What’s on for young scientists at the Assembly?

This year, there’s a great line-up of young scientist sessions at the General Assembly. Not only that, but there are opportunities to meet those that represent you in the Union, get to know other young scientists in your field, and make the most of both the scientific and social sides of the conference…

First up for young scientists is the icebreaker event on the Sunday before the meeting, while this is open to everyone attending the Assembly, there’ll be a spot especially for young scientists – the “Young Scientists Meeting Corner” (Rooms Y1/Y4). So, if you’re coming alone, or if it’s your first time, you’re sure to find a few like-minded fellows! At EGU 2014 we’ll also be introducing a young scientists’ lounge – somewhere that you can take a break, grab a coffee and gather your thoughts away from the buzz of the conference. The lounge (on the Red Level of the conference centre) is also a great place to catch up with colleagues you haven’t seen in a while, or start up a conversation with someone new, and it provides a great meeting point to launch your evening’s activities.

Young scientists at the EGU 2013 opening reception.

It’s not all about the social stuff though, there’s a veritable feast of courses where you can fine-tune your skills and grab those all-important nuggets of information to help you forge a career in academia. From Union-wide sessions to workshops and short courses, there’s a lot to choose from, including division-specific sessions to hone your geomorphological data skills and see what young scientists in the soil sciences are working on. You can learn how to write the perfect hydrology paper, enhance your career prospects and share your science with school students – but this is just a snapshot! Take a look at our young scientist’s shortlist to see what’s on offer for young scientists this year.

Like last year, we’ll be hosting a lunchtime session to let young scientists know how they can get involved in the Union and gather feedback to make what we’re doing even better. Since the last General Assembly, young scientist representation in the Union has grown leaps and bounds, with several divisions appointing young scientist officers whose role is to feedback from the young scientist community and make sure we do our best to act on your suggestions. What better way to tell us what you want than over a lovely lunch where you can meet your representatives? You can also let us know what you think via the young scientists survey.

More food, drinks and chatter during the opening reception at EGU 2013!

Keep your eyes peeled for posters that are part of the Outstanding Student Poster competition and make sure you save a space for a few talks from outstanding young scientists. The winners of the Arne Richter and division awards will be giving talks throughout the week and are well worth a listen. Finally, the finalist films in EGU’s Communicate Your Science Video Competition are being showcased at GeoCinema, the home of geoscience films at EGU 2014. We’ve had some excellent entries – you can take a look and vote for your favourite using the EGU YouTube channel.

See you at the conference!

An earlier version of this post was published in the EGU Newsletter.