Are you going to the EGU General Assembly in Vienna in just over a week? If so, read on for a quick guide to navigating the week: Where to start, what to see and how to meet people and enjoy yourself! After all, the meeting is as much about the opportunities to meet scientists from all over the world as it is about the science itself.
How on Earth do I know what is going on?!
The EGU General Assembly is a massive meeting with many parallel session, short courses, medal lectures and much more. So how do you know what is going on and when, and how can you effectively keep track of it all?
The simplest way is to use the online EGU program – it has options to browse sessions of interest chronologically or by discipline. You can simply click on a session or an individual presentation to add it to your personal programme. 
You can then view your personal program online, print it as a PDF or use the EGU2018 mobile app to keep track of your personal program on the go – scan the QR code to download it or click here from your smartphone. The app also has a handy map feature, which can be a great help navigating such a large venue!
Don’t forget to keep track of the twitter hastag #EGU18 to see what is happening on a second by second basis and also the @EGU_CR twitter feed and hashtag #CryoEGU18 for cryo-info!
Urm… so I’m in Vienna – where is the conference centre?
The EGU General Assembly is held at the Austria Center Vienna (ACV) each year. The nearest metro stop is “Kaisermühlen/Vienna Int. Centre” on the U1 line – here is a handy Metro Plan! When you leave the station there will be plenty of signs to the conference – if in doubt follow the large group of Geoscientists (they can usually be recognised by their practical footwear and waterproof jackets 😉 )
The registration fee to the General Assembly includes a public transportation ticket. The public transportation ticket is valid Monday–Friday, 9–13 April 2018. More info on travel can be found here.
Social events for Early Career Cryosphere Scientists!
So you have spend your days at EGU absorbing plenty of science… but there is another very important aspect to conferences – they are a great place to socialise! However, it can be very daunting to know how and where to meet people at such a large meeting.
This year the EGU Cryosphere team are organising two social events joint with APECS, as well as a lunch for anyone who is interested in joining our blog/social media team. Come along, meet some new people and enjoy some tasty food and a cold beer or two!
Pre-Icebreaker Meet Up
When and Where: Sunday 8 Apr, from 16:00-18:00 at Cafe Merkur
The conference icebreaker can be a daunting experience to attend alone but it is a great event to go along to. We are organising a friendly pre-icebreaker meet up for cryospheric ECSs. We will meet up, have a chat, eat some cake and then head to the EGU conference centre together in time for the main icebreaker. Keep your eyes on the Facebook event for more details!
Cryo Night Out!
When and Where: Wednesday evening 11 April from 19:30 in Zwölf-Apostelkeller
There will be a return of the infamous joint APECS and EGU Cryosphere division night out – come and join us for Viennese food and drinks and plenty of laughs! If you want to travel from the conference centre together, we will meet after the poster session at 18:50 at the main entrance (look for the blue and white EGU Cryosphere signs!) or you can meet us at Zwölf-Apostelkeller at 19:30. Two important things to do if you would like to come:
- Please fill out Doodle poll to give us an idea of numbers!
- Please remember to bring cash to pay for your own meal and drinks (it is possible to pay by card, but it will be very slow if 50+ people are trying to do it!)
Follow the Facebook event for updates and hopefully see plenty of faces old and new there 😀
EGU Cryosphere Blog and Social Media Team Lunch
When and Where: Wednesday lunchtime (12:15), on the left when looking at the main entrance.
Come along for an informal lunch meeting if you are already — or interested in getting — involved in the EGU Cryosphere team (which includes this blog and out social media channels). We will meet on the left of the main entrance to the conference centre at 12:15 and then we will decide on where to go depending on the weather. Don’t forget to bring your lunch with you. Please email Sophie Berger for more details.
Short courses
As well as the scientific sessions, did you know there are also other sessions called “short courses” at EGU? Short courses provide a great chance to learn about a topic, skill or piece of software that has been on your to do list, so why not drop by and meet the experts who have kindly agreed to participate and share their knowledge?
There are many courses running at EGU this year – we have highlighted a few below, but be sure to check out the full list in the online program (see above) as well as this helpful guide to “Session of special interest to Early Career Scientists (ECS)” published by EGU.
How to navigate EGU: tips & tricks
When and Where: Monday 09 Apr, 08:30–10:00 / Room -2.91
Held first thing on Monday morning, this could be just the session you need to get your week off to a productive start!
Help! I’m presenting at a scientific conference!
When and Where: Monday 09 Apr, 13:30–15:00 / Room -2.16
Presenting at a scientific conference can be daunting for early career scientist and established. How can you optimally take advantage of those 12 minutes to communicate your research effectively? How do you cope with nervousness? What happens if someone asks a question that you don’t think you can answer?
Come along to this short course on the Monday of EGU for some tips, tricks and advice!
Polar Science Career Panel (EGU Cryosphere and APECS)
When and Where: Tuesday 10 Apr, 12:15–13:15 / Room -2.85
Many early career scientists come to EGU looking for inspiration to take the next step in their careers. There are so many opportunities both academic and elsewhere that it can be daunting to know where to start looking and what the options are. Join us for a panel discussion about everything to do with life post-polar-PhD and expand your ideas about where you might go next. Our panelists are:
- Rob Bingham – Reader in Glaciology and Geophysics at Uni. Edinburgh, UK
- Maria Eden, project manager of Beyond EPICA: Oldest Ice
- Daisy Dunne, journalist for Carbon Brief
- Nora Helbig, research Scientist at SLF in Davos
- Helge Goessling, Junior Research Group leader at AWI, Bremerhaven
If you can’t make it on the day, but want to see what our panelists have to say, follow the #CryoEGU18 hashtag for a live-tweet of the event!
Communicating geoscience to the media
When and Where: Tuesday 10 Apr, 15:30–17:00 / Room -2.31
The news media is a powerful tool to help scientists communicate their research to wider audiences. However, at times, messages in news reports do not properly reflect the real scientific facts and discoveries, resulting in misleading coverage and wary scientists. In this short course, co-organised with the CL and CR divisions, we will bring together science journalists and researchers with experience working with the media to provide tips and tricks on how scientists can better prepare for interviews with reporters.
Heads up: over EGU Cryosphere’s very own Sophie Berger will be one of the speakers! 😀
Am I an ECS?
The EGU officially defines an Early Career Scientist (ECS) as:
an undergraduate or postgraduate (Masters/PhD) student or a scientist who has received his or her highest degree (BSc, MSc, or PhD) within the past seven years (where appropriate, up to one year of parental leave time may be added per child).
However, everyone is of course more than welcome to come along and attend the short courses and social events organised by your ECS team, the more the merrier!
General Advice….
The General Assembly can be an overwhelming experience. Here are some tips which have been passed down over the years from one ECS Rep to another:
- Take advantage of the lunch breaks and go for a walk! When you exit the main conference building turn left and head for the river, or turn right and you will find that behind the concrete buildings there is a very nice park.
- Don’t get star-struck by a “big name” scientist you have always wanted to talk to – remember they are just humans (and usually friendly)! Go and introduce yourself and tell them what you do – the afternoon poster session is often a good chance to do this!
- Go to a session outside your field or area of interest. Even in completely different research topics, similarities in methods or applications can inspire you to think differently about your own research.
- Explore Vienna and treat yourself to a bit of time off to recover during the week. It is more important to pay attention to the sessions you do attend than attend ALL of the possible sessions. Did you know a Vienna U-Bahn ticket is included in the registration fee? Jump on a train the centre of town and go for a stroll!
Edited by Sophie Berger
