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			<title>EGU Blogs - Highlights from the EGU blogs</title>
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					<title><![CDATA[AI in science: the ethical experiment we didn’t design]]></title>
					<link>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/05/08/ai-in-science-the-ethical-experiment-we-didnt-design/</link>
					<comments>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/05/08/ai-in-science-the-ethical-experiment-we-didnt-design/#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>Fri, 08 May 2026 11:00:28 +0000</pubDate>
					<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lucia Perez-Diaz]]></dc:creator>
							<category><![CDATA[Accessibility and inclusivity at EGU]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ethical science]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ethics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GenAI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[science]]></category>
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											<description><![CDATA[Artificial Intelligence, and its rapid incursion into the (geo)sciences, was already impossible to ignore at last year’s EGU General Assembly. (you can read my reflections then in this blog post) This year, unsurprisingly, it felt equally present. On Thursday, I attended the Great Debate on “The ethics of using AI in Geosciences: opportunities and risks”, a discussion spanning everything from scientific integrity and transparency to environmental costs, bias, and human responsibility. Like many conversations around Generative AI, it was sprawling at times, making it difficult to reduce to a single thread. Perhaps that speaks of the fact that “AI ethics” itself is usually discussed as if it were something external to us: a framework to develop, a policy to write, a set of guidelines to package neatly into an institutionally branded document. In reality, some of the most important ethical decisions around AI can be quite personal, and in a way, rather simple. You could use Generative AI to help refine and correct your grammar for a peer review written in a language that is not your first. You could also ask it to write the review for you. Technically, they both involve AI-generated text. Ethically, they are worlds apart.  That distinction matters because, despite frequent discussions about regulation, detection tools, and institutional guidance, much of scientific integrity still depends on individual choices. Many researchers may not act ethically because they are constantly monitored or because misconduct is easy to detect. They do so because science relies, to a remarkable extent, on personal responsibility: on judgement, restraint, and the willingness to engage critically and honestly with the work you are doing. Perhaps that is what makes the current moment feel so important. AI is not only changing what scientists can do, but potentially how scientists think, and how much thinking we choose to outsource to a co-worker that is always helpful, perhaps at times suspiciously so. At its broadest level, AI ethics is concerned with how these systems are built, trained, deployed, and used (and with the consequences that emerge from those choices). Some concerns relate to the data used to train AI models: where it comes from, what biases it may contain, whether people consented to its use, and whether copyrighted or sensitive material is involved. Others focus on transparency and accountability: whether humans can meaningfully understand how a system reached a conclusion, who is responsible when errors occur, and how these technologies should be regulated in high-impact contexts such as healthcare, law, or education. Finally, there are also broader societal concerns, ranging from environmental costs to misinformation, labour displacement, surveillance, and the possibility of increasingly powerful AI systems being used irresponsibly. The recent report by the IUGS Commission on Geoethics approaches many of these issues directly, offering recommendations for the ethical use of AI in the geosciences. Going through every aspect of AI ethics in detail would be difficult in a single blog post (and would probably ensure nobody reaches the end of it). So instead, I want to focus on a few ideas from the debate that stayed with me afterwards. The first one is agency. The truth is, ultimately, ethical AI use is less about what AI can do, and more about what you choose to delegate to it and about recognising that this remains a choice. This may sound obvious, but AI has been in conversation where it was described as something happening to scientists rather than something scientists actively decide to use. The language surrounding this is strangely passive: AI is transforming research, changing publishing, and disrupting education. AI isn&#8217;t doing any of those things; we are. The responsibility for how we engage with these systems remains ours. You choose whether to verify the output of a model before including it in your work. You choose whether to rely on AI-generated summaries instead of reading papers yourself. You choose whether AI acts as an assistant to your thinking or begins replacing parts of the thinking process altogether. As Emma Ruttkamp-Bloem (one of the panellists) said: “once AI is part of your process (in whichever way you choose), the work you need to do after you’ve generated content with AI is not insignificant. The key is, you have to want to do it.” The debate repeatedly returned to this point, directly and indirectly. Not necessarily through dramatic warnings about artificial intelligence itself (at no point in the debate did I feel like any of the panellists discouraged AI use in science), but through reminders that scientific integrity cannot be outsourced. Responsibility does not disappear simply because a tool becomes more powerful or more convenient. Convenience matters, and AI systems are extraordinarily good at reducing friction: drafting text, summarising information, generating code, organising ideas. But reducing friction can also reduce reflection. The easier it becomes to automate parts of scientific work, the easier it may become to disengage from them intellectually while still remaining accountable for the result. This takes me to the second idea that stayed with me after the debate: the importance of critical thinking not simply as a scientific skill, but as part of scientific ethics itself. There is often concern that over-reliance on AI could lead to an erosion of skills (I wrote about this in last year’s blog post), but in the context of ethical use of AI, what the debate made me reflect on is the relationship between critical engagement and responsibility. Science is not only about producing outputs. It is also about understanding how those outputs were reached, recognising uncertainty, identifying limitations, questioning assumptions, and being able to defend conclusions. Many of these processes are cognitively demanding, slow, and occasionally uncomfortable. They require attention, they take effort&#8230; if only there was an easier way, right? AI can absolutely support these processes. It can help researchers work across languages, assist with coding, improve accessibility, and accelerate routine tasks. But there is a meaningful difference between using AI to support reasoning and using it to bypass reasoning altogether. Paraphrasing Emma again, “Know why you are interacting with AI, think about not being manipulated. It’s not paranoia, it’s just acknowledging that AI often cuts reflection time, which is a key part of our process. Research is about learning and reflection. It’s not about doing it as fast as possible.” Perhaps this is why discussions around AI in science can feel ethically uneasy even when no obvious misconduct has occurred. The concern is not always that researchers are “cheating” in some concrete way. To me, the more concerning thought is that they may gradually stop fully inhabiting the intellectual processes for which they are still held accountable. As I wrote at the start of this piece, ethical AI use is really difficult to police. Like many other aspects of science, it relies on trust at the individual level and so it is a collective responsibility to make choices simply because they are ethical rather than because of the consequences (for ourselves) if we do not. Nevertheless, some organisations are now developing guidelines and recommendations for the ethical use of AI, with practical and actionable suggestions for researchers. These are not intended as rigid rules, but as tools to help people develop the knowledge, awareness, and agency needed to make thoughtful choices that protect both science and scientists.  I will conclude by quoting the IUGS report, because I don’t think I can phrase this better than they already have: “Ethics is not just about rules or consequences; it is situational, emotional, empathetic and relational. It is about moral character. Virtue ethics is a habitual disposition to act rightly – what a good and wise person would do.” Choose to be a good and wise scientist.]]></description>
													<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Artificial Intelligence, and its rapid incursion into the (geo)sciences, was already impossible to ignore at last year’s EGU General Assembly. (you can read my reflections then <a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2025/05/01/ai-the-good-the-bad-and-the-forgotten/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in this blog post</a>) This year, unsurprisingly, it felt equally present. On Thursday, I attended the Great Debate on<a href="https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU26/session/58586" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> <em>“The ethics of using AI in Geosciences: opportunities and risks”,</em> </a>a discussion spanning everything from scientific integrity and transparency to environmental costs, bias, and human responsibility.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Like many conversations around Generative AI, it was sprawling at times, making it difficult to reduce to a single thread. Perhaps that speaks of the fact that “AI ethics” itself is usually discussed as if it were something external to us: a framework to develop, a policy to write, a set of guidelines to package neatly into an institutionally branded document. </span><span class="s1">In reality, some of the most important ethical decisions around AI can be quite personal, and in a way, rather simple. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">You could use Generative AI to help refine and correct your grammar for a peer review written in a language that is not your first. You could also ask it to write the review for you. Technically, they both involve AI-generated text. Ethically, they are worlds apart. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">That distinction matters because, despite frequent discussions about regulation, detection tools, and institutional guidance, much of scientific integrity still depends on individual choices. <a href="https://storage.knaw.nl/2022-06/Advies-Responsible-research-data-management-and-the-prevention-of-scientific-misconduct-2013.pdf">Many researchers may not act ethically</a> because they are constantly monitored or because misconduct is easy to detect. They do so because science relies, to a remarkable extent, on <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-91597-1_2">personal responsibility</a>: on judgement, restraint, and the willingness to engage critically and honestly with the work you are doing.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Perhaps that is what makes the current moment feel so important. <a href="https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260505-how-to-use-ai-without-turning-your-brain-to-mush">AI is not only changing what scientists can do, but potentially how scientists think</a>, and how much thinking we choose to outsource to a co-worker that is always helpful, perhaps at times suspiciously so.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">At its broadest level, AI ethics is concerned with how these systems are built, trained, deployed, and used (and with the consequences that emerge from those choices). Some concerns relate to the data used to train AI models: where it comes from, what biases it may contain, whether people consented to its use, and whether copyrighted or sensitive material is involved. Others focus on transparency and accountability: whether humans can meaningfully understand how a system reached a conclusion, who is responsible when errors occur, and how these technologies should be regulated in high-impact contexts such as healthcare, law, or education. Finally, there are</span><span class="s1"> also broader societal concerns, ranging from environmental costs to misinformation, labour displacement, surveillance, and the possibility of increasingly powerful AI systems being used irresponsibly.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">The <a href="https://www.geoethics.org/_files/ugd/5195a5_5dcf66f87cca492c958319c3f4cdeffb.pdf?index=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recent report by the IUGS Commission on Geoethics</a> approaches many of these issues directly, offering recommendations for the ethical use of AI in the geosciences. Going through every aspect of AI ethics in detail would be difficult in a single blog post (and would probably ensure nobody reaches the end of it). So instead, I want to focus on a few ideas from the debate that stayed with me afterwards.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">The first one is <strong>agency.</strong></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">The truth is, ultimately, ethical AI use is less about what AI can do, and more about what you choose to delegate to it and about recognising that this remains a choice.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">This may sound obvious, but AI has been in conversation where it was described as something happening <i>to</i> scientists rather than something scientists actively decide to use. The language surrounding this is strangely passive: AI is transforming research, changing publishing, and disrupting education. AI isn't doing any of those things; we are. The responsibility for how we engage with these systems remains ours.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">You choose whether to verify the output of a model before including it in your work. You choose whether to rely on AI-generated summaries instead of reading papers yourself. You choose whether AI acts as an assistant to your thinking or begins replacing parts of the thinking process altogether. As <a href="https://www.up.ac.za/philosophy/emma-ruttkamp-bloem">Emma Ruttkamp-Bloem</a> (one of the panellists) said:</span></p>

<blockquote>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">“once AI is part of your process (in whichever way you choose), the work you need to do after you’ve generated content with AI is not insignificant. The key is, you have to want to do it.”</span></p>
</blockquote>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">The debate repeatedly returned to this point, directly and indirectly. Not necessarily through dramatic warnings about artificial intelligence itself (at no point in the debate did I feel like any of the panellists discouraged AI use in science), but through reminders that scientific integrity cannot be outsourced. Responsibility does not disappear simply because a tool becomes more powerful or more convenient. Convenience matters, and AI systems are extraordinarily good at reducing friction: drafting text, summarising information, generating code, organising ideas. But reducing friction can also reduce reflection. The easier it becomes to automate parts of scientific work, the easier it may become to disengage from them intellectually while still remaining accountable for the result. This takes me to the second idea that stayed with me </span><span class="s1">after the debate: the <strong>importance of critical thinking</strong> not simply as a scientific skill, but as part of scientific ethics itself.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">There is often concern that over-reliance on AI could lead to an erosion of skills (I wrote about this in <a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2025/05/01/ai-the-good-the-bad-and-the-forgotten/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">last year’s blog post</a>), but in the context of ethical use of AI, what the debate made me reflect on is the relationship between critical engagement and responsibility.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Science is not only about producing outputs. It is also about understanding how those outputs were reached, recognising uncertainty, identifying limitations, questioning assumptions, and being able to defend conclusions. Many of these processes are cognitively demanding, slow, and occasionally uncomfortable. They require attention, they take effort... if only there was an easier way, right?</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">AI can absolutely support these processes. It can help researchers work across languages, assist with coding, improve accessibility, and accelerate routine tasks. But there is a meaningful difference between using AI to support reasoning and using it to bypass reasoning altogether. Paraphrasing Emma again, “Know why you are interacting with AI, think about not being manipulated. It’s not paranoia, it’s just acknowledging that AI often cuts reflection time, which is a key part of our process. Research is about learning and reflection. It’s not about doing it as fast as possible.”</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Perhaps this is why discussions around AI in science can feel ethically uneasy even when no obvious misconduct has occurred. The concern is not always that researchers are “cheating” in some concrete way. To me, the more concerning thought is that they may gradually stop fully inhabiting the intellectual processes for which they are still held accountable.</span></p>


[caption id="attachment_51429" align="aligncenter" width="371"]<a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/05/xkcd_ai_comic.png"><img class="wp-image-51429 size-full" src="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/05/xkcd_ai_comic.png" alt="" width="371" height="439" /></a> Fig. 1. Credit: xkcd.com[/caption]
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">As I wrote at the start of this piece, ethical AI use is really difficult to police. Like many other aspects of science, it relies on trust at the individual level and so it is a collective responsibility to make choices simply because they are ethical rather than because of the consequences (for ourselves) if we do not.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Nevertheless, <a href="https://www.unesco.org/en/artificial-intelligence/recommendation-ethics">some organisations are now developing guidelines and recommendations for the ethical use of AI,</a> with practical and actionable suggestions for researchers. These are not intended as rigid rules, but as tools to help people develop the knowledge, awareness, and agency needed to make thoughtful choices that protect both science and scientists. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">I will conclude by quoting <a href="https://www.geoethics.org/ai-ethics-recommendations">the IUGS report</a>, because I don’t think I can phrase this better than they already have: </span></p>

<blockquote>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">“Ethics is not just about rules or consequences; it is situational, emotional, empathetic and relational. It is about moral character. Virtue ethics is a habitual disposition to act rightly – what a good and wise person would do.”</span></p>
</blockquote>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Choose to be a good and wise scientist.</span></p>]]></content:encoded>
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					<title><![CDATA[The post-EGU comedown: An incomplete guide for the geosciences junkies]]></title>
					<link>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/05/08/the-post-egu-comedown-an-incomplete-guide-for-the-geosciences-junkies/</link>
					<comments>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/05/08/the-post-egu-comedown-an-incomplete-guide-for-the-geosciences-junkies/#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>Fri, 08 May 2026 08:30:23 +0000</pubDate>
					<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jakub Stepanovic]]></dc:creator>
							<category><![CDATA[EGU GA 2026]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[General Assembly]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Conference tips]]></category>
					<guid isPermaLink="false"></guid>
											<description><![CDATA[EGU26 is almost over. The question is: Now what? It is busy during the conference. Finding the way around the convention center, presenting work, learning what others are doing, back-to-back sessions, browsing eye-catching exhibits, not to forget the 20,000+ people to network with! It can feel exhausting, making me crave a still moment to chill from all that thrill. But when I finally walk out of the venue for the last time, I already miss the buzz. The friendly folks. The exciting encounters, whether those expected or the ones by chance. Here is what I do to keep the high for longer. I write down my ideas: The meeting is full of inspiration. But if I don&#8217;t mark it, everything that seems so clear now can get blurred, or may disappear altogether rather soon. I organize my contacts: If I&#8217;ve met someone I would like to stay in touch with, now is the time to ensure I can do that later. Maybe I didn&#8217;t exchange contact information on-site, but I can still find the author&#8217;s email if I recall the session&#8217;s name. Or perhaps, if I only wrote a first name and number, I make sure to write down more details while I still remember them. I take my time: Realizing those ideas won&#8217;t happen overnight. That&#8217;s fine. Once they are recorded, they can take a break. Likewise, writing a meaningful follow-up to a senior scientist I met for the first time might take a little while. In other words, a slow weekend after all that fast-paced action feels earned. Doing things right and doing them fast don&#8217;t always go together. I mark the next EGU General Assembly in the calendar: It will be in the same venue, from April 4 to April 9, 2027. Even if it might seem far from today, previous years have taught me something: it will feel like a few weeks, and I will be packing for Vienna again in less than a year. Once it&#8217;s in my calendar, I can start looking forward to it (and even book my accommodation and trains as soon as I can, because I know I am going!) Additional actions: Fill out the EGU26 feedback form. It helps the EGU organisers refine and improve the conference every year. If you liked your EGU26 experience and would like to contribute to someone else&#8217;s good times next year, consider signing up for the EGU Peer Support program once EGU27 gets closer. Finally, if you are still in the city, you can prolong the excitement by checking out the brand-new EGU26 mural at Wargramer Strasse 61, Vienna: What are your post-conference tricks? Feel free to share them in the comments!]]></description>
													<content:encoded><![CDATA[<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p><em>EGU26 is almost over. The question is: Now what?</em></p>
<hr />
<p>It is busy during the conference. Finding the way around the convention center, presenting work, learning what others are doing, back-to-back sessions, browsing eye-catching exhibits, not to forget the 20,000+ people to network with! It can feel exhausting, making me crave a still moment to chill from all that thrill. But when I finally walk out of the venue for the last time, I already miss the buzz. The friendly folks. The exciting encounters, whether those expected or the ones by chance. Here is what I do to keep the high for longer.</p>
<ul>
<li>I write down my ideas: The meeting is full of inspiration. But if I don't mark it, everything that seems so clear now can get blurred, or may disappear altogether rather soon.</li>
<li>I organize my contacts: If I've met someone I would like to stay in touch with, now is the time to ensure I can do that later. Maybe I didn't exchange contact information on-site, but I can still find the author's email if I recall the session's name. Or perhaps, if I only wrote a first name and number, I make sure to write down more details while I still remember them.</li>
<li>I take my time: Realizing those ideas won't happen overnight. That's fine. Once they are recorded, they can take a break. Likewise, writing a meaningful follow-up to a senior scientist I met for the first time might take a little while. In other words, a slow weekend after all that fast-paced action feels earned. Doing things right and doing them fast don't always go together.</li>
<li>I mark <a href="https://www.egu.eu/meetings/calendar/egu/">the next EGU General Assembly</a> in the calendar: It will be in the <a href="https://www.acv.at/">same venue</a>, from April 4 to April 9, 2027. Even if it might seem far from today, previous years have taught me something: it will feel like a few weeks, and I will be packing for Vienna again in less than a year. Once it's in my calendar, I can start looking forward to it (and even book my accommodation and trains as soon as I can, because I know I am going!)</li>
</ul>
<hr />
<p><strong>Additional actions:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Fill out the <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/feedback" target="_blank" rel="noopener">EGU26 feedback form</a>. It helps the EGU organisers refine and improve the conference every year.</li>
<li>If you liked your EGU26 experience and would like to contribute to someone else's good times next year, consider signing up for the <a href="https://www.egu.eu/outreach/mentoring/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">EGU Peer Support program</a> once EGU27 gets closer.</li>
<li>Finally, if you are still in the city, you can prolong the excitement by checking out the <a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/05/04/celebrating-20-years-of-geoscience-in-vienna-with-egu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">brand-new EGU26 mural</a> at <a href="http://google.com/maps/dir/Austria+Center+Vienna,+Bruno-Kreisky-Platz+1,+1220+Wien/Wagramer+Str.+61,+1220+Wien/@48.2373981,16.4022274,14z/data=!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x476d06ef618b7877:0x1afc2f6fe51e9128!2m2!1d16.4137358!2d48.2348698!1m5!1m1!1s0x476d06c0c201cc73:0x1099fef97418f5bb!2m2!1d16.431995!2d48.2407538!3e2?entry=ttu&amp;g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDUwMi4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D">Wargramer Strasse 61, Vienna:</a></li>
</ul>
[caption id="attachment_51386" align="alignnone" width="1005"]<img class="wp-image-51386 size-full" src="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/05/2026-05-07-16_53_56.png" alt="" width="1005" height="1507" /> EGU26 mural in the making, captured on May 7th afternoon. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-pr9f5DaB0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Source</a>[/caption]
<p>What are your post-conference tricks? Feel free to share them in the comments!</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->]]></content:encoded>
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					<title><![CDATA[Congratulations to the winners of the EGU26 Photo Competition!]]></title>
					<link>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/05/08/congratulations-to-the-winners-of-the-egu26-photo-competition/</link>
					<comments>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/05/08/congratulations-to-the-winners-of-the-egu26-photo-competition/#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>Fri, 08 May 2026 06:00:05 +0000</pubDate>
					<dc:creator><![CDATA[Hazel Gibson]]></dc:creator>
							<category><![CDATA[Early Career Scientists]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EGU GA 2026]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[vote]]></category>
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											<description><![CDATA[For this year’s Photo Contest, EGU received a number of amazing images capturing a broad spectrum of the geosciences. Since the selection committee whittled the field down to 10 finalists, you have been voting for your favourites throughout EGU26&#8217;s week-long conference, both on-site in Vienna at the EGU booth, and online. After an enthusiastic response from voters, we are now ready, and VERY excited, to announce the winners! Congratulations to our EGU26 Photo Competition winners! &nbsp; 1st place: Chi Q&#8217;aq&#8217; &#8211; A Trinity of Light by Bastian Steinke Growing population numbers mean that our space of living is shifting, and that we are forced to live closer to destructive forces of nature. Volcán de Fuego in Guatemala displays constant fusion of destruction and regeneration &#8211; yet, the local population has mastered the challenge of melting into this natural rhythm. While from a scientific point of view we are inclined to identify volcanism as a threat to humanity, Chi Q&#8217;aq (Fuego&#8217;s indigenous name) also manifests as brother, shelter, playground, and constant companion to those living nearby. To recognise and respect this connection is an important task for those seeking to understand the relationship between humans and natural patterns. The photo shows an eruption of Chi Q&#8217;aq at 01:12am local time on a clear night in February, with some of the sleeping city lights down below. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 2nd place: Geyser Eruption Beneath the Milky Way by Chujie Liu Old Faithful erupts under the Milky Way in Yellowstone National Park, illustrating active hydrothermal processes driven by Earth’s internal heat. Superheated groundwater periodically vents to the surface, linking subsurface geothermal dynamics with the broader planetary environment visible in the night sky. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 3rd place: Dual Lacustrine Systems within the Sete Cidades Volcanic Caldera by Rui Fagundes Silva An aerial perspective of one of the most iconic polygenetic volcanoes in the Azores. The image shows the large caldera containing the distinctive dual lake system. From a geoscientific standpoint, it showcases the result of successive collapse events and the complex hydrological systems that develop within dormant volcanic structures. &nbsp; Imaggeo is the EGU’s online open access geosciences image repository. All geoscientists (and others) can submit their photographs and videos to this repository and, since it is open access, these images can be used for free by scientists for their presentations or publications, by educators and the general public, and some images can even be used freely for commercial purposes. Photographers also retain full rights of use, as Imaggeo images are licensed and distributed by the EGU under a Creative Commons license. Submit your photos at http://imaggeo.egu.eu/upload/.]]></description>
													<content:encoded><![CDATA[For this year’s Photo Contest, EGU received a number of amazing images capturing a broad spectrum of the geosciences. Since the selection committee whittled the field down to 10 finalists, you have been voting for your favourites throughout <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/">EGU26's week-long conference</a>, both on-site in Vienna at the EGU booth, and online. After an enthusiastic response from voters, we are now ready, and VERY excited, to announce the winners!
<h3><strong>Congratulations to our EGU26 Photo Competition winners! </strong></h3>
&nbsp;

<a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/04/Bastian-Steinke.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-51003 alignnone" src="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/04/Bastian-Steinke.png" alt="" width="1600" height="1067" /></a>

<strong>1st place: <a href="https://imaggeo.egu.eu/view/19686/">Chi Q'aq' - A Trinity of Light</a> by Bastian Steinke</strong>

Growing population numbers mean that our space of living is shifting, and that we are forced to live closer to destructive forces of nature. Volcán de Fuego in Guatemala displays constant fusion of destruction and regeneration - yet, the local population has mastered the challenge of melting into this natural rhythm. While from a scientific point of view we are inclined to identify volcanism as a threat to humanity, Chi Q'aq (Fuego's indigenous name) also manifests as brother, shelter, playground, and constant companion to those living nearby. To recognise and respect this connection is an important task for those seeking to understand the relationship between humans and natural patterns. The photo shows an eruption of Chi Q'aq at 01:12am local time on a clear night in February, with some of the sleeping city lights down below.

&nbsp;

<a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/04/Chuljie-Liu.jpeg"><img class="wp-image-50995 alignleft" src="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/04/Chuljie-Liu-209x300.jpeg" alt="" width="348" height="500" /></a>

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<strong>2nd place: <a href="https://imaggeo.egu.eu/view/19680/">Geyser Eruption Beneath the Milky</a> <a href="https://imaggeo.egu.eu/view/19680/">Way</a> </strong><strong>by </strong><strong>Chujie Liu</strong>

Old Faithful erupts under the Milky Way in Yellowstone National Park, illustrating active hydrothermal processes driven by Earth’s internal heat. Superheated groundwater periodically vents to the surface, linking subsurface geothermal dynamics with the broader planetary environment visible in the night sky.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;
<p style="text-align: center;"></p>
&nbsp;

<a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/04/Rui-Fagundes-Silva.jpg"><img class="alignnone wp-image-51002 size-full" src="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/04/Rui-Fagundes-Silva.jpg" alt="" width="1600" height="1250" /></a>

<strong>3rd place: <a href="https://imaggeo.egu.eu/view/19754/">Dual Lacustrine Systems within the Sete Cidades Volcanic Caldera </a>by Rui Fagundes Silva</strong>

An aerial perspective of one of the most iconic polygenetic volcanoes in the Azores. The image shows the large caldera containing the distinctive dual lake system. From a geoscientific standpoint, it showcases the result of successive collapse events and the complex hydrological systems that develop within dormant volcanic structures.

&nbsp;

<a href="http://imaggeo.egu.eu/"><em>Imaggeo</em></a><em> is the EGU’s online open access geosciences image repository. All geoscientists (and others) can </em><a href="http://imaggeo.egu.eu/login/?next=/upload/"><em>submit</em></a> <em>their photographs and videos to this repository and, since it is open access, these images can be used for free by scientists for their presentations or publications, by educators and the general public, and some images can even be used freely for commercial purposes. Photographers also retain full rights of use, as Imaggeo images are licensed and distributed by the EGU under a </em><a href="http://imaggeo.egu.eu/copyright/"><em>Creative Commons license</em></a><em>. Submit your photos at http://imaggeo.egu.eu/upload/.</em>]]></content:encoded>
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					<title><![CDATA[Connecting worlds of influences? Between art and education at EGU26]]></title>
					<link>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/05/07/connecting-worlds-of-influences-between-art-and-education-at-egu26/</link>
					<comments>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/05/07/connecting-worlds-of-influences-between-art-and-education-at-egu26/#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>Thu, 07 May 2026 15:21:54 +0000</pubDate>
					<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jakub Stepanovic]]></dc:creator>
							<category><![CDATA[EGU GA 2026]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[General Assembly]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Outreach]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Posters]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Science Communication]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[art]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[education resource]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EGU26]]></category>
					<guid isPermaLink="false"></guid>
											<description><![CDATA[Talking to people about their work is always an EGU highlight for me. Being able to nerd out about rivers, rocks, big research vessels crossing the Arctic, maps, mountains anywhere in the solar system, or even beyond? Yes, please! However, while those topics are the things of dreams for me (and I dare to say many other EGU-goers), that enthusiasm isn&#8217;t always a given once we leave the conference halls. Convincing the broader public, or even stakeholders, that the things we love are just as exciting as we think they are can be a major challenge. Thankfully, outreach, education, and engagement are at the core of EGU. This year, the General Assembly highlights two areas that can bridge that gap: Art and Education. Recurring themes are avoiding specialized jargon, showing the human side of science, and using attractive visuals. Lore Vanhooren, who presented the talk &#8220;Science animations to bridge communication obstacles to laymen and experts – a story of struggles and solutions,&#8221; shared how creativity deployed for outreach can find its way back into scientific practice. &#8220;Doing art made me more productive in science.&#8221; &#8212;Lore Vanhooren Science inherently requires creativity and curiosity, which are also the essence of art. As such, it only makes sense to bridge those two worlds. The EGU facilitates interactions between the worlds of science and art through an artist-in-residence program: this year&#8217;s artist is Núria Altimir. By reviewing the cognitive science behind visual perception and attention, Núria teaches us how to use beauty as a gateway into complex ideas. It is not about decoration; it is about using design to command attention and guide the viewer through dense data with purpose. At her stand, participants are becoming part of it rather than mere watchers. Her large-scale participatory artworks examine networks and uncertainty in real-time, allowing attendees to become the data points themselves. It is a masterclass in how beautifying science can make it more accessible to the human brain. Núria also held a course titled: The why and how of beauty as a tool for effective science communication. If you haven&#8217;t yet, make sure to visit Núria&#8217;s stand in the Foyer D of Level -2. In the same space, the General Assembly also features a gallery showcasing the work of some of the previous EGU artists: Whether you stop by for a conversation or just a short break, it gives a space to reflect on that science is a human endeavor that deserves to be beautiful. You can follow the journey online using the hashtag #EGUart. If art provides the visual gateway to science, the field of education provides the map. The General Assembly continues to be a vital space where educators and researchers swap expertise. Scientists can gain insight into class management, the learner&#8217;s perspective, and techniques to measure communication effectiveness, while educators get a front-row seat to the latest discoveries. Thomas Schubatzky reflected on this productive exchange during his poster session on TRACE, a project that links climate literacy with individual and collective action. In the end, whether it is through a comic book or a cognitive approach to design, EGU26 is proving that beauty and education are the very tools that make our science stick.]]></description>
													<content:encoded><![CDATA[Talking to people about their work is always an EGU highlight for me. Being able to nerd out about rivers, rocks, big research vessels crossing the Arctic, maps, mountains anywhere in the solar system, or even beyond? Yes, please! However, while those topics are the things of dreams for me (and I dare to say many other EGU-goers), that enthusiasm isn't always a given once we leave the conference halls. Convincing the broader public, or even stakeholders, that the things we love are just as exciting as we think they are can be a major challenge. Thankfully, outreach, education, and engagement are at the core of EGU. This year, the General Assembly highlights two areas that can bridge that gap: Art and Education.

[caption id="attachment_51365" align="alignnone" width="1024"]<img class="wp-image-51365 size-full" src="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/05/Domino-Jones-2.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" /> Domino Jones shows drawings for the '<a href="https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU26/EGU26-5542.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arctic Flowers' science communication graphic novel</a> during EGU26.[/caption]

Recurring themes are avoiding specialized jargon, showing the human side of science, and using attractive visuals. Lore Vanhooren, who presented the talk "<a class="co_mto_abstractHTML-html-toggler" href="https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU26/EGU26-3960.html" target="#" data-id="36903570">Science animations to bridge communication obstacles to laymen and experts – a story of struggles and solutions</a>," shared how creativity deployed for outreach can find its way back into scientific practice.

<span style="color: #767676;font-size: 19px;font-style: italic">"Doing art made me more productive in science."</span>

---Lore Vanhooren

Science inherently requires creativity and curiosity, which are also the essence of art. As such, it only makes sense to bridge those two worlds. The EGU facilitates interactions between the worlds of science and art through an artist-in-residence program: this year's artist is <a href="https://www.egu.eu/news/1660/data-portrait-artist-and-mixed-media-visual-artist-chosen-as-artists-in-residence-for-the-egu26-general-assembly/">Núria Altimir</a>. By reviewing the cognitive science behind visual perception and attention, Núria teaches us how to use beauty as a gateway into complex ideas. It is not about decoration; it is about using design to command attention and guide the viewer through dense data with purpose. At her stand, participants are becoming part of it rather than mere watchers. Her large-scale participatory artworks examine networks and uncertainty in real-time, allowing attendees to become the data points themselves. It is a masterclass in how beautifying science can make it more accessible to the human brain. Núria also held a course titled: <a href="https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU26/session/59348" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span class="link-coloured">The why and how of beauty as a tool for effective science communication.</span></a>

[caption id="attachment_51354" align="alignnone" width="1024"]<img class="wp-image-51354 size-full" src="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/05/Nuria-Altimir-4.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" /> Nuria Altimir interacts with the audience during her course at EGU26.[/caption]

If you haven't yet, make sure to visit Núria's stand in the Foyer D of Level -2. In the same space, the General Assembly also features a gallery showcasing the work of some of the previous EGU artists:

[caption id="attachment_51361" align="alignnone" width="1024"]<img class="wp-image-51361 size-full" src="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/05/EGU-Art-Booth.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" /> Heike Jane Zimmermann, an EGU23 Artist in Residence, engages with an attendee during EGU26.[/caption]

Whether you stop by for a conversation or just a short break, it gives a space to reflect on that science is a human endeavor that deserves to be beautiful. You can follow the journey online using the <a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/04/24/egu26-get-creative-at-the-general-assembly-with-eguart-and-more/">hashtag #EGUart.</a>

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-51363" src="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/05/EGU-Art-Booth-1.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" />
<p data-path-to-node="20">If art provides the visual gateway to science, the field of education provides the map. The General Assembly continues to be a vital space where educators and researchers swap expertise. Scientists can gain insight into class management, the learner's perspective, and techniques to measure communication effectiveness, while educators get a front-row seat to the latest discoveries. <a href="https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU26/EGU26-5020.html">Thomas Schubatzky </a>reflected on this productive exchange during his poster session on <a href="https://trace-climate-education.eu/en/home/">TRACE</a>, a project that links climate literacy with individual and collective action.</p>


[caption id="attachment_51358" align="alignnone" width="1024"]<img class="wp-image-51358 size-full" src="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/05/Thomas-Schubatzky.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" /> Thomas Schubatzky discusses TRACE project.[/caption]

In the end, whether it is through a comic book or a cognitive approach to design, EGU26 is proving that beauty and education are the very tools that make our science stick.]]></content:encoded>
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					<title><![CDATA[More than meets the eye: What can we learn from non-visual science]]></title>
					<link>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/05/07/more-than-meets-the-eye-what-can-we-learn-from-non-visual-data/</link>
					<comments>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/05/07/more-than-meets-the-eye-what-can-we-learn-from-non-visual-data/#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>Thu, 07 May 2026 11:30:22 +0000</pubDate>
					<dc:creator><![CDATA[Manuela Gialanella]]></dc:creator>
							<category><![CDATA[EGU GA 2026]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[General Assembly]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vienna]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cetacean conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[earthquakes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tsunamis]]></category>
					<guid isPermaLink="false"></guid>
											<description><![CDATA[Many people exhibit a strong visual orientation, as a significant portion of human neurobiology is dedicated to processing light; however, this reliance is usually as much a product of our visually-centered environments as it is our biology. Science, however, reminds us that important information can come from different senses as well: sound, smell and tactile information all have something to say. Let’s see a few examples fresh from the EGU Press Conference Room. Have you ever heard of Geerat Vermeij? If you have, I am going to guess that you either love paleontology or you have grabbed a coffee with my good friend Martina, who loves recommending his work to people (that&#8217;s how I learned about him). If you don&#8217;t know what we are talking about, no problem, let’s fill you in! Geerat Vermeij is a well-renowned paleoecologist and marine biologist. His work on how predator-prey interactions shaped the evolution of shells is brilliant, and he is one of the most knowledgeable people in the world on the subject. Yet, when he was in school, teachers heavily discouraged him from pursuing a career in science on the basis that he couldn’t see. He lost his sight at age three, due to a glaucoma. Luckily, he decided to not put up with their ableist -although maybe well intentioned- advice and went on to land a scholarship in Yale. He studies his favorite subjects, shells, by relying on touch instead of vision. This has led to him noticing things that might not have been as apparent if you were just looking at those same specimens. If we widen the frame to science as a whole, we should already know that sight is not the sole ruler. The world is full of questions that can’t be answered by looking, no matter how high-resolution your microscopes or telescopes are. Think about earthquakes. You can see the ground shaking, you can witness the collapse od building of natural structures, you can observe their effects but it is impossible to see them per se. This is when other “data senses” can come in. Yesterday at EGU26, I attended a Press Conference which highlighted four different discoveries in three completely different fields, all made possible by collecting non-visual data. One of those discoveries hit close to home, as speaker Christian Hübscher explained how his team uses a multibeam method -which he described as similar to a doctor’s ultrasound- to map the floor of the Aegean Sea, looking for active volcanos. I come from a highly volcanic area as well called the Phlegraean Fields, in the south of Italy. He agrees with me that it is a super cool place, constantly studied albeit still full of mysteries which could be in part unveiled with the methods he showed. Which would be great, considering that more than 500.000 people live in our high-risk area. Seismic waves, as well as sound waves, can help tackle other urgent questions related to rick management, as the other speakers highlighted. Stephen Hicks, for instance, played some sonified recordings of the earthquakes that triggered the infamous Tracy Arm Alaskan tsunami of 2025, which reached an extremely impressive run up of 481 meters -more than ten times the height of the Austria Center Vienna. He hopes that analyzing those signals will allow for the prevention of similar disasters in the future. We are not the only animals that can benefit from seismic wave studies, as Eva Goblot highlighted. By combining different receivers -both underwater microphones and seismographers- their team was able to capture unique whale vocalizations from a distance of up to 150 km in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence in Canada. Those whale songs’ captures might be crucial for cetacean conservation and again, it would be impossible to spot a whale that far by sight. If you are intrigued by these perspectives and you agree that we can discover way more than meets the eye, you should check out the full presentations&#8217; reconding on the EGU Youtube channel. You’ll also get to know the intriguing story of the world largest waterfall, presented by Benedikt Haimerl. &nbsp;]]></description>
													<content:encoded><![CDATA[<em><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10722153/">Many people exhibit a strong visual orientation</a>, as a significant portion of human neurobiology is dedicated to processing light; however, this reliance is usually as much a product of our visually-centered environments as it is our biology. Science, however, reminds us that important information can come from different senses as well: sound, smell and tactile information all have something to say. Let’s see a few examples fresh from the EGU Press Conference Room.</em>

<hr />

Have you ever heard of <a href="https://eps.ucdavis.edu/people/faculty/vermeij">Geerat Vermeij</a>?

