http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/fiction-podcast-rebecca-curtis-reads-leonard-michaels
this pretty much describes the emotions of a scientific conference in a competitive field. they women reading it don't quite get that these conferences are far from calm for the participants. basically you oscillate between total boredom, mild appreciation for something clever outside of your area, and intense interest when something touches your own work. still, though, Rebecca Curtis and Deborah Treisman do bring out a lot of interesting points regarding the story.
do click on the link and enjoy