Thoughts on Science

Slow versus fast science – summary and thoughts on the vEGU21 GM-ECS Great Debate

EGU Guest blogger May 19, 2021

Figure 1: Conceptual and provocative illustration on scientific progress and careers in slow versus fast science. Boxes represent the cumulative number of publications in a fast science career, stars in a slow science career. Numbers of publications (boxes, stars) are indicative only. The red line indicates an increase of caring responsibility within early/mid career, which on average decreases again with age (before it probably increases again in the late career stages). The green arrow indicates that more knowledge should/could (provocative, to be discussed) be gained from a slow science career, because more time to think and explore should/could result in an absolute knowledge gain. This graph illustrates that slow science is not about slowing down the rate of knowledge acquisition, but overall has the potential to increase it. To be discussed.

The Early career representatives of EGU’s Geomorphology Division (Andrea Madella (University of Tübingen), Annegret Larsen (Wageningen University), and Michael Dietze (GFZ – German Research Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam)) organized the ECS-Great Debate on “Slow science versus fast science” at this year’s vEGU21 – edited by Sabine Kraushaar. – GM Guest bloggers: Annegret Larsen (Wag ...[Read More]

Geology Bites podcast: Bob Anderson on How Geology Affects Landscape

EGU Guest blogger and Jan Blöthe May 6, 2021

Written by Oliver Strimpel, University of Oxford; edited by Jan and Sabine What is it about rocks that determines whether they create features in the landscape? In the Sierras, why does the west side with its giant cliffs of glacially polished stone look so different from the gentler terrain of the east side despite having the same bedrock? How has the use of cosmogenic radionuclides revolutioni ...[Read More]

Do glaciers really do all the work? Perhaps not.

EGU Guest blogger February 2, 2018

Kerry Leith from the Engineering Geology Department at the ETH Zürich set up a post on their latest publication and the backstory behind it. As they announced on their own website (www.stressdriven.com) review comments ranged from “mediocre or poor” to “[…] provocative, potentially revolutionary (if correct) analysis”. It surely contains interesting thoughts. – ...[Read More]

50% Professorship = More time for family and science

EGU Guest blogger December 21, 2017

Annegret Larsen had the fantastic idea to encourage her colleague Pascal Egli, both from the University of Lausanne, to explore the nature of a shared professorship. Pascal took the chance and interviewed Professor Martin Hoelzle at the Swiss Geoscience meeting in November 2017. Professor Martin Hoelzle is a Geomorphologist/Glaciologist at University of Fribourg (Switzerland). He is also one of v ...[Read More]

Theoretical Geomorphology: Selling a seemingly boring topic

EGU Guest blogger December 10, 2017

Anne's comic strip-style Poster at the EGU (credits: Kerry Leith)

Anne Voigtländer (TUM Munich) presented her poster at the EGU 2017 and attracted quite some attention. She drew everything per hand and besides chocolate bars and smiling mountains she touched some very interesting topics. Have a look and get inspired! – written by Anne Voigtländer (TUM Munich) – Have you ever tried to sell a text on theoretical geomorphology to students? Or even to your fellow sc ...[Read More]

More than meets the “I”: The Retirement of a Mentor – Young Scientists and Their Inheritance

Sabine Kraushaar March 3, 2016

A systemic view with the help of Chorley & Kennedy can equal theoretical models of landscapes (credit: Katharina Eibisch).

In preparation for the laudation of her retiring mentor – Professor Richard Dikau – Katharina Eibisch from the University of Bonn (Germany) thought about some life lessons she learned throughout her first year as a young researcher. – written by Katharina Eibisch, University of Bonn – We as Geomorphologists are not only concerned with the shape of a form but also with its materia ...[Read More]