If you have, I am going to guess that you either love paleontology or you have grabbed a coffee with my good friend Martina, who loves recommending his work to people (that's how I learned about him). If you don't know what we are talking about, no problem, let’s fill you in!

Geerat Vermeij is a well-renowned paleoecologist and marine biologist. His work on how predator-prey interactions shaped the evolution of shells is brilliant, and he is <a href="https://www.shapeoflife.org/scientist/geerat-vermeij-evolutionary-biologist">one of the most knowledgeable people in the world on the subject.</a> Yet, when he was in school, teachers heavily discouraged him from pursuing a career in science on the basis that he couldn’t see. <a href="https://nfb.org/sites/default/files/images/nfb/publications/books/kernel1/kern0610.htm">He lost his sight at age three, due to a glaucoma.</a> Luckily, he decided to not put up with their ableist -although maybe well intentioned- advice and went on <a href="https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/vermeij-geerat-j-1946-gary-vermeij">to land a scholarship in Yale</a>. He studies his favorite subjects, shells, by relying on touch instead of vision. This has led to him noticing things that might not have been as apparent if you were just looking at those same specimens.

If we widen the frame to science as a whole, we should already know that sight is not the sole ruler. The world is full of questions that can’t be answered by looking, no matter how high-resolution your microscopes or telescopes are. Think about earthquakes. You can see the ground shaking, you can witness the collapse od building of natural structures, you can observe their effects but it is impossible to see them per se. This is when other “data senses” can come in.

Yesterday at EGU26, I attended a <a href="https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU26/session/59368">Press Conference</a> which highlighted four different discoveries in three completely different fields, all made possible by collecting non-visual data. One of those discoveries hit close to home, as speaker <a href="https://www.geo.uni-hamburg.de/geophysik/personen/huebscher-christian.html">Christian Hübscher</a> explained how his team uses a multibeam method -which he described as similar to a doctor’s ultrasound- to map the floor of the Aegean Sea, looking for active volcanos. I come from a highly volcanic area as well called the<a href="https://www.naplesinsider.com/en/e/phlegraean-fields-campi-flegrei-naples-italy"> Phlegraean Fields</a>, in the south of Italy. He agrees with me that it is a super cool place, constantly studied albeit still full of mysteries which could be in part unveiled with the methods he showed. Which would be great, considering that more than 500.000 people live in our high-risk area.

[caption id="attachment_51338" align="alignnone" width="1024"]<a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/05/pc5.jpg"><img class="wp-image-51338 size-large" src="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/05/pc5-1024x683.jpg" alt="The image shows speakers presenting their work during the EGU26 Press Conference 5." width="1024" height="683" /></a> Speakers at the press conference. From left to right: Eva Goblot (Dalhousie University), Christian Hübscher (University of Hamburg), Benedikt Haimerl (University of Hamburg), Stephen Hicks (University College London).[/caption]

Seismic waves, as well as sound waves, can help tackle other urgent questions related to rick management, as the other speakers highlighted. Stephen Hicks, for instance, played some sonified recordings of the earthquakes that triggered the infamous <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1m253033m4o">Tracy Arm Alaskan tsunami of 2025</a>, which reached an extremely impressive run up of 481 meters -more than ten times the height of the Austria Center Vienna. He hopes that analyzing those signals will allow for the prevention of similar disasters in the future. We are not the only animals that can benefit from seismic wave studies, as<a href="http://linkedin.com/in/eva-goblot-a5839a231?originalSubdomain=ca"> Eva Goblot</a> highlighted. By combining different receivers -both underwater microphones and seismographers- their team was able to capture unique whale vocalizations from a distance of up to 150 km in the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Gulf-of-Saint-Lawrence">Gulf of Saint Lawrence in Canada</a>. Those whale songs’ captures might be crucial for <a href="http://marinemammalcenter.org/science-conservation/conservation/cetacean-conservation">cetacean conservation</a> and again, it would be impossible to spot a whale that far by sight.

[caption id="attachment_51340" align="alignleft" width="1600"]<a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/05/tsunami-heights-V2.png"><img class="wp-image-51340 size-full" src="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/05/tsunami-heights-V2.png" alt="The image compares the highest tsunamis even recorded to some of the world's most famous buildings, such as the Tour Eiffel." width="1600" height="755" /></a> Comparison between some of the world's most famous buildings and the height of massive megatsunamis.[/caption]

If you are intrigued by these perspectives and you agree that we can discover way more than meets the eye, you should check out the full presentations' reconding on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0qupgvnkWU">EGU Youtube channel</a>. You’ll also get to know the intriguing story of the world largest waterfall, presented by <a href="https://www.geo.uni-hamburg.de/geophysik/personen/haimerl-benedikt.html">Benedikt Haimerl</a>.

&nbsp;]]></content:encoded>
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					<title><![CDATA[ESA’s Green Meridian Information Factory: Why not to miss the workshop this Friday at EGU26]]></title>
					<link>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/05/06/esas-green-meridian-information-factory-why-you-should-not-miss-the-workshop-this-friday-at-egu26/</link>
					<comments>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/05/06/esas-green-meridian-information-factory-why-you-should-not-miss-the-workshop-this-friday-at-egu26/#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>Wed, 06 May 2026 14:00:29 +0000</pubDate>
					<dc:creator><![CDATA[Asmae Ourkiya]]></dc:creator>
							<category><![CDATA[ESA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Green transition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Space science]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[splinter meeting]]></category>
					<guid isPermaLink="false"></guid>
											<description><![CDATA[As we immerse ourselves in our 20th Viennese General Assembly EGU26, the volume of climate models and atmospheric projections can be quite overwhelming, to say the least. While our EGU geoscientific community is excellent at observing the planet, a persistent challenge remains in communicating that massive planetary data into tools that a local council, a commercial farmer, or an urban planner can actually use. This is where the Green Meridian Information Factory (GMif) steps in and provides a bridge between high-altitude satellite archives and, let&#8217;s call it ground-level decision-making. The GMif project represents a significant ESA initiative designed to turn raw pixels into actionable knowledge. Focused on the land and air masses of the UK, Ireland, and France, it moves beyond traditional observation to create a web-based geospatial information system (webGIS). This week, the project team is inviting you to move from being mere observers to active participants in the Information Factory exchange, a spinter meeting titled: SPM53: Demonstration of the Green Transition Information Factory capabilities for UK, Ireland and France, organized by Jan-Peter Muller, Patrick Griffiths, and Rob O&#8217;Loughlin, taking place in Room 2.97 on Friday 08 May, 12:45–13:45 CEST. This session is designed as an interactive workshop where scientists can explore how high-resolution Earth Observation data is being funneled into five transition domains. The project demonstrates mapping of urban heat anomalies at a resolution of 25 and 7.5 meters. This level of detail allows for a shift in focus from broad regional trends to specific public infrastructure. This enables the identification of which schools or hospitals are most vulnerable during extreme heat events. Similarly, the mobility and air quality component challenges the status quo of sensor placement. Food security is addressed through a sophisticated fusion of Sentinel-2, Landsat-TM, and ERA5 data, which downscales drought forecasting to a 10 meter sub-field resolution. This allows for a granular understanding of crop resilience, and therefore helps farmers navigate the impacts of global heating on a field-by-field basis. For the energy transition, the team has developed a decision-support tool focused on the placement of raised bi-facial photovoltaic systems. This approach allows for the generation of solar power without encroaching on sensitive environments or despoiling the landscape: think of it as a way to offer a sustainable path for rural landowners who are facing economic pressures. Finally, the carbon accounting capability uses Sentinel-2 and the EarthDaily constellation to capture methane plume eruptions at resolutions as sharp as 60 meters, and provides a time-series tool for monitoring unplanned industrial emissions. This Friday&#8217;s workshop is a request for feedback. The Factory concept relies on an exchange where your expertise helps refine these tools to better serve international research and local policy. You will have the chance to interact with the webGIS interface directly and discuss how these capabilities can be adapted to other geographical regions or specific research needs. Curious to see how the European Space Agency is operating its data for the Green Transition? Then make sure not to miss this splinter meeting. Regardless of your field of expertise, this session will offer you a glimpse into the future of applied geosciences. For those eager for a preview, a brief demonstration of the eodashboard will take place at the ESA stand on Thursday at 16:40. However, for a full exploration of the science and a chance to influence the project&#8217;s direction, the Friday splinter session is the place to be. More information and the client interface itself can be explored online at the project’s official website.]]></description>
													<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p data-path-to-node="1">As we immerse ourselves in our 20th Viennese General Assembly <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/">EGU26</a>, the volume of climate models and atmospheric projections can be quite overwhelming, to say the least. While our EGU geoscientific community is excellent at observing the planet, a persistent challenge remains in communicating that massive planetary data into tools that a local council, a commercial farmer, or an urban planner can actually use. This is where the <a href="https://gtif.esa.int/">Green Meridian Information Factory (GMif)</a> steps in and provides a bridge between high-altitude satellite archives and, let's call it ground-level decision-making.</p>
<p data-path-to-node="2">The GMif project represents a significant ESA initiative designed to turn raw pixels into actionable knowledge. Focused on the land and air masses of the UK, Ireland, and France, it moves beyond traditional observation to create a <a href="https://www.webgis.com/">web-based geospatial information system (webGIS).</a> This week, the project team is inviting you to move from being mere observers to active participants in the Information Factory exchange, a spinter meeting titled: <a href="https://webforms.copernicus.org/EGU26/splinter-meetings"><strong><span class="co_wfm_spm-event-block-number-number">SPM53: </span></strong><span class="link-coloured link-coloured-toggle-description"><strong>Demonstration of the Green Transition Information Factory capabilities for UK, Ireland and France</strong>, o</span>rganized by Jan-Peter Muller, Patrick Griffiths, and Rob O'Loughlin, taking place in Room 2.97 on<span id="ppitem_5_7-190" class="d-inline co_mto_pp-icon personal_programme_icon_5 co_mto_addToPersonalProgramme co-favorites" title="Add this item to your personal programme" data-registered="" data-title-add="Add this item to your personal programme" data-title-remove="Remove this item from your personal programme" data-removable="1" data-remove-msg="" data-type="5" data-id="7-190" data-content-type="5" data-is-attend="0"></span> <span class="co_wfm_spm-event_scheduling_string_time">Friday 08 May, 12:45–13:45 CEST.</span></a></p>
<p data-path-to-node="3">This session is designed as an interactive workshop where scientists can explore how high-resolution Earth Observation data is being funneled into five transition domains. The project demonstrates mapping of urban heat anomalies at a resolution of 25 and 7.5 meters. This level of detail allows for a shift in focus from broad regional trends to specific public infrastructure. This enables the identification of which schools or hospitals are most vulnerable during extreme heat events. Similarly, the mobility and air quality component challenges the status quo of sensor placement.</p>
<p data-path-to-node="5">Food security is addressed through a sophisticated fusion of <a href="https://research.utwente.nl/files/293090829/Van_der_werff_2022_How_weather_affects_over_time_the_r.pdf">Sentinel-2, Landsat-TM, and ERA5 data</a>, which downscales drought forecasting to a 10 meter sub-field resolution. This allows for a granular understanding of crop resilience, and therefore helps farmers navigate the impacts of global heating on a field-by-field basis. For the energy transition, the team has developed a decision-support tool focused on the placement of raised <a href="https://upvolt-energy.com/upvolt-blog/bifacial-solar-panels-what-are-they-and-how-do-they-work/">bi-facial photovoltaic systems</a>. This approach allows for the generation of solar power without encroaching on sensitive environments or despoiling the landscape: think of it as a way to offer a sustainable path for rural landowners who are facing economic pressures. Finally, the carbon accounting capability uses Sentinel-2 and the <a href="https://www.eoportal.org/satellite-missions/earthdaily">EarthDaily constellation</a> to capture methane plume eruptions at resolutions as sharp as 60 meters, and provides a time-series tool for monitoring unplanned industrial emissions.</p>
<p data-path-to-node="6"><a href="https://webforms.copernicus.org/EGU26/splinter-meetings">This Friday's workshop</a> is a request for feedback. The <em>Factory</em> concept relies on an exchange where your expertise helps refine these tools to better serve international research and local policy. You will have the chance to interact with the <a href="https://www.spatial-services.com/en/webgis-en/">webGIS interface</a> directly and discuss how these capabilities can be adapted to other geographical regions or specific research needs.</p>
<p data-path-to-node="7">Curious to see how the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> is operating its data for the <a href="https://reforms-investments.ec.europa.eu/technical-support-instrument-0/green-transition_en">Green Transition</a>? Then make sure not to miss this splinter meeting. Regardless of your field of expertise, this session will offer you a glimpse into the future of applied geosciences.</p>
<p data-path-to-node="8">For those eager for a preview, a brief demonstration of the <a href="https://eo4society.esa.int/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/EGU26-Main-program-vertical_overview.pdf">eodashboard will take place at the ESA stand on Thursday at 16:40</a>. However, for a full exploration of the science and a chance to influence the project's direction, the Friday splinter session is the place to be. More information and the client interface itself can be explored online at the project’s official website.</p>]]></content:encoded>
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					<title><![CDATA[Why are NASA scientists holding eggs? The surprising new physics of Jupiter & the latest briefing on Juno's mission]]></title>
					<link>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/05/06/why-are-nasa-scientists-holding-eggs-the-surprising-new-physics-of-jupiter-the-latest-briefing-on-junos-mission/</link>
					<comments>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/05/06/why-are-nasa-scientists-holding-eggs-the-surprising-new-physics-of-jupiter-the-latest-briefing-on-junos-mission/#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>Wed, 06 May 2026 13:59:26 +0000</pubDate>
					<dc:creator><![CDATA[Asmae Ourkiya]]></dc:creator>
							<category><![CDATA[Juno]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jupiter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NASA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Space and Planetary Science]]></category>
					<guid isPermaLink="false"></guid>
											<description><![CDATA[The latest NASA Juno briefing was presented at EGU26 yesterday. Speakers introduced unprecedented results that not only deepened our understanding of Jupiter but also invited us to reflect on the future of scientific methodology. Whether you’re a space geek or a tech enthusiast, hop in, as we’re about to take you on an exploratory journey to learn about how neural networks, serendipitous cameras, and a few spinning eggs are cracking the secrets of the solar system’s biggest giant. The EGU26 General Assembly continues to showcase a vast array of geoscientific research, which spans from terrestrial soil science to the frontiers of planetary exploration. A primary highlight of yesterday’s proceedings was a press conference featuring four distinguished NASA scientists. The panel provided a comprehensive update on the Juno mission and delivered unprecedented data on Jupiter’s complex internal dynamics and structure. If this is your first time hearing about Juno, just know that it is a solar-powered robotic probe studying Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system. It’s probably a bit too far to go and say hello, but you can meet it virtually thanks to this interactive diagram. Juno arrived near Jupiter in 2016, after a 5-year long journey. It has been scanning and mapping the planet ever since, orbiting around its poles, and getting closer than any other probe before it. Juno’s data collection is facilitated by a suite of scientific instruments. A notable component of this payload is the Stellar Reference Unit (SRU), a high-precision engineering camera. While the SRU was originally designed for attitude determination (navigating the spacecraft by imaging star fields) it has since proven to be a versatile tool for broader scientific discovery. However, as Heidi Becker explained, its ability to capture ultra-low-light images almost serendipitously helped study Jupiter’s dust ring and the surfaces of some of its moons: A lot of people don’t even know that Jupiter has a ring because it is not like Saturn’s ring, that’s very bright and shiny because it is made of water ice and reflects the sun. [Jupiter&#8217;s ring] it’s made of dust from meteoroid impacts on its tiny moons. It’s a place that still has a lot of mystery to it. said Heidi. Newly released data from the Juno mission shared during this briefing offered critical insights that are currently helping to decipher these complex scientific questions. Among them a beautiful close up shot of Phoebe (a small outer moon of Jupiter) and the recording of what sounded like an extraterrestrial sandstorm, but was, in fact, space dust continuously hitting on the spacecraft. While Jupiter’s immense mass has never been a secret, the way that weight is actually distributed has remained a closely guarded mystery, until Juno decided to crash the party. Forget the classic sci-fi trope of a fluffy gas cloud hiding a tiny rocky pebble, because the reality is far more couture let&#8217;s say, since it features a complex, onion-like arrangement of concentric layers that define the planet&#8217;s true internal silhouette. The real intrigue lies in the math of those layers, and that’s where things get surprisingly domestic. As Yohai Kaspi demonstrates during the press conference (see 10:33 of the Press Conference recording) you don’t need a telescope to understand the physics of a gas giant, you just need to watch it spin. Much like testing whether an egg is raw or hard-boiled on a kitchen counter, the specific way Jupiter rotates under the hood betrays exactly how much of its interior is fluid, how much is solid, and where the heavy lifting is actually happening. For nearly a decade, the Juno mission has refined our understanding of Jupiter’s internal structure. Data suggest the planet features a diluted core, potentially harboring a tiny, compact center, surrounded by a cold, light envelope. How AI / machine learning helped accelerate our understanding of Jupiter You might wonder why these breakthroughs didn&#8217;t surface sooner, especially since the raw data was already in hand. The delay stems from the volume and surgical precision of Juno’s datasets. Processing this information using traditional methods, while accounting for every complex variable, would have been a computational nightmare, literally taking centuries to resolve! The advent of AI and machine leaning changed everything: Now it allows for most of the discoveries that we just discussed. The team estimates that using AI-driven data analysis, especially in the form of custom-built neural networks, helped boost the mission’s computational efficiency by a factor of 100,000. To put that in perspective, a calculation that previously required 100,000 hours can now be completed in just one. It is the mathematical equivalent of finishing an entire Ph.D. thesis in 20 minutes. Sounds too good to be true, doesn&#8217;t it? The use of AI tools always receives mixed reactions in academic environments. This is understandable because artificial intelligence, especially in its generative applications, can pose real pressing ethical questions. At the same time it enables breakthrough discoveries like those presented here to be made and will likely allow to tackle even more complex problems in the future. Fear is a valid feeling and we all worry about being replaced by AI or about its potential misuse. For scientific applications like the ones presented, however, Scott Bolton suggested a different perspective that might be worth to chew on as we conclude this post: I think it’s important to realize that AI is not going to replace the scientist by itself, that will actually be working together. It&#8217;s another team member, so to speak that&#8217;s doing all the hard work and pulling things out. But you will still need to look at the data, like even in the data that we&#8217;ve used, and say “Oh well wait a minute that doesn&#8217;t make sense. Let&#8217;s look at that program again and try to figure this out “ like we did with the dust. So it&#8217;s very important to have a a loop with humans in the system. But AI it is a great aid that enables new things. &nbsp;]]></description>
													<content:encoded><![CDATA[<em>The latest NASA Juno briefing was presented at EGU26 yesterday. Speakers introduced unprecedented results that not only deepened our understanding of Jupiter but also invited us to reflect on the future of scientific methodology. Whether you’re a space geek or a tech enthusiast, hop in, as we’re about to take you on an exploratory journey to learn about how neural networks, serendipitous cameras, and a few spinning eggs are cracking the secrets of the solar system’s biggest giant.</em>

<hr />

<a href="https://www.egu26.eu/">The EGU26 General Assembly</a> continues to showcase a vast array of geoscientific research, which spans from terrestrial soil science to the frontiers of planetary exploration. A primary highlight of yesterday’s proceedings was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afRcLr-9nbI">a press conference featuring four distinguished NASA scientists</a>. The panel provided a comprehensive update on the Juno mission and delivered unprecedented data on Jupiter’s complex internal dynamics and structure.

If this is your first time hearing about <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/mission/juno/">Juno</a>, just know that it is a solar-powered robotic probe studying <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/jupiter/">Jupiter</a>, the largest planet in our solar system. It’s probably a bit too far to go and say hello, but you can meet it virtually thanks to <a href="https://share.google/AaJqnpYfBMAHCSOCn">this interactive diagram</a>.

[caption id="attachment_51307" align="alignright" width="1024"]<a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/05/IMG_0810-e1778075937524.jpg"><img class="wp-image-51307 size-large" src="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/05/IMG_0810-e1778075937524-1024x656.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="656" /></a> Speakers at the Press Conference. From left to right: Scott Bolton (Southwest Research Insitute,); Yohai Kaspi (Weizmann Institute of Science), Steve Levin (Jet Propulsion Laboratory); Heidi Becker (Jet Propulsion Laboratory). Why are they holding up eggs, you ask? Keep reading! Photo credit: Kaisa Säkkinen[/caption]

<a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/juno/">Juno arrived near Jupiter in 2016</a>, after a 5-year long journey. It has been scanning and mapping the planet ever since, orbiting around its poles, and getting closer than any other probe before it. <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/press_kits/juno/spacecraft/">Juno’s data collection is facilitated by a suite of scientific instruments.</a> A notable component of this payload is the <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/science-org-term/photojournal-instrument-sru-stellar-reference-unit/">Stellar Reference Unit (SRU)</a>, a high-precision engineering camera. While the SRU was originally designed for attitude determination (navigating the spacecraft by imaging star fields) it has since proven to be a versatile tool for broader scientific discovery. However, as <a href="https://www.missionjuno.swri.edu/the-team">Heidi Becker</a> explained, its ability to capture ultra-low-light images almost serendipitously helped study Jupiter’s dust ring and the surfaces of some of its moons:
<blockquote><em>A lot of people don’t even know that Jupiter has a ring because it is not like Saturn’s ring, that’s very bright and shiny because it is made of water ice and reflects the sun. [Jupiter's ring] it’s made of dust from meteoroid impacts on its tiny moons. It’s a place that still has a lot of mystery to it. said Heidi.</em></blockquote>
Newly released data from the Juno mission shared during this briefing offered critical insights that are currently helping to decipher these complex scientific questions. Among them a beautiful close up shot of <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/saturn/moons/phoebe/">Phoebe (a small outer moon of Jupiter)</a> and the recording of what sounded like an extraterrestrial sandstorm, but was, in fact, <a href="https://www.missionjuno.swri.edu/science-findings/juno-pelted-by-dust-as-it-passes-through-jupiters-ring-plan">space dust continuously hitting on the spacecraft</a>.

[caption id="attachment_51291" align="alignnone" width="1024"]<a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/05/juno.jpg"><img class="wp-image-51291 size-full" src="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/05/juno.jpg" alt="An illustration showcasing Juno with Jupiter in the background." width="1024" height="768" /></a> Image credit: NASA[/caption]

While Jupiter’s immense mass has never been a secret, the way that weight is actually distributed has remained a closely guarded mystery, until Juno decided to crash the party. Forget the classic sci-fi trope of a fluffy gas cloud hiding a tiny rocky pebble, because the reality is far more couture let's say, since it features a complex, onion-like arrangement of concentric layers that define the planet's true internal silhouette. The real intrigue lies in the math of those layers, and that’s where things get surprisingly domestic. As <a href="https://scholar.google.co.il/citations?user=E-5mRfgAAAAJ&amp;hl=en&amp;oi=ao">Yohai Kaspi</a> demonstrates during the press conference (see <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afRcLr-9nbI">10:33 of the Press Conference recording</a>) you don’t need a telescope to understand the physics of a gas giant, you just need to watch it spin. Much like testing whether an egg is raw or hard-boiled on a kitchen counter, the specific way Jupiter rotates under the hood betrays exactly how much of its interior is fluid, how much is solid, and where the heavy lifting is actually happening.

For nearly a decade, the Juno mission has refined our understanding of <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/jupiter/jupiter-facts/#:~:text=Deeper%20down%2C%20Jupiter's%20central%20core,Surface">Jupiter’s internal structure.</a> Data suggest the planet features a diluted core, potentially harboring a tiny, compact center, surrounded by a cold, light envelope.
<h3><strong>How AI / machine learning helped accelerate our understanding of Jupiter</strong></h3>
You might wonder why these breakthroughs didn't surface sooner, especially since the raw data was already in hand. The delay stems from the volume and surgical precision of Juno’s datasets. Processing this information using traditional methods, while accounting for every complex variable, would have been a computational nightmare, literally taking centuries to resolve! The advent of AI and machine leaning changed everything: Now it allows for most of the discoveries that we just discussed. The team estimates that using AI-driven data analysis, especially in the form of custom-built neural networks, helped boost the mission’s computational efficiency by a factor of 100,000. To put that in perspective, a calculation that previously required 100,000 hours can now be completed in just one. It is the mathematical equivalent of finishing an entire Ph.D. thesis in 20 minutes. Sounds too good to be true, doesn't it?

The use of AI tools always receives mixed reactions in academic environments. This is understandable because artificial intelligence, especially in its generative applications, can pose real pressing ethical questions. At the same time it enables breakthrough discoveries like those presented here to be made and will likely allow to tackle even more complex problems in the future. Fear is a valid feeling and we all worry about being replaced by AI or about its potential misuse. For scientific applications like the ones presented, however, <a href="https://www.planetary.org/profiles/scott-bolton">Scott Bolton</a> suggested a different perspective that might be worth to chew on as we conclude this post:
<blockquote><em>I think it’s important to realize that AI is not going to replace the scientist by itself, that will actually be working together. It's another team member, so to speak that's doing all the hard work and pulling things out. But you will still need to look at the data, like even in the data that we've used, and say “Oh well wait a minute that doesn't make sense. Let's look at that program again and try to figure this out “ like we did with the dust. So it's very important to have a a loop with humans in the system. But AI it is a great aid that enables new things.</em></blockquote>
&nbsp;]]></content:encoded>
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					<title><![CDATA[Publish or perish? Or is publishing perishing? Reflections from a Great Debate at EGU26]]></title>
					<link>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/05/06/publish-or-perish-or-is-publishing-perishing-reflections-from-a-great-debate-at-egu26/</link>
					<comments>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/05/06/publish-or-perish-or-is-publishing-perishing-reflections-from-a-great-debate-at-egu26/#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>Wed, 06 May 2026 10:30:50 +0000</pubDate>
					<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lucia Perez-Diaz]]></dc:creator>
							<category><![CDATA[EDI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EGU GA 2026]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Open Access]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Publications]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EGU publications]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[publications]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Publish]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Publish or perish]]></category>
					<guid isPermaLink="false"></guid>
											<description><![CDATA[There’s a particular kind of energy you get in a conference room when something is about to matter. You can feel it before anything starts: chairs filling quickly, people sitting closer than usual, no polite gaps left between strangers. This was the case for the Great Debate on The future of scientific publishing: do we need scientific publishing? at the European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2026. Then, an eerie silence as a question appeared on screen: &#8216;do we still need scientific journals?&#8217; This question was open for participants to respond with either a yes or a no. Attendees reached for their phones to scan the QR code and answer. My intuition leaned toward a &#8216;yes&#8217;, and I wasn&#8217;t wrong: the tally soon settled at 153 to 51. However, a 25% of the room voting &#8216;no&#8217; was too large for me to dismiss as mere noise. The way the figures drifted and changed as the count finalised suggested an atmosphere of lingering indecision, as if the assembly hadn&#8217;t quite committed to its own choice. What followed wasn’t so much a clear-cut answer, but more of a series of tensions. Still, one point of consensus emerged quickly when panellists were asked if (and why) we need journals: gatekeeping and organisation. For all their flaws, journals offer a mechanism for peer review and retractions, as well as the ability to map out an ever-expanding world of data. I watched the room as these arguments were made, noting that not everyone was convinced; a few heads were already shaking in silent dissent. In this post, I’m not trying to summarise every argument made on stage, but instead, I want to reflect on a few that lingered, particularly what the gap between what scientific publishing is supposed to be, and what it often is in practice. And, of course, how we move between the two. In many ways, the ideal version of scientific publishing is not that difficult to describe. There was little disagreement on what journals should be, and on the fact that, if that were the reality, the initial vote would likely have been a more confident &#8216;yes&#8217;. 1) They should be communities, not businesses. Built by scientists, for scientists, with decisions shaped from the bottom up rather than imposed from above. Access to publishing (and to publications) should not depend on the ability to pay. 2) They should act as a layer of quality control that people trust. Not just in principle, but in practice. This means ensuring that results are reproducible, that data and methods are accessible, and that claims are held to a consistent standard. At the same time, they should curate, not simply host, research: This can be in the form of organising it into something that readers can navigate without being overwhelmed. 3) And last but not least, they should rely on a culture where participating in the publishing ecosystem (editing, reviewing, typesetting even) is seen as a meaningful scientific contribution. Something done carefully, transparently where possible, and recognised as part of the collective effort to improve the work of others. None of this felt particularly controversial. If anything, it felt like a shared baseline. At this level, agreement is easy. It is the implementation that fractures. The reality that emerged (both from the discussion and, particularly, from the Q&amp;A) was far messier. The first tension is structural. Publishing is quite embedded in how scientific careers are evaluated. Metrics, visibility, prestige. A publication in a prestigious journal (define that as you will) is often seen as preferable, even when that journal is not necessarily aligned with the values just outlined. So researchers continue to submit, even to systems they openly criticise. Not because they are unaware of the issues, but because stepping away from that system is not a neutral decision when it still defines success. At the same time, participating in that system — reviewing, editing, contributing to its upkeep — is rarely rewarded in the same way. Careers are built on publications, not on the voluntary work that sustains the system behind them. Peer review, usually presented as the backbone of quality control, is itself more fragile than the ideal suggests. There is no clear agreement on what it should look like. Transparency can increase accountability, but anonymity can offer protection, especially for early-career researchers asked to review the work of more senior scientists. Remove anonymity, and you risk discouraging honest critique. Keep it, and you allow reviewers to remain invisible behind their words. In practice, both systems coexist. Neither fully resolves the tension. At the same time, the quality of review is inconsistent. Many researchers will recognise the experience of receiving reports that are thoughtful and constructive, and others that are rushed, superficial, or add little to the science. New concerns are also emerging, including the possibility of generative AI being used to produce reviews, raising further questions about what the &#8216;peer&#8217; in peer review actually means. Even the mechanisms meant to ensure meticulousness do not always function as intended. Editors are expected to enforce standards around reproducibility, data availability, and transparency, but this depends on time, resources, and, ultimately, individual commitment. Most researchers can point to examples where these safeguards have fallen short, and to the familiar experience of going on a quiet hunt for a dataset that should have been readily available. So, describing the publishing landscape as &#8216;broken&#8217; may be going one step too far, but it is clear that it is very uneven. The principles are widely shared. Their implementation is not. When problems are widely recognised, the solutions can sound deceptively simple. Publish in journals you trust. Review carefully. Support systems that align with your values. In principle, the path forward is clear: if enough researchers choose differently, the system will change, but that clarity fades quickly in practice because the ability to choose differently is not evenly distributed. Throughout the discussion, early-career researchers were repeatedly invoked as agents of change, encouraged to review diligently, to push back on unfair decisions, to help shape a better publishing culture. Yet, they are also the ones navigating the most fragile stage of their careers, where hiring, funding, and progression remain closely tied to metrics and journal prestige. Choosing principles over perceived impact is not a neutral decision when it can influence where a career goes next. More established researchers, in contrast, have, more often than not, greater freedom to step away from those constraints, which raises an uncomfortable question: Who is actually in a position to lead change? According to this Great Debate&#8217;s panelists, responsibility is often framed as collective, but the ability to act on it is uneven.  At the same time, change is not entirely hypothetical. Across the geosciences, alternatives are emerging, such as the growing number of diamond open access journals, built and run by scientific communities rather than commercial publishers. Review models are also evolving, with more journals experimenting with transparency and open discussion. These shifts show that different ways of publishing are not only possible, but already in motion. From the Great Debate, I was left with the sense that scientific journals are, at least for now, here to stay. While we have become used to sharing our science in a multitude of ways (you name it: preprints, conferences, social media, etc.) journal articles remain, for many, the end point of a research project; the &#8216;thing&#8217; that gives it a sense of completion. And &#8216;good&#8217; journals (when they work as intended) are still effective platforms for sharing science openly and widely. So perhaps the more realistic conclusion is not that journals will disappear, but that their role needs to be renegotiated. As one panellist put it, the focus should be on collectively choosing to move away from systems that do not serve us &#8211; said Ken Carslaw But doing so requires more than statements of intent. It requires individuals to choose positive actions over performative ones.]]></description>
													<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p class="p1"><span class="s1">There’s a particular kind of energy you get in a conference room when something is about to matter. You can feel it before anything starts: chairs filling quickly, people sitting closer than usual, no polite gaps left between strangers.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">This was the case for the Great Debate on <a href="https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU26/session/58589">The future of scientific publishing: do we need scientific publishing? </a>at the <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/">European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2026</a>. Then, an eerie silence as a question appeared on screen: '<i>do we still need scientific journals?'</i> This question was open for participants to respond with either a yes or a no.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Attendees reached for their phones to scan the QR code and answer. My intuition leaned toward a 'yes', and I wasn't wrong: the tally soon settled at 153 to 51. However, a 25% of the room voting 'no' was too large for me to dismiss as mere noise. The way the figures drifted and changed as the count finalised suggested an atmosphere of lingering indecision, as if the assembly hadn't quite committed to its own choice.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">What followed wasn’t so much a clear-cut answer, but more of a series of tensions. Still, one point of consensus emerged quickly when panellists were asked if (and why) we need journals: gatekeeping and organisation. For all their flaws, journals offer a mechanism for peer review and retractions, as well as the ability to map out an ever-expanding world of data. I watched the room as these arguments were made, noting that not everyone was convinced; a few heads were already shaking in silent dissent.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">In this post, I’m not trying to summarise every argument made on stage, but instead, I want to reflect on a few that lingered, particularly what the gap between what scientific publishing is supposed to be, and what it often is in practice. And, of course, how we move between the two.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">In many ways, the ideal version of scientific publishing is not that difficult to describe. There was little disagreement on what journals should be, and on the fact that, if that were the reality, the initial vote would likely have been a more confident 'yes'.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">1) They should be communities, not businesses. Built by scientists, for scientists, with decisions shaped from the bottom up rather than imposed from above. Access to publishing (and to publications) should not depend on the ability to pay.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">2) They should act as a layer of quality control that people trust. Not just in principle, but in practice. This means ensuring that results are reproducible, that data and methods are accessible, and that claims are held to a consistent standard. At the same time, they should curate, not simply host, research: This can be in the form of organising it into something that readers can navigate without being overwhelmed.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">3) And last but not least, they should rely on a culture where participating in the publishing ecosystem (editing, reviewing, typesetting even) is seen as a meaningful scientific contribution. Something done carefully, transparently where possible, and recognised as part of the collective effort to improve the work of others.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">None of this felt particularly controversial. If anything, it felt like a shared baseline. At this level, agreement is easy. It is the implementation that fractures. </span><span class="s1">The reality that emerged (both from the discussion and, particularly, from the Q&amp;A) was far messier.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">The first tension is structural.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Publishing is quite embedded in how scientific careers are evaluated. Metrics, visibility, prestige. A publication in a prestigious journal (define that as you will) is often seen as preferable, even when that journal is not necessarily aligned with the values just outlined. So researchers continue to submit, even to systems they openly criticise. Not because they are unaware of the issues, but because stepping away from that system is not a neutral decision when it still defines success. At the same time, participating in that system — reviewing, editing, contributing to its upkeep — is rarely rewarded in the same way. Careers are built on publications, not on the voluntary work that sustains the system behind them.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Peer review, usually presented as the backbone of quality control, is itself more fragile than the ideal suggests. There is no clear agreement on what it should look like. <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343891113_Open_versus_blind_peer_review_is_anonymity_better_than_transparency">Transparency can increase accountability, but anonymity can offer protection, especially for early-career researchers asked to review the work of more senior scientists.</a> Remove anonymity, and you risk discouraging honest critique. Keep it, and you allow reviewers to remain invisible behind their words. In practice, both systems coexist. Neither fully resolves the tension.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">At the same time, the quality of review is inconsistent. Many researchers will recognise the experience of receiving reports that are thoughtful and constructive, and others that are rushed, superficial, or add little to the science. New concerns are also emerging, including the possibility of generative AI being used to produce reviews, raising further questions about what the 'peer' in peer review actually means.</span></p>


