2020 was a brilliant year for our blogging network here at EGU. Across the EGU’s official blog, GeoLog, as well as the network and division blogs there were so many interesting, educational and just downright entertaining posts this year it was hard to get the blog editors to choose their favourites! Nevertheless at the beginning of January, to celebrate the excellent display of science writing ac ...[Read More]
There is no shortage of increasingly uphill challenges in the current research landscape, especially for Early Career researchers: discouragingly long-standing science questions; minimal freedom for developing methodologies; invariably ambivalent proposal reviews; an academic grading scheme based mainly on publication productivity and impact; and enforced competition for few permanent research pos ...[Read More]
With the most recent call for sessions for the next European Geosciences Union General Assembly, a diverse provisional programme has been put together. If you have been assigned your first EGU session as a convener – congratulations! But what happens now? Early Career Scientists representatives Andrea Madella (GM), Anna Gülcher (GD), and Tommaso Alberti (NPG) discuss what it’s like to conven ...[Read More]
My name is Ned Staniland and I am a third year PhD student in space physics at Imperial College London. I study the magnetic field of Saturn using data from the Cassini-Huygens mission that was launched in 1997. In July 2020, I was lucky enough to be EGU’s first intern where I worked in their policy and communications team. Finding an Internship Since the beginning of my PhD, I have kept an eye ...[Read More]
Hello Olga, thanks for speaking with us today, can you tell us a little about your background and how you got to where you are now? Thank you for inviting me for what might be my first interview! My background is in environmental science and I chose to study soils because of how useful they are (in supporting ecosystems and our well-being) and how interdisciplinary their study is, spanning biology ...[Read More]
We know the topography of the moon better than the Earth’s seafloor, so we need to keep studying the ocean, and, for me, going to sea is the best way. Only twenty percent of the seafloor is already mapped (see the Seabed 2030 Project), leaving eighty percent of our ocean unmapped, unobserved, and unexplored. This is why ocean going research is fundamental, not only for seabed mapping, ...[Read More]
The world shut down due to COVID-19, but PhDs did not. During these unfamiliar times, most PhD students have found themselves working from home trying more than ever to write as much as possible. Over the past few of months, I have led several online writing retreats in collaboration with doctoral research schools and universities in Norway. They seem to have been very successful to help PhD’s wi ...[Read More]
Last week EGU hosted the second of our official quarterly webinar series, on Careers outside Academia. Up to 70% of scientists will transition to careers outside of academia after their PhD. Transferable scientific skills and knowledge are becoming progressively valued in non-academic job sectors. However, navigating job opportunities and transitioning to different career paths can be difficult. T ...[Read More]
Many scientific societies and similar organisations make awards on an annual or regular basis. It is one way of recognising a distinguished career, contribution to the community, etc., or providing a boost to the development of an Early Career Scientist. In the case of EGU, all awardees are expected to give a presentation of their work; it is a way of generating a stimulating programme at the Annu ...[Read More]
The EGU Kids Art activity normally happens in person in the creche at the conference centre during the general assembly (GA). We decided at the GA last year that the theme would be Volcanic Paint! Maike and I decided to move the activity online to hopefully bring a smile to a few of your faces – I know it has been bringing a smile to my face every day for the last week or so. We wanted to share as ...[Read More]