At the 2013 General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union there are a variety of Union-wide sessions, summarised below.
Maria Theresien Platz, Vienna (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Union Meetings (UM)
These meetings are open to Union members; though note some are invitation-only events. Of particular importance is the Plenary (UM8) in Room D on Monday 8 April from 12:15 to 13:15 in Room R1. This is an annual event, open to all EGU members and all General Assembly 2013 participants, held to discuss the past and future developments of EGU. The whole EGU Council is in attendance and a free lunch buffet (sandwiches & soft drinks) will be served.
Union Symposia (US)
This year, the Union Symposia include reports from the Curiosity Mars Rover in “Curiosity on Mars: first results – Part I” (US2), Monday 8 April, 13:30-15:00 in Room Y1, and the EGU Award Ceremony (US1) in Room R1, on Wednesday, 10 April from 17:30 to 20:00.
Great Debate (GDB)
With all the conflicting opinions on fracking for shale gas, what better a topic for this year’s Great Debate, entitled Shale Gas: to frack or not to frack? (Room Y9, Wednesday, 10 April from 15:30-17:00).
Medal and Keynote Lectures (ML, KL)
There are 4 Keynote Lectures and a total of 32 Medal Lectures during the General Assembly.
Short Courses (SC)
There are 14 Short Courses at the General Assembly, from publishing and getting a job, to blogging about your research and getting a handle on technical topics.
Townhall Meetings (TM)
Townhall Meetings cover a variety of topics and are organised by participants, aiming to offer more discussion time than the normal oral presentations allow.
Splinter Meetings (SPM)
Like Townhall Meetings, Splinter Meetings are organised by participants. However, they are typically smaller and can be either public or by invitation only.
Other
Educational and Outreach Symposia (EOS) are sessions dedicated to education and outreach, including to the Geosciences Information for Teachers (GIFT), a long-running event for high-school teachers.
Finally, now in its third year, GeoCinema (GC) features a nearly continuous schedule of relevant film content, including documentaries and full length features.