[caption id="attachment_51273" align="aligncenter" width="600"]<a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/05/comic.gif"><img class="wp-image-51273 size-full" src="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/05/comic.gif" alt="" width="600" height="260" /></a> Credit: Jorge Cham, PhD Comics[/caption]
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Even the mechanisms meant to ensure meticulousness do not always function as intended. Editors are expected to enforce standards around reproducibility, data availability, and transparency, but this depends on time, resources, and, ultimately, individual commitment. Most researchers can point to examples where these safeguards have fallen short, and to the familiar experience of going on a quiet hunt for a dataset that should have been readily available.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">So, describing the publishing landscape as 'broken' may be going one step too far, but it is clear that it is very uneven. The principles are widely shared. Their implementation is not. </span><span class="s1">When problems are widely recognised, the solutions can sound deceptively simple. Publish in journals you trust. Review carefully. Support systems that align with your values.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">In principle, the path forward is clear: if enough researchers choose differently, the system will change, but that clarity fades quickly in practice because<strong> the ability to choose differently is not evenly distributed.</strong></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Throughout the discussion, early-career researchers were repeatedly invoked as agents of change, encouraged to review diligently, to push back on unfair decisions, to help shape a better publishing culture. Yet, they are also the ones navigating the most fragile stage of their careers, where hiring, funding, and progression remain closely tied to metrics and journal prestige. Choosing principles over perceived impact is not a neutral decision when it can influence where a career goes next.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">More established researchers, in contrast, have, more often than not, greater freedom to step away from those constraints, which raises an uncomfortable question: Who is actually in a position to lead change?</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">According to this Great Debate's panelists, responsibility is often framed as collective, but the ability to act on it is uneven. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">At the same time, change is not entirely hypothetical. Across the geosciences, alternatives are emerging, such as the <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6775/14/1/20">growing number of diamond open access journals, built and run by scientific communities rather than commercial publishers</a>. Review models are also evolving, with more journals experimenting with transparency and open discussion. These shifts show that different ways of publishing are not only possible, but already in motion.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">From the Great Debate, I was left with the sense that scientific journals are, at least for now, here to stay. While we have become used to sharing our science in a multitude of ways (you name it: preprints, conferences, social media, etc.) journal articles remain, for many, the end point of a research project; the 'thing' that gives it a sense of completion. And 'good' journals (when they work as intended) are still effective platforms for sharing science openly and widely.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">So perhaps the more realistic conclusion is not that journals will disappear, but that their role needs to be renegotiated.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">As one panellist put it, the focus should be on </span></p>

<blockquote>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><i>collectively choosing to move away from systems that do not serve us - said Ken Carslaw</i></span></p>
</blockquote>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">But doing so requires more than statements of intent. It requires individuals to choose positive actions over performative ones.</span></p>]]></content:encoded>
																<wfw:commentRss>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/05/06/publish-or-perish-or-is-publishing-perishing-reflections-from-a-great-debate-at-egu26/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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					<title><![CDATA[A trial by fire: Can we learn how to read a burning planet?]]></title>
					<link>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/05/05/a-trial-by-fire-can-we-learn-how-to-read-a-burning-planet/</link>
					<comments>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/05/05/a-trial-by-fire-can-we-learn-how-to-read-a-burning-planet/#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>Tue, 05 May 2026 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
					<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lucia Perez-Diaz]]></dc:creator>
							<category><![CDATA[Conferences]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EGU]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EGU GA 2026]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EGU26]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fire]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Press Conference]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildfire]]></category>
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											<description><![CDATA[I grew up watching my dad come home covered in soot. For most of his life, he worked as a firefighter in a natural reserve in Galicia, in northern Spain, a region of green mountains and steep terrain, almost Lord of the Rings in its landscape, but also a place where fire moves quickly and is notoriously difficult to control. Firefighting crews there are used to the fact that, to even begin work, there is often a hike first (sometimes a long one) just to reach the fire line. In summer, fires were part of life. You expected them. You prepared for them. I was young, but I still remember seeing my dad leave for work and not really knowing whether he would be back eight hours later, or several days later. But there was a rhythm. There was a fire season, outside of which crews had time to do what you might call the quieter (though still back-breaking) work: clearing vegetation, creating firebreaks, planting trees, reducing fuel loads in the landscape so that when summer came, the system was at least partially prepared for it. And during fire season itself, there was also structure in how the work unfolded. The more experienced crews often worked during the day, when conditions were harsher and fire behaviour more aggressive. Nights, in contrast, often provided a critical window for progress: lower temperatures and higher humidity meant fires could slow down enough for crews to advance. During the day, you defend. During the night, you attack. But fires have changed. If you’ve paid any attention to the news in recent years, you’ve probably noticed that wildfires have become a near-constant presence. No longer confined neatly to the peak of summer, they now stretch across longer seasons, appear earlier, last longer, and reach places that did not use to burn. At the EGU General Assembly this year, I attended a press conference: Trial by fire: between preparedness, mitigation, and adaptation on a burning planet, which brought together scientists working on wildfire dynamics, prediction, and risk (Fig. 1). I came into the session aware that there are more fires now. I came away realising that it’s not just that there are more &#8211; it’s that they are different. Fire, at its core, is simple. It needs fuel. It needs heat. It needs oxygen. And it responds to the environment around it. What is changing is not fire itself, but the world in which it lives. Driven largely by climate change, the conditions that sustain fire are becoming more favourable across many regions. Longer dry periods leave vegetation more flammable. Higher temperatures dry fuels faster and for longer. Winds carry flames across landscapes that are already primed to burn. And crucially, these factors do not act independently. Recent work discussed at the press conference, highlighted that extreme wildfire events tend to emerge when multiple drivers align: prolonged drought, high temperatures, strong winds, and accumulated fuel loads: all conditions that are becoming more common in a warming world. On their own, each of these factors increases risk. Together, they can transform a fire into something far more difficult to control: a megafire (Fig. 2). &nbsp; These extreme events, resulting from a convergence of fire-favourable conditions, can grow faster, burn hotter, and persist longer than systems (both ecological and human) are equipped to handle. “(Mega)fires are rare, but not random.” says Farzad Ghasemiazma from the University of Genoa, Italy. There is a tendency, especially when discussing risk, to frame hazards as something we can prevent if we just understand them well enough. But many Earth system processes do not work that way. We do not prevent eruptions, but we monitor seismic activity, gas emissions, and ground deformation to anticipate them. We do not stop storms, but we track their trajectories and issue warnings in advance. We learn how these systems behave, we monitor their signals, and we try to reduce the damage they cause. Fire is increasingly part of that category. Climate change is reshaping conditions in ways that make it easier for fires to ignite, spread, and grow more intense. In many regions, landscapes are shifting from ones that burn occasionally to ones that are periodically primed for fire. As ecosystems that historically stored large amounts of carbon (such as forests and peatlands) begin to burn more frequently, they release significant amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Fires are not only a consequence of a warming climate, but also contributors to it, reinforcing the cycle. This is not something that can be undone in the short term. It is something that we have no choice but to adapt to. We no longer have the luxury of simply responding to fires as and when they appear (which is what my impression was, speaking to my dad whilst he was working only a few years ago). This is what the press conference made clear: alongside this increasingly challenging picture, our ability to read fire systems is improving (because it must, right?). Prediction is becoming central; but not in the sense that we can say exactly when and where the next fire will ignite, but in the sense that we are getting better at identifying when conditions are aligning in ways that make fires more likely, and when those fires might be at their most dangerous. Temperature, humidity, soil moisture, wind patterns, vegetation dryness: these are not abstract variables. They are measurable signals of how ready a landscape is to burn. Recent work in global wildfire monitoring is moving towards combining these signals to assess not just fire weather, but the likelihood of actual fire activity and its potential severity. That shift, from describing fires after the fact to identifying risk before they escalate, is key. It changes when action happens. So yes, we are living in a world where fire is becoming a more persistent feature of the landscape, and that is unlikely to change in the near future, but we are also living in a time where we are beginning to understand it differently, as something that emerges from conditions we can increasingly observe, measure, and sometimes anticipate. And that brings us back to a simple but powerful idea, one that came up during the press conference and that resonated with me:  Fires are rare, but not random. They respond to the world we create around them, and the better we understand their patterns, the better we can navigate what is, undoubtedly, a more flammable future.]]></description>
													<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p class="p1"><span class="s1">I grew up watching my dad come home covered in soot.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">For most of his life, he worked as a firefighter in a natural reserve in Galicia, in northern Spain, a region of green mountains and steep terrain, almost Lord of the Rings in its landscape, but also a place where fire moves quickly and is notoriously difficult to control. Firefighting crews there are used to the fact that, to even begin work, there is often a hike first (sometimes a long one) just to reach the fire line.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">In summer, fires were part of life. You expected them. You prepared for them. I was young, but I still remember seeing my dad leave for work and not really knowing whether he would be back eight hours later, or several days later. But there was a rhythm.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">There was a fire season, outside of which crews had time to do what you might call the quieter (though still back-breaking) work: clearing vegetation, creating firebreaks, planting trees, reducing fuel loads in the landscape so that when summer came, the system was at least partially prepared for it. </span><span class="s1">And during fire season itself, there was also structure in how the work unfolded. The more experienced crews often worked during the day, when conditions were harsher and fire behaviour more aggressive. Nights, in contrast, often provided a critical window for progress: lower temperatures and higher humidity meant fires could slow down enough for crews to advance. During the day, you defend. During the night, you attack. But fires have changed.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">If you’ve paid any attention to the news in recent years, you’ve probably noticed that wildfires have become a near-constant presence. No longer confined neatly to the peak of summer, they now stretch across longer seasons, appear earlier, last longer, and reach places that did not use to burn.</span></p>


[caption id="attachment_51237" align="alignnone" width="1020"]<a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/05/IMG_0768.jpg"><img class="wp-image-51237 size-full" src="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/05/IMG_0768-e1777989140579.jpg" alt="" width="1020" height="683" /></a> Fig. 1: Presenters at the <a href="https://www.egu.eu/gamedia/2026/press-conferences/#PC1">"A trial by fire"</a> press conference, at EGU26. Left to right: Lukas Dolak, Farzad Ghasamiazma, Douglas Ian Kelley,, Cyrielle Denjean (on screen). Credit: Kaisa Säkkinen[/caption]

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<p class="p1"><span class="s1">At the EGU General Assembly this year, I attended a press conference: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEN5zkxSiYE&amp;t=446s" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><i>Trial by fire: between preparedness, mitigation, and adaptation on a burning planet</i></a>, which brought together scientists working on wildfire dynamics, prediction, and risk (Fig. 1).</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">I came into the session aware that there are more fires now. I came away realising that it’s not just that there are more - it’s that they are different. </span><span class="s1">Fire, at its core, is simple. It needs fuel. It needs heat. It needs oxygen. And it responds to the environment around it. </span><span class="s1">What is changing is not fire itself, but the world in which it lives.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Driven largely by climate change, the conditions that sustain fire are becoming more favourable across many regions. Longer dry periods leave vegetation more flammable. Higher temperatures dry fuels faster and for longer. Winds carry flames across landscapes that are already primed to burn. </span><span class="s1">And crucially, these factors do not act independently.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Recent work discussed at the press conference, highlighted that extreme wildfire events tend to emerge when multiple drivers align: prolonged drought, high temperatures, strong winds, and accumulated fuel loads: all conditions that are becoming more common in a warming world. </span><span class="s1">On their own, each of these factors increases risk. Together, they can transform a fire into something far more difficult to control: a megafire (Fig. 2).</span></p>
&nbsp;
<div class="mceTemp">

[caption id="attachment_51261" align="alignnone" width="1024"]<a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/05/fig2.png"><img class="size-large wp-image-51261" src="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/05/fig2-1024x768.png" alt="" width="1024" height="768" /></a> Credit: Farzad Ghasemiazma et al.; based on Ghasemiazma et al., npj Natural Hazards (2026), https://doi.org/10.1038/s44304-026-00197-5[/caption]
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">These extreme events, resulting from a convergence of fire-favourable conditions, can grow faster, burn hotter, and persist longer than systems (both ecological and human) are equipped to handle.</span></p>

<blockquote>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">“(Mega)fires are rare, but not random.” says Farzad Ghasemiazma from the University of Genoa, Italy.</span></p>
</blockquote>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">There is a tendency, especially when discussing risk, to frame hazards as something we can prevent if we just understand them well enough. </span><span class="s1">But many Earth system processes do not work that way. </span><span class="s1"><a href="https://volcano.si.edu/faq/index.cfm?question=eruptionforecast">We do not prevent eruptions, but we monitor seismic activity, gas emissions, and ground deformation to anticipate them.</a> <a href="https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news/how-noaa-satellites-help-us-stay-ahead-of-severe-weather-season">We do not stop storms, but we track their trajectories and issue warnings in advance</a>. </span><span class="s1">We learn how these systems behave, we monitor their signals, and we try to reduce the damage they cause. </span><span class="s1">Fire is increasingly part of that category.</span></p>
<p class="p1">Climate change is reshaping conditions in ways that make it easier for fires to ignite, spread, and grow more intense. In many regions, landscapes are shifting from ones that burn occasionally to ones that are periodically primed for fire.</p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">As ecosystems that historically stored large amounts of carbon (such as forests and peatlands) begin to burn more frequently, they release significant amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Fires are not only a consequence of a warming climate, but also contributors to it, reinforcing the cycle. </span><span class="s1">This is not something that can be undone in the short term. It is something that we have no choice but to adapt to. </span><span class="s1">We no longer have the luxury of simply responding to fires as and when they appear (which is what my impression was, speaking to my dad whilst he was working only a few years ago).</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">This is what the press conference made clear: alongside this increasingly challenging picture, our ability to read fire systems is improving (because it must, right?). </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Prediction is becoming central; but n</span><span class="s1">ot in the sense that we can say exactly when and where the next fire will ignite, but in the sense that we are getting better at identifying when conditions are aligning in ways that make fires more likely, and when those fires might be at their most dangerous. </span><span class="s1">Temperature, humidity, soil moisture, wind patterns, vegetation dryness: these are not abstract variables. They are measurable signals of how ready a landscape is to burn.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Recent work in global wildfire monitoring is moving towards combining these signals to assess not just fire weather, but the likelihood of actual fire activity and its potential severity. </span><span class="s1">That shift, from describing fires after the fact to identifying risk before they escalate, is key. </span><span class="s1">It changes when action happens.</span></p>


[caption id="attachment_51200" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]<a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-05-at-11.03.40.png"><img class="size-large wp-image-51200" src="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-05-at-11.03.40-1024x604.png" alt="" width="1024" height="604" /></a> Fig. 3: The 2024-2025 fire season, in numbers (The State of Wildfires Project)[/caption]
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">So yes, we are living in a world where fire is becoming a more persistent feature of the landscape, and that is unlikely to change in the near future, b</span><span class="s1">ut we are also living in a time where we are beginning to understand it differently, </span><span class="s1">as something that emerges from conditions we can increasingly observe, measure, and sometimes anticipate.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">And that brings us back to a simple but powerful idea, one that came up during the press conference and that resonated with me: </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><strong>Fires are rare, but not random.</strong> They</span><span class="s1"> respond to the world we create around them, and t</span><span class="s1">he better we understand their patterns, the better we can navigate what is, undoubtedly, a more flammable future.</span></p>]]></content:encoded>
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					<title><![CDATA[Invite yourself to the table – Science Policy at EGU26]]></title>
					<link>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/05/05/invite-yourself-to-the-table-science-policy-at-egu26/</link>
					<comments>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/05/05/invite-yourself-to-the-table-science-policy-at-egu26/#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>Tue, 05 May 2026 10:00:36 +0000</pubDate>
					<dc:creator><![CDATA[Manuela Gialanella]]></dc:creator>
							<category><![CDATA[Accessibility and inclusivity at EGU]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EU policymaking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GDB]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Science for policy]]></category>
					<guid isPermaLink="false"></guid>
											<description><![CDATA[Despite the perfect timing, we are not talking about lunch. Policymakers often sit together and have crucial discussions that would greatly benefit by being scientifically informed. Scientists are sometimes invited to join those conversations but are starting to tune in on their own initiative as well.  Field camps and labs are where us scientists usually feel the most at home. Being surrounded by like-minded people and talking about our -very specific- shared passions all day is great! However, stepping out of those spaces is, most of the time, necessary, and can even be beneficial for science itself. This is especially true when it comes to interactions with policymakers who, among other things, decide how science gets funded and therefore shaped. Policy can do a great deal for science, and vice versa. Many scientists know this and would want to get involved by providing their scientific expertise as the basis for meaningful discussions. However, political and structural contexts can sometimes make exchange at the policy-science interface frustratingly difficult. As a scientist it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and helpless, thus giving up on pursuing science policy even if you would love to. The good news is: you are not alone! There are many people actively working towards facilitating the relationship between science-makers and policy-makers. Some of them gathered at the EGU General Assembly of 2026, for a Great Debate focused on how and why scientists should get involved in science policy, to bridge the gap between scientific evidence and political action while still considering the diversity in national and international systems. Brevity was the first desired quality to be highlighted in the session, as Convener Lene Topp noted that high level policymakers request complex scientific explanations to be given in the span of a meeting-to-meeting walk. Hence, we’ll keep it short and sweet. Here’s how you can start getting involved in science policy and why you should do it. It takes a village (or even more) Similarly to a dance party, science policy works better when multiple people are involved, plus coordinated action is key. There are a lot of networking groups that can help with that. If you are currently attending EGU26, you can start by visiting the Science for Policy Helpdesk that is active every day from 12:00 to 13:00 at the EGU booth in Hall X2. There is also a monthly EGU Science for Policy Newsletter, packed with news, activities and opportunities. You can subscribe here. Read the rulebook Ministries, governmental committees and local administrations are all possible locations for science-policy exchanges. They also all have unique nuances and inner working mechanisms. In the same way that driving a car doesn’t make you automatically qualified for boating, being an expert in “academic diplomacy” or even having some experience with local policy makers won’t necessarily be enough to knock on governmental doors. Networking groups can help with that as well but just know that it can take time. During the Great Debate, panelist Lorenzo Melchor said that, when the Spain government first started employing professional science advisors a year ago, their first assigned task was rather peculiar. For the first 100 days they were asked to do nothing but immerse themselves in the ministerial cabinet world, to really understand these spaces from the inside. When I grow up, I want to be an honest broker! As you’ve probably guessed from last paragraph, it is possible to develop a career in science policy. The so called “honest brokers” are especially on the rise and are being gradually more professionalized. Honest brokers are people that gather evidence-based opinions from multiple experts in a given field and then compile it in a way that can be used as a base for political decisions. Basically, they bring evidence into the discussion. As panelist Linda Lammensalo, a professional knowledge broker, put it: “In conditions of deep uncertainty, policymakers do not primarily need more information. They need help structuring what is known, what is contested, and what is genuinely unknown.” Most people, however, still take on science policy as a sort of demanding side-quest, that’s carried out in more traditional scientific settings as well. Some universities are starting to consider policy making efforts when evaluating scientists’ careers, following a new vision on academic merit that’s been outlined by CoARA (Coalition for Advancing Research Assesment) among other actors. So, whether you want to quit the lab and hop into cabinet chambers, or if you just want to help tackle very specific aspect, there’s likely something for you to do. Look around, listen up Science is a team effort, we know that. Science policy is as well. It is important, once finally sitting at the table, to look around. Notice who’s missing, whose voice is still unheard, and maybe invite them to join the talk as well. Of course, there are always going to be limitations to what can be done. This may quickly lead to frustration, which in turn develops into mistrust. It’s easy to assume malicious intent from some of the players involved, especially when the situation seems stuck. Honest discussions, even critical, difficult ones, are the only way out. They are the way forward too! Did all this sound incredibly exciting to you? Then, if you have a little more time for your walks than policy makers do, feel free to browse the resources mentioned above and start from there.]]></description>
													<content:encoded><![CDATA[<em>Despite the perfect timing, we are not talking about lunch. Policymakers often sit together and have crucial discussions that would greatly benefit by being scientifically informed. Scientists are sometimes invited to join those conversations but are starting to tune in on their own initiative as well.  </em>

Field camps and labs are where us scientists usually feel the most at home. Being surrounded by like-minded people and talking about our -very specific- shared passions all day is great! However, stepping out of those spaces is, most of the time, necessary, and can even be beneficial for science itself. This is especially true when it comes to interactions with policymakers who, among other things, decide how science gets funded and therefore shaped. Policy can do a great deal for science, and vice versa. Many scientists know this and would want to get involved by providing their scientific expertise as the basis for meaningful discussions.

However, political and structural contexts can sometimes make exchange at the policy-science interface frustratingly difficult. As a scientist it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and helpless, thus giving up on pursuing science policy even if you would love to. The good news is: you are not alone! There are many people actively working towards facilitating the relationship between science-makers and policy-makers. Some of them gathered at the <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/">EGU General Assembly of 2026</a>, for a <a href="https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU26/session/58588">Great Debate</a> focused on how and why scientists should get involved in science policy, to bridge the gap between scientific evidence and political action while still considering the diversity in national and international systems.

[caption id="attachment_51181" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/05/20260504_161803.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-51181" src="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/05/20260504_161803-300x269.jpg" alt="The image shows speakers at the Great Debate 1 during EGU26. From left to right: Lene Topp, Nicole Arbour and Linda Lammensalo. Lorenzo Melchor Fernandéz and Alessandro Allegra were presenting online. " width="300" height="269" /></a> Speakers at the Great Debate 1 during EGU26. From left to right: Lene Topp, Nicole Arbour and Linda Lammensalo. Lorenzo Melchor Fernandéz and Alessandro Allegra were presenting online.[/caption]

Brevity was the first desired quality to be highlighted in <a href="https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU26/session/58588">the session</a>, as Convener Lene Topp noted that high level policymakers request complex scientific explanations to be given in the span of a meeting-to-meeting walk. Hence, we’ll keep it short and sweet. Here’s how you can start getting involved in science policy and why you should do it.
<h3><strong>It takes a village (or even more)</strong></h3>
Similarly to a dance party, science policy works better when multiple people are involved, plus coordinated action is key. There are a lot of networking groups that can help with that. If you are currently attending EGU26, you can start by visiting the <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/pg/NET_all">Science for Policy Helpdesk</a> that is active every day from 12:00 to 13:00 at the <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/egu26-floor-plans.pdf">EGU booth in Hall X2</a>. There is also a monthly EGU Science for Policy Newsletter, packed with news, activities and opportunities. You can subscribe <a href="https://lists.egu.eu/mailman3/lists/policy.lists.egu.eu/">here</a>.

Read the rulebook

Ministries, governmental committees and local administrations are all possible locations for science-policy exchanges. They also all have unique nuances and inner working mechanisms. In the same way that driving a car doesn’t make you automatically qualified for boating, being an expert in “academic diplomacy” or even having some experience with local policy makers won’t necessarily be enough to knock on governmental doors. Networking groups can help with that as well but just know that it can take time. During the Great Debate, panelist Lorenzo Melchor said that, when the Spain government first started employing professional science advisors a year ago, their first assigned task was rather peculiar. For the first 100 days they were asked to do nothing but immerse themselves in the ministerial cabinet world, to really understand these spaces from the inside.

When I grow up, I want to be an honest broker!

As you’ve probably guessed from last paragraph, it is possible to develop a career in science policy. The so called “honest brokers” are especially on the rise and are being gradually more professionalized. Honest brokers are people that gather evidence-based opinions from multiple experts in a given field and then compile it in a way that can be used as a base for political decisions. Basically, they bring evidence into the discussion. As panelist Linda Lammensalo, a professional knowledge broker, put it:
<blockquote>“In conditions of deep uncertainty, policymakers do not primarily need more information. They need help structuring what is known, what is contested, and what is genuinely unknown.”</blockquote>
Most people, however, still take on science policy as a sort of demanding side-quest, that’s carried out in more traditional scientific settings as well. Some universities are starting to consider policy making efforts when evaluating scientists’ careers, following a new vision on academic merit that’s been outlined by <a href="https://www.coara.org/">CoARA (Coalition for Advancing Research Assesment)</a> among other actors. So, whether you want to quit the lab and hop into cabinet chambers, or if you just want to help tackle very specific aspect, there’s likely something for you to do.

[caption id="attachment_51186" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/05/3903d38fc07ece0a75f97e054e8f9a0eb.png"><img class="size-medium wp-image-51186" src="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/05/3903d38fc07ece0a75f97e054e8f9a0eb-300x217.png" alt="The image shows researchers networking and chatting about Science Policy at the EGU booth in 2023. " width="300" height="217" /></a> Scientists gathering at the Science for Policy helpdesk in 2023.[/caption]
<h3><strong>Look around, listen up</strong></h3>
Science is a team effort, we know that. Science policy is as well. It is important, once finally sitting at the table, to look around. Notice who’s missing, whose voice is still unheard, and maybe invite them to join the talk as well. Of course, there are always going to be limitations to what can be done. This may quickly lead to frustration, which in turn develops into mistrust. It’s easy to assume malicious intent from some of the players involved, especially when the situation seems stuck. Honest discussions, even critical, difficult ones, are the only way out. They are the way forward too!

