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At the Assembly 2019: Friday highlights

April 12, 2019
At the Assembly 2019: Friday highlights
We hope you’ve had a wonderful week and look forward to seeing you in 2020! (Credit: EGU/Keri McNamara)

The conference is coming to a close and there’s still an abundance of great sessions to attend! Here’s our guide to getting the most out of the conference on its final day. Boost this information with features from EGU Today, the daily newsletter of the General Assembly – download it here.

Union-wide sessions

The final day of the conference kicks off with the last two Union sessions. The first session, Mountain Building, Volcanism, Climate and Biodiversity in the Andes: 250 years after Alexander von Humboldt (US2: 08:30–12:15 in Room E1), pays tribute to the 250th anniversary of the birth of Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859), the intrepid explorer of the Andes and other regions in the world, and the most famous scientist of his time. This symposium will recognise Alexander von Humboldt’s legacy by reviewing the state-of-the-art studies of the coupled lithosphere – atmosphere – hydrosphere – biosphere system with a focus on the Andean mountain belt.

The second and last Union session will focus on Past and future tipping points and large climate transitions in Earth history (US3: 16:15–18:00 in Room E1), The aim of the session is to point out the most recent results concerning how a complex system as the climate of the Earth has undergone many tipping points and what is the specificity of the future climate changes. You can follow both sessions on twitter #EGU19US if you’re not attending, tune in with the conference live stream.

Medal lectures

Be sure to also attend the last two medal lectures of the assembly:

Ilya Usoskin giving the 2018 Julius Bartels Medal Lecture (Credit: EGU/Foto Pfluegl)

Short courses

The last leg of short courses offers insight into new technologies, tips for publishing your work, and advice on how to develop your career and engage with the public. Here are a few of the short courses you can check out today:

Scientific sessions

The four final inter- and transdisciplinary events also take place today, covering all sorts of interesting topics, from climate sciences to geodiversity and geoheritage. Here are the last cross-disciplinary events:

It’s your last chance to make the most of the networking opportunities at the General Assembly, so get on down to the poster halls and strike up a conversation. If you’re in the queue for coffee, find out what the person ahead is investigating – you never know when you might start building the next exciting collaboration! Here are some of today’s scientific highlights:

Today we also announce the results of the EGU Photo Competition! Keep an eye on EGU’s blog and social media pages to find out who the winners are.

What have you thought of the Assembly this week? Let us know at www.egu2019.eu/feedback and help make EGU 2019 even better.

We hope you’ve had a wonderful week and look forward to seeing you in 2019! Join us on this adventure in Vienna next year, 3–8 May 2020.

At the Assembly 2019: Thursday Highlights

April 11, 2019
At the Assembly 2019: Thursday Highlights
We're now in the final stretch of the General Assembly! Pack your last days with some great sessions. Here's a quick taster of what's on offer. (Credit: EGU/Foto Pfluegl)

Welcome to the fourth day of General Assembly excitement! Once again the day is packed with great events for you to attend and here are just some of the sessions on offer. You can find out more about what’s on in EGU Today, the daily newsletter of the General Assembly – download it here.

Union-wide sessions

The Union-wide session of the day focuses on Promoting and supporting equality of opportunities in geosciences (US4). Under-representation of different groups (cultural, national and gender) remains a reality across the world in the geosciences. This Union Symposium will touch on the remaining obstacles that contribute to these imbalances, with the goal of identifying best practices and innovative ideas to overcome obstacles. Join the discussion from 14:00–18:00 in Room E1 or follow online through webstreaming.

Thursday will feature two Great Debates, the first discussing climate thresholds and turning points for fossil fuel emissions: The safe operating space for the planet and how to ensure it is not passed (GDB1) at 10:45–12:30 in Room E1. The following great debate is particularly geared towards early career scientists (ECS). Head to Room E1 from 19:00 to 20:30 to discuss, in a series of small group debates, how early career scientists can prioritise their mental wellbeing. Seating is limited for both debates so make sure to arrive early to guarantee a spot!

You can tune into both sessions on Twitter using the #EGU19GDB hashtag and follow the first debate via webstreaming.

Scientific sessions

Some of today’s inter- and transdisciplinary highlights include sessions on…

There are several scientifically stimulating sessions planned throughout the day. Check the programme schedule to see all that’s on offer! (Credit: EGU/Keri McNamara)

Check the conference programme or EGU Today for details on the rest of Thursdays’s inter- and transdisciplinary sessions.

And be sure check out some of today’s stimulating scientific sessions:

Short courses

Take the opportunity to expand your skills in one of today’s short courses and splinter meetings. Be sure to share what you learn on social media using the hashtag #EGU19SC:

There are also many great pop-up events planned for today at the Networking and Early Career Scientist Zone (Red Level), here’s just a few planned for today:

  • Earth Science preprints: the What’s, the Why’s and the How’s: 13:00
  • Young Water Professionals Booth: 14:00
  • Academia is not the only route: exploring career options for Earth scientists Q&A: 15:00

Medal lectures

There’s also a number of Medal Lectures on throughout the day – here’s a sample of what’s on offer:

Science, art and society at EGU 2019

Tonight from 19:00 to 20:30 in Room L4/5 you can join an OpenStreetMap Mapathon to help put some of the world’s most vulnerable places on the map. A mapathon is a mapping marathon, where volunteers get together to contribute to OpenStreetMap – the world’s free map. No experience is necessary to take part in the event, just bring your laptop and the conveners will provide the training. In this session you will also learn more about crowdsourcing, open data and humanitarian response, as well as get tips for how to host a mapathon at your home institution.

