GeoLog
Olivia Trani

Olivia Trani

Olivia Trani is the Communications Officer at the European Geosciences Union. She is responsible for the management of the Union's social media presence and the EGU blogs, where she writes regularly for the EGU's official blog, GeoLog. She is also the point of contact for early career scientists (ECS) at the EGU Office. Olivia has a MS in Science Journalism from Boston University and her work has appeared on WBUR-FM, Inside Science News Service, and the American Geophysical Union. Olivia tweets at @oliviatrani.

At the Assembly 2019: Tuesday Highlights

April 9, 2019
At the Assembly 2019: Tuesday Highlights
Welcome back to the General Assembly! (Credit: EGU/Kai Boggild)

Welcome back to the second day of the 2019 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, available online.

Union-wide sessions

Today’s Union-wide session celebrates 30 years of the WMO Global Atmosphere Watch Programme (US5). This session will highlight the need for, and illustrate exciting advances in the translation of atmospheric composition research to support services. The event will also articulate the needs for advances in observing systems, models and a better understanding of fundamental processes. Join the discussions at 10:45–12:15 and at 14:00–15:30 in Room E1 or catch the conference live stream.

Great debates

Today’s Great Debate cover Plan S, an initiative organised by a coalition of research funders that demands for research supported by participating funders to published in Open Access journals by January 1, 2020. In this debate, Plan-S: Should scientific publishers be forced to go Open Access?, representatives from subscription-based and Open Access publishers, architects of Plan S, and researchers affected by it will address questions surrounding the implementation of the plan and its consequences. Join in the debate from 16:15–18:00 in Room E1. You can follow the session on Twitter with #EGU19GDB, and, if you’re not attending, tune in with the conference live stream.

Scientific sessions

The day is full of fantastic scientific sessions, from understanding ice-sheet and climate interactions to biogeomorphology and ecohydrology. Below are just some of the sessions worth checking out today:

The day also has many inter- and transdisciplinary sessions to choose from. The session Urban Ecohydrology: from building greening to future cities focuses on according urban ecohydrological problems and approaches to solve them spanning from technical to nature-based solutions in different time and spatial scales from the building to the whole city. The session The Third Pole Environment (TPE) under Global Changes is dedicated to research on the atmosphere, cryosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere of the Tibetan Plateau and surrounding mountain regions, known as the Third Pole, and their interactions with global change.

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:

Medal lectures

Today is also a big day for Medal Lectures, there are 17 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 Jean Braun (MAL2/GD/GM/TS: 12:45–13:45 / 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:

Evening events

During time block 5 (18:00–19:00) today, be sure to stop by the EGU Booth for the Diversity & Equality Reception, hosted by the newly established EGU Working Group on Diversity and Equality. 

The Early Career Scientist (ECS) Networking & Careers Reception aims to bring together ECS, award-winning researchers, EGU Council members, and selected industry partners (Credit: EGU/Keri McNamara)

Additionally, geophysicist Xavier Le Pichon from the Collège de France will be giving a Stand-Alone Lecture titled ‘Pangea and lower mantle: Are we entering into a new paradigm? From Plate Tectonics to Global Tectonics‘ tonight from 19:00 to 20:00 in Room E1.

Also on offer today is a screening of the award-winning documentary A Plastic Ocean (19:00-21:00 in Room E2). At the event you’ll have the chance to learn about the impacts of plastic pollution around the world, what action we can take to stop plastics entering our natural world and pose your questions to the film’s producer, Jo Ruxton, at the end of film.

Early career scientists

If you’re an early career scientist (ECS), this year’s conference has more than ever on offer for the ECS community, and today is a bumper day, packed full of ECS-related activities. Meet the EGU ECS Representatives and EGU Communications Officer (Stephanie Zihms, Raffaele Albano, and Olivia Trani) at the EGU Booth from 10:45–11:30, to find out more about the Union and how to get involved.

The Networking and ECS Zone will be holding a drop-in session on Pride@EGU and how to be an ally

Additionally, the EGU’s Early Career Scientists Networking & Careers Reception is a great chance to network and meet established scientists who can offer advice on anything from how to prepare a research grant to how to balance your research and personal life. The event runs from 19:00-20:30 in Room F2 with light snacks and drinks served when you arrive! The reception is now fully booked, but keep an eye on our social media channels for chances to take part in the reception.

Finally, remember to take the opportunity to meet your Division’s representatives at the EGU Booth in today’s Meet EGU sessions. Have a lovely day!

The EGU General Assembly will take place from 07 to 12 April 2019 in Vienna, Austria. For the full session programme and more information on the General Assembly, see the EGU 2019 website and follow us on Twitter (#EGU19 is the official conference hashtag) and Facebook.

Head on over to the EGU Booth!

April 8, 2019
Head on over to the EGU Booth!
The EGU Booth is the place to come if you’d like to find out more about EGU activities (Credit: Foto Pfluegl / EGU).

You can find the EGU Booth in Hall X2 on the Brown Level. This is the place to come if you’d like to meet members of EGU Council and Committees (Meet EGU) and find out more about EGU activities.