Did all this sound incredibly exciting to you? Then, if you have a little more time for your walks than policy makers do, feel free to browse the resources mentioned above and start from there.]]></content:encoded>
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					<title><![CDATA[Mind your mind: surviving the conference rollercoaster]]></title>
					<link>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/05/04/mind-your-mind-surviving-the-conference-rollercoaster/</link>
					<comments>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/05/04/mind-your-mind-surviving-the-conference-rollercoaster/#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>Mon, 04 May 2026 14:00:51 +0000</pubDate>
					<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lucia Perez-Diaz]]></dc:creator>
							<category><![CDATA[Conferences]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EGU]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EGU26]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FOMO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[General Assembly]]></category>
					<guid isPermaLink="false"></guid>
											<description><![CDATA[If you’ve ever been to Vienna’s Prater, you might know the ride. I can see it from my hotel window while I am getting dressed to head to the Austria Center Vienna for EGU26.  It’s essentially a long, slightly questionable-looking couch, strapped on either side to cables that behave less like cables and more like very enthusiastic elastic bands. One flick of a switch and suddenly — whoooosh!  you’re airborne. You shoot up into the sky, spin, bounce, and briefly wonder why you agreed to this in the first place. And then, almost as quickly, it’s over. Back on the ground, slightly disoriented, asking yourself what just happened. It got me thinking about the EGU General Assembly. Being flung into the sky is not all that dissimilar to attending a large conference. Before the conference starts, you’re too busy to think straight. You’re finishing slides, printing posters, checking your travel details for the fifth time. It’s all slightly chaotic, but with an undertone of excitement and anticipation, and all of a sudden, you’re there. You walk into the ACV with probably a poster tube in your hand. Around you, people are greeting each other like long-lost friends. Conversations are already flowing. Everyone seems to know where they’re going. It may feel like you’ve arrived halfway through something that everyone else already understands. Your brain, very helpfully, begins to fill in the gaps. What if I don’t know anyone here? What if I spend the week slightly on the edge of everything? What if I say something awkward to someone I really shouldn’t say something awkward to? Well, too late. You are already sitting on the flying couch chair. There is no getting out now, so buckle up! The conference is a whirlwind of sessions, coffee queues, and the constant fear of missing out. Amid the rush, your brain inevitably starts comparing: their results seem groundbreaking, their talks flawless. Then, the buzz vanishes. You’re back at your desk, swapping high-octane stimulation for total silence. This is the post-conference comedown, a disorienting shift from maximum input to zero. So, as far as our brains are concerned, large conferences, are too, a kind of rollercoaster ride. In this blog, I want to introduce you to some of the things my brain tells me during conference week, when it decides to creatively (and often wrongly) interpret its surroundings in the worst possible way. Not because they are particularly helpful, but because spotting them early can stop them from running the whole show. Thought #1: “Everyone else has it together” There is a very particular illusion that conferences create, and it is surprisingly convincing. You sit in a talk and everything seems to work. The slides are clean, the figures make sense, the speaker sounds confident. You look at the final result and think: this is solid. Well thought through. Proper science. But you are basing your conclusion on an incomplete set of observations. You do not see the earlier versions of the story that did not quite hold together, the results that complicated things (except, of course, in this session), or the parts the speaker is still unsure about. You also do not hear the internal commentary running alongside the talk: the mental notes about what they would rephrase, clarify, or cut if they had the chance, the nerves about what questions might come up, the “what ifs”. For every presentation that looks seamless to you, there is almost certainly a presenter who can point to several things they would change. In many ways, conferences are, let&#8217;s say, the social media platform of science: polished snapshots that leave out most of the process behind them. We know that, and yet we often inadvertently compare our full internal experience (struggles included) with someone else’s final, curated version. And then treating that comparison as fair &#8211; when it isn’t. Thought #2: “Why did you do that?!” At some point, something will not go perfectly. A sentence comes out less clearly than intended. A figure takes longer to explain than expected. A question catches you slightly off guard and your answer is not as smooth as it sounded in your head. These moments feel disproportionately large while they are happening. Your brain tends to zoom in on them and expand them into evidence of something broader: that you may be less prepared, less clear, less capable than others around you. But from the outside, these moments are rarely experienced the way they feel internally. Most people do not register them at all. The ones who do tend to interpret them as normal variations in communication rather than signs of anything deeper. After all, they are too busy thinking about their own talks, their own posters, their own “why did I say it like that?” moments. In other words: the spotlight is much dimmer than it feels. Thought #3: “I shouldn’t go, I don’t know anyone” Go anyway. Networking events have a way of making you acutely aware of your own position in a room. You walk in, see groups already formed, conversations already flowing, and immediately feel like you are slightly out of sync with everything around you. It is easy to assume that everyone else arrived with a plan or a network already in place. And, whilst some have (some of us have been attending EGU since what seems like the deep geological past), in reality a lot of people are doing the same quiet calculation as you: where to stand, how to join in, whether it is easier to wait or to approach. If you pause and look around, you will spot them. Say hello. It may feel like a difficult step, but it can completely change the rest of someone’s evening, including your own. If nothing else, imagine the relief you would feel if someone did exactly that for you. Thought #4: “I’d like to talk to them, but…” You recognise someone’s work. You have read their papers, maybe cited them, maybe built your work on them. And then you realise they are here, physically present, and that in principle you could simply&#8230; talk to them, right? And yet that step feels oddly difficult. Intentionality transforms networking. A brief introductory email, where you state your interest and suggest a time, turns a vague hope into a concrete meeting. (The EGU programme’s email icons make this seamless.) This preparation clarifies your own goals, ensuring a more meaningful exchange than the dreaded opening line: “My supervisor said I should talk to you.” Thought #5: “I’m missing out on everything” At some point, you will look at the programme and realise you are missing things. And you will also imagine you are missing things. Not just a talk here and there, but entire sessions, discussions, ideas that seem interesting in hindsight, potential opportunities, the job of your life… (ok, calm down). Trying to optimise your way out of that usually just adds stress. A more workable approach is to accept that you will only ever see a fraction of what is going on, and that this is not a problem to solve but a condition of the environment. Check out this blog for more on missing out at EGU. Science does not happen solely during the 12-minute slot you missed while queueing for coffee. It spills over into papers, preprints, social media, personal blogs, and chats with others. The science ecosystem these days sprawls far beyond scientific meetings and journals. Make notes. Follow up. Let things unfold beyond the timetable. &nbsp; So yes, conferences can mess with your head a bit. They compress comparison, attention, and social interaction into a very dense period of time. They give you access to a huge amount of science, but mostly in its most polished form. And your brain, doing what it always does, fills in the gaps in ways that are not always helpful. But once you start to recognise the patterns, the moments where your brain over-interprets, over-compares, or quietly escalates things, something shifts. The ride is still fast, slightly chaotic, and occasionally disorienting. But it becomes easier to stay on it without over-analysing every turn. So, next time you find yourself in a crowded conference hall, hovering at the edge of a conversation or wondering whether you should have gone to a different session, you can pause for a second and think: Ah! It&#8217;s that feeling again, isn&#8217;t it? And that&#8217;s when you remind yourself to keep going. There’s a subtle peace in knowing that almost everyone around you is probably navigating the same inner noise, they’re just keeping it to themselves. Enjoy your time at #EGU26!]]></description>
													<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p class="p1"><span class="s1">If you’ve ever been to <a href="https://www.praterwien.com/startseite">Vienna’s Prater,</a> you might know the ride.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">I can see it from my hotel window while I am getting dressed to head to the Austria Center Vienna for <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/">EGU26.</a> </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">It’s essentially a long, slightly questionable-looking couch, strapped on either side to cables that behave less like cables and more like very enthusiastic elastic bands. One flick of a switch and suddenly — <em>whoooosh!</em>  you’re airborne. You shoot up into the sky, spin, bounce, and briefly wonder why you agreed to this in the first place. And then, almost as quickly, it’s over. Back on the ground, slightly disoriented, asking yourself what just happened.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">It got me thinking about the EGU General Assembly. Being flung into the sky is not all that dissimilar to attending a large conference.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Before the conference starts, you’re too busy to think straight. You’re finishing slides, printing posters, checking your travel details for the fifth time. It’s all slightly chaotic, but with an undertone of excitement and anticipation, and all of a sudden, you’re there.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">You walk into the ACV with probably a poster tube in your hand. Around you, people are greeting each other like long-lost friends. Conversations are already flowing. Everyone seems to know where they’re going. It may feel like you’ve arrived halfway through something that everyone else already understands. Your brain, very helpfully, begins to fill in the gaps.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><em><span class="s1">What if I don’t know anyone here?
What if I spend the week slightly on the edge of everything?
What if I say something awkward to someone I really shouldn’t say something awkward to?</span></em></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Well, too late. You are already sitting on the flying couch chair. There is no getting out now, so buckle up!</span></p>
The conference is a whirlwind of sessions, coffee queues, and the constant fear of missing out. Amid the rush, your brain inevitably starts comparing: their results seem groundbreaking, their talks flawless. Then, the buzz vanishes. You’re back at your desk, swapping high-octane stimulation for total silence. This is the post-conference comedown, a disorienting shift from maximum input to zero.
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">So, as far as our brains are concerned, large conferences, are too, a kind of rollercoaster ride.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">In this blog, I want to introduce you to some of the things my brain tells me during conference week, when it decides to creatively (and often wrongly) interpret its surroundings in the worst possible way. Not because they are particularly helpful, but because spotting them early can stop them from running the whole show.</span></p>
<p class="p3"><strong><span class="s1">Thought #1: “Everyone else has it together”</span></strong></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">There is a very particular illusion that conferences create, and it is surprisingly convincing.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">You sit in a talk and everything seems to work. The slides are clean, the figures make sense, the speaker sounds confident. You look at the final result and think: this is solid. Well thought through. Proper science. But you are basing your conclusion on an incomplete set of observations.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">You do not see the earlier versions of the story that did not quite hold together, the results that complicated things (except, of course,<a href="https://www.egu26.eu/session/56997" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> in this session</a>), or the parts the speaker is still unsure about. You also do not hear the internal commentary running alongside the talk: the mental notes about what they would rephrase, clarify, or cut if they had the chance, the nerves about what questions might come up, the “what ifs”.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">For every presentation that looks seamless to you, there is almost certainly a presenter who can point to several things they would change.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">In many ways, conferences are, let's say, the social media platform of science: polished snapshots that leave out most of the process behind them. We know that, and yet we often inadvertently compare our full internal experience (struggles included) with someone else’s final, curated version. And then treating that comparison as fair - when it isn’t.</span></p>
<p class="p3"><strong><span class="s1">Thought #2: “Why did you do that?!”</span></strong></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">At some point, something will not go perfectly.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">A sentence comes out less clearly than intended. A figure takes longer to explain than expected. A question catches you slightly off guard and your answer is not as smooth as it sounded in your head.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">These moments feel disproportionately large while they are happening. Your brain tends to zoom in on them and expand them into evidence of something broader: that you may be less prepared, less clear, less capable than others around you. But from the outside, these moments are rarely experienced the way they feel internally.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Most people do not register them at all. The ones who do tend to interpret them as normal variations in communication rather than signs of anything deeper. After all, they are too busy thinking about their own talks, their own posters, their own “why did I say it like that?” moments.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">In other words: the spotlight is much dimmer than it feels.</span></p>
<p class="p3"><strong><span class="s1">Thought #3: “I shouldn’t go, I don’t know anyone”</span></strong></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Go anyway.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Networking events have a way of making you acutely aware of your own position in a room. You walk in, see groups already formed, conversations already flowing, and immediately feel like you are slightly out of sync with everything around you.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">It is easy to assume that everyone else arrived with a plan or a network already in place. And, whilst some have (some of us have been attending EGU since what seems like the deep geological past), in reality a lot of people are doing the same quiet calculation as you: where to stand, how to join in, whether it is easier to wait or to approach. If you pause and look around, you will spot them.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Say hello. It may feel like a difficult step, but it can completely change the rest of someone’s evening, including your own. If nothing else, imagine the relief you would feel if someone did exactly that for you.</span></p>
<p class="p3"><strong><span class="s1">Thought #4: “I’d like to talk to them, but…”</span></strong></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">You recognise someone’s work. You have read their papers, maybe cited them, maybe built your work on them. And then you realise they are here, physically present, and that in principle you could simply... talk to them, right?</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">And yet that step feels oddly difficult.</span></p>
Intentionality transforms networking. A brief introductory email, where you state your interest and suggest a time, turns a vague hope into a concrete meeting. (The EGU programme’s email icons make this seamless.) This preparation clarifies your own goals, ensuring a more meaningful exchange than the dreaded opening line: “My supervisor said I should talk to you.”
<p class="p3"><strong><span class="s1">Thought #5: “I’m missing out on everything”</span></strong></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">At some point, you will look at the programme and realise you are missing things. </span><span class="s1">And you will also imagine you are missing things. </span><span class="s1">Not just a talk here and there, but entire sessions, discussions, ideas that seem interesting in hindsight, potential opportunities, the job of your life… (ok, calm down).</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Trying to optimise your way out of that usually just adds stress. A more workable approach is to accept that you will only ever see a fraction of what is going on, and that this is not a problem to solve but a</span><span class="s1"> condition of the environment. Check out <a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/05/04/a-hikers-guide-to-the-egu-general-assembly/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this blog</a> for more on missing out at EGU.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Science does not happen solely during the 12-minute slot you missed while queueing for coffee. It spills over into papers, preprints, social media, personal blogs, and chats with others. The science ecosystem these days sprawls far beyond scientific meetings and journals. Make notes. Follow up. Let things unfold beyond the timetable.</span></p>
&nbsp;
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">So yes, conferences can mess with your head a bit.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">They compress comparison, attention, and social interaction into a very dense period of time. They give you access to a huge amount of science, but mostly in its most polished form. And your brain, doing what it always does, fills in the gaps in ways that are not always helpful.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">But once you start to recognise the patterns, the moments where your brain over-interprets, over-compares, or quietly escalates things, something shifts. </span><span class="s1">The ride is still fast, slightly chaotic, and occasionally disorienting. But it becomes easier to stay on it without over-analysing every turn.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">So, next time you find yourself in a crowded conference hall, hovering at the edge of a conversation or wondering whether you should have gone to a different session, you can pause for a second and think:</span></p>
<p class="p1"><em><span class="s1">Ah! It's that feeling again, isn't it?</span></em></p>
<p class="p1">And that's when you remind yourself to keep going. There’s a subtle peace in knowing that almost everyone around you is probably navigating the same inner noise, they’re just keeping it to themselves.</p>
Enjoy your time at #EGU26!]]></content:encoded>
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					<title><![CDATA[Celebrating 20 years of geoscience in Vienna with EGU!]]></title>
					<link>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/05/04/celebrating-20-years-of-geoscience-in-vienna-with-egu/</link>
					<comments>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/05/04/celebrating-20-years-of-geoscience-in-vienna-with-egu/#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>Mon, 04 May 2026 10:00:50 +0000</pubDate>
					<dc:creator><![CDATA[Hazel Gibson]]></dc:creator>
							<category><![CDATA[Conferences]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EGU]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EGU GA 2026]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[General Assembly]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[#EGUart]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[20 years EGU]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[art]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[art science]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EGU26]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mural]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vienna]]></category>
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											<description><![CDATA[One of our key services (and the way that many people know our organisation) is through our annual General Assembly – a meeting of around 20,000 researchers that is held in Vienna, Austria, and online in each spring. This meeting is a critical event for our community, a place for scientists to get new ideas and come together to discuss their work, plans and struggles, in a world that is increasingly hostile to scientists and to safe and secure workplaces. This year’s conference, EGU26, marks the 20th anniversary of the EGU General Assembly in Vienna, a huge milestone for both the EGU community and its partners; the Austria Center Vienna (our venue), and the Vienna Convention Bureau. To commemorate this jubilee, we propose a collaborative art mural in Vienna, giving context to the local audience on the thousands of geoscientists who gather in their neighbourhood each year! The mural aims to: Provide a lasting impression for Viennese people of all ages, highlighting the longstanding relationship between their city and EGU. Celebrate the anniversary by further fostering collaboration between the EGU community and Viennese artists. Showcase key advances in (geo)sciences from the last 20 years, while bringing in a local connection with geoscientific discoveries from Vienna-based scientists of the past. Feature the new EGU26 logo with the text &#8220;Celebrating 20 years of geoscience in Vienna!&#8221; as context for the artistic design. The optional QR code would direct the audience to an EGU blog post for further information and a detailed breakdown of the scientific components found within the mural. Working with former Artist in Residence Jane Zimmerman and Noel Baker, EGU commissioned a muralist Wolfgang Hold to make the mural a reality! Work started this morning, at Wargramer Str. 61, Vienna (you can watch along on the live-stream here), and should be finished by Thursday 7 May. Inspiration for the mural is based on important geoscience events and discoveries in the last 20 years, and key geoscience events that have happened in Vienna! Learn more using our key image. 1. Discovery of soft tissue on T-Rex fossil, indicating they were feathered, including a discovery of a feathered dinosaur tail preserved in amber 2 and 5. EU creates the Copernicus initative, which makes remote sensing data free and openly available, including from its satellites, the Sentinels. 3. Martian research made leaps and bounds – from the discovery of water to possible signs of life 4. First image of a black hole 7. Climate impact on life became quantifiable and development of climate stripes by Ed Hawkins. 8. For the first time, geologists have drilled into the mantle 9. Okjökull in Iceland is declared the first glacier to be killed by climate change 10. Discovery of Neodymium – a new element – used now to make high power magnets by Carl Auer von Welsbach in 1885 in Vienna. 11. Discovery and naming of Gondwana continent and Tethys Ocean by Edward Seuss in 1893 in Vienna after discovering that the Alps were originally at the bottom of an ocean. 12. Ghost fish found living at the deepest part of the ocean, 2,500 meters underwater 13. Snowglobe first invented in Vienna in the 1870s by Erwin Perzy. 14. Discovery of oldest rock fragment on Earth – a zircon that is 4.4 billion years old 15. Biggest eruption of 21st century: Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai eruption. 16. The weight of a kilogram was redefined 17. EGU26 is still going on &#8211; check out the full programme online now!]]></description>
													<content:encoded><![CDATA[One of our key services (and the way that many people know our organisation) is through our <a href="https://www.egu.eu/meetings/general-assembly/meetings/">annual General Assembly</a> – a meeting of around 20,000 researchers that is held in Vienna, Austria, and online in each spring. This meeting is a critical event for our community, a place for scientists to get new ideas and come together to discuss their work, plans and struggles, in a world that is increasingly hostile to scientists and to safe and secure workplaces.

<a href="https://www.egu26.eu/">This year’s conference, EGU26</a>, marks the 20<sup>th</sup> anniversary of the EGU General Assembly in Vienna, a huge milestone for both the EGU community and its partners; the Austria Center Vienna (our venue), and the Vienna Convention Bureau. To commemorate this jubilee, we propose a collaborative art mural in Vienna, giving context to the local audience on the thousands of geoscientists who gather in their neighbourhood each year! The mural aims to:
<ul>
 	<li>Provide a lasting impression for Viennese people of all ages, highlighting the longstanding relationship between their city and EGU.</li>
 	<li>Celebrate the anniversary by further fostering collaboration between the EGU community and Viennese artists.</li>
 	<li>Showcase key advances in (geo)sciences from the last 20 years, while bringing in a local connection with geoscientific discoveries from Vienna-based scientists of the past.</li>
 	<li>Feature the new EGU26 logo with the text "Celebrating 20 years of geoscience in Vienna!" as context for the artistic design. The optional QR code would direct the audience to an EGU blog post for further information and a detailed breakdown of the scientific components found within the mural.</li>
</ul>
Working with former Artist in Residence Jane Zimmerman and Noel Baker, EGU commissioned a muralist Wolfgang Hold to make the mural a reality! Work started this morning, at Wargramer Str. 61, Vienna (you can watch along on the live-stream <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_W_-Ag5t1Q">here</a>), and should be finished by Thursday 7 May.

<a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/05/mural-key.png"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-51163" src="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/05/mural-key.png" alt="" width="1600" height="1557" /></a>Inspiration for the mural is based on important geoscience events and discoveries in the last 20 years, and key geoscience events that have happened in Vienna! Learn more using our key image.

1. Discovery of <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/7944782_Soft-Tissue_Vessels_and_Cellular_Preservation_in_Tyrannosaurus_rex">soft tissue on T-Rex fossil</a>, indicating they were feathered, including a discovery of a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/08/science/dinosaur-feathers-amber.html">feathered dinosaur tail preserved in amber</a>

2 and 5. EU creates the <a href="https://www.copernicus.eu/en">Copernicus initative</a>, which makes remote sensing data free and openly available, including from its satellites, the Sentinels.

3. Martian research made leaps and bounds – from the <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/131209-curiosity-mars-takeaways-science-life-space">discovery of water</a> to <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/mars-rock-alien-life-microbes-chemistry">possible signs of life</a>

4. First <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/first-picture-black-hole-revealed-m87-event-horizon-telescope-astrophysics">image of a black hole</a>

7. Climate impact on life became quantifiable and development of <a href="https://showyourstripes.info/">climate stripes</a> by Ed Hawkins.

8. For the first time, geologists have <a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/geologists-record-breaking-drill-into-earths-crust-reveals-mantle-secrets">drilled into the mantle</a>

9. Okjökull in Iceland is declared the <a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/iceland-just-held-a-funeral-for-the-first-glacier-killed-by-climate-change">first glacier to be killed by climate change</a>

10. Discovery of <a href="https://www.mindat.org/element/Neodymium">Neodymium</a> – a new element – used now to make high power magnets by Carl Auer von Welsbach in 1885 in Vienna.

11. Discovery and naming of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gondwana">Gondwana</a> continent and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tethys_Ocean">Tethys Ocean</a> by Edward Seuss in 1893 in Vienna after discovering that the Alps were originally at the bottom of an ocean.

12. <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/scotttravers/2025/11/19/meet-the-rare-ghost-of-the-deep-sea-hint-its-only-ever-been-seen-alive-once/">Ghost fish</a> found living at the deepest part of the ocean, 2,500 meters underwater

13. Snowglobe first invented in Vienna in the 1870s by Erwin Perzy.

14. Discovery of oldest rock fragment on Earth – <a href="https://www.livescience.com/43584-earth-oldest-rock-jack-hills-zircon.html">a zircon that is 4.4 billion years old</a>

15. Biggest eruption of 21<sup>st</sup> century: <a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/divisions/gmpv/2022/02/09/an-overview-on-the-15-jan-2022-hunga-tonga-huna-haapai-eruption/">Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai eruption.</a>

16. The <a href="https://physicsworld.com/a/new-definition-of-the-kilogram-comes-into-force/">weight of a kilogram</a> was redefined

17. EGU26 is still going on - check out the <a href="https://egu26.eu/">full programme online</a> now!]]></content:encoded>
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					<title><![CDATA[A hikers' guide to the EGU General Assembly]]></title>
					<link>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/05/04/a-hikers-guide-to-the-egu-general-assembly/</link>
					<comments>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/05/04/a-hikers-guide-to-the-egu-general-assembly/#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>Mon, 04 May 2026 08:00:25 +0000</pubDate>
					<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jakub Stepanovic]]></dc:creator>
							<category><![CDATA[EGU]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EGU GA 2026]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[General Assembly]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Conference tips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[early career researchers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EGU General Assembly]]></category>
					<guid isPermaLink="false"></guid>
											<description><![CDATA[How to navigate through the vast and seemingly complicated landscapes of the EGU26. It is no secret that the scale of the EGU General Assembly is rather large, so coming to it can feel like tackling a massive mountain: exciting, but perhaps a bit scary at the same time. Thankfully, just as one can plan a big outdoorsy trek to minimize risks and maximize enjoyment, it is possible to do so with EGU. Here&#8217;s how: 1) Prepare Instead of learning about the anticipated terrain and checking the weather to have insights into what is to come, EGU has a detailed program for the meeting. Studying it in advance helps to feel more at ease when the conference starts. 2) Conquer the fear of missing out Browsing the program can feel overwhelming. With so many sessions, it is often the case that two or more interesting ones are happening at the same time. You can think of it as if you had a week in the Himalayas: It would be impossible to see all the fascinating features out there, but that&#8217;s okay. If you plan a route and focus on what you get to see rather than what you won&#8217;t, you will have an amazing time. 3) Familiarize yourself with the maps The maps at the EGU take the form of Floor Plans. Besides helping you find the rooms where the sessions of interest are, they can guide you to the nearest coffee spot, charging stations, toilets, and more. 4) Take a break As you go through your EGU experience, be mindful of hours. Similar to a pause during a challenging climb that recharges muscles, stepping out of the meeting&#8217;s rush for a moment can restore cognitive capacity. For inspiration on what to see and do outside the conference venue, check out our blog Outside the Conference: Vienna and Beyond. 5) Say hello! Encountering strangers at EGU General Assembly is similar to encountering someone on a long-distance trail, or close to a remote summit: they are on the same page as you, and there is a sense of community. That said, starting a conversation is straightforward, and the topics to talk about go beyond being at a conference. Chatting with folks can give insights into how to get around and also form connections that will last much longer than the conference week. If you feel that additional tips and tricks on navigating EGU would help, the Session SC1.1 today is dedicated to that very topic. In case you missed it or you could still use more guidance, you can see someone at the info desk on the ground floor, or read How to make the most of EGU26: from EGU Events Manager Jane Roussak. Happy conferencing!]]></description>
													<content:encoded><![CDATA[How to navigate through the vast and seemingly complicated landscapes of the EGU26.<span id="more-"></span>

It is no secret that the scale of the <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/">EGU General Assembly</a> is rather large, so coming to it can feel like tackling a massive mountain: exciting, but perhaps a bit scary at the same time. Thankfully, just as one can plan a big outdoorsy trek to minimize risks and maximize enjoyment, it is possible to do so with EGU. Here's how:
<h3><strong>1) Prepare</strong></h3>
Instead of learning about the anticipated terrain and checking the weather to have insights into what is to come, EGU has a <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/pg-selection-m" target="_blank" rel="noopener">detailed program for the meeting</a>. Studying it in advance helps to feel more at ease when the conference starts.
<h3><strong>2) Conquer the fear of missing out</strong></h3>
Browsing the program can feel overwhelming. With so many sessions, it is often the case that two or more interesting ones are happening at the same time. You can think of it as if you had a week in the Himalayas: It would be impossible to see all the fascinating features out there, but that's okay. If you plan a route and focus on what you get to see rather than what you won't, you will have an amazing time.
<h3><strong>3) Familiarize yourself with the maps</strong></h3>
The maps at the EGU take the form of <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/egu26-floor-plans.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Floor Plans</a>. Besides helping you find the rooms where the sessions of interest are, they can guide you to the nearest coffee spot, charging stations, toilets, and more.
<h3><strong>4) Take a break</strong></h3>
As you go through your EGU experience, be mindful of hours. Similar to a pause during a challenging climb that recharges muscles, stepping out of the meeting's rush for a moment can restore cognitive capacity. For inspiration on what to see and do outside the conference venue, check out our blog <a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2025/05/01/outside-the-conference-vienna-and-beyond/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Outside the Conference: Vienna and Beyond</a>.
<h3><strong>5) Say hello!</strong></h3>
Encountering strangers at EGU General Assembly is similar to encountering someone on a long-distance trail, or close to a remote summit: they are on the same page as you, and there is a sense of community. That said, starting a conversation is straightforward, and the topics to talk about go beyond being at a conference. Chatting with folks can give insights into how to get around and also <a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2024/05/20/chasing-solar-storms-and-coffee-breaks/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">form connections that will last much longer than the conference week</a>.

<hr />

If you feel that additional <span class="link-coloured">tips and tricks on </span><span class="link-coloured">navigating EGU would help, the </span><a href="https://www.egu26.eu/session/57867" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Session SC1.1</a> today <span class="link-coloured">is dedicated to that very topic. In case you missed it or you could still use more guidance, you can see someone at the info desk on the ground floor, or read </span><a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/04/29/how-to-make-the-most-of-egu26-from-egu-events-manager-jane-roussak/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">How to make the most of EGU26: from EGU Events Manager Jane Roussak</a>. Happy conferencing!]]></content:encoded>
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					<title><![CDATA[Let's get to work: Jobs and Careers opportunities at EGU26]]></title>
					<link>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/04/30/lets-get-to-work-jobs-and-careers-opportunities-at-egu26/</link>
					<comments>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/04/30/lets-get-to-work-jobs-and-careers-opportunities-at-egu26/#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>Thu, 30 Apr 2026 12:00:04 +0000</pubDate>
					<dc:creator><![CDATA[Hazel Gibson]]></dc:creator>
							<category><![CDATA[Conferences]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Early Career Scientists]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EGU GA 2026]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jobs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[#EGUjobs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[alternative careers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[career pathways]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[conference networking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EGU26]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[finding funding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[geoscience jobs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[job opportunity]]></category>
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											<description><![CDATA[Attending conferences is a great way to widen your existing network, meet potential employers and grow your professional skills. At EGU26, there are lots of exciting and useful career networking opportunities, training and events, regardless of whether you attend virtually or on-site in Vienna! Jobs and careers area, and pop-up events In the entrance foyer to Hall X2 on the Purple level are the Jobs and Careers boards in the Job spot, where you can post your CV, or find opportunities for training, networking or even employment. EGU26 also has a range of Pop-up networking events that you can organise during the week yourself, not limited to the Conference center. Want to host a session on CV writing for hydrologists in the Donaupark in the sunshine? Why not! Make sure you check back regularly throughout the week for updates. Around the conference center there are several other resources you can use, from private interview rooms (Purple level -2.81 and -2.63, ask at the Info booth for help), the EGU Networking Zone (Red level, suite C, room 2.79 and on the Purple level, outside on terrace G) and a Business Lounge (Yellow Level to the left hand side after the entrance, beside the cafe). Short Courses SC3.9 Scared, but prepared: Present with confidence Mon, 04 May, 16:15–18:00 (CEST) Room -2.62 (purple level) Researchers are not only expected to conduct high-quality research, but also to communicate their findings effectively to both the scientific community and the public. This requires a skillset that is often not formally taught during academic training. Presenting your work and answering questions on stage can feel daunting and nerve-wracking. In this short course, we create a supportive environment to help you overcome these fears. Experienced and enthusiastic presenters will teach practical strategies to manage presentation anxiety and you can immediately put them into practice through short pitching exercises. SC1.12 European Research Council (ERC) Funding Opportunities Tue, 05 May, 08:30–10:15 (CEST) Room -2.41/42 (purple level) The European Research Council (ERC) is a leading funding body at European level. It aims to support excellent, frontier research across all fields of science. The ERC offers various outstanding funding opportunities for investigator-driven projects, including grant budgets for individual scientists of up to €3.5 million. ERC calls are open to researchers around the world: all nationalities of applicants are welcome for projects carried out at a host institution in European Union member states or/and associated countries. The ERC is also quickly adapting to the constantly evolving research landscape, therefore at this session, the main features of ERC funding schemes will be presented, highlighting most recent changes implemented in the work programme and their effects in the evaluation. In addition, two invited speakers, an ERC grantee and a former member of the evaluation panel, will provide their own perspectives (as applicant and as evaluator) of the ERC evaluation process. SC1.9 Psychological tools to preserve mental health while navigating the challenges of a research career Tue, 05 May, 12:45–13:45 (CEST) Room -2.41/42 (purple level) A research career is not only demanding, but also full of hidden challenges that can affect both success and mental well-being. This short course is designed to provide geoscientists at any stage of their career with practical, psychology-based tools to navigate these challenges. From time-management strategies to self-care practice and ugly truths, this course offers tips and insights for building resilience and balance into your research journey, may it be in or out of academia. SC1.15 Managing Academia and parenting in society today Tue, 05 May, 14:00–15:45 (CEST) Room -2.82 (purple level) Building a successful academic career is challenging. Doing so while also raising a family can push you to your limits. Many early- and mid-career scientists grapple with balancing family life and academic responsibilities. The fear-of-missing-out dualism between family and academia causes an inner conflict and feeling of injustice and inadequacy. Families often find themselves confronted with what feels like a personal problem when, in reality, it is a shared societal issue. Modern families come in diverse forms, including dual-career parents, single parents, same-sex parents, and various shared parenting arrangements. This short course will share examples and experiences from a range of parents in academia, providing general advice, specific tips and a supportive environment to discuss challenges. SC3.12 Meet the Editors: How to peer-review – Fundamentals &amp; EGU’s model Tue, 05 May, 16:15–18:00 (CEST) Room -2.82 (purple level) This &#8216;Meet the Editors&#8217; short course will allow you to talk directly to EGU journal editors and learn about the insider steps to writing, revising and submitting your manuscript, as well as about EGU&#8217;s public peer review and editorial process, from both sides &#8211; author and reviewer. The short course will also discuss ethical questions, such as your rights as an author and ethical responsibilities of peer review. SC1.17 Invited to interview? Prepare for success with job applications and interviews in industry and academia Wed, 06 May, 10:45–12:30 (CEST) Room -2.41/42 (purple level) The job market in both industry and academia can be a very challenging environment, especially for those either just completing a course of study, or looking to change sectors. This short course aims to bridge this gap to employment by drawing on the experience of senior career workers in both industry and academia, as well as HR professionals, to provide specific advice for anyone who is in the process of submitting a job application or preparing for interview. SC3.13 Get your writing right: A hands-on, participatory workshop to help improve writing skills Wed, 06 May, 14:00–15:45 (CEST) Room 0.55 (yellow level) Writing is difficult. Like most geoscientists, you might struggle, especially if your native tongue is not English. Writing is a skill best learnt by practice, lots of it, ideally with immediate peer feedback. It can also be a lonely job. In this hands-on, participatory workshop you will work on a writing task with colleagues, sharing inspiration and getting immediate feedback. The task illustrates in vivid fashion some key elements of writing. SC1.8 Mentorship in Motion: Navigating the Career Ladder with Guidance and Growth Thu, 07 May, 14:00–15:45 (CEST) Room -2.41/42 (purple level) Mentoring in academia is a one-to-one connection and refers to a developmentally oriented relationship between a student or a less experienced colleague (the mentee) and a more experienced student or colleague (the mentor). While mentees gain guidance and confidence, mentors often discover new perspectives, sharpen their leadership skills, and find personal fulfillment in helping someone grow. Research shows that strong mentoring relationships play a key role in academic and career success, and contribute to a more connected, resilient scientific community. But not all mentoring experiences are positive. The quality of the relationship matters. This short course explores what effective mentoring looks like, how it can empower both parties, and how to recognize and avoid poor mentoring practices. SC1.13 Careers inside and outside of academia: Panel discussion Thu, 07 May, 16:15–18:00 (CEST) Room -2.41/42 (purple level) Once you have completed your PhD a new challenge reveals itself: finding a position where you can apply your advanced skillset. This task is not always easy, and frequently a general overview of the available positions is missing. The academic pathway is often considered as the natural next step for scientists, however, in some fields, up to 70% of PhD graduates will go into work outside of academia. There are many different careers beyond academia which require or benefit from a research background, but often early career scientists struggle to make the transition due to reduced support and networking. In this panel discussion, scientists with a range of backgrounds give their advice on building a career. The panel will start by discussing common career questions, such as how to transition between academia and industry, and what are the pros and cons of a career inside and outside of academia. The session will then conclude with panellists answering questions from the audience. SC1.5 Breaking Boundaries: Mastering Research Proposals – Insights and Strategies from a Global South Perspective Thu, 07 May, 16:15–18:00 (CEST) Room -2.82 (purple level) With a visible gap in opportunities between researchers in the Global South and the Global North, and with a decline in research budget across the globe, the ability to secure funding is important to stand out in academia. However, securing this funding or position still hinges on the strength of a research proposal. To address this need, we have designed a short interactive course dedicated to the art of writing strong research proposals for securing either a research position or proposal funding. This session will offer practical techniques and tips for creating compelling proposals and will include an open discussion. Additionally, we will provide insights from funding agencies based in Global South countries, highlighting the key elements they look for in proposals and opportunities. SC1.6 Mind your head: How to navigate academic conflict Thu, 07 May, 16:15–18:00 (CEST) Room 0.55 (yellow level) Academic environments offer many opportunities for intellectual growth, development, and collaboration. However, like any community, conflict also appears. Disagreements may arise over co-authorship, mentoring expectations, department politics, or interpretations of research ethics. These situations are often complex and emotionally challenging. This Short Course helps scientists to recognize, understand, and navigate conflict in academic settings. We will also look at how conflict can lead to personal and professional growth when approached constructively. SC1.14 Transferable skills: what are they and do I have them? Fri, 08 May, 08:30–10:15 (CEST) Room -2.82 (purple level) Anyone entering the job market or looking for a new job after academia will confront the phrase ‘transferable skills’. PhD candidates and scientists are advised to highlight their transferable skills when applying for non-academic jobs, but it can be hard to know what these skills are. This interactive workshop, will help identify your transferable skills such as big data analysis, communicating your findings, supervising, teaching, project management and budgeting and many more. Meet exhibitors and experts EGU26 has over 50 exhibitors attending the conference, from publishing houses to instrument developers, research institutes to consultancies. Find out who will be attending and what special sessions or talks they may be running by checking out the List of Exhibitors and the list of specific Pop-up Exhibitor Events. The exhibition is located in the entrance hall on the Yellow level, directly above the entrance on the Green level and in Hall X2 on the Purple level. Exhibitors will be present during opening hours: Monday, 4 May to Thursday, 7 May 2026: daily from 10:00 to 18:00 Friday, 8 May 2026: 10:00–13:00. &nbsp; Show you&#8217;re open to new opportunities Regardless of whether you attend EGU26 on-site or virtually, your Copernicus profile offers the possibility to show you are in the market for a new job through the “Ask Me For My CV” sticker. Just enter the “My profile” section of the EGU26 homepage, click “Edit stickers” and enable the sticker via the toggle button! &nbsp; &nbsp; Other resources Don&#8217;t forget EGU has a range of resources on hand to help you with your career development year round. From tips on how to write a great CV from the ECS groups to Division and Union Level blog posts on a range of careers topics. We even have webinars for you to watch in preparation for the event on our YouTube channel.]]></description>
													<content:encoded><![CDATA[<em>Attending conferences is a great way to widen your existing network, meet potential employers and grow your professional skills. At EGU26, there are lots of exciting and useful career networking opportunities, training and events, regardless of whether you attend virtually or on-site in Vienna!</em>
<h3>Jobs and careers area, and pop-up events</h3>
In the entrance foyer to Hall X2 on the Purple level are the Jobs and Careers boards in the <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/egu26-floor-plans.pdf">Job spot</a>, where you can post your CV, or find opportunities for training, networking or even employment. EGU26 also has a range of <a href="https://webforms.copernicus.org/EGU26/pop-up-networking-events/jobs-and-careers">Pop-up networking events</a> that you can organise during the week yourself, not limited to the Conference center. Want to host a session on CV writing for hydrologists in the Donaupark in the sunshine? Why not! Make sure you<a href="https://webforms.copernicus.org/EGU26/pop-up-networking-events/jobs-and-careers"> check back regularly throughout the week</a> for updates.

Around the conference center there are several other resources you can use, from <strong>private interview rooms</strong> (Purple level -2.81 and -2.63, ask at the Info booth for help), the <strong>EGU Networking Zone</strong> (Red level, suite C, room 2.79 and on the Purple level, outside on terrace G) and a <strong>Business Lounge</strong> (Yellow Level to the left hand side after the entrance, beside the cafe).
<h3>Short Courses</h3>
<strong>SC3.9 <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/session/57928">Scared, but prepared: Present with confidence</a></strong>
<strong>Mon, 04 May, 16:15–18:00 (CEST) Room -2.62 (purple level)</strong>
Researchers are not only expected to conduct high-quality research, but also to communicate their findings effectively to both the scientific community and the public. This requires a skillset that is often not formally taught during academic training. Presenting your work and answering questions on stage can feel daunting and nerve-wracking. In this short course, we create a supportive environment to help you overcome these fears. Experienced and enthusiastic presenters will teach practical strategies to manage presentation anxiety and you can immediately put them into practice through short pitching exercises.

<strong>SC1.12 <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/session/57868">European Research Council (ERC) Funding Opportunities</a></strong>
<strong>Tue, 05 May, 08:30–10:15 (CEST) Room -2.41/42 (purple level)</strong>
The European Research Council (ERC) is a leading funding body at European level. It aims to support excellent, frontier research across all fields of science. The ERC offers various outstanding funding opportunities for investigator-driven projects, including grant budgets for individual scientists of up to €3.5 million. ERC calls are open to researchers around the world: all nationalities of applicants are welcome for projects carried out at a host institution in European Union member states or/and associated countries. The ERC is also quickly adapting to the constantly evolving research landscape, therefore at this session, the main features of ERC funding schemes will be presented, highlighting most recent changes implemented in the work programme and their effects in the evaluation. In addition, two invited speakers, an ERC grantee and a former member of the evaluation panel, will provide their own perspectives (as applicant and as evaluator) of the ERC evaluation process.

<strong>SC1.9 <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/session/57869">Psychological tools to preserve mental health while navigating the challenges of a research career</a></strong>
<strong>Tue, 05 May, 12:45–13:45 (CEST) Room -2.41/42 (purple level)</strong>
A research career is not only demanding, but also full of hidden challenges that can affect both success and mental well-being. This short course is designed to provide geoscientists at any stage of their career with practical, psychology-based tools to navigate these challenges. From time-management strategies to self-care practice and ugly truths, this course offers tips and insights for building resilience and balance into your research journey, may it be in or out of academia.

<strong>SC1.15 <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/session/57876">Managing Academia and parenting in society today</a></strong>
<strong>Tue, 05 May, 14:00–15:45 (CEST) Room -2.82 (purple level)</strong>
Building a successful academic career is challenging. Doing so while also raising a family can push you to your limits. Many early- and mid-career scientists grapple with balancing family life and academic responsibilities. The fear-of-missing-out dualism between family and academia causes an inner conflict and feeling of injustice and inadequacy. Families often find themselves confronted with what feels like a personal problem when, in reality, it is a shared societal issue. Modern families come in diverse forms, including dual-career parents, single parents, same-sex parents, and various shared parenting arrangements. This short course will share examples and experiences from a range of parents in academia, providing general advice, specific tips and a supportive environment to discuss challenges.

<strong>SC3.12 <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/session/57924">Meet the Editors: How to peer-review – Fundamentals &amp; EGU’s model</a></strong>
<strong>Tue, 05 May, 16:15–18:00 (CEST) Room -2.82 (purple level)</strong>
This 'Meet the Editors' short course will allow you to talk directly to EGU journal editors and learn about the insider steps to writing, revising and submitting your manuscript, as well as about EGU's public peer review and editorial process, from both sides - author and reviewer. The short course will also discuss ethical questions, such as your rights as an author and ethical responsibilities of peer review.

<strong>SC1.17<a href="https://www.egu26.eu/session/57890"> Invited to interview? Prepare for success with job applications and interviews in industry and academia</a></strong>
<strong>Wed, 06 May, 10:45–12:30 (CEST) Room -2.41/42 (purple level)</strong>
The job market in both industry and academia can be a very challenging environment, especially for those either just completing a course of study, or looking to change sectors. This short course aims to bridge this gap to employment by drawing on the experience of senior career workers in both industry and academia, as well as HR professionals, to provide specific advice for anyone who is in the process of submitting a job application or preparing for interview.

