Welcome back to the second day of the 2018 General Assembly! Today is packed full of excellent sessions, and this list of highlights is by no means comprehensive! Make sure you complement this information with EGU Today, the General Assembly newsletter, to get the most out of the conference – grab a copy on your way in or download it here.
Union-wide Events
Today’s Union-wide session highlights past achievements and future challenges for the Geosciences (US1). This session will look back at past achievements in the geosciences, how they have shaped the modern world and civilisation and consider the opportunities and challenges that the discipline will face in the future. With a panel of six international leaders across the discipline: Katrien Maes, John Ludden CBE, Jean-Pierre Bourguignon, Barbara Romanowicz, Susan Trumbore, Mike Freilich, and EGU President Jonathan Bamber as convener, the session promises to be one of the conference highlights. Join the discussion from 9:00 to 12:00 in room E1.
Great Debates
This year’s Great Debates will hit the ground running today with not one, but two sessions! The first will address one of the most debated topics in the Earth sciences: Are safe geo-engineering techniques available now? According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, meeting the Paris agreement objectives would not only require reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but also removing much of the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This session will discuss both the potential benefits and risks of recent geoengineering techniques. Join in the debate from 13:30–15:00 in E1. You can follow the session on Twitter with #EGU18GDB, and, if you’re not attending, tune in with the conference live stream.
The following great debate is particularly geared towards early career scientists (ECS). Head to room G1 from 19:00 to 20:30 to discuss, in a series of small group debates, whether ECS should use time developing transferrable skills. Seating is limited for both debates so make sure to arrive early to guarantee a spot!
Scientific Sessions
The day is full of fantastic scientific sessions, from understanding the global phosphorus cycle to ice-ocean interactions. Below are just some of the sessions worth checking out today:
- The quest for the oldest ice (CR1.8/CL1.16): 15:30–17:00 / PICO spot 3
- Geodiversity and geoheritage (GM1.6/EOS19): Orals / 08:30–12:00 / Room 0.96; Posters / 17:30–19:00 / Hall X2
- Chemical weathering and organic carbon mobilization: from mountains to basins (GM3.3/BG2.8/CL4.27/SSS3.4): Orals / 10:30–12:00 / Room 0.31; Posters / 17:30–19:00 / Hall X2
The day also has many interdisciplinary sessions to choose from. If your research involves the atmospheric or cryospheric sciences, consider attending a session on atmosphere – cryosphere interactions with focus on transport, deposition and effects of dust, black carbon, and other aerosols. Or perhaps you can explore methods and applications of high resolution topography in the geosciences.
Don’t forget to take a quick tea/coffee break while at the assembly (Credit: EGU/Foto Pfluegl)
Short Courses
If you want to hone your transferable skills and dedicate a bit of time to developing your career, then today’s short courses are for you. Here’s just a sample of what’s on offer:
- Unconscious bias (SC3.11): 10:30–12:00 / Room -2.91
- Polar science career panel (SC3.4/CL6.05/CR8.10/OS6.3): 12:15–13:15 / Room -2.85
- How to convene a session at EGU’s General Assembly (SC3.1): 13:30–15:00 / Room -2.85
There is also a great selection of short courses on how to communicate your science to the general public in a fun and effective way:
- Once upon a time in Vienna (SC2.3): 8:30-10:00 / Room -2.16
- Rhyme your research (SC2.4): 10:30-12:00 / Room -2.16
- Communicating geoscience to the media (SC2.15/CL6.03/CR8.12): 15:30–17:00 / Room -2.31
- How to cartoon science (SC2.5): 19:00-20:00 / Room -2.31
Learn how to cartoon your science with Matthew Partridge, the EGU’s Cartoonist in Residence (@ErrantScience)
Medal Lectures
Today is also a big day for Medal Lectures, there are twelve taking place throughout the day covering various areas of the geosciences. Make sure you check the programme so that you don’t miss them. The Arthur Holmes Medal Lecture by A. M. Celâl Şengör (ML3/GD/TS: 12:15-13:15 / Room E1) is being streamed live.
Townhall Meetings
There is also a treat of Townhall Meetings on this evening. These meetings allow for a lot more open discussion than many of the Assembly’s other sessions and take place outside the usual time blocks. Here are some of the highlights:
- Frontier research in the geosciences: hot topics and advancements (TM5): 19:00-20:00 / Room 2.15
- Scientific integrity in a politically challenged world (TM6): 19:00-20:00 / Room L4/5
- OSGeo Townhall: Open Science demystified (TM8): 19:00-20:00 / Room 2.31
Have a lovely day!
The EGU General Assembly is taking place in Vienna, Austria from 8 to 13 April. Check out the full session programme on the General Assembly website and follow the Assembly’s online conversation on Twitter at #EGU18.