Here you can discover the EGU’s 17 open access journals, browse the EGU blogs (GeoLog, the EGU Blog Network and the EGU Division Blogs), catch up on the conference Twitter feed, and more! We will also be giving away beautiful geosciences postcards, which the EGU will post for you free of charge.

Beside the booth you’ll also find the finalists in the EGU Photo Competition, make sure you vote for your favourite images!  You’ll also find the Assembly Job Spot – be sure to check it out if you’re looking for a job in the geosciences, or someone to fill as spot in your research group.

 

At the EGU Booth, you can (Credit: Foto Pfluegl / EGU).

Fabio Bonali demonstrating the use of 3D goggles to explore geology-relevant landscapes (Credit: Fabio Bonali)

Throughout the week during the networking time slot (18:00–19:00), there will be a number of receptions at the booth, listed below:

  • PCN9: Journal reception – 25 years Nonlinear Processes in Geophysics (NPG), Monday, 8 April, 18:00-19:00
  • PCN8: Diversity & Equality Reception, Tuesday, 9 April, 18:00–19:00
  • PCN10: Journal reception – Geochronology (GChron), Wednesday, 10 April, 18:00–19:00

At the same time, at the virtual reality station nearby, you’ll have the chance to experience different geological landscapes in virtual reality with Fabio Bonali, one of the winners of the EGU Public Engagement Grants 2018, and his team.

If you have any questions about the EGU, or want to be more involved in the Union, come and ask us, we’re happy to help!

2019 General Assembly documented through art!

April 8, 2019
2019 General Assembly documented through art!
EGU 2019 artists in residence and samples of their work (Credit: M Merlin/G Skretis/ G Anastasakis)

As a repeat from last year, the General Assembly will be documented by EGU’s very own artists in residence! Morgane Merlin, an environmental science PhD student and visual artist based in Alberta, Canada, and Giorgo Skretis, a visual artist and musician based in Chania, Greece, will be producing illustrations and sculptures throughout the week to share their conference experiences and communicate science. Why not take a break from the scientific sessions and enjoy the Assembly through a more artistic medium with this collection of science-inspired artwork. This page will be updated with more of Merlin and Skretis’ work as the week progresses.

Monday:

 

 

 

Credit: Morgane Merlin for EGU. License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

 

Credit: Morgane Merlin for EGU. License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

 

Plastics and microplastics in our aquatic environments. Artworks by Morgane Merlin. Photo from Anastasia Kokori

 

Credit: Morgane Merlin for EGU. License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

Tuesday:

 

 

Magma transport in the crust. Artwork by Morgane Merlin. Photo from Anastasia Kokori

 

Lava in crust. Credit: Morgane Merlin for EGU. License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

 

Artwork by Giorgo Skretis. Photo from Anastasia Kokori

 

The tiny menace of bark beetles for our forests. Artwork by Morgane Merlin. Photo from Anastasia Kokori

 

Artwork by Giorgo Skretis. Photo from Anastasia Kokori

 

The tiny menace of bark beetles for our forests. Artwork by Morgane Merlin. Photo from Anastasia Kokori

Wednesday:

 

 

Artwork by Morgane Merlin. Photo from Anastasia Kokori

 

Reaching for the stars. Credit: Morgane Merlin for EGU. License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

 

Artwork by Giorgo Skretis. Photo from Anastasia Kokori

 

Thursday:

 

 

Artwork by Morgane Merlin. Photo from Anastasia Kokori

 

Artwork by Morgane Merlin. Photo from Anastasia Kokori

 

Artwork by Morgane Merlin. Photo from Anastasia Kokori

 

Aspen leaf. Credit: Morgane Merlin for EGU. License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

 

Artwork by Giorgo Skretis. Photo from Anastasia Kokori

 

Friday:

 

Artwork by Morgane Merlin. Photo from Anastasia Kokori

 

Artwork by Giorgo Skretis and EGU 2019 conference participants. Photo from Anastasia Kokori

Merlin is a hobby artist who works with a variety of media, including watercolors, acrylics and pastels. She says that, at the meeting, she will focus on creating illustrations based on the main research results of selected presentations. “The art work will be a copy of this main result encased in a colored painting (watercolor) or drawing (colored pencils) embodying the beauty and singularity of the object of research, whether it is a landscape, rock formation or living organism,” she writes in her winning application. With a background in environmental science, she says she strives to share her passion for the natural world through both her research and hobbies: “I wish to showcase the admiration for the natural world we have as scientists, fueling our passion for research.”

Skretis is an artist working with sculpture, drawing, photography and sound. He says his participation in the EGUGeneral Assembly “will be a great influence towards recontextualizing my art practice, both in terms of looking at Earth processes in a finer detail, and in terms of the analogies that can be drawn between the geosciences and the human sciences.” He is fascinated by the way matter crashes, merges and disintegrates in every possible scale, while at the same time it provides the conditions for life to emerge. During his residency he will create a small collection of sculptures using natural materials such as clay and plaster. The form and manner of creation of these sculptures will reflect the various processes and forces of nature, with a focus on themes presented at the meeting.

