HS
Hydrological Sciences

Diversity & equality

A students’ wish list for field courses that leave no one behind

and November 9, 2022
A students’ wish list for field courses that leave no one behind
Léa (left) and Floreana (right) preparing equipment for helicopter transport in the Swiss Alps. Photo: Arthur Mebius

Following an inspiring workshop, as well as our own experiences and informal discussions with students and undergraduate PhD students at the University of Lausanne (see our previous blog post), we collected ideas for a wish list for safe and accessible field classes. It is not exhaustive, and we hope that it will inspire field leaders and students alike. The wish list is summarized here below. It ...[Read More]

Inclusive fieldwork: issues to care about

and November 2, 2022
Inclusive fieldwork: issues to care about
Field courses can have different styles and range from outdoor lecturing to practical exercises. Photo: Yuniarti Yuska

Imagine it is your first time going on a field trip. After spending hours in the lecture theatre, you are excited to get outside and see those environmental processes that so far you have only seen in graphs and figures. You get off the bus, and the first thing your professor says  is: “people less comfortable with climbing on the rocks can just take the notes”, while looking at you and your femal ...[Read More]

The mystery of shared first authorship

July 6, 2022
The mystery of shared first authorship

Have you heard of the option to have two first authors? Or seen the little star that indicates that both first authors have equally contributed to the work? I got to know the concept many years ago, without having ever used it. Now, one of my PhD students is working on a shared paper. My first reaction as a supervisor was: let’s have a quick look on the current rules about shared first autho ...[Read More]

Hydrologists celebrate Earth Day 2022

, and April 22, 2022
Hydrologists celebrate Earth Day 2022
Ice and flowing water, by Daniele Penna, University of Florence, Firenze, Italy (Finalist in the EGU Photo Competition 2010; https://imaggeo.egu.eu/view/516/)

Today is Earth Day. As hydrologists, we work closely with what covers about 71% of the Earth’s surface: water! How do you feel when surrounded by Earth’s nature? How would you describe the contribution of your research on the water cycle to the wellbeing of our planet? If you should prepare a warning sign to join people marching in the streets on this special day, what would you write? ...[Read More]