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Geodynamics

The Sassy Scientist – Programmed Screaming

The Sassy Scientist – Programmed Screaming

Live from the EGU assembly, from an anonymous chair in an anonymous room in the Vienna International Centre, during an anonymous session on some geoscience-related topic, my commitment of reporting the truth as-is does not stop. Siri has recently asked a very practical question concerning the organisation of your EGU experience:


How do you make your own personal programme for EGU without screaming in frustration?


Dear Siri,

You don’t. You just don’t. That would require a smoothly working website. As it is pretty clear by now, this is not something neither Copernicus nor EGU are particularly interested in.

The “personal program” feature is something that has never worked properly. It is such a well known issue that it is by now considered an integral part of the EGU assembly experience, on par with Wienerschnietzel and Austrian beer. And it’s not just making the program, it’s also visualising it, assuming you eventually manage to prepare it.

Here is some advice that will minimise the screaming (save this for next year):

  • Do *not* attempt at making the program weeks before the meeting. It just won’t work. You will spend a solid amount of your time clicking on those stars and nothing will be saved in your program. At the end of the day, why would you want to come to the meeting prepared?
  • Visualising your program from a browser is just a nightmare. Why would we want the sessions we selected ordered according to the time they are happening? No, much better to shuffle everything and make you scroll up and down till you spot the time-slot you are interested in.
  • Also, you can visualise the program by session or by presentation. The default is by presentation. But anyway, do *not* use the browser.
  • You should download your personal program as a pdf document. This is how you get to see your program in an actually useful way.

Alternatively, you could also prepare your own meeting calendar with your favourite text editor. Although painful, this might be the smartest way, as you then won’t have to rely on the stability of the EGU website and/or of the WiFi connection at the venue. Both of which are surely hanging on for dear life every day of the meeting.

Yours truly,

The Sassy Scientist

PS: Time to go back to the utter madness that is EGU2022.

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I am currently employed at a first tier research institute where I am continuously working with the greatest minds to further our understanding of the solid Earth system. Whether it is mantle or lithosphere structure and dynamics, solid Earth rheology parameters, earthquake processes, integrating observations with model predictions or inversions: you have read a paper of mine. Even if you are working on a topic I haven’t mentioned here, I still know everything about it. Do you have any problems in your research career? I have already experienced them. Do you struggle with your work-life balance? Been there, done that. Nowadays, I have only one hobby: helping you out by answering the most poignant questions in geodynamics, research and life. I am waiting for you right here. Get inspired.


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