Are you going to the EGU General Assembly in Vienna next 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 (GA) 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 EGU2019 mobile app to keep track of your personal program on the go. The app also has a handy map feature, to help you find your way around AND new for 2019, a digital version of “EGU Today” – the daily EGU GA newsletter
Don’t forget to keep track of the twitter hastags #EGU19 and #EGU19_CR to see what is happening on a second by second basis and also the @EGU_CR twitter feed!
New Schedule for 2019!
The eagle-eyed amongst you may have spotted that the timing of sessions at EGU has changed this year. The new schedule has posters, orals and PICOs in parallel (posters always used to be in the afternoon only!) and each “block” (i.e. one session of talks, posters or PICOs) is 15 minutes longer than before.
- 08:30–10:15 – Posters, orals, PICOs
- 10:15–10:45 – Coffee break
- 10:45–12:30 – Posters, orals, PICOs
- 12:30–14:00 – Lunch break
- 14:00–15:45 – Posters, orals, PICOs
- 15:45–16:15 – Coffee break
- 16:15–18:00 – Posters, orals, PICOs
- 18:00–19:00 – Beer/soft drinks – Networking
- 19:00–20:00 – Townhall meetings, (some) medal lectures, (some) short courses, special events!
Note: If you have a poster, you should put it up before 08:30 on the day of your session. It will stay up all day, but you will only be expected to stand by it and present in your allocation time slot. Don’t forget to take it down between 19:00-19:30 if you want to keep it!
Urm… so I made it to 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, 8–12 April 2019. More info on travel can be found here.
Social events Cryospheric 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. Come along, meet some new people and enjoy a coffee, beer, soft drink – whatever takes your fancy! We also wanted to highlight this year’s Pride@EGU event – open to anyone!
Pre-Icebreaker Meet Up
When and Where: Sunday 7 Apr, from 16:00-18:00 at Cafe Merkur (U-bahn – U2 – Rathaus)
Pre-icebreaker meet up EGU 2017
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 and polar ECSs. We will meet up, have a chat, have a coffee/beer/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 Drinks!
When and Where: Tuesday evening 9th April from 20:30 at Brandauer Bierbögen (U-bahn – Spittelau – U4 & U6)
This year we are there will be a return of the infamous Cryo meet-up with a small change – it will be a drinks only event this year (it was simply too big and hectic with everyone eating last year!). So come along and meet some fellow cryo-people old and new. If you want to travel from the conference centre together, we will meet after the ECS Networking Event at 20:00 at the main entrance (look for the blue and white EGU Cryosphere signs!) or you can meet us at Brandauer Bierbögen from 20:30.
Please remember to bring cash to pay for your own drinks (it will be very slow if 50+ people are trying to pay by card!)
Follow the Facebook event for updates and hopefully see plenty of faces old and new there 😀
Pride @ EGU
When and Where: Tuesday 9th April, 15:00-16:00 – Networking & ECS Zone (Red Level)
The main event is from 15:00 – 16:00 plus Twitter chat from 14:30! Pop along to support and find out more about the LGBTQA+ community at EGU. Open to anyone who is interested.
Conference highlights for ECSs:
There are so many courses and sessions 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 and this blog post “What is on for ECSs at EGU” by Oliver Trani the EGU Communications officer.
How to navigate EGU: tips & tricks
When and Where: Monday 08th Apr, 08:30–10:15 / Room -2.16 (Brown Level)
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 08th Apr, 14:00–15:45 / Room -2.62 (Brown Level)
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 9th Apr, 12:45–13:45 / Room -2.32 (Brown Level)
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!
If you can’t make it on the day, but want to see what our panelists have to say, follow the @EGU_CR twitter feed and hastag #EGU19_CR for a live-tweet of the event!
Cryosphere Division Meeting
When and Where: Thursday 11th Apr, 12:45–13:45 / Room N1 (Green Level)
Each division at EGU has a meeting during the GA, please come along to the Cryosphere Divisions meeting to learn more about what the EGU CR division does, who runs it and have your say! ECSs are particularly important – you are the future of EGU!
Meet The Cryosphere Editor!
When and Where: Friday 12th Apr, 16:15–18:00 / Room -2.31 (Brown Level)
Publishing your research in a peer reviewed journal is essential for a career in research, however, getting those first few papers submitted can be daunting. This short course, given by the co editor-in-chief of The Cryosphere Thomas Mölg, will cover all you need to know about the publication process from start to end!
Things to keep in Mind:
This comes from a longer list the EGU provide here, but these are my highlights!
- Bring a water bottle! There are water fountains all around the building and Vienna tap water is delicious!
- EGU’s person of trust: if you experienced infringements against the rules of conduct, feel uncomfortable or experience any harassment, upset or abuse during the meeting, please contact EGU’s person of trust at the special registration desk in Hall X5. You can also contact the EGU Information in the entrance hall (Yellow Level 0 – ground floor) and they will call the person of trust. It is also possible to report to conduct@egu.eu.
- Preferred pronouns: pick up a badge for your lanyard with your preferred pronouns from the EGU Booth in Hall X2 (Brown Level -2 – basement), the registration help desk in Hall X5, or the EGU Information (Yellow Level 0 – ground floor).
Some more general advice from your Cryosphere ECS rep…
The General Assembly can be an overwhelming experience. 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. Beyond that, 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!
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!
Edited by Sophie Berger