<strong>SC3.13<a href="https://www.egu26.eu/session/57922"> Get your writing right: A hands-on, participatory workshop to help improve writing skills</a></strong>
<strong>Wed, 06 May, 14:00–15:45 (CEST) Room 0.55 (yellow level)</strong>
Writing is difficult. Like most geoscientists, you might struggle, especially if your native tongue is not English. Writing is a skill best learnt by practice, lots of it, ideally with immediate peer feedback. It can also be a lonely job. In this hands-on, participatory workshop you will work on a writing task with colleagues, sharing inspiration and getting immediate feedback. The task illustrates in vivid fashion some key elements of writing.

<strong>SC1.8 <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/session/57773">Mentorship in Motion: Navigating the Career Ladder with Guidance and Growth</a></strong>
<strong>Thu, 07 May, 14:00–15:45 (CEST) Room -2.41/42 (purple level)</strong>
Mentoring in academia is a one-to-one connection and refers to a developmentally oriented relationship between a student or a less experienced colleague (the mentee) and a more experienced student or colleague (the mentor). While mentees gain guidance and confidence, mentors often discover new perspectives, sharpen their leadership skills, and find personal fulfillment in helping someone grow. Research shows that strong mentoring relationships play a key role in academic and career success, and contribute to a more connected, resilient scientific community. But not all mentoring experiences are positive. The quality of the relationship matters. This short course explores what effective mentoring looks like, how it can empower both parties, and how to recognize and avoid poor mentoring practices.

<strong>SC1.13 <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/session/57874">Careers inside and outside of academia: Panel discussion</a></strong>
<strong>Thu, 07 May, 16:15–18:00 (CEST) Room -2.41/42 (purple level)</strong>
Once you have completed your PhD a new challenge reveals itself: finding a position where you can apply your advanced skillset. This task is not always easy, and frequently a general overview of the available positions is missing. The academic pathway is often considered as the natural next step for scientists, however, in some fields, up to 70% of PhD graduates will go into work outside of academia. There are many different careers beyond academia which require or benefit from a research background, but often early career scientists struggle to make the transition due to reduced support and networking. In this panel discussion, scientists with a range of backgrounds give their advice on building a career. The panel will start by discussing common career questions, such as how to transition between academia and industry, and what are the pros and cons of a career inside and outside of academia. The session will then conclude with panellists answering questions from the audience.

<strong>SC1.5 <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/session/57784">Breaking Boundaries: Mastering Research Proposals – Insights and Strategies from a Global South Perspective</a></strong>
<strong>Thu, 07 May, 16:15–18:00 (CEST) Room -2.82 (purple level)</strong>
With a visible gap in opportunities between researchers in the Global South and the Global North, and with a decline in research budget across the globe, the ability to secure funding is important to stand out in academia. However, securing this funding or position still hinges on the strength of a research proposal. To address this need, we have designed a short interactive course dedicated to the art of writing strong research proposals for securing either a research position or proposal funding. This session will offer practical techniques and tips for creating compelling proposals and will include an open discussion. Additionally, we will provide insights from funding agencies based in Global South countries, highlighting the key elements they look for in proposals and opportunities.

<strong>SC1.6 <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/session/57791">Mind your head: How to navigate academic conflict</a></strong>
<strong>Thu, 07 May, 16:15–18:00 (CEST) Room 0.55 (yellow level)</strong>
Academic environments offer many opportunities for intellectual growth, development, and collaboration. However, like any community, conflict also appears. Disagreements may arise over co-authorship, mentoring expectations, department politics, or interpretations of research ethics. These situations are often complex and emotionally challenging. This Short Course helps scientists to recognize, understand, and navigate conflict in academic settings. We will also look at how conflict can lead to personal and professional growth when approached constructively.

<strong>SC1.14 <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/session/57875">Transferable skills: what are they and do I have them?</a></strong>
<strong>Fri, 08 May, 08:30–10:15 (CEST) Room -2.82 (purple level)</strong>
Anyone entering the job market or looking for a new job after academia will confront the phrase ‘transferable skills’. PhD candidates and scientists are advised to highlight their transferable skills when applying for non-academic jobs, but it can be hard to know what these skills are. This interactive workshop, will help identify your transferable skills such as big data analysis, communicating your findings, supervising, teaching, project management and budgeting and many more.

<a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2025/04/jobs-and-careers-board-CVS-e1744196623814.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-46975" src="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2025/04/jobs-and-careers-board-CVS-e1744196623814.jpg" alt="" width="1123" height="787" /></a>
<h3>Meet exhibitors and experts</h3>
EGU26 has over <a href="https://webforms.copernicus.org/EGU26/views/exhibitor-portals">50 exhibitors</a> attending the conference, from publishing houses to instrument developers, research institutes to consultancies. Find out who will be attending and what special sessions or talks they may be running by checking out the <a href="https://webforms.copernicus.org/EGU25/views/exhibitor-portals">List of Exhibitors</a> and the list of specific <a href="https://webforms.copernicus.org/EGU26/pop-up-exhibitor-events">Pop-up Exhibitor Events</a>. The exhibition is located in the <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/exhibition/information.html">entrance hall on the Yellow level, directly above the entrance on the Green level and in Hall X2 on the Purple level.</a>

Exhibitors will be present during opening hours:
<ul>
 	<li>Monday, 4 May to Thursday, 7 May 2026: daily from 10:00 to 18:00</li>
 	<li>Friday, 8 May 2026: 10:00–13:00.</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
<h3><a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2021/04/ask-me-for-my-CV-EGU21.png"><img class="alignright wp-image-29481" src="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2021/04/ask-me-for-my-CV-EGU21-300x300.png" alt="" width="250" height="250" /></a>Show you're open to new opportunities</h3>
Regardless of whether you attend EGU26 on-site or virtually, your Copernicus profile offers the possibility to show you are in the market for a new job through the “Ask Me For My CV” sticker. Just enter the “<a href="https://networker.copernicus.org/my-profile/egu26">My profile</a>” section of the EGU26 homepage, click “Edit stickers” and enable the sticker via the toggle button!

&nbsp;

&nbsp;
<h3>Other resources</h3>
Don't forget EGU has a range of resources on hand to help you with your career development year round. From <a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2022/05/17/egu22-what-makes-a-good-cv/">tips on how to write a great CV</a> from the ECS groups to <a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2022/09/14/a-helping-hand-what-career-support-does-egu-offer/">Division and Union Level blog posts</a> on a range of careers topics. We even have <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@egu/">webinars</a> for you to watch in preparation for the event on our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@egu/">YouTube channel</a>.]]></content:encoded>
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					<title><![CDATA[GeoRoundup: the highlights of EGU Journals published during April!]]></title>
					<link>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/04/30/georoundup-the-highlights-of-egu-journals-published-during-april-2026/</link>
					<comments>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/04/30/georoundup-the-highlights-of-egu-journals-published-during-april-2026/#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>Thu, 30 Apr 2026 08:00:12 +0000</pubDate>
					<dc:creator><![CDATA[Asmae Ourkiya]]></dc:creator>
							<category><![CDATA[GeoRoundup]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Publications]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EGU news]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EGU publications]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GeoRoundUp]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[open access]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[publication highlights]]></category>
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											<description><![CDATA[Each month we feature specific Divisions of EGU and during the monthly GeoRoundup we put the journals that publish science from those Divisions at the top of the Highlights section. For April, we are not featuring any particular divisions, but an ensemble of all the highlights of this month instead. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Quiet New Particle Formation is a significant aerosol source in the Amazon boundary layer &#8211; 14 April 2026 Widespread occurrence of large molecular methylsiloxanes in ambient aerosols &#8211; 16 April 2026 Drivers and implications of declining fossil fuel CO2 concentrations in Chinese cities revealed by radiocarbon measurements &#8211; 16 April 2026 Evaluation of stratospheric transport in three generations of Chemistry-Climate Models &#8211; 21 April 2026 Biogeosciences Emerging Climate Signals in Tropical Oxygen Minimum Zones &#8211; 07 April 2026 Ideas and perspectives: Mineralizing fluid control on foreign elements in biogenic CaCO3: insights from otoliths &#8211; 24 April 2026 Climate of the Past Growth and decay of the Iceland Ice Sheet through the last glacial cycle &#8211; 17 April 2026 Interplay of North Atlantic freshening and deep convection during the last deglaciation constrained by Iberian speleothems &#8211; 17 April 2026 Geoscience Communication Multi-hazard risk assessment and management: pathways for the Sendai Framework and beyond &#8211; 21 April 2026 Geoscientific Model Development The Scenario Model Intercomparison Project for CMIP7 (ScenarioMIP-CMIP7)&#8211; 07 April 2026 The Destination Earth digital twin for climate change adaptation &#8211; 14 April 2026 Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Technical note: High Nash–Sutcliffe Efficiencies conceal poor simulations of interannual variance in seasonal regimes &#8211; 23 April 2026 Ocean Science A method for quantifying correlation in the shape of oceanographic profile data &#8211; 28 April 2026 SOIL Proglacial wetlands: an overlooked CO2 sink within recently deglaciated landscapes &#8211; 17 April 2026 Solid Earth Geological factors and fracture distribution in deep and ultra-deep sandstones in Kuqa Depression, Tarim Basin, China &#8211; 15 April 2026 The Cryosphere Results of the second Ice Shelf–Ocean Model Intercomparison Project (ISOMIP+) &#8211; 13 April 2026 Review article: 30 years of airborne radar surveys on the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets by the Alfred Wegener Institute &#8211; 27 April 2026]]></description>
													<content:encoded><![CDATA[<em>Each month we feature specific Divisions of EGU and during the monthly GeoRoundup we put the journals that publish science from those Divisions at the top of the <a href="https://www.egu.eu/publications/highlight-articles/">Highlights</a> section. </em><em>For April, we are not featuring any particular divisions, but an ensemble of all the highlights of this month instead.</em>

<hr />

<a class="external" href="https://www.atmospheric-chemistry-and-physics.net/"><strong>Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics</strong></a>

<a href="https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/26/4885/2026/">Quiet New Particle Formation is a significant aerosol source in the Amazon boundary layer</a> - 14 April 2026

<a href="https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/26/5005/2026/acp-26-5005-2026.html">Widespread occurrence of large molecular methylsiloxanes in ambient aerosols</a> - 16 April 2026

<a href="https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/26/5085/2026/acp-26-5085-2026.html">Drivers and implications of declining fossil fuel CO2 concentrations in Chinese cities revealed by radiocarbon measurements</a> - 16 April 2026

<a href="https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/26/5249/2026/acp-26-5249-2026.html">Evaluation of stratospheric transport in three generations of Chemistry-Climate Models</a> - 21 April 2026

<strong><a class="moodboard-title-link" href="https://www.biogeosciences.net/">Biogeosciences</a></strong>

<a href="https://bg.copernicus.org/articles/23/2205/2026/">Emerging Climate Signals in Tropical Oxygen Minimum Zones</a> - 07 April 2026

<a href="https://bg.copernicus.org/articles/23/2831/2026/bg-23-2831-2026.html">Ideas and perspectives: Mineralizing fluid control on foreign elements in biogenic CaCO3: insights from otoliths</a> - 24 April 2026

<a class="external" href="https://www.climate-of-the-past.net/"><strong>Climate of the Past</strong></a>

<a href="https://cp.copernicus.org/articles/22/825/2026/cp-22-825-2026.html">Growth and decay of the Iceland Ice Sheet through the last glacial cycle</a> - 17 April 2026

<a href="https://cp.copernicus.org/articles/22/797/2026/cp-22-797-2026.html">Interplay of North Atlantic freshening and deep convection during the last deglaciation constrained by Iberian speleothems</a> - 17 April 2026

<a href="https://www.geoscience-communication.net/"><strong>Geoscience Communication</strong></a>

<a href="https://gc.copernicus.org/articles/9/185/2026/gc-9-185-2026.html">Multi-hazard risk assessment and management: pathways for the Sendai Framework and beyond</a> - 21 April 2026

<strong><a href="https://www.geoscientific-model-development.net/">Geoscientific Model Development</a></strong>

<a href="https://gmd.copernicus.org/articles/19/2627/2026/">The Scenario Model Intercomparison Project for CMIP7 (ScenarioMIP-CMIP7)</a>- 07 April 2026

<a href="https://gmd.copernicus.org/articles/19/2821/2026/">The Destination Earth digital twin for climate change adaptation</a> - 14 April 2026

<a class="external" href="https://www.hydrology-and-earth-system-sciences.net/"><strong>Hydrology and Earth System Sciences</strong></a>

<a href="https://hess.copernicus.org/articles/30/2337/2026/hess-30-2337-2026.html">Technical note: High Nash–Sutcliffe Efficiencies conceal poor simulations of interannual variance in seasonal regimes</a> - 23 April 2026

<a href="https://www.ocean-science.net/"><strong>Ocean Science</strong></a>

<a href="https://os.copernicus.org/articles/22/1377/2026/os-22-1377-2026.html">A method for quantifying correlation in the shape of oceanographic profile data</a> - 28 April 2026

<strong><a class="external" href="https://www.soil-journal.net/home.html">SOIL</a></strong>

<a href="https://soil.copernicus.org/articles/12/441/2026/soil-12-441-2026.html">Proglacial wetlands: an overlooked CO2 sink within recently deglaciated landscapes</a> - 17 April 2026

<a class="external" href="https://www.solid-earth.net/"><strong>Solid Earth</strong></a>

<a href="https://se.copernicus.org/articles/17/643/2026/">Geological factors and fracture distribution in deep and ultra-deep sandstones in Kuqa Depression, Tarim Basin, China</a> - 15 April 2026

<a class="external" href="https://www.the-cryosphere.net/"><strong>The Cryosphere</strong></a>

<a href="https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/20/2053/2026/">Results of the second Ice Shelf–Ocean Model Intercomparison Project (ISOMIP+)</a> - 13 April 2026

<a href="https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/20/2485/2026/tc-20-2485-2026.html">Review article: 30 years of airborne radar surveys on the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets by the Alfred Wegener Institute</a> - 27 April 2026]]></content:encoded>
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					<title><![CDATA[How to make the most of EGU26: from EGU Events Manager Jane Roussak]]></title>
					<link>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/04/29/how-to-make-the-most-of-egu26-from-egu-events-manager-jane-roussak/</link>
					<comments>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/04/29/how-to-make-the-most-of-egu26-from-egu-events-manager-jane-roussak/#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>Wed, 29 Apr 2026 12:00:18 +0000</pubDate>
					<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jane Roussak]]></dc:creator>
							<category><![CDATA[Conferences]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EGU GA 2026]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[General Assembly]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vienna]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[#GreenEGU]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Conference tips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EGU26]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[first time attendees]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[geoscience conference]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[science conference]]></category>
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											<description><![CDATA[The countdown to EGU26 continues and we are now only DAYS away from the much anticipated conference week. With an event of such magnitude, it&#8217;s no surprise that some people, particularly first time attendees, may find it intimidating to navigate the conference. Don&#8217;t you worry&#8230; I&#8217;ve got you covered! So whether you&#8217;re attending the EGU General Assembly for the first or 26th time, I&#8217;m here to share some last minute tips on how to make the most of the EGU26 experience. To start things off, I&#8217;d like to introduce myself. I&#8217;m Jane Roussak, EGU&#8217;s Events Manager. I&#8217;ve been part of the EGU Executive Office team since January 2022, tackling the role oforganisating of the annual EGU General Assembly (and the continuing work to realise our vision of a fully-hybrid conference). I work closely with the Programme Committee and its Co-chairs as well as our conference organising partner, Copernicus Meetings, to realise Europe’s largest geoscientific conference! Believe it or not, the cycle of planning the General Assembly keeps me busy most of the year, but I also find time to arrange other (smaller) meetings and support the Topical Events Committee. How do I do it, you may ask? A lot of to-do lists! With over 1,000 sessions to look forward to, there is so much to take in at the upcoming EGU26! My first tip is for EGU26 participants to generate and keep track of their conference week schedule by building their personal programme. Whether you’re joining us in Vienna or tuning in virtually (or a combination of the two), creating a personal programme is the best way to keep yourself organised during the busy week, ensuring you don’t miss any important sessions. You can populate your personal programme on the EGU26 website or with the EGU26 app (available for iOS and Android) — just press the star near the programme entry and voilà! Pro tip: click the star in the Programme once for yellow and twice for red, to differentiate items of interest and your priority sessions. Once you know which sessions you&#8217;d like to attend, the next step is finding the correct lecture room. The EGU26 floor plans are just the tool needed to navigate the conference centre with ease. Download them on our website or keep them in the palm of your hand with the mobile app. For important sessions (such as ones you’re contributing to), alleviate last-minute pressure by checking the room location in advance. Pro tip: every level of the Austria Center Vienna, our venue, is associated with a distinct colour, helping direct you to where you need to be! In order to access the conference in the first place and utilise the complimentary transit pass, EGU26 on-site participants need to pick-up their conference name badge. Participants can collect their EGU26 name badge in Hall X5 throughout the week — just make sure to have your QR code ready! Once registered for the conference, the QR code is available when logged in via the EGU26 app, or on the personal EGU26 registration page (where you can also select the information and stickers to be printed on your badge). If you have the chance, skip the Monday morning queue by stopping by to pick-up your name badge on Sunday, 3 May between 12:00 and 20:00 CEST. Pro tip: you can maximise the use of your public transit pass for Sunday-Saturday, printed on the back of the badge, by picking up your badge on Sunday. View the full name-badge pick-up hours here. Environmentally-conscious attendees can contribute to a green EGU and set themselves up for success with a bit of planning ahead. Skip the plastic water bottles/disposable coffee cups and bring your own reusable drink vessel! Tap water in Vienna is both safe to drink and delicious — take advantage of our water refill stations and two coffee breaks per day with peace of mind. We also encourage participants to opt for eco-friendly modes of transportation to/from the conference and within Vienna itself. Not only is Vienna very well-connected by public transit, it’s also a great place to explore by foot and bike. For more ideas on what you could do, visit our blog and Green EGU webpage. Pro tip: Looking for some additional guidance? Whether you’re a convener, presenter or an audience member, check out these instructional video guides to help you feel confident in what to expect at EGU26! Open embedded content from YouTube &nbsp; Open embedded content from YouTube &nbsp; Open embedded content from YouTube &nbsp; My last but certainly not least piece of &#8220;sage advice&#8221; for EGU26 participants is to take good care of themselves! An exciting and busy week can quickly become draining if you don’t prioritise your well-being. Make sure to dress comfortably, stay hydrated, and take proper breaks. A stroll or picnic at the nearby Donaupark is always a good idea. Same applies to our virtual participants —avoid the Zoom-fatigue by taking a break from the screen. Finally, don’t forget to have fun! Pro tip: step away from the hustle and bustle of the conference by visiting the quiet rooms on the Green Level (1) or multi-faith prayer rooms on the Purple Level (basement -2), or get some fresh air on one of our terraces.  Wishing you an enjoyable #EGU26 experience.]]></description>
													<content:encoded><![CDATA[The countdown to <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/">EGU26</a> continues and we are now only DAYS away from the much anticipated conference week. With an event of such magnitude, it's no surprise that some people, particularly first time attendees, may find it intimidating to navigate the conference. Don't you worry... I've got you covered! So whether you're attending the EGU General Assembly for the first or 26th time, I'm here to share some last minute tips on how to make the most of the EGU26 experience.

To start things off, I'd like to introduce myself. I'm Jane Roussak, EGU's Events Manager. I've been part of the <a href="https://www.egu.eu/structure/union-office/">EGU Executive Office team</a> since January 2022, tackling the role oforganisating of the annual EGU General Assembly (and the continuing work to realise our vision of a fully-hybrid conference). I work closely with the <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/about/programme_committee_composition.html"><u>Programme Committee</u></a> and its Co-chairs as well as our conference organising partner, <a href="https://meetings.copernicus.org/"><u>Copernicus Meetings</u></a>, to realise Europe’s largest geoscientific conference! Believe it or not, the cycle of planning the General Assembly keeps me busy most of the year, but I also find time to arrange other (smaller) meetings and support the Topical Events Committee. How do I do it, you may ask? A lot of to-do lists!

<a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2024/04/24_12h50m_DSC00040_EGU_Foto_Pfluegl_230424.jpg"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-42270 size-full" src="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2024/04/24_12h50m_DSC00040_EGU_Foto_Pfluegl_230424-e1712671950735.jpg" alt="conference participants standing outside of building entrance, with blue sign EGU: Welcome" width="1600" height="848" /></a>

With over 1,000 sessions to look forward to, there is so much to take in at the upcoming EGU26! My first tip is for EGU26 participants to generate and keep track of their conference week schedule by building their personal programme. Whether you’re joining us in Vienna or tuning in virtually (or a combination of the two), <a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/04/01/making-a-plan-using-your-egu26-personal-programme/"><u>creating a personal programme</u></a> is the best way to keep yourself organised during the busy week, ensuring you don’t miss any important sessions. You can populate your personal programme on the <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/pg-selection-s"><u>EGU26 website</u></a> or with the EGU26 app (available for<a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/egu26/id6760830905"><u> iOS</u></a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.copernicus.egu26&amp;pli=1"><u>Android</u></a>) — just press the star near the programme entry and voilà!

<strong>Pro tip: click the star in the Programme once for yellow and twice for red, to differentiate items of interest and your priority sessions.</strong>

Once you know which sessions you'd like to attend, the next step is finding the correct lecture room. The <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/egu26-floor-plans.pdf"><u>EGU26 floor plans</u></a> are just the tool needed to navigate the conference centre with ease. Download them on our <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/egu26-floor-plans.pdf"><u>website</u></a> or keep them in the palm of your hand with the mobile app. For important sessions (such as ones you’re contributing to), alleviate last-minute pressure by checking the room location in advance.

<strong>Pro tip: every level of the <a href="https://www.acv.at/en/">Austria Center Vienna</a>, our venue, is associated with a distinct colour, helping direct you to where you need to be!</strong>

In order to access the conference in the first place and utilise the complimentary transit pass, EGU26 on-site participants need to pick-up their conference name badge. Participants can collect their EGU26 name badge in Hall X5 throughout the week — just make sure to have your QR code ready! Once <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/attendance/registration.html">registered for the conference</a>, the QR code is available when logged in via the EGU26 app, or on the <a href="https://webforms.copernicus.org/EGU26/registration">personal EGU26 registration page</a> (where you can also select the information and stickers to be printed on your badge). If you have the chance, skip the Monday morning queue by stopping by to pick-up your name badge on Sunday, 3 May between 12:00 and 20:00 CEST.

<strong>Pro tip: you can maximise the use of your public transit pass for Sunday-Saturday, printed on the back of the badge, by picking up your badge on Sunday. View the full name-badge pick-up hours <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/attendance/venue.html"><u>here</u></a>.</strong>

Environmentally-conscious attendees can contribute to a green EGU and set themselves up for success with a bit of planning ahead. Skip the plastic water bottles/disposable coffee cups and bring your own reusable drink vessel! Tap water in Vienna is both safe to drink and delicious — take advantage of our <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/attendance/catering.html">water refill stations and two coffee breaks per day</a> with peace of mind. We also encourage participants to opt for eco-friendly modes of <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/attendance/venue.html#offers">transportation</a> to/from the conference and within Vienna itself. Not only is Vienna very well-connected by public transit, it’s also a great place to explore by foot and bike. For more ideas on what you could do, visit our <a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/04/28/5-ways-to-have-a-greenegu-at-egu26/"><u>blog</u></a> and <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/about/green_egu.html"><u>Green EGU webpage</u></a>.

<strong>Pro tip: Looking for some additional guidance? Whether you’re a convener, presenter or an audience member, check out these instructional video guides to help you feel confident in what to expect at EGU26!</strong>

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iU-NfYhVO_M

&nbsp;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NW_VhtQ1rU4

&nbsp;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nI-iSo1PnZk

&nbsp;

My last but certainly not least piece of "sage advice" for EGU26 participants is to take good care of themselves! An exciting and busy week can quickly become draining if you don’t prioritise your well-being. Make sure to dress comfortably, stay hydrated, and take proper breaks. A stroll or picnic at the nearby Donaupark is always a good idea. Same applies to our virtual participants —avoid the Zoom-fatigue by taking a break from the screen. Finally, don’t forget to have fun!

<strong>Pro tip: step away from the hustle and bustle of the conference by visiting the quiet rooms on the Green Level (1) or multi-faith prayer rooms on the Purple Level (basement -2), or get some fresh air on one of our terraces. </strong>

Wishing you an enjoyable #EGU26 experience.]]></content:encoded>
																<wfw:commentRss>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/04/29/how-to-make-the-most-of-egu26-from-egu-events-manager-jane-roussak/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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					<title><![CDATA[Entered into the EGU26 Outstanding Student and PhD-candidate Presentation (OSPP) competition? Check these top tips from former winners and judges!]]></title>
					<link>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/04/29/entered-into-the-egu26-outstanding-student-and-phd-candidate-presentation-ospp-competition-check-these-top-tips-from-former-winners-and-judges/</link>
					<comments>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/04/29/entered-into-the-egu26-outstanding-student-and-phd-candidate-presentation-ospp-competition-check-these-top-tips-from-former-winners-and-judges/#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>Wed, 29 Apr 2026 10:00:56 +0000</pubDate>
					<dc:creator><![CDATA[Hazel Gibson]]></dc:creator>
							<category><![CDATA[Conferences]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Early Career Scientists]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EGU]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EGU GA 2026]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[General Assembly]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PICO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Posters]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sessions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Awards]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[early career researchers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EGU General Assembly]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EGU26]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EGUecs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Outstanding Student Poster and PICO (OSPP)]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[poster presentation]]></category>
					<guid isPermaLink="false"></guid>
											<description><![CDATA[Every year at the General Assembly hundreds of students and PhD candidates present their research with a lot of time and effort going into preparing these presentations. With the aim to further improve the overall quality of poster presentations and more importantly, to encourage Early Career Scientists to present their work in the form of a poster, the Outstanding Student Presentations, or OSP Awards as they were formerly known, were born. Since the 2016 General Assembly, PICO presentations have been included in the awards, which have been renamed to Outstanding Student and PhD-candidate Presentation (OSPP) Awards. “There are a thousand posters in a hall, and they are all competing for attention,” highlights Niels Hovius of GFZ, German Research Centre for Geosciences and a former OSPP Judge for the Geomorphology Division, “so, you need to stand out a little bit.” But, how can you make sure your poster or PICO is a great presentation which achieves that? This year we asked two OSPP winners for their tips to give a great OSPP presentation! Here is their advice: &#8220;My name is Tullia Calogiuri and I joined [2022]s EGU as a first year PhD candidate from Wageningen University &amp; Research. My tip for a strong presentation is: use less words and be more creative by using more (self-made) illustrations. Illustrative overviews not only help to better explain a concept, but attract the audience too!&#8221; Tullia Calogiuri, PhD Candidate, Wageningen University &amp; Research, The Netherlands &nbsp; &#8220;As a 2022 OSPP winner in Biogeosciences, I would like to share some tips to make your oral presentation successful at the EGU. First, have a clear story to tell and keep it simple. Focus on the main points, the most important results. Don’t worry; there will be plenty of time after each session or even during coffee breaks to talk in detail with people interested in your work. Use high-resolution figures or images (resolution of at least 300 dpi) in your presentation slides and avoid tables as much as you can. Avoid combining more than two figures in a single slide because it is very difficult to read slides when they are fully loaded with a lot of information. And try to use text as little as possible. Don’t forget people are there to listen to you, not to read complex tables with a series of numbers! Always add a takeaway sentence at the end of each slide. Each slide should address a specific point of your story or presentation and a short sentence at the bottom of the slide or figure summarizing this will help the audience follow your main points. Prepare your talk in advance. Practice a lot. Speak clearly, not too slow, not too fast. This is especially relevant if you are a non-native speaker. Prepare your speech if needed. Make a test presentation in front of your supervisor or colleagues many days before to improve your talk and slides. Try to keep eye contact with the audience and avoid reading. And don’t forget that this is a learning experience. In addition, upload your presentation many days in advance and check to avoid surprises. Lastly don&#8217;t forget to dress appropriately. Yes, this is also an important point to pay attention to. Your outfit matters. Although there is no official dress code at the EGU, don’t forget that presenting at the EGU is a unique opportunity as a student, and you are there to do your best. It is like a formal appointment, so dress well. As a guide, adopt a business casual dress code.&#8221; Steve Kwatcho Kengdo, PhD Candidate, University of Bayreuth, Germany &nbsp; At the 2015 General Assembly we spoke to some of the judges and past winners of the award and asked them to share their thoughts on what makes a top poster presentation.  We put their top tips together in this short video, which gives you a good idea of the key elements you ought to be thinking about when preparing your poster or PICO presentation. Open embedded content from YouTube If you are participating in OSPP, don’t forget to attach the OSPP label (blue PNG, yellow PNG) to your poster board. Alternatively, you might include the label in the poster itself. If you participate with a PICO, you are kindly asked to add the OSPP label to your PICO presentation header. The OSPP awards are presented at the level of the EGU Programme Groups, a post from the blog archives also has full details of how the presentations are evaluated and you can also find detailed information about the award on the EGU website. The EGU General Assembly 2026 is taking place in Vienna, Austria and online from 3 – 8 May. Check out the full session programme on the General Assembly website.]]></description>
													<content:encoded><![CDATA[Every year at the General Assembly hundreds of students and PhD candidates present their research with a lot of time and effort going into preparing these presentations. With the aim to further improve the overall quality of poster presentations and more importantly, to encourage Early Career Scientists to present their work in the form of a poster, the Outstanding Student Presentations, or OSP Awards as they were formerly known, were born. Since the 2016 General Assembly, PICO presentations have been included in the awards, which have been renamed to <a href="https://www.egu.eu/awards-medals/ospp-award/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Outstanding Student and PhD-candidate Presentation (OSPP) Awards</a>.
<blockquote>“There are a thousand posters in a hall, and they are all competing for attention,” highlights Niels Hovius of GFZ, German Research Centre for Geosciences and a former OSPP Judge for the Geomorphology Division, “so, you need to stand out a little bit.”</blockquote>
<div class="entry-content">

But, how can you make sure your poster or PICO is a great presentation which achieves that?

This year we asked two OSPP winners for their tips to give a great OSPP presentation! Here is their advice:

<a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2023/04/tullia_calogiuri.jpeg.450x450_q90_crop_target-5051_upscale_zoom-28.jpg"><img class="wp-image-39077 size-thumbnail alignright" src="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2023/04/tullia_calogiuri.jpeg.450x450_q90_crop_target-5051_upscale_zoom-28-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></a><em>"My name is Tullia Calogiuri and I joined [2022]s EGU as a first year PhD candidate from Wageningen University &amp; Research. My tip for a strong presentation is: use less words and be more creative by using more (self-made) illustrations. Illustrative overviews not only help to better explain a concept, but attract the audience too!"</em>
<p style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://www.egu.eu/awards-medals/ospp-award/2022/tullia-calogiuri/">Tullia Calogiuri</a>, PhD Candidate, Wageningen University &amp; Research, The Netherlands</p>
&nbsp;

<a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2023/04/Steve-Kwatcho-Kengdo.jpg"><img class="wp-image-39074 size-thumbnail alignleft" src="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2023/04/Steve-Kwatcho-Kengdo-e1681373203502-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></a><em>"As a 2022 OSPP winner in Biogeosciences, I would like to share some tips to make your oral presentation successful at the EGU. First, have a clear story to tell and keep it simple. Focus on the main points, the most important results. Don’t worry; there will be plenty of time after each session or even during coffee breaks to talk in detail with people interested in your work. Use high-resolution figures or images (resolution of at least 300 dpi) in your presentation slides and avoid tables as much as you can. Avoid combining more than two figures in a single slide because it is very difficult to read slides when they are fully loaded with a lot of information. And try to use text as little as possible. Don’t forget people are there to listen to you, not to read complex tables with a series of numbers! Always add a takeaway sentence at the end of each slide. Each slide should address a specific point of your story or presentation and a short sentence at the bottom of the slide or figure summarizing this will help the audience follow your main points.</em>

<em>Prepare your talk in advance. Practice a lot. Speak clearly, not too slow, not too fast. This is especially relevant if you are a non-native speaker. Prepare your speech if needed. Make a test presentation in front of your supervisor or colleagues many days before to improve your talk and slides. Try to keep eye contact with the audience and avoid reading. And don’t forget that this is a learning experience. In addition, upload your presentation many days in advance and check to avoid surprises. Lastly don't forget to dress appropriately. Yes, this is also an important point to pay attention to. Your outfit matters. Although there is no official dress code at the EGU, don’t forget that presenting at the EGU is a unique opportunity as a student, and you are there to do your best. It is like a formal appointment, so dress well. As a guide, adopt a business casual dress code."</em>
<p style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://www.egu.eu/awards-medals/ospp-award/2022/steve-kwatcho-kengdo/">Steve Kwatcho Kengdo</a>, PhD Candidate, University of Bayreuth, Germany</p>
&nbsp;

At the 2015 General Assembly we spoke to some of the judges and past winners of the award and asked them to share their thoughts on what makes a top poster presentation.  We put their top tips together in this short video, which gives you a good idea of the key elements you ought to be thinking about when preparing your poster or PICO presentation.
<div class="rve" data-content-width=""><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4TUXyRA9f-8?feature=oembed" width="700" height="394" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
<div data-content-width=""></div>
If you are participating in OSPP, don’t forget to attach the OSPP label (<a href="https://cdn.egu.eu/static/59e7e820/awards/egu_ospp_label_blue.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">blue PNG</a>, <a href="https://cdn.egu.eu/static/59e7e820/awards/egu_ospp_label_yellow.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">yellow PNG</a>) to your poster board. Alternatively, you might include the label in the poster itself. If you participate with a PICO, you are kindly asked to add the OSPP label to your PICO presentation header.

The OSPP awards are presented at the level of the EGU <a href="http://www.egu.eu/structure/programme-groups/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Programme Groups</a>, a post from the blog archives also has full details of <a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2015/04/07/the-outstanding-student-poster-osp-awards-at-egu-2015/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">how the presentations are evaluated</a> and you can also find <a href="https://www.egu.eu/awards-medals/ospp-award/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">detailed information about the award</a> on the EGU website.

