foobarbecue

It's puzzling to me that OP is concerned about attending the conference, and that @Abra feels awkward at Zumba. I would suggest to people experiencing this sort of discomfort that when interacting with people in public, try to think of them as PEOPLE rather than men or women. Their sex / gender should be irrelevant in these scenarios.

You should read about Jack Parsons!

I did undergraduate in England and then returned to my native US. This is one of the words I often forget not to use, causing quizzical looks.

I just got my PhD and I have the same question. I've had a couple of requests to review things and each time I've asked around -- "what's in it for me?" People just say it's the done thing. So far, the only explanation of a significant benefit I've had is "you get to see the paper before anyone else does."