meanwhile, online meetings are booming and so our InterPore community continues to work, for example with the kick-off meeting of the Financial Committee.