<em>The EGU General Assembly 2026 is taking place in Vienna, Austria and online from 3 – 8 May. Check out the full <a href="https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU26/sessionprogramme" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">session programme</a> on the General Assembly website.</em>

</div>]]></content:encoded>
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					<title><![CDATA[5 ways to have a GreenEGU at EGU26!]]></title>
					<link>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/04/28/5-ways-to-have-a-greenegu-at-egu26/</link>
					<comments>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/04/28/5-ways-to-have-a-greenegu-at-egu26/#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>Tue, 28 Apr 2026 12:00:45 +0000</pubDate>
					<dc:creator><![CDATA[Hazel Gibson]]></dc:creator>
							<category><![CDATA[Conferences]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EGU GA 2026]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[General Assembly]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vienna]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[#GreenEGU]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate action]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EGU26]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[plastic waste]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sustainable]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[waste management]]></category>
					<guid isPermaLink="false"></guid>
											<description><![CDATA[All too often organisations can claim sustainability initiatives that don&#8217;t really do much to help the environment, known as &#8216;greenwashing&#8217;. For several years, EGU has committed – both in terms of our resources and the research we support – to help create a cleaner and greener environment in real terms. One of the most significant initiatives is our switch to a fully hybrid meeting, which we have held every year since the pandemic, and that we strive to improve each year. As EGU26 approaches, around 18,000 people are expected to travel to Vienna for the week-long conference. Many of you will choose to embrace virtual attendance, as a way to manage your own carbon footprint as well as for a host of other reasons, but if you are travelling to Vienna to attend on-site, there are still several ways, big and small, that you can help us to lessen the environmental impact of the meeting. To get you started here are five ways that you can help us support EGU’s green initiatives at EGU26 in Vienna, and online! &nbsp; #1: Prioritize eco-friendly travel If you are joining us in Vienna, we recommend making conscious choices when it comes to your travel – whether this is to or from Vienna, or travel within the city. EGU also offers a discount for people travelling by train, both just using the ÖBB Austrian national rail system, and the CAT train which travels from the airport to the city &#8211; you just need to use code EGU26 when booking, and sit back and enjoy the train journey! The Austria Center Vienna (ACV) is easily accessible by all modes of public transport, which you can compare using the website www.greenmobility.de. Instead of private vehicles, choose the city train, bus, or metro whenever possible – made even easier by the free public transportation ticket included with your on-site EGU26 registration (printed on the back of your name badge)! You can also cycle around the city and to the conference center (bicycles can be rented through CityBike Vienna, Donkey Bike, or Copa Cagrana Rad und Skaterverleih) and if you’re feeling capable and have time, Vienna is a beautiful city to explore on foot! &nbsp; #2: Embrace the digital life! Each year we strive to improve the EGU General Assembly&#8217;s digital experience and EGU26 will continue this trend  by combining all your favourite aspects of the previous digital meeting, such as supplementary materials, online commenting, and on-demand viewing of recorded Union-wide events, continuing our development of the hybrid experience for 2026. As a result there has never been a better time to make your EGU experience a little greener&#8230; digitally! Why not create an online personal programme using the EGU26 website or mobile app (available on iOS and android) to avoid printing programmes or your schedule. You can even share details of your presentations, papers and data by using scannable QR codes!  In additional you could also try using your Personal Profile instead of a business card! Update your information today and share the QR code on your name badge to help people find you and your presentation data. Last but not least, you can always consider participating virtually. The fully-hybrid format allows you to participate remotely in every aspect of the meeting, and our virtual registrations are significantly discounted. You can even apply for a FREE virtual registration if you are an undergraduate or masters student, or are from a lower or middle income country. On-site attendees get full digital access with their registration, so just because you have to travel home partway through the meeting, or need to spend a day recovering if you are ill, you don&#8217;t have to miss any of the amazing scientific connections you can make on-site. &nbsp; #3: Bring reusable products Did you know that since 2018, EGU’s move to encourage reusable water bottles has saved about 30,000 single-use PET water bottles per year? As organisers, we do our best to minimize waste as much as possible, but our attendees can help us make a big difference here! With a little planning, you can ensure a well packed bag with essentials like a reusable water bottle, coffee cup/mug, straw, and cloth napkin. Biodegradable waste bags are also a good idea, as well as reusable food containers in place of throw-away containers. You can even make your on-site poster reusable by printing it on fabric &#8211; then turning your poster into an outfit! If you are attending EGU26 remotely, how about these 5 ideas to make your virtual General Assembly greener? &nbsp; #4: Follow the conference center’s sustainable waste practices The Austria Center Vienna, our host in the city, particularly welcomes and certifies green meetings in compliance with the Austrian Ecolabel. Over the years, the Center has introduced several initiatives to reduce its environmental impact. Some of these include the use of energy-saving LEDs, a solar array to heat the water used in the kitchens and toilets, and working with an in-house catering company compliant with green standards. During EGU26, we advise all participants to follow the Center’s practices on waste segregation and the reusing of personal cutlery during the conference. There will be physical signs displayed to help guide you, but if ever in doubt, just ask a member of the support staff or the event organisers. &nbsp; #5: Join the discussion! At EGU we try and be realistic about our limitations as well as our successes. In the past we have had several suggestions about how we as an organisation could be more environmentally friendly, from going fully virtual all the time, to introducing free water fountains, to removing single use coffee cups completely. We are always open to your feedback, though we are also driven by the requirements of all our members and therefore must consider the diverse needs of many people, so sometimes these suggestions may not be possible to implement. If you have any ideas for how the EGU General Assembly can become more sustainable and environmentally friendly, we want to hear from you! Either drop a comment under this blog, or if you are at the meeting swing by the EGU Booth in Hall X2 on the purple level. There you can Meet the EGU, talk with our volunteers and staff, make suggestions and even pick up some reusable EGU merchandise of your own! We look forward to seeing you there! &nbsp; We hope this blog has inspired you to make a difference to the environment in ways big and small! For transparency we also want to share some of the less visible initiatives that EGU has been putting in place toward a greener General Assembly: We no longer print a paper programme book and instead encourage attendees to access the programme online and/or through smartphones. This has saved about 2 million printed A5 pages per year since 2018! The daily newsletter EGU Today went fully digital in 2019, remaining a popular source of information while saving 15,000 double-sided A4 printed pages per year. Make sure to check it regularly from Sunday 3 April to Friday 8 May here! EGU notebooks and flyers are printed on FSC-certified recycled paper, offsetting the environmental impact of producing the flyers on regular paper. Since 2020, EGU pens distributed at the EGU booth are made of bamboo rather than plastic. Name badges consist of lanyards made of 100% recycled PET and a paper badge made of 100% FSC-recycled paper. Since 2020, the paper badges are no longer pocketed in a plastic sleeve. Attendees are also encouraged to bring their EGU lanyard from a past conference or, if taking a lanyard this year on-site, reuse it next year. The meeting’s 1,500 sqm of signage is made from polyurethane hard foam (PU). We reuse these signs for 3 to 5 years and limit the production of new ones. These signs are stored directly in the ACV to avoid the carbon impact of transport.]]></description>
													<content:encoded><![CDATA[All too often organisations can claim sustainability initiatives that don't really do much to help the environment, known as 'greenwashing'. For several years, EGU has committed – both in terms of our resources and the research we support – to <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/about/green_egu.html">help create a cleaner and greener environment</a> in real terms. One of the most significant initiatives is our switch to a fully hybrid meeting, which we have held every year since the pandemic, and that we strive to improve each year. As <a href="http://www.egu26.eu">EGU26</a> approaches, around 18,000 people are expected to travel to Vienna for the week-long conference. Many of you will choose to embrace virtual attendance, as a way to manage your own carbon footprint as well as for a host of other reasons, but if you are travelling to Vienna to attend on-site, there are still several ways, big and small, that you can help us to lessen the environmental impact of the meeting.

To get you started here are five ways that you can help us support EGU’s green initiatives at <a href="http://www.egu26.eu">EGU26</a> in Vienna, and online!

&nbsp;

<strong>#1: Prioritize eco-friendly travel</strong>

If you are joining us in Vienna, we recommend making conscious choices when it comes to your travel – whether this is to or from Vienna, or travel within the city. <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/attendance/venue.html#offers">EGU also offers a discount for people travelling by train</a>, both just using the <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/attendance/venue.html#offers">ÖBB Austrian national rail system</a>, and the <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/attendance/venue.html#offers">CAT train</a> which travels from the airport to the city - you just need to use code <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/attendance/venue.html#offers">EGU26</a> when booking, and sit back and enjoy the train journey! The <a href="https://www.acv.at/en/">Austria Center Vienna</a> (ACV) is easily accessible by all modes of public transport, which you can compare using the website <a href="https://www.greenmobility.de/">www.greenmobility.de</a>. Instead of private vehicles, choose the city train, bus, or metro whenever possible – made even easier by the free public transportation ticket included with your on-site EGU26 registration (printed on the back of your name badge)! You can also cycle around the city and to the conference center (bicycles can be rented through <a href="https://www.citybikewien.at/en/">CityBike Vienna</a>, <a href="https://www.donkey.bike/cities/bike-rental-vienna/">Donkey Bike</a>, or <a href="https://www.fahrradverleih.at">Copa Cagrana Rad und Skaterverleih</a>) and if you’re feeling capable and have time, Vienna is a beautiful city to explore on foot!

&nbsp;

<strong>#2: Embrace the digital life</strong><strong>!</strong>

Each year we strive to improve the EGU General Assembly's digital experience and EGU26 will continue this trend  by combining all your favourite aspects of the previous digital meeting, such as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWrI6fK6thk">supplementary materials</a>, <a href="https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU24/">online commenting</a>, and on-demand viewing of recorded Union-wide events, continuing our development of the hybrid experience for 2026.

As a result there has never been a better time to make your EGU experience a little greener... digitally! Why not create an online <a href="https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU26/personal_programme">personal programme</a> using the <a href="https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/egu26/personal_programme">EGU26 website</a> or mobile app (available on <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/egu26/id6760830905">iOS</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.copernicus.egu26">android</a>) to avoid printing programmes or your schedule. You can even share details of your presentations, papers and data by using scannable QR codes!  In additional you could also try using your <a href="https://networker.copernicus.org/my-profile/egu26">Personal Profile</a> instead of a business card! <a href="https://networker.copernicus.org/my-profile/egu26">Update your information today</a> and share the QR code on your name badge to help people find you and your presentation data.

Last but not least, you can always consider participating virtually. The fully-hybrid format allows you to participate remotely in every aspect of the meeting, and our <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/attendance/registration.html#virtualfees">virtual registrations</a> are significantly discounted. You can even apply for a<a href="https://www.egu26.eu/attendance/registration.html#virtualfees"> FREE virtual registration</a> if you are an <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/attendance/registration.html#virtualfees">undergraduate or masters student</a>, or are from a <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/attendance/registration.html#virtualfees">lower or middle income country</a>. On-site attendees get full digital access with their registration, so just because you have to travel home partway through the meeting, or need to spend a day recovering if you are ill, you don't have to miss any of the amazing scientific connections you can make on-site.

&nbsp;

<strong>#3: Bring reusable products</strong>

Did you know that since 2018, EGU’s move to encourage reusable water bottles has saved about <a href="https://www.egu24.eu/about/green_egu.html">30,000 single-use PET water bottles</a> per year? As organisers, we do our best to minimize waste as much as possible, but our attendees can help us make a big difference here! With a little planning, you can ensure a well packed bag with essentials like a reusable water bottle, coffee cup/mug, straw, and cloth napkin. Biodegradable waste bags are also a good idea, as well as reusable food containers in place of throw-away containers. You can even make your on-site poster reusable by printing it on fabric - then <a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2017/04/27/science-is-in-fashion/">turning your poster into an outfit</a>!

If you are attending EGU26 remotely, how about these <a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2021/02/17/want-to-greenegu-from-home/">5 ideas to make your virtual General Assembly greener</a>?

&nbsp;

<strong>#4: Follow the conference center’s sustainable waste practices</strong>

The <a href="https://www.acv.at/en/">Austria Center Vienna</a>, our host in the city, particularly <a href="https://www.acv.at/en/organize/service/green-meeting/">welcomes and certifies green meetings</a> in compliance with the Austrian Ecolabel. Over the years, the Center has introduced several <a href="https://www.acv.at/en/organize/service/green-meeting/">initiatives</a> to reduce its environmental impact. Some of these include the use of energy-saving LEDs, a solar array to heat the water used in the kitchens and toilets, and working with an in-house catering company compliant with green standards. During EGU26, we advise all participants to follow the Center’s practices on waste segregation and the reusing of personal cutlery during the conference. There will be physical signs displayed to help guide you, but if ever in doubt, just ask a member of the support staff or the event organisers.

&nbsp;

<strong>#5: Join the discussion!</strong>

At EGU we try and be realistic about our limitations as well as our successes. In the past we have had several suggestions about how we as an organisation could be more environmentally friendly, from going fully virtual all the time, to introducing free water fountains, to removing single use coffee cups completely. We are always <a href="http://www.egu26.eu/feedback">open to your feedback,</a> though we are also driven by the requirements of all our members and therefore must consider the diverse needs of many people, so sometimes these suggestions may not be possible to implement. If you have any ideas for how the EGU General Assembly can become more sustainable and environmentally friendly, we want to hear from you! Either drop a comment under this blog, or if you are at the meeting swing by the EGU Booth in Hall X2 on the purple level. There you can <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/pg/NET">Meet the EGU</a>, talk with our volunteers and staff, make suggestions and even pick up some reusable EGU merchandise of your own! We look forward to seeing you there!

<a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2024/04/EGU-merch-EGU23.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-42111 alignnone" src="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2024/04/EGU-merch-EGU23.jpg" alt="" width="1600" height="1112" /></a>

&nbsp;

We hope this blog has inspired you to make a difference to the environment in ways big and small! For transparency we also want to share some of the less visible initiatives that EGU has been putting in place toward a greener General Assembly:
<ul>
 	<li>We no longer print a paper programme book and instead encourage attendees to access the programme online and/or through smartphones. This has saved about 2 million printed A5 pages per year since 2018!</li>
 	<li>The daily newsletter EGU Today went fully digital in 2019, remaining a popular source of information while saving 15,000 double-sided A4 printed pages per year. Make sure to check it regularly from Sunday 3 April to Friday 8 May <a href="https://www.egu.eu/egutoday/">here</a>!</li>
 	<li>EGU notebooks and flyers are printed on FSC-certified recycled paper, offsetting the environmental impact of producing the flyers on regular paper.</li>
 	<li>Since 2020, EGU pens distributed at the EGU booth are made of bamboo rather than plastic.</li>
 	<li>Name badges consist of lanyards made of 100% recycled PET and a paper badge made of 100% FSC-recycled paper. Since 2020, the paper badges are no longer pocketed in a plastic sleeve. Attendees are also encouraged to bring their EGU lanyard from a past conference or, if taking a lanyard this year on-site, reuse it next year.</li>
 	<li>The meeting’s 1,500 sqm of signage is made from polyurethane hard foam (PU). We reuse these signs for 3 to 5 years and limit the production of new ones. These signs are stored directly in the ACV to avoid the carbon impact of transport.</li>
</ul>]]></content:encoded>
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					<title><![CDATA[Build your Open Science practice!  Visit the Open Science & Data Help Desk at EGU26!]]></title>
					<link>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/04/28/build-your-open-science-practice-visit-the-open-science-data-help-desk-at-egu26/</link>
					<comments>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/04/28/build-your-open-science-practice-visit-the-open-science-data-help-desk-at-egu26/#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>Tue, 28 Apr 2026 09:00:23 +0000</pubDate>
					<dc:creator><![CDATA[Hazel Gibson]]></dc:creator>
							<category><![CDATA[General Assembly]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Open Access]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[data]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[data help desk]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[data management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[data storage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EGU25]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[open science]]></category>
					<guid isPermaLink="false"></guid>
											<description><![CDATA[Trusted data propels trusted science. From crafting data management plans to using software, Earth scientists can create change that makes research more accessible and reproducible. The Open Science &amp; Data Help Desk connects Earth science researchers and data experts – bring your questions and  join us at EGU26 in the Exhibition Hall X2 at #X207! The Open Science &amp; Data Help Desk features resources that can help you make your data and software FAIRer and more open and the scientific process more transparent. The UNESCO definition of open science includes open knowledge, open engagement and dialogue, and open communications. This year, we take these recommendations up through the daily ‘featured demonstration hour’ from 12:45 to 13:45, where you can learn about different aspects of trusted data and open science from a range of experts and discuss them with us. The Open Science &amp; Data Help Desk is a program of the Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP), EGU, and American Geophysical Union (AGU). Volunteer experts from the Earth science informatics community will be on hand to share knowledge, tools, and workflows. They can answer questions, such as: How do I make my science and my data open? Where do I start with a data management plan? How do I manage and archive large datasets or model data? What is FAIR? How do I assess the risk level of a dataset? …and many more… When: 4 – 8 May 2026 during the EGU26 General Assembly Where: Onsite in the Exhibition Hall X2 at Booth #X207 and online. What: See on-site schedule and find out more about the EGU26 Open Science &amp; Data Help Desk here. The onsite Open Science &amp; Data Help Desk (X2 booth #X207) Join us for the daily ‘featured demonstration hour’ from 12:45 to 13:45. Visit any time during EGU26 to ask us questions and discuss practices &nbsp; The virtual Open Science &amp; Data Help Desk: For ten years, the Open Science &amp; Data Help Desk has been held at Earth, space, environmental sciences meetings including annual meetings of the AGU, the Ecological Society of America, the EGU General Assemblies, and more. The event at #EGU26 provides another exciting opportunity for you to jump in, ask questions and discuss data and software skills and open science practices! &nbsp; Looking for resources now? Why not check out the Open Science &amp; Data Help Desk’s recommended video playlist on our YouTube channel!]]></description>
													<content:encoded><![CDATA[<strong>Trusted data propels trusted science. From crafting data management plans to using software, Earth scientists can create change that makes research more accessible and reproducible. The </strong><a href="https://www.esipfed.org/data-help-desk/"><u><strong>Open Science &amp; Data Help Desk</strong></u></a><strong> connects Earth science researchers and data experts – bring your questions and  join us at </strong><strong>EGU26</strong><strong> in th</strong><strong>e </strong><strong>Exhibition Hall X2 at #X207!</strong>

The <a href="https://www.esipfed.org/data-help-desk/"><u>Open Science &amp; Data Help Desk</u></a> features resources that can help you make your data and software FAIRer and more open and the scientific process more transparent. The <a href="https://www.unesco.org/en/open-science"><u>UNESCO</u></a> definition of open science includes open knowledge, open engagement and dialogue, and open communications. This year, we take these recommendations up through the daily ‘featured demonstration hour’ from 12:45 to 13:45, where you can learn about different aspects of trusted data and open science from a range of experts and discuss them with us.

The Open Science &amp; Data Help Desk is a program of the<a href="https://www.esipfed.org/"><u> Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP)</u></a>, EGU, and <a href="https://www.agu.org"><u>American Geophysical Union (AGU)</u></a>. Volunteer experts from the Earth science informatics community will be on hand to share knowledge, tools, and workflows. They can answer questions, such as:
<ul>
 	<li>How do I make my science and my data open?</li>
 	<li>Where do I start with a data management plan?</li>
 	<li>How do I manage and archive large datasets or model data?</li>
 	<li>What is FAIR?</li>
 	<li>How do I assess the risk level of a dataset?</li>
 	<li>…and many more…</li>
</ul>
<strong>When:</strong> 4 – 8 May 2026 during the <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/"><u>EGU26</u><u> General Assembly</u></a>

<strong>Where:</strong> Onsite in the Exhibition Hall X2 at Booth #X207 and online.

<strong>What:</strong> See on-site <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1i94_owPU7TrIpnDjTMzLluVr7pSmBZTVAjV6jPlIoUk/edit?gid=0#gid=0"><u>schedule</u></a> and find out more about the EGU26 Open Science &amp; Data Help Desk <a href="https://www.esipfed.org/data-help-desk/"><u>here</u></a>.

<strong><a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/04/data-help-desk.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-51035 alignright" src="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/04/data-help-desk.png" alt="" width="122" height="122" /></a>The onsite Open Science &amp; Data Help De</strong><strong>sk (</strong><strong>X2 booth #X207)</strong>
<ul>
 	<li><strong>Join</strong> us for the daily ‘featured demonstration hour’ from 12:45 to 13:45.</li>
 	<li><strong>Visit</strong> any time during EGU26 to ask us questions and discuss practices</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;

<strong>The virtual Open Science &amp; Data Help Desk:</strong>

For ten years, the Open Science &amp; Data Help Desk has been held at Earth, space, environmental sciences meetings including annual meetings of the AGU, the Ecological Society of America, the EGU General Assemblies, and more. The event at #EGU26 provides another exciting opportunity for you to jump in, ask questions and discuss data and software skills and open science practices!

&nbsp;

Looking for resources now? Why not check out the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYJjP6lVJvsyCQ-jgRRGCan8r_oGGAWEk"><u>Open Science &amp; Data Help Desk’s recommended video playlist</u></a> on our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/egu"><u>YouTube channel</u></a>!]]></content:encoded>
																<wfw:commentRss>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/04/28/build-your-open-science-practice-visit-the-open-science-data-help-desk-at-egu26/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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					<title><![CDATA[EGU26 Photo Competition finalists – who will you vote for?]]></title>
					<link>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/04/27/egu26-photo-competition-finalists-who-will-you-vote-for/</link>
					<comments>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/04/27/egu26-photo-competition-finalists-who-will-you-vote-for/#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>Mon, 27 Apr 2026 11:00:41 +0000</pubDate>
					<dc:creator><![CDATA[Hazel Gibson]]></dc:creator>
							<category><![CDATA[Early Career Scientists]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EGU GA 2026]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[General Assembly]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Imaggeo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Imaggeo on Mondays]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Outreach]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Photo Competition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EGU photo competition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EGU Photo Contest]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EGU26]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Geoscience photography]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[images]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[imaggeo photo competition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Imaggeo Photo Contest]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[landscape]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nature]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nature photography]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[outreach]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[photos]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[public engagement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[vote]]></category>
					<guid isPermaLink="false"></guid>
											<description><![CDATA[This year’s Photo Competition judging panel did a fantastic job of narrowing down the outstanding photo submissions to the EGU&#8217;s Photo Competition to just 10 finalists!  The finalist photos are listed below and on the Imaggeo website where you can vote for them from Sunday 3 May until Thursday, 7 May 2025 &#8211; voting closes at 18:00 CEST. The three photos with the most votes will be announced online at midday on Friday 8 May! Our EGU26 Finalists: (in alphabetical order of the photographer) Arctic in Transition: a double-faced environment by Fenna Ammerlaan View from Gilsongryggen into Adventdalen, Longyearbyen, Svalbard. Two people are out on one of the last hiking trips of the season before the brown summer landscape truly changes into the dark and rough polar night. VOTE HERE &nbsp; A sky full of scars &#8211; Rhône Glacier, Switzerland by Janosch Beer Rhône Glacier field work, conducting geophysical measurements during one of the hottest days we&#8217;ve ever experienced up there. The dust and dirt on the surface makes the glacier almost appear like solid rock with patches of water on it. The crevasses and ponds on the surface evoke the image of scars, emphasizing the vulnerability of this place. VOTE HERE &nbsp; Colourful Tundra Fairytale by Yasmin L Bohak Arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) are a seasonal colour moulting species, moulting twice a year in autumn and spring. Most of the global arctic fox population change colour from brown with lighter ventral sides to completely white in winter. Taken in mid-October, this photograph captures the fox “in-transition” between summer and winter coats, making it conspicuous on the backdrop of the colourful autumn, in the sub-arctic tundra near Churchill, Manitoba. This photograph was taken during my time volunteering at the Churchill Northern Studies Center. VOTE HERE &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Geyser Eruption Beneath the Milky Way by Chujie Liu Old Faithful erupts under the Milky Way in Yellowstone National Park, illustrating active hydrothermal processes driven by Earth’s internal heat. Superheated groundwater periodically vents to the surface, linking subsurface geothermal dynamics with the broader planetary environment visible in the night sky. VOTE HERE &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Through rocks, water, and time by Daniele Penna Light and darkness contrasts in the Antelope Canyon, AZ, USA. Flash floods, water, and wind erosion over millennia carved this stunning slot canyon in the Navajo Sandstone reserve. The area is a sacred site to Navajo people, and its name in their native language means &#8220;the place where water runs through rocks&#8221;, reflecting its geomorphological origin. The smoothed rocks and the incised morphology, where the light finds its own way, produce wave-like patterns and contrasted shadows. Technical details: Canon EOS M6 Mark ii, Canon EF-S 15-85 mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM @21 mm, ISO 800, 1/60 sec, f/11. VOTE HERE &nbsp; Bubbling Springs of Life by Emma Rogers This photo depicts a small bubbling hot spring in El Tatio geyser field, located in the Andes Mountains of northern Chile at 4,320 m above mean sea level. Its vibrant colors show bacterial growth within a hostile environment, which may point to places where life could exist and thrive on other hostile worlds such as Mars. VOTE HERE &nbsp; Disconnecting Glaciers by Valentin Schalk Disconnecting glaciers Langentaufer Ferner and Hintereis Ferner below the Weisskugel peak in the Ötztaler alps, Italy/Austria. VOTE HERE &nbsp; Dual Lacustrine Systems within the Sete Cidades Volcanic Caldera by Rui Fagundes Silva An aerial perspective of one of the most iconic polygenetic volcanoes in the Azores. The image shows the large caldera containing the distinctive dual lake system. From a geoscientific standpoint, it showcases the result of successive collapse events and the complex hydrological systems that develop within dormant volcanic structures. VOTE HERE &nbsp; Chi Q&#8217;aq&#8217; &#8211; A Trinity of Light by Bastian Steinke Growing population numbers mean that our space of living is shifting, and that we are forced to live closer to destructive forces of nature. Volcán de Fuego in Guatemala displays constant fusion of destruction and regeneration &#8211; yet, the local population has mastered the challenge of melting into this natural rhythm. While from a scientific point of view we are inclined to identify volcanism as a threat to humanity, Chi Q&#8217;aq (Fuego&#8217;s indigenous name) also manifests as brother, shelter, playground, and constant companion to those living nearby. To recognise and respect this connection is an important task for those seeking to understand the relationship between humans and natural patterns. The photo shows an eruption of Chi Q&#8217;aq at 01:12am local time on a clear night in February, with some of the sleeping city lights down below. VOTE HERE &nbsp; Frozen Rivulets of the Baltic Coast by Michal Šujan On the frozen Latvian coast of the Baltic Sea in late November, groundwater emerges onto the frozen beach and cuts delicate braided rivulets through icy sand. VOTE HERE]]></description>
													<content:encoded><![CDATA[This year’s Photo Competition judging panel did a fantastic job of narrowing down the outstanding photo submissions to the EGU's Photo Competition to just 10 finalists!  The finalist photos are listed below and on the <a href="https://imaggeo.egu.eu/photo-competition/contest/">Imaggeo website</a> where you can <a href="https://imaggeo.egu.eu/photo-competition/contest/"><strong>vote</strong></a> for them from Sunday 3 May until Thursday, 7 May 2025 - voting closes at 18:00 CEST.

The three photos with the <a href="https://imaggeo.egu.eu/photo-competition/contest/">most votes</a> will be announced online at midday on Friday 8 May!
<h3><strong>Our EGU26 Finalists: </strong></h3>
<strong>(in alphabetical order of the photographer)</strong>

<a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/04/Fenna-Ammerlaan.png"><img class="alignnone wp-image-50990 size-full" src="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/04/Fenna-Ammerlaan.png" alt="" width="1600" height="1063" /></a>

<a href="https://imaggeo.egu.eu/view/19767/"><strong>Arctic in Transition: a double-faced environment </strong></a>by <strong>Fenna Ammerlaan</strong>

View from Gilsongryggen into Adventdalen, Longyearbyen, Svalbard. Two people are out on one of the last hiking trips of the season before the brown summer landscape truly changes into the dark and rough polar night.
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><a href="https://imaggeo.egu.eu/photo-competition/contest/">VOTE HERE</a></strong></p>
&nbsp;

<a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/04/Janosch-Beer.jpg"><img class="alignnone wp-image-50993 size-full" src="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/04/Janosch-Beer.jpg" alt="" width="1600" height="1200" /></a>

<strong><a href="https://imaggeo.egu.eu/view/19414/">A sky full of scars - Rhône Glacier, Switzerland</a> by Janosch Beer</strong>

Rhône Glacier field work, conducting geophysical measurements during one of the hottest days we've ever experienced up there. The dust and dirt on the surface makes the glacier almost appear like solid rock with patches of water on it. The crevasses and ponds on the surface evoke the image of scars, emphasizing the vulnerability of this place.
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><a href="https://imaggeo.egu.eu/photo-competition/contest/">VOTE HERE</a></strong></p>
&nbsp;

<a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/04/Yasmin-Bohak.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-50994 alignnone" src="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/04/Yasmin-Bohak.png" alt="" width="1600" height="1067" /></a>

<strong><a href="https://imaggeo.egu.eu/view/19808/">Colourful Tundra Fairytale</a> </strong><strong>by Yasmin L Bohak</strong>

Arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) are a seasonal colour moulting species, moulting twice a year in autumn and spring. Most of the global arctic fox population change colour from brown with lighter ventral sides to completely white in winter. Taken in mid-October, this photograph captures the fox “in-transition” between summer and winter coats, making it conspicuous on the backdrop of the colourful autumn, in the sub-arctic tundra near Churchill, Manitoba.
This photograph was taken during my time volunteering at the Churchill Northern Studies Center.
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><a href="https://imaggeo.egu.eu/photo-competition/contest/">VOTE HERE</a></strong></p>
&nbsp;

<a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/04/Chuljie-Liu.jpeg"><img class="wp-image-50995 alignleft" src="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/04/Chuljie-Liu-209x300.jpeg" alt="" width="348" height="500" /></a>

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<strong><a href="https://imaggeo.egu.eu/view/19680/">Geyser Eruption Beneath the Milky</a> <a href="https://imaggeo.egu.eu/view/19680/">Way</a> </strong><strong>by </strong><strong>Chujie Liu</strong>

Old Faithful erupts under the Milky Way in Yellowstone National Park, illustrating active hydrothermal processes driven by Earth’s internal heat. Superheated groundwater periodically vents to the surface, linking subsurface geothermal dynamics with the broader planetary environment visible in the night sky.
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><a href="https://imaggeo.egu.eu/photo-competition/contest/">VOTE HERE</a></strong></p>
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<a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/04/Daniele-Penna.jpg"><img class="wp-image-50996 alignright" src="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/04/Daniele-Penna-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="333" height="500" /></a>

<strong><a href="https://imaggeo.egu.eu/view/19797/">Through rocks, water, and time</a> by Daniele Penna</strong>

Light and darkness contrasts in the Antelope Canyon, AZ, USA.

Flash floods, water, and wind erosion over millennia carved this stunning slot canyon in the Navajo Sandstone reserve. The area is a sacred site to Navajo people, and its name in their native language means "the place where water runs through rocks", reflecting its geomorphological origin. The smoothed rocks and the incised morphology, where the light finds its own way, produce wave-like patterns and contrasted shadows.

Technical details: Canon EOS M6 Mark ii, Canon EF-S 15-85 mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM @21 mm, ISO 800, 1/60 sec, f/11.
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><a href="https://imaggeo.egu.eu/photo-competition/contest/">VOTE HERE</a></strong></p>
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<a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/04/Emma-Rogers.jpg"><img class="alignnone wp-image-50997 size-full" src="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/04/Emma-Rogers.jpg" alt="" width="1600" height="1067" /></a>

<strong><a href="https://imaggeo.egu.eu/view/19670/">Bubbling Springs of Life </a>by </strong><strong>Emma Rogers</strong>

This photo depicts a small bubbling hot spring in El Tatio geyser field, located in the Andes Mountains of northern Chile at 4,320 m above mean sea level. Its vibrant colors show bacterial growth within a hostile environment, which may point to places where life could exist and thrive on other hostile worlds such as Mars.
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><a href="https://imaggeo.egu.eu/photo-competition/contest/">VOTE HERE</a></strong></p>
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<a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/04/Valentin-Schalk.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-50999" src="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/04/Valentin-Schalk.jpg" alt="" width="1600" height="1067" /></a>

<strong><a href="https://imaggeo.egu.eu/view/19841/">Disconnecting Glaciers</a> by Valentin Schalk</strong>

Disconnecting glaciers Langentaufer Ferner and Hintereis Ferner below the Weisskugel peak in the Ötztaler alps, Italy/Austria.
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><a href="https://imaggeo.egu.eu/photo-competition/contest/">VOTE HERE</a></strong></p>
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<a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/04/Rui-Fagundes-Silva.jpg"><img class="alignnone wp-image-51002 size-full" src="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/04/Rui-Fagundes-Silva.jpg" alt="" width="1600" height="1250" /></a>

<strong><a href="https://imaggeo.egu.eu/view/19754/">Dual Lacustrine Systems within the Sete Cidades Volcanic Caldera </a>by Rui Fagundes Silva</strong>

An aerial perspective of one of the most iconic polygenetic volcanoes in the Azores. The image shows the large caldera containing the distinctive dual lake system. From a geoscientific standpoint, it showcases the result of successive collapse events and the complex hydrological systems that develop within dormant volcanic structures.
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><a href="https://imaggeo.egu.eu/photo-competition/contest/">VOTE HERE</a></strong></p>
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<a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/04/Bastian-Steinke.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-51003 alignnone" src="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/04/Bastian-Steinke.png" alt="" width="1600" height="1067" /></a>

<strong><a href="https://imaggeo.egu.eu/view/19686/">Chi Q'aq' - A Trinity of Light</a> by Bastian Steinke</strong>

Growing population numbers mean that our space of living is shifting, and that we are forced to live closer to destructive forces of nature. Volcán de Fuego in Guatemala displays constant fusion of destruction and regeneration - yet, the local population has mastered the challenge of melting into this natural rhythm. While from a scientific point of view we are inclined to identify volcanism as a threat to humanity, Chi Q'aq (Fuego's indigenous name) also manifests as brother, shelter, playground, and constant companion to those living nearby. To recognise and respect this connection is an important task for those seeking to understand the relationship between humans and natural patterns. The photo shows an eruption of Chi Q'aq at 01:12am local time on a clear night in February, with some of the sleeping city lights down below.
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><a href="https://imaggeo.egu.eu/photo-competition/contest/">VOTE HERE</a></strong></p>
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<a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/04/Michal-Sujan.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-51006 alignnone" src="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/04/Michal-Sujan.jpg" alt="" width="1600" height="1200" /></a>

<strong><a href="https://imaggeo.egu.eu/view/19721/">Frozen Rivulets of the Baltic Coast</a> by </strong><strong>Michal Šujan</strong>

On the frozen Latvian coast of the Baltic Sea in late November, groundwater emerges onto the frozen beach and cuts delicate braided rivulets through icy sand.
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><a href="https://imaggeo.egu.eu/photo-competition/contest/">VOTE HERE</a></strong></p>]]></content:encoded>
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					<title><![CDATA[EGU26: Get creative at the General Assembly with EGUart and more!]]></title>
					<link>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/04/24/egu26-get-creative-at-the-general-assembly-with-eguart-and-more/</link>
					<comments>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/04/24/egu26-get-creative-at-the-general-assembly-with-eguart-and-more/#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>Fri, 24 Apr 2026 10:00:47 +0000</pubDate>
					<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jane Roussak]]></dc:creator>
							<category><![CDATA[EGU GA 2026]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Imaggeo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Photo Competition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Science Communication]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Short Courses]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[#EGUart]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[creativity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EGU artists in residence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EGU General Assembly]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EGU26]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[imaggeo photo competition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rhyme your research]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Science and Art]]></category>
					<guid isPermaLink="false"></guid>
											<description><![CDATA[At EGU we take our science seriously, but we also value creativity and the role it plays in all aspects of being a researcher, from designing your study to science communication! The EGU26 General Assembly offers plenty of avenues for creativity in every way, shape and form. If you’re keen to indulge your creative side or curious about the possible intersections between science and art, look no further. This blog lists some of our unique (and highly anticipated) creativity-based sessions at EGU26. So browse through and make sure to add at least a few of these to your personal programme! EGU26 Photo Competition: vote for your favourite! Each year EGU runs a photo competition for attendees of the General Assembly shortlisted into the top 10 submissions. These submissions are then open for you to vote on, to select the top three winning photos, announced on the Friday of the meeting! Voting will open on Sunday 3 May, so watch out for the shortlist announcement soon! Those joining us on-site in Vienna are also invited to cast their vote Monday–Thursday at the EGU Booth in Hall X2 (Purple level). For more information, visit the EGU Photo Competition page on Imaggeo. You can also check out all of the 2010 to 2025 winners here. Sessions Curious about how games can enhance geoscientific work, education and communication? Join the session EOS1.3 Games for Geoscience on Wed, 06 May, 16:15–18:00 (CEST) at PICO spot 4 or online. Following the session, on-site participants get the chance to try out some games first-hand at the Networking event NET15 Geoscience Games Night, taking place Wed, 06 May, 18:00–19:30 (CEST) in Foyer D!  If you are interested in learning about how blending science and the arts can be used to address societal and environmental issues that encourage action, don&#8217;t miss out on EOS1.2 Building Bridges: Art-Science Collaborations for a Sustainable Future on Thu, 07 May, 10:45–12:30 (CEST) for posters in Hall X4 / Thu, 07 May, 14:00–18:00 (CEST) for oral presentations in room -2.93 and online. Find more art-science related sessions by visiting the Art-Science tag in the &#8216;Cross-cutting themes&#8217; section of the EGU26 Programme! Artist(s) in Residence One of the many highlights of EGU’s General Assembly is the annual Artists in Residence programme. It offers scientist-artists an opportunity to engage with scientific research in a dynamic setting and be inspired by the many new discoveries presented at the conference. This year our Artist in Residence is Núria Altimir, a data visualisation artist and biogeoscientist from Spain and Finland who will be hosting a participatory data art project at her booth in Foyer D (Purple level). The pieces will explore networks, uncertainty, and design awareness. Participants become the data points themselves, so I warmly invite everyone to stop by, leave their mark, and help shape an evolving collective artwork. -Núria Altimir, EGU26 Artist in Residence In addition to her custom booth, you can catch Núria at her Short Course; SC5.1 The why and how of beauty as a tool for effective science communication on Wed, 06 May, 08:30–10:15 (CEST) in room -2.32 and online, where participants will learn practical strategies for integrating beauty with purpose and accuracy in their own work. Interested in seeing what else is possible in the art-science realm? Explore works by past EGU Artists in Residence at the Art-Science booth in Foyer D (Purple level). If you&#8217;re lucky, you may even catch one of the artists in the flesh! For more information about about the last years’ Artists in and (not) in Residence, visit our Youtube playlist and EGU’s GeoLog blogs. EGU26 participants will be able to see images of the artwork produced by artists via our official social media channels (using the hashtag #EGUart), on the EGU GeoLog blog and live at the conference centre. Children&#8217;s Art Don&#8217;t miss the growing display of art created at EGU26 by our very early career scientists! Stop by the Children&#8217;s Art Exposition, set up in the &#8220;Art-Science gallery&#8221; of Hall X2 (Purple level) to see this year&#8217;s creations. To help guide our young artists, the exposition has an annual theme reflecting the topics covered at the EGU General Assembly. The theme for EGU26 is Wonderful Watery World inspired by our Cryospheric Sciences (CR), Hydrological Sciences (HS) and Ocean Sciences (OS) Divisions, allowing us to explore water in all of its forms! Any kid at the conference can contribute to the exposition. If you want to share the work of your kids, hand in their art-science submissions at the childcare reception desk or use the designated baskets at at one of the two unsupervised family rooms (Purple level). Bonus: the family rooms have all the supplies needed to foster creations! Contributions are welcomed from kids of various ages and talents and will be hung up for display. Should you like to bring your contribution home with you, we invite you to collect it from the exposition by the end of the EGU26 week. Looking for another way to get your kids involved in art-science? Check out the Short Course SC3.7 Growing Curiosity – Geoscience Education for Children on Wed, 06 May, 14:00–15:45 (CEST) in room -2.82 and online.  EGUart: celebrate new forms of science communication The EGU26 demonstrates a diversity of creative outlets used in collaboration with science! Still can&#8217;t get enough? Check out the EGU26 GeoCinema programme for evening screenings in room E1 (Yellow level) and online, join us for a musical night of celebration at MAL0 EGU Award &amp; Medal Celebration on Wed, 06 May, 17:00–19:30 (CEST) in room E1 and online, or download one of the EGU colouring books for some fun of your own! We hope this list has inspired you to add some of these creative options when you plan your EGU26 conference experience! If you wish to browse through other sessions, we recommend a visit to the EGU26 Programme page. Choose “Please Select” and then pick your category of interest on the session programme page.]]></description>
													<content:encoded><![CDATA[At EGU we take our science seriously, but we also value creativity and the role it plays in all aspects of being a researcher, from designing your study to science communication! The <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/">EGU26 General Assembly</a> offers plenty of avenues for creativity in every way, shape and form. If you’re keen to indulge your creative side or curious about the possible intersections between science and art, look no further.