At the Assembly 2019: Monday highlights

April 8, 2019
At the Assembly 2019: Monday highlights
Welcome to the 2019 General Assembly! (Credit: EGU/Keri McNamara)

Welcome to the 2019 General Assembly! This is the first full day of sessions and there’s a feast of them to choose from. Every day we’ll be sharing some super sessions and events at EGU 2019 here on GeoLog and you can complement this information with EGU Today, the daily newsletter of the General Assembly.

Union-wide sessions

Of particular importance today is the Union’s Plenary Meeting (PCN2) at 12:45 in Room E1 – it’s a forum for all Assembly attendees to discuss the development of the Union with the Union Council. Seeing as it’s over lunch, free snacks and soft drinks will be served at the event.

Monday is also kicks off the first Science in Society session at the General Assembly: Plastics in the Hydrosphere: An urgent problem requiring global action (SCS2: 14:00–17:45 in Room E1). This session will address the problems posed to our planet by plastic pollution, and examine options for dealing with the threat. It’s not one to miss! You can also follow the session on Twitter (#EGU19SCS).

In the evening, the EGU Booth will be holding a journal reception celebrating 25th anniversary of EGU’s open access journal Nonlinear Processes in Geophysics (NPG) from 18:00–19:00 (PCN9). 

Great debates

This year’s Great Debates will hit the ground running today with a session that addresses Science in policymaking: Who is responsible? This debate will feature a mixed panel of policymakers and geoscientists who have previously given scientific advice. Some key questions that the panel will debate include:

  • How can the accessibility of current EU science-advisory mechanisms be improved?
  • Are scientists doing enough to share their research?
  • And who is responsible for ensuring that quality scientific evidence is used in policymaking?

Join in the debate from 10:45–12:30 in Room E1. Seating is limited so make sure to arrive early to guarantee a spot! You can follow the session on Twitter with #EGU19GDB, and, if you’re not attending, tune in with the conference live stream.

Welcome to the General Assembly. Enjoy it to the fullest! (Credit: EGU/Kai Boggild)

Short courses

The conference can be daunting, especially for first time attendees. For tips and tricks on how to navigate the General Assembly and to learn more about the EGU, why not attend SC2.1: 08:30–10:15 / Room -2.16. The conveners of the short course will then be available in the Networking & Early Career Scientists Zone (Red Level) from 10:30 to 11:00 to answer your questions! Remember you can also consult the first timer’s guide for more information.

There are several short courses kicking off a week of exciting workshops. You can supercharge your data analysis skills in Mapping and modelling the environment at different scales (SC1.43: 08:30–10:15 / Room -2.85). You can also pick up some advice on peer-reviewing from the experts at How to peer-review? (SC1.31: 16:15–18:00 / Room -2.85).

The ADVANCEGeo Workshop (SC3.3: 14:00–15:45 / Room -2.31) offers participants the opportunity to discuss strategies for improving the workplace environment in the geosciences.

Presenting at a scientific conference can be daunting for both early career and established scientists. Fortunately, Help! I’m presenting at a scientific conference! (SC1.12: 14:00–15:45 / Room -2.62) will have hands-on tips and tricks in order to make your talk memorable and enjoyable for both speaker and audience.

Finally, you can learn more about science for policy-makers, the roads ahead & and how to get involved, with Monday’s second pop-up event in the Networking and ECS Zone, starting at 18:20.

Scientific sessions

Today’s General Assembly programme features a number of inter- and transdisciplinary sessions, which tackle a common theme through an interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary combination of approaches. The aim of the sessions is to foster cross-division links and collaborations. The following six sessions are scheduled throughout the day:

There are of course many other scientific sessions throughout the day. Here’s just a sample of what’s on offer:

Medal lectures

Today also features six Medal Lectures, which are sure to be a great source of inspiration:

Meet your division’s representatives, members of Council, and journal editors throughout the Meet EGU sessions, which all take place at the EGU Booth in Hall X2. (Credit: EGU/Keri McNamara)

Meet EGU

Also remember to take the opportunity to meet your division’s representatives, members of the Union Council, and journal editors throughout the Meet EGU sessions, which all take place at the EGU Booth in Hall X2 on the Brown Level. Today you can visit:

  • Ocean Sciences division president (Karen Heywood), 10:15–10:45
  • Biogeosciences division president (Giuliana Panieri), 10:45–11:30
  • Climate: Past, Present & Future division president & PC Officer for Travel Support (Didier Roche) and division ECS representative (Carole Nehme), 11:45–12:30
  • Chief executive editor of Solid Earth (Lotte Krawczyk), 14:00–14:45
  • Soil System Sciences programme group chair (Claudio Zaccone), 15:00–15:45
  • EGU Treasurer (Patric Jacobs), 15:45–16:15
  • EGU President (Alberto Montanari), 16:15–17:00
  • outgoing Atmospheric Sciences division president (Annica Ekman), 17:00–17:45

Have an excellent day!

The EGU General Assembly is taking place in Vienna, Austria from 7 to 12 April. Check out the full session programme on the General Assembly website and follow the Assembly’s online conversation on Twitter at #EGU19.