This blog lists some of our unique (and highly anticipated) creativity-based sessions at EGU26. So browse through and make sure to add at least a few of these to your personal programme!
<h3><strong>EGU26 Photo Competition: vote for your favourite!
</strong></h3>
Each year EGU runs a photo competition for attendees of the General Assembly shortlisted into the top 10 submissions. These submissions are then open for you to vote on, to select the top three winning photos, announced on the Friday of the meeting! Voting will open on Sunday 3 May, so watch out for the shortlist announcement soon! Those joining us on-site in Vienna are also invited to cast their vote Monday–Thursday at the EGU Booth in <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/egu26_exhibition_Hall_X2.pdf">Hall X2</a> (Purple level). For more information, visit the <a href="http://imaggeo.egu.eu/photo-contest/information/">EGU Photo Competition page</a> on Imaggeo. You can also check out all of the <a href="https://imaggeo.egu.eu/photo-competition/2010/">2010</a> to <a href="https://imaggeo.egu.eu/photo-competition/2025/">2025</a> winners <a href="https://imaggeo.egu.eu/photo-competition/">here</a>.
<h3><strong>Sessions</strong></h3>
Curious about how games can enhance geoscientific work, education and communication? Join the session EOS1.3 <a href="https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU26/session/55886" data-id="55886"><strong>Games for Geoscience</strong></a> on <span class="mo_scheduling_string_schedule" data-id="55886" data-pid="316"><span class="mo_scheduling_string_time" data-s="1778076900" data-e="1778083200">Wed, 06 May, 16:15</span><span class="mo_scheduling_string_time">–18:00</span> (CEST) at <span class="mo_scheduling_string_place" title="Yellow Level 0 – ground floor">PICO spot 4 or online. Following the session, on-site participants get the chance to try out some games first-hand at the Networking event NET1</span></span><span class="mo_scheduling_string_schedule" data-id="55886" data-pid="316"><span class="mo_scheduling_string_place" title="Yellow Level 0 – ground floor">5<strong> <span class="link-coloured">Geoscience Games Night</span></strong>, taking place <span class="mo_scheduling_string_time" data-s="1778083200" data-e="1778088600">Wed, 06 May, 18:00</span><span class="mo_scheduling_string_time">–19:30</span> (CEST) in Foyer D! </span></span>

If you are interested in learning about how blending science and the arts can be used to address societal and environmental issues that encourage action, don't miss out on EOS1.2 <a href="https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU26/session/57130"><strong><span class="link-coloured">Building Bridges: Art-Science Collaborations for a Sustainable Future</span></strong></a> on <span class="mo_scheduling_string_schedule" data-id="57130" data-pid="318"><span class="mo_scheduling_string_time" data-s="1778143500" data-e="1778149800">Thu, 07 May, 10:45</span><span class="mo_scheduling_string_time">–12:30 (CEST) for posters in Hall X4 / </span></span><span class="mo_scheduling_string_schedule" data-id="57130" data-pid="317"><span class="mo_scheduling_string_time" data-s="1778155200" data-e="1778169600">Thu, 07 May, 14:00</span><span class="mo_scheduling_string_time">–18:00</span> (CEST) for oral presentations in room<span class="mo_scheduling_string_place" title="Purple Level -2 – basement"> -2.93 and online.</span></span>

Find more art-science related sessions by visiting the <a href="https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU26/sessions-of-special-interest/Art">Art-Science</a> tag in the 'Cross-cutting themes' section of the EGU26 Programme!
<h3><strong>Artist(s) in Residence</strong></h3>
One of the many highlights of EGU’s General Assembly is the annual <a href="https://www.egu.eu/news/1437/apply-to-be-one-of-our-artists-in-residence-for-egu26/">Artists in Residence</a> programme. It offers scientist-artists an opportunity to engage with scientific research in a dynamic setting and be inspired by the many new discoveries presented at the conference. This year our Artist in Residence is <a class="external" href="https://www.nuriaaltimir.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-label="Núria Altimir (link opens in new window/tab)">Núria Altimir</a>, a data visualisation artist and biogeoscientist from Spain and Finland who will be hosting a participatory data art project at her booth in Foyer D (Purple level).
<blockquote>The pieces will explore networks, uncertainty, and design awareness. Participants become the data points themselves, so I warmly invite everyone to stop by, leave their mark, and help shape an evolving collective artwork. -Núria Altimir, EGU26 Artist in Residence</blockquote>
In addition to her custom booth, you can catch Núria at her Short Course; SC5.1 <a href="https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU26/session/59348"><strong><span class="link-coloured">The why and how of beauty as a tool for effective science communication</span></strong></a> on <span class="mo_scheduling_string_schedule" data-id="59348" data-pid="317"><span class="mo_scheduling_string_time" data-s="1778049000" data-e="1778055300">Wed, 06 May, 08:30</span><span class="mo_scheduling_string_time">–10:15</span> (CEST)</span> in room<span class="mo_scheduling_string_place" title="Purple Level -2 – basement"> -2.32 and online, </span>where participants will learn practical strategies for integrating beauty with purpose and accuracy in their own work.

Interested in seeing what else is possible in the art-science realm? Explore works by past EGU Artists in Residence at the <strong>Art-Science booth</strong> in Foyer D (Purple level). If you're lucky, you may even catch one of the artists in the flesh! For more information about about the last years’ Artists in and (not) in Residence, visit our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYJjP6lVJvsy0MhtKo77sHfB5lUGpEw3F">Youtube playlist</a> and EGU’s <a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/tag/eguart/">GeoLog blogs</a>.

EGU26 participants will be able to see images of the artwork produced by artists via our<a href="https://www.egu.eu/outreach/social-media/"> official social media channels</a> (using the hashtag <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/eguart">#EGUart</a>), on the EGU <a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog">GeoLog blog</a> and live at the conference centre.
<h3><strong>Children's Art</strong></h3>
Don't miss the growing display of art created at EGU26 by our <em>very</em> early career scientists! Stop by the <strong>Children's Art Exposition</strong>, set up in the "Art-Science gallery" of <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/egu26_exhibition_Hall_X2.pdf">Hall X2</a> (Purple level) to see this year's creations. To help guide our young artists, the exposition has an annual theme reflecting the topics covered at the EGU General Assembly. The theme for EGU26 is <strong>Wonderful Watery World</strong> inspired by our <a href="https://www.egu.eu/cr/">Cryospheric Sciences (CR)</a>, <a href="https://www.egu.eu/hs/">Hydrological Sciences (HS)</a> and <a href="https://www.egu.eu/os/">Ocean Sciences (OS)</a> Divisions, allowing us to explore water in all of its forms!

Any kid at the conference can contribute to the exposition. If you want to share the work of your kids, hand in their art-science submissions at the childcare reception desk or use the designated baskets at at one of the two unsupervised family rooms (Purple level). Bonus: the family rooms have all the supplies needed to foster creations! Contributions are welcomed from kids of various ages and talents and will be hung up for display. Should you like to bring your contribution home with you, we invite you to collect it from the exposition by the end of the EGU26 week.

Looking for another way to get your kids involved in art-science? Check out the Short Course <span class="co_mto_programme-session-block-number-number">SC3.7</span> <a href="https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU26/session/57925" data-id="57925"><strong>Growing Curiosity – Geoscience Education for Children</strong></a> on <span class="mo_scheduling_string_schedule" data-id="57925" data-pid="317"><span class="mo_scheduling_string_time" data-s="1778068800" data-e="1778075100">Wed, 06 May, 14:00</span><span class="mo_scheduling_string_time">–15:45</span> (CEST) in room <span class="mo_scheduling_string_place" title="Purple Level -2 – basement"> -2.82</span> and online. </span>

<a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2025/04/IMG_0889.png"><img class="size-medium wp-image-47078 alignnone" src="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2025/04/IMG_0889-300x225.png" alt="" width="300" height="225" /> </a><a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2025/04/IMG_4567-e1744881130920.png"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-47081" src="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2025/04/IMG_4567-e1744881130920-300x136.png" alt="" width="300" height="136" /></a>
<h3><strong>EGUart: celebrate new forms of science communication</strong></h3>
The EGU26 demonstrates a diversity of creative outlets used in collaboration with science! Still can't get enough? Check out the <a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/03/27/geocinema-coming-soon-to-the-egu26-general-assembly/"><strong>EGU26 GeoCinema programme</strong></a> for evening screenings in room E1 (Yellow level) and online, join us for a musical night of celebration at MAL0 <strong><span class="link-coloured">EGU Award &amp; Medal Celebration</span></strong><span class="link-coloured"> on <span class="mo_scheduling_string_schedule" data-id="59112" data-pid="317"><span class="mo_scheduling_string_time" data-s="1778079600" data-e="1778088600">Wed, 06 May, 17:00</span><span class="mo_scheduling_string_time">–19:30</span> (CEST) in room E1 and online, </span></span>or download one of the <a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2024/04/12/the-new-egu-colouring-books/"><strong>EGU colouring books</strong></a> for some fun of your own!

We hope this list has inspired you to add some of these creative options when you plan your EGU26 conference experience! If you wish to browse through other sessions, we recommend a visit to the <a href="https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU26/sessionprogramme">EGU26 Programme</a> page. Choose “Please Select” and then pick your category of interest on the session programme page.]]></content:encoded>
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					<title><![CDATA[GeoTalk: meet Martin Rasmussen, managing director of Copernicus - EGU's conference and publications partner!]]></title>
					<link>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/04/24/geotak-meet-martin-rasmussen-managing-director-of-copernicus-egus-conference-organiser/</link>
					<comments>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/04/24/geotak-meet-martin-rasmussen-managing-director-of-copernicus-egus-conference-organiser/#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>Fri, 24 Apr 2026 09:00:50 +0000</pubDate>
					<dc:creator><![CDATA[Simon Clark]]></dc:creator>
							<category><![CDATA[EGU GA 2026]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[General Assembly]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GeoTalk]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Copernicus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EGU]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EGU26]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hybrid conference]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[interview]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[open access]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PICO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[presentations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[publications]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Topical Events]]></category>
					<guid isPermaLink="false"></guid>
											<description><![CDATA[Hello Martin! Welcome to GeoTalk. Could you briefly introduce yourself to our readers? Dear EGU Community! My name is Martin, and since 2004 I have had the honour of being the Managing Director of Copernicus. By training, I am a hydrologist, but even before I graduated, I was drawn into the EGU General Assembly in 2003 in Nice, so this year marks my 24th EGU. To be precise, it is actually my 25th, as my first EGU was the EGS General Assembly in Bologna in 1988, which I attended with my family when I was 9 years old, since my father was Executive Secretary of the EGS &#8211; one of EGU&#8217;s precursors &#8211; and later the EGU. So, Copernicus and EGU are very close to my heart. Outside of Copernicus with 50 people entrusted to my care, I am a proud father of 5 wonderful kids. Could you give an overview of what Copernicus does in their work with EGU? We Copernicans are privileged to support the EGU in two areas: conferences and journals. In the conference sector, the General Assembly is paramount, where we provide services ranging from abstract and programme management and registration to local organizing, including technical support, catering, signage, exhibitions, and many more. Beyond the General Assembly, we support the vast majority of EGU Topical Events over the past decades. The EGU continually inspires and empowers us to develop ourselves and the conferences, to learn, and to adapt our offerings to the evolving needs of the participants. Our first EGU conference was the organization of the EGS General Assembly in 1988. We have therefore been a proud EGU partner for 38 years. We became involved with the journals in 1994, when the EGS launched its first journal, Nonlinear Processes in Geophysics (NPG), with us. Since 2001, we have been involved with every new journal from the very beginning. The trust placed in us by the EGU and the innovative spirit of their community have consistently led to exciting new developments, and together we have launched revolutionary ideas, most notably Interactive Open Access Publishing with public peer review. From 1988 to 2010, we also supported the members of the EGS and EGU by running the back office. After, the EGU Executive Office launched for Union activities. How has the General Assembly changed in your time with Copernicus? When I first helped organizing an EGU General Assembly in 2003, we had just introduced PowerPoint presentations. However, for safety and for enthusiasts, every lecture room still had the indispensable overhead projector, and a slide projector for the photos. Subsequently, the oral sessions have evolved considerably over the years. After PowerPoint became the standard, the LAN and Wi-Fi connections in all rooms became reliable so that web content could be incorporated, pre-recorded presentations were added, and, due to the pandemic, the hybrid format was introduced. How did the conference presentations evolve? Since the mid-2000s, we have streamed individual sessions online and subsequently made them available on demand and included virtual speakers. In 2022, we seized the opportunity to equip all lecture rooms, which meant that many people participating in sessions can do so independent of their location. The demand for more interactive content led us to introduce PICO – Presenting Interactive Content – for the first time in 2013. The combination of a short pitch followed by individual discussions on touchscreens with rich media content remains quite unique. While the on-site posters look almost identical to the ones 20 years ago, we have enabled virtual posters since the pandemic. This was the necessary step to stay hybrid and inclusive in all 3 main presentation formats: orals, posters, and PICOs. What developments have there been in how people connect at the General Assembly? The entire networking has become much more professionalized. Initially networking had to be organized independently. Today, there are numerous sessions, bringing people much closer together and providing a much easier entry point for early career scientists. And thankfully, over the decades we have witnessed an incredible shift towards greater diversity. The General Assembly is now much more vibrant and open, and, even though the pursuit of true equality is far from complete, the EGU community can be very proud of what has been achieved. What is changing in the publications landscape? Many players in the publishing landscape are currently addressing topics that have long been on our agenda: open peer review, code and data sharing, transparency in scientific quality assurance, and open science. We were incredibly fortunate to have been able to delve into these topics 25 years ago, thanks to the openness of the EGU community. But even here, much remains to be done before everything is open access: the preprint and the final article, as well as the discussions surrounding them, and all assets for true reproducibility of research. Currently, our most important focus is another dimension of accessibility: ensuring that everyone worldwide can participate in scientific exchange and that this exchange is fair. A significant step in this direction was the introduction of waivers for researchers from Research4Life-listed and economically disadvantaged European countries. This goes hand in hand with our efforts to establish centralized billing through institutional agreements, so that funding for open-access articles is no longer a barrier. But inclusivity in global research, aimed at reducing and preventing neocolonialism, is also a crucial aspect. And so is the ongoing fight for greater diversity among editors, referees, and authors. Publishing must finally become a universal good of humanity, available to everyone. How can our members engage with Copernicus, at the General Assembly and beyond? Convene a session at next year&#8217;s General Assembly, organize your own topical event or summer school, get elected as a decision-maker for the Union, nominate yourself as  journal editor, accept referee calls and review brand new science, take part in public peer review, and inspire your colleagues. With all these exciting opportunities, you will inevitably encounter Copernicus, and we will all be working together toward one goal: advancing your science and connecting with people from around the world. We look forward to it!]]></description>
													<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h3>Hello Martin! Welcome to<a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/search/?q=geotalk"> GeoTalk</a>. Could you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?</h3>
Dear EGU Community! My name is Martin, and since 2004 I have had the honour of being the Managing Director of <a href="https://www.copernicus.org/">Copernicus</a>. By training, I am a hydrologist, but even before I graduated, I was drawn into the <a href="https://egu26.eu/">EGU General Assembly</a> in 2003 in Nice, so this year marks my 24th EGU.

To be precise, it is actually my 25th, as my first EGU was the EGS General Assembly in Bologna in 1988, which I attended with my family when I was 9 years old, since my father was Executive Secretary of the EGS - <a href="https://www.egu.eu/about/">one of EGU's precursors</a> - and later the EGU. So, Copernicus and EGU are very close to my heart. Outside of Copernicus with 50 people entrusted to my care, I am a proud father of 5 wonderful kids.
<h3>Could you give an overview of what Copernicus does in their work with EGU?</h3>
We Copernicans are privileged to support the EGU in two areas: <a href="https://www.egu.eu/meetings/">conferences</a> and <a href="https://www.egu.eu/publications/open-access-journals/">journals</a>.

In the conference sector, the General Assembly is paramount, where we provide services ranging from abstract and programme management and <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/attendance/registration.html">registration</a> to local organizing, including <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/about/contact.html">technical support</a>, catering, signage, <a href="https://webforms.copernicus.org/EGU26/views/exhibitor-portals">exhibitions</a>, and many more.

Beyond the General Assembly, we support the vast majority of <a href="https://www.egu.eu/meetings/">EGU Topical Events</a> over the past decades. The EGU continually inspires and empowers us to develop ourselves and the conferences, to learn, and to adapt our offerings to the evolving needs of the participants.

Our first EGU conference was the organization of the EGS General Assembly in 1988. We have therefore been a proud EGU partner for 38 years.

We became involved with the journals in 1994, when the EGS launched its first journal, <a href="https://www.nonlinear-processes-in-geophysics.net/">Nonlinear Processes in Geophysics</a> (NPG), with us. Since 2001, we have been involved with every new journal from the very beginning. The trust placed in us by the EGU and the innovative spirit of their community have consistently led to exciting new developments, and together we have launched revolutionary ideas, most notably <a href="https://www.egu.eu/publications/">Interactive Open Access Publishing with public peer review</a>.

From 1988 to 2010, we also supported the members of the EGS and EGU by running the back office. After, the <a href="https://www.egu.eu/structure/union-office/">EGU Executive Office</a> launched for Union activities.
<h3>How has the General Assembly changed in your time with Copernicus?</h3>
When I first helped organizing an EGU General Assembly in 2003, we had just introduced PowerPoint presentations. However, for safety and for enthusiasts, every lecture room still had the indispensable overhead projector, and a slide projector for the photos.

Subsequently, the oral sessions have evolved considerably over the years. After PowerPoint became the standard, the LAN and Wi-Fi connections in all rooms became reliable so that web content could be incorporated, pre-recorded presentations were added, and, due to the pandemic, <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/attendance/general_information_and_format.html">the hybrid format</a> was introduced.

[caption id="attachment_50962" align="aligncenter" width="300"]<a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/04/Martin-4-EGU24-e1777020305661.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-50962" src="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2026/04/Martin-4-EGU24-e1777020305661-300x248.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="248" /></a> Martin Rasmussen at EGU24. Credit: Photo Pfluegl/EGU[/caption]
<h3>How did the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VvYcfEUO8w&amp;t=2s">conference presentations</a> evolve?</h3>
Since the mid-2000s, we have streamed individual sessions online and subsequently made them available on demand and included virtual speakers. In 2022, we seized the opportunity to equip all lecture rooms, which meant that many people participating in sessions can do so independent of their location.

The demand for more interactive content led us to introduce <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/authors/presenters/pico_presenter_guidelines.html">PICO – Presenting Interactive Content</a> – for the first time in 2013. The combination of a short pitch followed by individual discussions on touchscreens with rich media content remains quite unique.

While the on-site posters look almost identical to the ones 20 years ago, we have enabled virtual posters since the pandemic. This was the necessary step to stay hybrid and inclusive in all 3 main presentation formats: <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/authors/presenters/oral_presenter_guidelines.html">orals</a>, <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/authors/presenters/poster_presenter_guidelines.html">posters</a>, and PICOs.
<h3>What developments have there been in how people connect at the General Assembly?</h3>
The entire <a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/04/04/whats-on-at-egu26-networking-highlights/">networking</a> has become much more professionalized. Initially networking had to be organized independently. Today, <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/pg/NET">there are numerous sessions</a>, bringing people much closer together and providing a much easier <a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/04/20/whats-on-for-early-career-scientists-at-egu26/">entry point for early career scientists</a>.

And thankfully, over the decades we have witnessed an incredible <a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/04/21/whats-on-at-egu26-highlights-from-equality-diversity-and-inclusion-edi-committee-2/">shift towards greater diversity</a>. The General Assembly is now much more vibrant and open, and, even though the pursuit of true equality is far from complete, the EGU community can be very proud of what has been achieved.
<h3>What is changing in the publications landscape?</h3>
Many players in the publishing landscape are currently addressing topics that have long been on our agenda: <a href="https://www.egu.eu/publications/">open peer review</a>, code and data sharing, transparency in scientific quality assurance, and open science.

We were incredibly fortunate to have been able to delve into these topics 25 years ago, thanks to the openness of the EGU community. But even here, much remains to be done before everything is open access: <a href="https://www.egusphere.net/preprints/preprint_submission.html">the preprint</a> and the final article, as well as <a href="https://egusphere.copernicus.org/preprints/most_commented.html">the discussions</a> surrounding them, and all assets for true reproducibility of research.

Currently, our most important focus is another dimension of accessibility: ensuring that everyone worldwide can participate in scientific exchange and that this exchange is fair. A significant step in this direction was the introduction of <a href="https://www.egu.eu/publications/#:~:text=Generous%20waiver%20scheme">waivers for researchers</a> from Research4Life-listed and economically disadvantaged European countries.

This goes hand in hand with our efforts to establish centralized billing through institutional agreements, so that funding for open-access articles is no longer a barrier. But inclusivity in global research, aimed at reducing and preventing neocolonialism, is also a crucial aspect. And so is the ongoing fight for greater diversity among editors, referees, and authors.

Publishing must finally become a universal good of humanity, available to everyone.
<h3>How can our members engage with Copernicus, at the General Assembly and beyond?</h3>
Convene a session at next year's General Assembly, <a href="https://www.egu.eu/news/1663/apply-for-funds-to-run-a-training-school-or-conference-series-in-2027/">organize your own topical event</a> or summer school, <a href="https://www.egu.eu/elections/">get elected as a decision-maker for the Union</a>, nominate yourself as <a href="https://www.egu.eu/publications/editorial-boards/"> journal editor</a>, accept referee calls and <a href="https://www.egusphere.net/preprints/preprint_moderators.html">review brand new science</a>, take part in public peer review, and inspire your colleagues.

With all these exciting opportunities, you will inevitably encounter Copernicus, and we will all be working together toward one goal: advancing your science and connecting with people from around the world. We look forward to it!]]></content:encoded>
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					<title><![CDATA[What’s on at EGU26: networking highlights!]]></title>
					<link>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/04/23/whats-on-at-egu26-networking-highlights/</link>
					<comments>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/04/23/whats-on-at-egu26-networking-highlights/#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>Thu, 23 Apr 2026 12:00:03 +0000</pubDate>
					<dc:creator><![CDATA[Simon Clark]]></dc:creator>
							<category><![CDATA[Early Career Scientists]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EGU GA 2026]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[General Assembly]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EGU General Assembly 2026]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EGU Pride]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EGU26]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[networking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[neurodivergent]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Peer-support]]></category>
					<guid isPermaLink="false"></guid>
											<description><![CDATA[The General Assembly is the nucleus around which EGU’s community gathers and connects, providing a week of opportunity to meet new people and reaffirm old bonds. Progress within science and its impact on society rises from the confluence of ideas and a diversity of voices; to facilitate meeting and discussion at the Assembly, #EGU26 offers a number of paths for building your network. Networking events are available both within and across scientific disciplines, and for joining communities engaging with the many cross-cutting themes in the Earth, space and planetary sciences. Attending online? Meet each other online using the official EGU26 virtual conference centre in Gather.Town, which includes its own networking zone. Virtual attendees should also keep an eye out on the pop-up networking programme mentioned below, where community-led online events are scheduled. There’s a lot of networking opportunities out there and below we’ll guide you through some of the highlights. Be sure to keep track of events that interest you by building your personal programme. Pop-up networking The pop-up networking tool allows attendees to add their own events to the EGU26 programme. Every year, a diverse of cornucopia of events are submitted ranging from topical discussions to social events both online and in-person. Keep an eye on the pop-up networking programme page as events are added throughout the Assembly, or organise your own! In the pop-up networking programme, you will find: icebreakers, social evenings, lunches and dinners, post-session discussions, topical meetings, &#8230;and more! In previous years, the pop-up networking programme also included events like: post-session scientific discussions, playground breaks for attendees with children, and meetings with geoscience societies and organisations also in attendance Take some inspiration and set up your own! You can learn how to organise your own pop-up networking event ahead of or during the General Assembly in our “Run your own event at EGU26 with the pop-up networking scheduler!” article. Union-wide networking Several key events mark the networking and social programme for the whole of the Union: Sunday 3 May (18:30 &#8211; 21:00) &#8211; Opening Reception Kick-off the week at the official opening, which brings together the geoscience community from across the Union in a single event. Monday 4 May (18:00 – 19:30) &#8211; First-time Attendee Networking People new to the General Assembly should join this first-timers event, especially for attendees whose networks may be small or just beginning. Monday 4 May (18:00 – 19:30) &#8211; EDI Reception Also on Monday, the EDI Reception is open to attendees interested in the Union’s equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives. Tuesday 5 May (12:45-13:45) &#8211; Peer Support Meet-Up On Tuesday at noon, EGU provides space for mentors and novices (first-time conference attendees) from the peer-support programme to connect over lunch, both with each other and with fellow novices and mentors. Tuesday 5 May (18.00 – 19.30) &#8211; ECS Networking Reception Later that evening, early career scientists (ECS) are encouraged to join the ECS Networking Reception where they will meet other ECS from across the divisions along with the early career scientist representatives, senior scientists, medalists and EGU’s volunteers. No prior registration is needed, however due to the popularity of the event it will be held in both the Rooftop Foyer (Blue Level) and Foyer C (Red Level). Wednesday 6 May (18:00–19:30) &#8211; Celebrating Neurodiversity in Geosciences + Pride &amp; Allies Reception Neurodiverse attendees are welcome to check-in on the growing neurodiversity network at the Celebrating Neurodiversity in Geosciences event. At the same time, the Pride &amp; Allies Reception is where LGBTQIA+ members and their allies are invited to learn about the EGU Pride network. Both events will share the Rooftop Foyer, with side rooms  3.16/3.17 and 3.29/3.3 available as quiet spaces to chat. Thursday 7 May (12:45-13:45) &#8211; ECS Forum: Have your say! Early career scientists (ECS) are encouraged to attend the ECS Forum where they can meet the early career scientist representatives over lunch, learn what the reps do for the community throughout the year, and give feedback on the ECS experience at the Assembly. Thursday 7 May (18:00–19:30) &#8211; Diverse &amp; Rising Geoscientists Networking The Thursday networking block welcomes attendees whose research communities who are historically under-represented and may encounter barriers when engaging with geoscience networks. Thursday 7 May (18:00–19:30) &#8211; 25 Years of Interactive Open Access Publishing EGU is celebrating 25 years of interactive open access publishing. Build new connections, meet the Executive and Chief Editors of EGU Journals, and learn how to get involved  in shaping the future of EGU publications. Friday 08 May (18:10–20:00) &#8211; GeoVision Night A night of music and science, GeoVision Night offers a space to celebrate science beyond the lecture halls. The night will feature a live performance followed by karaoke, where we celebrate the creativity, diversity, and spirit of our community together. Topical networking Attendees who want to meet others with an interest in topics affecting scientific research and impact across disciplines should check out the cross-cutting themes and the splinter meetings programme groups. Splinter meetings host a number of topical networking events, such as the Shaping Your Science-Policy Career: Pathways and Opportunities on Monday 4 May (14:00–15:45) and the GEWEX Global Groundwater Network event on Wednesday 06 May (08:30–10:15). Some are invite-only, so do check whether it says so on the programme! The cross-cutting themes programme group provides opportunities to meet division-spanning communities, like the Union’s science-policy community at events like the daily Science for Policy Helpdesk. It also offers the chance to join the EDI related short course on Tuesday 05 May (14:00–15:45), titled &#8220;Managing Academia and Parenting in society today&#8220;. Attendees wanting to build a creative network should consider attending one of the Art-Science sessions. Exhibitor tours Exhibitor tours provide a guided walk through of the stands hosted by a variety of organisations, publishers, and industry experts, offering opportunities to engage directly with the individuals behind the tools that shape modern research. They are a great way to break the ice if you’re not sure how to approach exhibitors, while also helping you find new opportunities beyond your own field. Check the program for scheduled tour times for the exhibitor tours. Tuesday, 05 May and Wednesday, 06 May (10:00–12:00) &#8211; Early Career Scientist Exhibition Tour 2026  In small guided groups, visit selected exhibitor booths across the exhibition levels, learn about their work, discover job and internship opportunities, and get advice on skills and career development. Please sign-up for the tour ahead of the event. Jobs Spot &amp; Jobs Board Looking to fill a vacancy, advertise a position or highlight your own career profile? The Jobs Spot on Purple Level (-2), Foyer D, just near the Artists in Residence. This is also the location for the ECS Exhibitors Tour, where you can meet with the conference exhibitors alongside other job-seekers. Division networking Of the 22 scientific divisions that compose EGU’s community, many will be hosting their own networking events. These include mini-breaks and lunchtime meet-ups during the assembly, as well as evening events afterwards. Be sure to check-out the pop-up networking events section on the programme, where community members add networking opportunities for their division throughout the Assembly. Events are also advertised on many division’s blogs and social media profiles – you can discover what social media your division has on the division’s webpage, accessed through the online list of divisions. Division events and other communications are shared by EGU’s official social media accounts. Division meetings also provide the opportunity to meet the volunteers behind your division’s initiatives and find out what your division does throughout the year. Lastly, celebrate and uplift the accomplishment of your colleagues at the Medal &amp; Award Lectures and Celebrations. Meet EGU Interested in meeting the people who keep the Union moving, what initiatives and opportunities are available at the Assembly and throughout the year, or how to get involved? The Meet EGU programme subgroup is your invitation to get to know the many volunteers and the staff that make the Assembly – and EGU as a whole – work. Stop by if you want to meet the editors of EGU journals, the teams behind the scientific divisions, the committees which oversee the Union’s many education and outreach initiatives, or if you are just curious to know who organises the conference programme! EGU will continue to post articles online over the coming weeks to support and guide our members through the EGU26 General Assembly. We look forward to welcoming you to Vienna, either in-person or online! &nbsp;]]></description>
													<content:encoded><![CDATA[The General Assembly is the nucleus around which EGU’s community gathers and connects, providing a week of opportunity to meet new people and reaffirm old bonds. Progress within science and its impact on society rises from the confluence of ideas and a diversity of voices; to facilitate meeting and discussion at the Assembly, #EGU26 offers a number of paths for building your network.

Networking events are available both within and across scientific disciplines, and for joining communities engaging with the many <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/pg-selection-s#:~:text=Cross%2Dcutting%20themes">cross-cutting themes</a> in the Earth, space and planetary sciences.

<strong>Attending online?</strong> Meet each other online using the official EGU26 virtual conference centre in <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/attendance/gather.html">Gather.Town</a>, which includes its own networking zone. Virtual attendees should also keep an eye out on the pop-up networking programme mentioned below, where community-led online events are scheduled.

There’s a lot of networking opportunities out there and below we’ll guide you through some of the highlights. Be sure to <a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/04/01/making-a-plan-using-your-egu26-personal-programme/">keep track of events that interest you by building your personal programme.</a>
<h2><a href="https://webforms.copernicus.org/EGU26/pop-up-networking-events/all">Pop-up networking</a></h2>
The <a href="https://webforms.copernicus.org/EGU26/pop-up-networking/index.php">pop-up networking tool</a> allows attendees to add their own events to the EGU26 programme. Every year, a diverse of cornucopia of events are submitted ranging from topical discussions to social events both online and in-person. Keep an eye on the <a href="https://webforms.copernicus.org/EGU26/pop-up-networking-events/all">pop-up networking programme page</a> as events are added throughout the Assembly, or organise your own!

In the pop-up networking programme, you will find:
<ul>
 	<li>icebreakers,</li>
 	<li>social evenings,</li>
 	<li>lunches and dinners,</li>
 	<li>post-session discussions,</li>
 	<li>topical meetings,</li>
</ul>
...and more!

In previous years, the pop-up networking programme also included events like:
<ul>
 	<li>post-session scientific discussions,</li>
 	<li>playground breaks for attendees with children, and</li>
 	<li>meetings with geoscience societies and organisations also in attendance</li>
</ul>
Take some inspiration and <a href="https://webforms.copernicus.org/EGU26/pop-up-networking/index.php">set up your own</a>!

You can learn how to organise your own pop-up networking event ahead of or during the General Assembly in our “<a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/04/15/organise-your-own-events-at-egu26-with-the-pop-up-networking-scheduler/">Run your own event at EGU26 with the pop-up networking scheduler!</a>” article.
<h2><a href="https://www.egu26.eu/pg/NET">Union-wide networking</a></h2>
Several key events mark the networking and social programme for the whole of the Union:

<strong>Sunday 3 May (18:30 - 21:00)</strong> - <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/pg/NET_030526#:~:text=NET1,Opening%20Reception">Opening Reception</a>

Kick-off the week at the official opening, which brings together the geoscience community from across the Union in a single event.

<strong>Monday 4 May (18:00 – 19:30) </strong>- <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/pg/NET_040526#:~:text=NET6,time%20Attendee%20Networking">First-time Attendee Networking</a>

People new to the General Assembly should join this first-timers event, especially for attendees whose networks may be small or just beginning.

<strong>Monday 4 May (18:00 – 19:30) </strong>- <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/pg/NET_040526#:~:text=NET4,EDI%20Reception">EDI Reception</a>

Also on Monday, the EDI Reception is open to attendees interested in the Union’s equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives.

<strong>Tuesday 5 May (12:45-13:45) </strong>- <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/pg/NET_050526#:~:text=NET9,Support%20Meet%2DUp">Peer Support Meet-Up</a>

On Tuesday at noon, EGU provides space for mentors and novices (first-time conference attendees) from the <a href="https://www.egu.eu/outreach/mentoring/">peer-support programme</a> to connect over lunch, both with each other and with fellow novices and mentors.

<strong>Tuesday 5 May (18.00 – 19.30) </strong>- <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/pg/NET_050526#:~:text=NET10,ECS%20Networking%20Reception">ECS Networking Reception</a>

Later that evening, early career scientists (ECS) are encouraged to join the ECS Networking Reception where they will meet other ECS from across the divisions along with the early career scientist representatives, senior scientists, medalists and EGU’s volunteers. No prior registration is needed, however due to the popularity of the event it will be held in both the <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/egu26-floor-plans.pdf">Rooftop Foyer (Blue Level) and Foyer C (Red Level)</a>.

<strong>Wednesday 6 May (18:00–19:30) - </strong><a href="https://www.egu26.eu/pg/NET_060526#:~:text=NET14,Neurodiversity%20in%20Geosciences">Celebrating Neurodiversity in Geosciences </a>+ <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/pg/NET_060526#:~:text=NET13,Pride%20%26%20Allies%20Reception">Pride &amp; Allies Reception</a>

Neurodiverse attendees are welcome to check-in on the growing neurodiversity network at the <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/pg/NET_060526#:~:text=NET14,Neurodiversity%20in%20Geosciences">Celebrating Neurodiversity in Geosciences</a> event. At the same time, the <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/pg/NET_060526#:~:text=NET13,Pride%20%26%20Allies%20Reception">Pride &amp; Allies Reception</a> is where LGBTQIA+ members and their allies are invited to learn about the EGU Pride network. Both events will share the Rooftop Foyer, with side rooms <span class="x_link-coloured"> </span>3.16/3.17 and 3.29/3.3 available as quiet spaces to chat.

<strong>Thursday 7 May (12:45-13:45)</strong> - <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/pg/NET_070526#:~:text=NET16,Have%20your%20say!">ECS Forum: Have your say!</a>

Early career scientists (ECS) are encouraged to attend the ECS Forum where they can meet the early career scientist representatives over lunch, learn what the reps do for the community throughout the year, and give feedback on the ECS experience at the Assembly.

<strong>Thursday 7 May (<span class="mo_scheduling_string_time" data-s="1778169600" data-e="1778175000">18:00</span><span class="mo_scheduling_string_time">–19:30</span>)</strong> - <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/pg/NET_070526#:~:text=NET17,Rising%20Geoscientists%20Networking">Diverse &amp; Rising Geoscientists Networking</a>

The Thursday networking block welcomes attendees whose research communities who are historically under-represented and may encounter barriers when engaging with geoscience networks.

<strong>Thursday 7 May (<span class="mo_scheduling_string_time" data-s="1778169600" data-e="1778175000">18:00</span><span class="mo_scheduling_string_time">–19:30</span>)</strong> - <a href="https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU26/session/59131">25 Years of Interactive Open Access Publishing</a>

EGU is celebrating 25 years of interactive open access publishing. Build new connections, meet the Executive and Chief Editors of EGU Journals, and learn how to get involved  in shaping the future of EGU publications.

<strong>Friday 08 May (<span class="mo_scheduling_string_time" data-s="1778169600" data-e="1778175000">18:10–20:00</span>)</strong> - <a href="https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU26/session/59132">GeoVision Night</a>

A night of music and science, GeoVision Night offers a space to celebrate science beyond the lecture halls. The night will feature a live performance followed by karaoke, where we celebrate the creativity, diversity, and spirit of our community together.
<h2>Topical networking</h2>
Attendees who want to meet others with an interest in topics affecting scientific research and impact across disciplines should check out the <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/pg-selection-s#:~:text=Cross%2Dcutting%20themes">cross-cutting themes</a> and the <a href="https://webforms.copernicus.org/EGU26/splinter-meetings">splinter meetings</a> programme groups.

<a href="https://webforms.copernicus.org/EGU26/splinter-meetings"><strong>Splinter meetings</strong></a> host a number of topical networking events, such as the <a href="https://webforms.copernicus.org/EGU26/splinter-meetings#EGU26%20Splinter%20Meeting:%20GERI%20AccelNet:%20Challenges%20and%20Lessons%20Learned%20in%20International%20Collaboration%20across%20Environmental%20Research%20Infrastructures:~:text=Shaping%20Your%20Science%2DPolicy%20Career%3A%20Pathways%20and%20Opportunities">Shaping Your Science-Policy Career: Pathways and Opportunities</a> on Monday 4 May (14:00–15:45) and the <a href="https://webforms.copernicus.org/EGU26/splinter-meetings#EGU26%20Splinter%20Meeting:%20GERI%20AccelNet:%20Challenges%20and%20Lessons%20Learned%20in%20International%20Collaboration%20across%20Environmental%20Research%20Infrastructures:~:text=GEWEX%20Global%20Groundwater%20Network">GEWEX Global Groundwater Network event</a> on Wednesday 06 May (08:30–10:15). Some are invite-only, so do check whether it says so on the programme!

The <strong><a href="https://www.egu26.eu/pg-selection-s#:~:text=Cross%2Dcutting%20themes">cross-cutting themes</a></strong> programme group provides opportunities to meet division-spanning communities, like the Union’s science-policy community at events like the daily <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/pg/NET#:~:text=NET3,Policy%20Help%20Desk">Science for Policy Helpdesk</a>. It also offers the chance to join the EDI related short course on Tuesday 05 May (14:00–15:45), titled "<a href="https://www.egu26.eu/session/57876">Managing Academia and Parenting in society today</a>". Attendees wanting to build a creative network should consider attending one of the <a href="https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU26/sessions-of-special-interest/Art">Art-Science sessions</a>.
<h2><a href="https://webforms.copernicus.org/EGU26/pop-up-exhibitor-events">Exhibitor tours</a></h2>
Exhibitor tours provide a guided walk through of the stands hosted by a variety of organisations, publishers, and industry experts, offering opportunities to engage directly with the individuals behind the tools that shape modern research. They are a great way to break the ice if you’re not sure how to approach exhibitors, while also helping you find new opportunities beyond your own field.

Check the program for scheduled tour times for the <a href="https://webforms.copernicus.org/EGU26/pop-up-exhibitor-events">exhibitor tours</a>.

<strong>Tuesday, 05 May and Wednesday, 06 May (10:00–12:00) </strong>- <a href="https://webforms.copernicus.org/EGU26/pop-up-networking-events#:~:text=Tuesday%2C%205%20May-,Early%20Career%20Scientist%20Exhibition%20Tour%202026,-Explore%20career%20paths"><span class="link-coloured link-coloured-toggle-description">Early Career Scientist Exhibition Tour 2026</span> </a>

In small guided groups, visit selected exhibitor booths across the exhibition levels, learn about their work, discover job and internship opportunities, and get advice on skills and career development.

Please <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSetOKo9uY7g5qkTLMZPSHsKh2yvegoINfeAnWEkTVZpbPeA4A/viewform">sign-up for the tour </a>ahead of the event.
<h2>Jobs Spot &amp; Jobs Board</h2>
Looking to fill a vacancy, advertise a position or highlight your own career profile? The Jobs Spot on <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/egu26-floor-plans.pdf">Purple Level (-2), Foyer D</a>, just near the<a href="https://www.egu.eu/news/1660/data-portrait-artist-and-mixed-media-visual-artist-chosen-as-artists-in-residence-for-the-egu26-general-assembly/"> Artists in Residence</a>. This is also the location for the ECS Exhibitors Tour, where you can meet with the<a href="https://webforms.copernicus.org/EGU26/views/exhibitor-portals"> conference exhibitors</a> alongside other job-seekers.
<h2><strong>Division networking</strong></h2>
Of the <a href="https://www.egu.eu/structure/divisions/">22 scientific divisions</a> that compose EGU’s community, many will be hosting their own networking events. These include mini-breaks and lunchtime meet-ups during the assembly, as well as evening events afterwards. Be sure to check-out the <a href="https://webforms.copernicus.org/EGU26/pop-up-networking-events/all">pop-up networking events</a> section on the programme, where community members add networking opportunities for their division throughout the Assembly.

Events are also advertised on many division’s <a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/">blogs</a> and social media profiles – you can discover what social media your division has on the division’s webpage, accessed through <a href="https://www.egu.eu/structure/divisions/">the online list of divisions</a>. Division events and other communications are shared by<a href="https://www.egu.eu/outreach/social-media/"> EGU’s official social media accounts</a>.

<a href="https://www.egu26.eu/pg/FAM#DM">Division meetings</a> also provide the opportunity to meet the volunteers behind your division’s initiatives and find out what your division does throughout the year. Lastly, celebrate and uplift the accomplishment of your colleagues at the <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/pg/MAL_all">Medal &amp; Award Lectures</a> and Celebrations.
<h2><strong>Meet EGU</strong></h2>
Interested in meeting the people who keep the Union moving, what initiatives and opportunities are available at the Assembly and throughout the year, or how to get involved? The <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/pg/NET#EGU">Meet EGU programme</a> subgroup is your invitation to get to know the many volunteers and the staff that make the Assembly – and EGU as a whole – work. Stop by if you want to meet the editors of EGU journals, the teams behind the scientific divisions, <a href="https://www.egu.eu/structure/committees-and-working-groups/">the committees which oversee the Union’s many education and outreach initiatives</a>, or if you are just curious to know who organises the conference programme!

EGU will continue to post articles online over the coming weeks to support and guide our members through the EGU26 General Assembly. We look forward to welcoming you to Vienna, either in-person or online!

&nbsp;]]></content:encoded>
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					<title><![CDATA[What's on at EGU26: highlights from the Outreach and Education Committees]]></title>
					<link>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/04/22/whats-on-at-egu26-highlights-from-the-outreach-and-education-committees/</link>
					<comments>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/04/22/whats-on-at-egu26-highlights-from-the-outreach-and-education-committees/#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>Wed, 22 Apr 2026 12:00:53 +0000</pubDate>
					<dc:creator><![CDATA[Hazel Gibson]]></dc:creator>
							<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EGU GA 2026]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[General Assembly]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Meet EGU]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Outreach]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Short Courses]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education Committee]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EGU25]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[geoscience outreach]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[outreach]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Outreach Committee]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[scicomm]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[what's on]]></category>
					<guid isPermaLink="false"></guid>
											<description><![CDATA[There are so many great events to participate in at EGU26 this year, in both on-site and virtual formats, that it can be very easy to feel overwhelmed. Whilst we encourage you to make good use of your Personal Programme to help organise your activities, we also reached out to several of EGU&#8217;s Committees that are responsible for specific other aspects of EGU&#8217;s activities, including the Outreach Committee and the Education Committee to ask them for their recommendations as to what not to miss during EGU26! If this is your first time hearing about the Outreach Committee or the Education Committee you may have questions about what the difference is between the responsibilities of these two groups of highly motivated and creative volunteers! Well, although there is some overlap between the two in that they both work together to promote all things geoscience communication, at it&#8217;s most basic the volunteers of the Education Committee are focused on training educators and those who teach geoscience at all levels,whereas the Outreach Committee volunteers are focused on supporting anyone who wants to learn about geoscience &#8211; any age, any experience level. Read on for their tips on how you can dive into geoscience communication, outreach, engagement and education activities during EGU26! &nbsp; Outreach Committee One of the main things the EGU Outreach Committee organizes each year are the Education and Outreach Sessions, indicated by the &#8216;EOS&#8216; tag in the programme. These sessions cover everything from primary research being conducted on geoscience communication, ethics and outreach, through to researchers in the Earth, planetary and space sciences sharing their experiences of new outreach, engagement and educational practices that they have tried. If you are a person interested in sharing your work, or in understanding how people in different public or non-expert audiences perceive and understand you work, head to one of these fascinating sessions! You can find all of them in the EGU26 programme here. The Outreach Committee also issue two EGU medals with the Union, the Katia and Maurice Krafft Award for geoscience outreach and engagement, and the Angela Croome Award for Earth, planetary and space science journalism. Both the award winner will be giving lectures this year, so don&#8217;t miss out! MAL9: Angela Croome Award Lecture by Joshua Howgego &#8220;Sleepy cat and the cosmic dust: Lessons for non-fiction writing from 10 years as a magazine editor&#8221; Tue 5 May, 11:55–12:25 CEST, Room 0.15 MAL11: Katia and Maurice Krafft Award Lecture by Philip Heron &#8220;What we’ve learned from teaching people in prison to Think Like a Scientist&#8221; Mon 4 May, 11:55–12:25 CEST, Room D3 In addition the Outreach Committee run a public event in the city of Vienna each year, called the EGU-ÖAW Public Lecture, which is a talk in German for residents of the city of Vienna to participate in a free event giving them access to a speaker presenting their research at the meeting. This year the speaker is Dr Kristine Asch from Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe (BGR), who will give a talk entitled &#8220;Von der Tiefsee bis zum Mars: Geologische Kartierung unter extremen Bedingungen (From the Deep Sea to Mars: Geological Mapping Under Extreme Conditions)&#8221;, find out more about how you can attend here (in German). The EGU-ÖAW Public Lecture will take place on Tue 5 May, 18:00-19:45 CEST, at the ÖAW building (Dr. Ignaz-Seipel-Platz 2, 1010 Wien) and online. The Outreach Committee also co-ordinate the EGU26 Peer Support activities, so if you have signed up to the Peer Support programme, or you are curious about it, don&#8217;t miss the Peer Support meet up (NET9) on Tue 5 May, 12:45–13:45 CEST on the Rooftop Foyer on the Blue level. You can also read more about EGU&#8217;s mentoring programme here. Lastly if you want to Meet the Outreach Committee and ask them some questions about what volunteering for EGU is like and how you can get more involved with outreach, science communication or public engagement, come and say hi at the &#8216;Meet the Outreach Committee&#8217; session at the EGU booth in Hall X2 (Purple level) on Wed, 6 May, 11:30–12:30 CEST. &nbsp; Education Committee One of the key events that the Education Committee runs during the General Assembly isn&#8217;t even a part of the main meeting &#8211; they co-ordinate the GIFT, or Geoscience Information For Teachers event, a huge training event run concurrently with the General Assembly each year to help school level teachers get access to the most current scientific information, as well as learn the best ways to teach geoscientific topics in the classroom. Find out more about the EGU26 GIFT here. If you want to meet the Education Committee, there are plenty of opportunities during the meeting, from a special poster session, connected to the GIFT Workshop, EOS5.5: GIFT &#8211; Geoscience Information For Teachers – Projects on Natural Hazards, Human Impact and Earth&#8217;s Resources at School , Tue 5 May Apr, 16:15–18:00 CEST in Hall X5 and a poster presentation in session EOS5.1, Fostering Earth Science Education: The Contribution of the EGU Education Committee, on Wed 6 May, 10:45–12:30 CEST, Hall X5, poster number X5.272. Or you can meet the Education Committee at the EGU Booth (Hall X2) at the EGU booth in Hall X2 (Purple level) on Wed, 6 May, 14:00–15:00 CEST. &nbsp; Teacher-Scientist Networking Event One of the big events that is run by both Committees together is the annual Teacher-Scientist Pairing Scheme. To help any scientists/researchers or educators at the meeting (for GIFT or any other reason) to establish the kind of connection that helps run a Teacher-Scientist pairing event, why not come to the special Teacher-Scientist Networking Event (NET21) that is being held on Wed 5 May, 12:45-13:45 CEST, Room -2.33. Anyone is welcome regardless of your experience level (or lack of) in science communication and education activities. &nbsp; Did you miss the other recommendations from the Science for Policy working group, the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Committee or the Early Careers Scientists (ECS)? Head over and read them now!]]></description>
													<content:encoded><![CDATA[There are so many great events to participate in at EGU26 this year, in both on-site and virtual formats, that it can be very easy to feel overwhelmed. Whilst we encourage you to make good use of your <a href="https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/egu25/personal_programme">Personal Programme</a> to help organise your activities, we also reached out to several of EGU's Committees that are responsible for specific other aspects of EGU's activities, including the Outreach Committee and the Education Committee to ask them for their recommendations as to what not to miss during EGU26!

If this is your first time hearing about the <a href="https://www.egu.eu/outreach/">Outreach Committee</a> or the <a href="https://www.egu.eu/education/">Education Committee</a> you may have questions about what the difference is between the responsibilities of these two groups of highly motivated and creative volunteers! Well, although there is some overlap between the two in that they both work together to promote all things geoscience communication, at it's most basic the volunteers of the Education Committee are focused on training educators and those who teach geoscience at all levels,whereas the Outreach Committee volunteers are focused on supporting anyone who wants to <em>learn</em> about geoscience - any age, any experience level.

Read on for their tips on how you can dive into geoscience communication, outreach, engagement and education activities during EGU26!

&nbsp;
<h3><strong>Outreach Committee</strong></h3>
One of the main things the EGU Outreach Committee organizes each year are the <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/pg/EOS">Education and Outreach Sessions</a>, indicated by the '<a href="https://www.egu26.eu/pg/EOS">EOS</a>' tag in the programme. These sessions cover everything from primary research being conducted on geoscience communication, ethics and outreach, through to researchers in the Earth, planetary and space sciences sharing their experiences of new outreach, engagement and educational practices that they have tried. If you are a person interested in sharing your work, or in understanding how people in different public or non-expert audiences perceive and understand you work, head to one of these fascinating sessions! You can find all of them in the EGU26 programme <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/pg/EOS">here</a>.

The Outreach Committee also issue two EGU medals with the Union, the Katia and Maurice Krafft Award for geoscience outreach and engagement, and the Angela Croome Award for Earth, planetary and space science journalism. Both the award winner will be giving lectures this year, so don't miss out!

<strong><a href="https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU26/EGU26-3534.html">MAL9: </a></strong><span class="link-coloured"><strong><a href="https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU26/EGU26-3534.html">Angela Croome Award Lecture by Joshua Howgego</a></strong> "Sleepy cat and the cosmic dust: Lessons for non-fiction writing from 10 years as a magazine editor" </span><strong><span class="mo_scheduling_string_schedule" data-id="58692" data-pid="317"><span class="mo_scheduling_string_time" data-s="1777974900" data-e="1777976700">Tue 5 May, 11:55</span><span class="mo_scheduling_string_time">–12:25</span> CEST, </span><span class="mo_scheduling_string_place" title="Yellow Level 0 – ground floor">Room 0.15</span></strong>

<a href="https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU26/EGU26-8373.html"><strong>MAL11: </strong></a><span class="link-coloured"><a href="https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU26/EGU26-8373.html"><strong>Katia and Maurice Krafft Award Lecture by Philip Heron</strong></a> "What we’ve learned from teaching people in prison to <em>Think Like a Scientist</em>" <strong><span class="mo_scheduling_string_schedule" data-id="58694" data-pid="317"><span class="mo_scheduling_string_time" data-s="1777888500" data-e="1777890300">Mon 4 May, 11:55</span><span class="mo_scheduling_string_time">–12:25</span> CEST, </span></strong></span><strong><span class="link-coloured"><span class="mo_scheduling_string_place" title="Purple Level -2 – basement">Room D3</span></span></strong>

In addition the Outreach Committee run a public event in the city of Vienna each year, called the EGU-ÖAW Public Lecture, which is a talk in German for residents of the city of Vienna to participate in a free event giving them access to a speaker presenting their research at the meeting. This year the speaker is Dr Kristine Asch from Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe (BGR), who will give a talk entitled <a href="https://www.oeaw.ac.at/fileadmin/NEWS/2026/pdf/EGU-OeAW_Lecture_Mai_2026_neu.pdf">"Von der Tiefsee bis zum Mars: Geologische Kartierung unter extremen Bedingungen (From the Deep Sea to Mars: Geological Mapping Under Extreme Conditions)"</a>, find out more about how you can attend <a href="https://www.oeaw.ac.at/fileadmin/NEWS/2026/pdf/EGU-OeAW_Lecture_Mai_2026_neu.pdf">here (in German)</a>.

The <a href="https://www.oeaw.ac.at/fileadmin/NEWS/2026/pdf/EGU-OeAW_Lecture_Mai_2026_neu.pdf">EGU-ÖAW Public Lecture</a> will take place on <strong>Tue 5 May, 18:00-19:45 CEST</strong>, at the ÖAW building (Dr. Ignaz-Seipel-Platz 2, 1010 Wien) and online.

The Outreach Committee also co-ordinate the EGU26 Peer Support activities, so if you have signed up to the Peer Support programme, or you are curious about it, don't miss the Peer Support meet up (<a href="https://www.egu26.eu/pg/NET">NET9</a>) on <strong>Tue 5 May, 12:45–13:45 CEST</strong> on the Rooftop Foyer on the Blue level. You can also read more about EGU's mentoring programme <a href="https://www.egu.eu/outreach/mentoring/">here</a>.

Lastly if you want to Meet the Outreach Committee and ask them some questions about what volunteering for EGU is like and how you can get more involved with outreach, science communication or public engagement, come and say hi at the 'Meet the Outreach Committee' session at the EGU booth in Hall X2 (Purple level) on<span class="co_wfm_pop-net-event_scheduling_string_time"><span id="ppitem_5_4-47" class="d-inline co_mto_pp-icon personal_programme_icon_5 co-favorites-disabled co_mto_addToPersonalProgramme" title="Add this item to your personal programme" data-registered="" data-title-add="Add this item to your personal programme" data-title-remove="Remove this item from your personal programme" data-removable="1" data-remove-msg="" data-type="5" data-id="4-47" data-content-type="5" data-is-attend="0"></span> <strong>Wed, 6 May, 11:30–12:30 CEST.</strong> </span>

&nbsp;
<h3><strong>Education Committee</strong></h3>
One of the key events that the Education Committee runs during the General Assembly isn't even a part of the main meeting - they co-ordinate the <a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2022/03/30/what-is-gift-the-education-committees-jean-luc-berengeuer-phil-smith-explain/">GIFT, or Geoscience Information For Teachers event,</a> a huge training event run concurrently with the General Assembly each year to help school level teachers get access to the most current scientific information, as well as learn the best ways to teach geoscientific topics in the classroom. Find out more about the EGU26 GIFT <a href="https://www.egu.eu/education/gift/workshops/124/egu-general-assembly-2026-gift-workshop/">here</a>.

If you want to meet the Education Committee, there are plenty of opportunities during the meeting, from a special poster session, connected to the GIFT Workshop, <span class="link-coloured"><a href="https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU26/session/56993" data-id="56993"><span class="co_emphasize_searchterm"><strong>EOS5.5:</strong> GIFT</span> - Geoscience Information For Teachers – Projects on Natural Hazards, Human Impact and Earth's Resources at School</a> , <strong><span class="mo_scheduling_string_schedule" data-id="52269" data-pid="295"><span class="mo_scheduling_string_time" data-s="1745936100" data-e="1745942400">Tue 5 May Apr, 16:15</span><span class="mo_scheduling_string_time">–18:00</span> CEST</span></strong> in Hall X5 and a poster presentation in session <strong>EOS5.1</strong>, <a class="co_mto_abstractHTML-html-toggler" href="https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU26/EGU26-14843.html" target="#" data-id="36535223">Fostering Earth Science Education: The Contribution of the EGU Education Committee</a>, on <span class="co_mto_programme-search-block-schedule"><strong>Wed 6 May, 10:45–12:30 CEST</strong>, Hall X5, </span>poster number<span class="co_mto_programme-search-block-boardNumber"><span class="co_mto_programme-search-block-boardNumberSeparator"> </span>X5.272</span>. </span>Or you can meet the Education Committee at the EGU Booth (Hall X2) at the EGU booth in Hall X2 (Purple level) on<span class="co_wfm_pop-net-event_scheduling_string_time"><span id="ppitem_5_4-47" class="d-inline co_mto_pp-icon personal_programme_icon_5 co-favorites-disabled co_mto_addToPersonalProgramme" title="Add this item to your personal programme" data-registered="" data-title-add="Add this item to your personal programme" data-title-remove="Remove this item from your personal programme" data-removable="1" data-remove-msg="" data-type="5" data-id="4-47" data-content-type="5" data-is-attend="0"></span> <strong>Wed, 6 May, 14:00–15:00 CEST.</strong></span>

&nbsp;
<h3><strong>Teacher-Scientist Networking Event</strong></h3>
One of the big events that is run by both Committees together is the annual <a href="https://www.egu.eu/outreach/tsps/">Teacher-Scientist Pairing Scheme</a>. To help any scientists/researchers or educators at the meeting (for GIFT or any other reason) to establish the kind of connection that helps run a Teacher-Scientist pairing event, why not come to the special Teacher-Scientist Networking Event (<a href="https://www.egu26.eu/session/59372">NET21</a>) that is being held on <strong>Wed 5 May, 12:45-13:45 CEST</strong>, Room -2.33. Anyone is welcome regardless of your experience level (or lack of) in science communication and education activities.

&nbsp;

<strong><em>Did you miss the other recommendations from the Science for Policy working group, the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Committee or the Early Careers Scientists (ECS)? Head over and read them now!</em></strong>]]></content:encoded>
																<wfw:commentRss>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/04/22/whats-on-at-egu26-highlights-from-the-outreach-and-education-committees/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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					<title><![CDATA[What's on at EGU26: highlights from the Publications Committee!]]></title>
					<link>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/04/22/whats-on-at-egu26-highlights-from-the-publication-committee/</link>
					<comments>https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/04/22/whats-on-at-egu26-highlights-from-the-publication-committee/#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>Wed, 22 Apr 2026 10:00:31 +0000</pubDate>
					<dc:creator><![CDATA[Eduardo Queiroz Alves]]></dc:creator>
							<category><![CDATA[EGU GA 2026]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[General Assembly]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Meet EGU]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Publications]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Short Courses]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[25 years of open access publications]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EGU26]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[publications]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[what's on]]></category>
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											<description><![CDATA[There are so many great events to participate in at EGU26 this year, in both on-site and virtual formats, that it can be very easy to feel overwhelmed. Whilst we encourage you to make good use of your Personal Programme to help organise your activities, we also reached out to several of EGU&#8217;s Committees that are responsible for specific other aspects of EGU&#8217;s activities, including the Publication Committee to ask them for their recommendations as to what not to miss during EGU26! Publications-related sessions in the Programme: Keynotes GDB7: The future of scientific publishing – do we need scientific journals? Tuesday, 05 May, 14:00-15:45, room E1 Short Courses SC3.11 How to publish my geoscience communication work: A hands-on, participatory workshop Thursday, 07 May, 08:30-10:15, room 0.55 SC3.12 Meet the Editors: How to peer-review – Fundamentals &amp; EGU’s model Tuesday, 05 May, 16:15-18:00, room -2.82 Scientific sessions EOS4.3 Celebrating 25 Years of Interactive Open Access Publishing: Transparent, Community-driven, Not-for-profit Thursday, 07 May, 14:00 – 18:00, PICO Spot 5 Publications receptions: Journal Reception &#8211; 25 years Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP) Tuesday, 05 May, 18:00 – 18:30 CEST in Foyer G Journal Reception &#8211; 25 years Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences (NHESS) Monday, 04 May, 18:00 &#8211; 19:00 CEST, Room D2 Journal Reception – Earth Observation (EO) Launch Monday, 04 May, 18:30 – 19:30 CEST, EGU booth – Hall X2 Reception – 25 Years of Interactive Open Access Publishing Thursday, 07 May, 18:00 – 19:30 CEST, PICO Spot 5 Meet the editors (25 years of interactive open-access publishing booth – Entrance Hall): Solid Earth (SE) Monday, 04 May, 15:00-16:00 Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP) Monday, 04 May, 13:45-14:45 Geoscience Communication (GC)                Tuesday, 05 May, 15:45-16:15 Geochronology (GChron)                                              Tuesday, 05 May, 10:00-10:45 Earth System Dynamics (ESD) Tuesday, 05 May, 11:00-11:45 Atmospheric Measurement Techniques (AMT) Tuesday, 05 May, 12:45-13:45 Biogeosciences (BG) Wednesday, 06 May, 10:00-11:00 Weather and Climate Dynamics (WCD) Wednesday, 06 May, 12:00-13:00 The Cryosphere (TC) Wednesday, 06 May, 14:00-15:00 Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences (NHESS) Wednesday, 06 May, 13:00-14:00 Geoscientific Model Development (GMD) Wednesday, 06 May, 16:00-18:00 Non Linear Processes in Geophysics (NPG) Thursday, 07 May, 10:15-10:45 Climate of the Past (CP) Thursday, 07 May, 10:00-11:00 Ocean Sciences (OS) Friday, 08 May, 10:30-11:15 Did you miss the other recommendations from the Science for Policy team, the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Committee, or the Early Careers Scientists (ECS)? Head over and read them now!]]></description>
													<content:encoded><![CDATA[There are so many great events to participate in at EGU26 this year, in both on-site and virtual formats, that it can be very easy to feel overwhelmed. Whilst we encourage you to make good use of your <a href="https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/egu25/personal_programme">Personal Programme</a> to help organise your activities, we also reached out to several of EGU's Committees that are responsible for specific other aspects of EGU's activities, including the Publication Committee to ask them for their recommendations as to what not to miss during EGU26!
<h3>Publications-related sessions in the Programme:</h3>
<strong>Keynotes </strong>
<ul>
 	<li><strong>GDB7: <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/session/58589">The future of scientific publishing – do we need scientific journals?</a></strong>
Tuesday, 05 May, 14:00-15:45, room E1</li>
</ul>
<strong>Short Courses</strong>
<ul>
 	<li><strong>SC3.11 <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/session/58358">How to publish my geoscience communication work: A hands-on, participatory workshop</a></strong>
Thursday, 07 May, 08:30-10:15, room 0.55</li>
 	<li><strong>SC3.12 <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/session/57924">Meet the Editors: How to peer-review – Fundamentals &amp; EGU’s model</a></strong>
Tuesday, 05 May, 16:15-18:00, room -2.82<b></b><b>
</b><b></b></li>
</ul>
<b>Scientific sessions</b>
<ul>
 	<li><strong>EOS4.3 <a href="https://www.egu26.eu/session/56912">Celebrating 25 Years of Interactive Open Access Publishing: Transparent, Community-driven, Not-for-profit</a></strong>
Thursday, 07 May, 14:00 – 18:00, PICO Spot 5<b>
</b><b>
</b></li>
</ul>
<h3>Publications receptions:</h3>
<ul>
 	<li><strong>Journal Reception - 25 years Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP)</strong>
Tuesday, 05 May, 18:00 – 18:30 CEST in Foyer G</li>
 	<li><strong>Journal Reception - 25 years Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences (NHESS)</strong>
Monday, 04 May, 18:00 - 19:00 CEST, Room D2</li>
 	<li><strong>Journal Reception – Earth Observation (EO) Launch</strong>
Monday, 04 May, 18:30 – 19:30 CEST, EGU booth – Hall X2</li>
 	<li><strong>Reception – 25 Years of Interactive Open Access Publishing</strong>
Thursday, 07 May, 18:00 – 19:30 CEST, PICO Spot 5</li>
</ul>
<h3>Meet the editors (25 years of interactive open-access publishing booth – Entrance Hall):<b>
</b></h3>
<ul>
 	<li><b>Solid Earth (SE)
</b>Monday, 04 May, 15:00-16:00</li>
 	<li><b>Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP)
</b>Monday, 04 May, 13:45-14:45</li>
 	<li><b>Geoscience Communication (GC)   </b><b>            </b><b>
</b>Tuesday, 05 May, 15:45-16:15</li>
 	<li><b>Geochronology (</b><b>GChron</b><b>)</b><b>                                             </b><b>
</b>Tuesday, 05 May, 10:00-10:45</li>
 	<li><b>Earth System Dynamics (ESD)
</b>Tuesday, 05 May, 11:00-11:45</li>
 	<li><b>Atmospheric Measurement Techniques (AMT)
</b>Tuesday, 05 May, 12:45-13:45</li>
 	<li><b>Biogeosciences (BG)
</b>Wednesday, 06 May, 10:00-11:00</li>
 	<li><b>Weather and Climate Dynamics (WCD)
</b>Wednesday, 06 May, 12:00-13:00</li>
 	<li><b>The Cryosphere (TC)
</b>Wednesday, 06 May, 14:00-15:00</li>
 	<li><b>Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences (NHESS)
</b>Wednesday, 06 May, 13:00-14:00</li>
 	<li><b>Geoscientific Model Development (GMD)
</b>Wednesday, 06 May, 16:00-18:00</li>
 	<li><b>Non Linear Processes in Geophysics (NPG)
</b>Thursday, 07 May, 10:15-10:45</li>
 	<li><b>Climate of the Past (CP)
</b>Thursday, 07 May, 10:00-11:00</li>
 	<li><b>Ocean Sciences (OS)
</b>Friday, 08 May, 10:30-11:15</li>
</ul>
<strong><em>Did you miss the other recommendations from the <a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/04/17/geopolicy-jump-into-science-for-policy-at-egu26/">Science for Policy team</a>, the <a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/04/21/whats-on-at-egu26-highlights-from-equality-diversity-and-inclusion-edi-committee-2/">Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Committee,</a> or the <a href="https://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2026/04/20/whats-on-for-early-career-scientists-at-egu26/">Early Careers Scientists (ECS)</a>? Head over and read them now!</em></strong>]]></content:encoded>
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