EGU 2019 artists in residence and samples of their work (Credit: M Merlin/G Skretis/ G Anastasakis)

EGU’s illustrator (Morgane Merlin) and sculptor (Giorgo Skretis) in residence have been circulating the Assembly to share their conference experiences and communicate science. You can see their work posted daily on the EGU blog here or on social media through the hashtag #EGUart. Today Giorgo will also be hosting a short course on sculpting your research, (SC2.14) at 19:00-20:00 in Room -2.32.

EGU committees: public meetings

In addition to organising an annual General Assembly, the EGU publishes a number of open-access journals, organises topical meetings, honours scientists with awards and medals, and has a range of education and outreach activities. Want to find out more? Some of the EGU’s committees are having public meetings at this year’s General Assembly, to tell EGU members more about what we do and get feedback.

Additionally, the EGU President and Programme Committee Chair are convening a townhall on the carbon footprint of EGU’s General Assembly (TM4: 19:00–20:00 / Room -2.47). This townhall will provide information on measures taken so far by the EGU to reduce the environmental footprint of its General Assembly, as well as solicit suggestions for ways forward to further reduce the carbon footprint of the conference.

If you need a change of pace, stop by the Imaggeo Photo Exhibition beside the EGU Booth (Hall X2, basement, Brown Level). You can vote for your favourite finalists there, but be quick because the voting deadline is today at midnight! While you’re in the area, you can also take the opportunity to meet your division and Union-wide representatives in today’s Meet EGU appointments.

Have a lovely 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.

At the Assembly 2019: Wednesday Highlights

April 10, 2019
At the Assembly 2019: Wednesday Highlights
Welcome to day three of the General Assembly! (Credit: EGU/Keri McNamara)

We’re halfway through the General Assembly already! Once again there is lots on offer at EGU 2019 and this is just a taster – be sure to complement this information with EGU Today, the daily newsletter of the General Assembly, available for download here.

Union-wide sessions

Communication between scientists, institutions, policymakers and the general public is widely recognised as an essential step towards a fair and sustainable society. Today’s Science and Society session Science, Politics and European (dis)integration: A conversation of Geoscientists with Ilaria Capua and Mario Monti will focus on science and politics with a global perspective, and the impact of populism on European integrity and therefore scientific research. In this session, Former Italian Prime Minister and European Commissioner Mario Monti and Former Italian Parliamentarian Ilaria Capua will outline optimal strategies that researchers can use to deliver clear scientific messages to key institutions. If you can’t attend the event, you can watch the session through the live stream.

The EGU will welcome Ilaria Capua and Mario Monti at the 2019 General Assembly during the high-level Science, Politics and European (dis)integration session on Wednesday 10 April, 12:45–14:00 in room E1.

Today’s Great Debate addresses Rewards and recognition in science: what value should we place on contributions that cannot be easily measured? (GDB4: 10:45–12:30 / Room E1). Assessments of scientists and their institutions tend to focus on easy-to-measure metrics related to research outputs such as publications, citations, and grants. However, there is a growing need for scientists to communicate, engage, and work directly with the public and policy makers, and practice open scholarship, especially regarding data and software. At the session you can listen to a distinguished panel of stakeholders discuss how can we fairly value and credit harder-to-measure, these less tangible contributions, compared to the favoured metrics. You can also follow the session on Twitter (#EGU19GDB) and catch up with the EGU 2019 webstream.

The EGU Early Career Scientists’ Forum (12:45–13:45 / Room L2) is the best place to find out more about the Union and how to get involved. Because the EGU is a bottom up organisation, we are keen to hear your suggestions on how to make ECS related activities even better. There will be plenty of opportunities during the forum for you to provide feedback. It’s also over lunch, so you’ll find a buffet of sandwiches and soft drinks half way through the session!

In the evening, the EGU will be holding a reception to launch the newest addition to its collection of open access journals, Geochronology (GChron). The reception (PCN10) will be held from 18:00–19:00 at the EGU Booth in Hall X2 on the Brown Level.

Medal lectures and awards

Mioara Mandea giving the 2018 Petrus Peregrinus Medal at last year’s EGU General Assembly. (Credit: EGU / Foto Pfluegl)

Another promising event set for today is the EGU Award Ceremony (PCN3), where the achievements of many outstanding scientists will be recognised in an excellent evening event from 17:30–20:00 in Room E1. Here are some of the lectures being given by these award-winning scientists:

Additionally, a stand-alone lecture will be given by Giulia Sofia from the University of Connecticut on the linkage between humans, precipitation patterns, and floods.

Scientific sessions

There are a host of inter- and transdisciplinary events taking place today. Here are just a sample of what’s on offer:

Check the conference programme or EGU Today for details on the rest of Wednesday’s inter- and transdisciplinary sessions.

And be sure check out some of today’s stimulating scientific sessions:

Short courses

Now on to short courses! Here are just some of the sessions you might want to consider adding to your schedule, from science communication to career development:

There is also a great selection of short courses on problem solving, managing projects, and navigating new technology and programmes:

There are also many great pop-up events planned for today at the Networking and Early Career Scientist Zone, here’s just a few planned for today:

  • Let’s talk peer-review: A chance to discuss and get ideas about how to carry out a thorough peer-review: 10:00
  • Early Career Scientist (ECS) Representatives meet-up: open to all ECS reps: past, present, future: 11:00
  • Meet & Greet with the geomorphology experts: 13:00
  • The IPCC and how you can get involved: 16:00

Perhaps you are looking for something fun and informal? Geoscience Game Night is a bring, show and share session to play some games that have a geoscience theme. Feel free to bring a game or just come along to have some fun. This short course follows the Games for Geoscience oral and poster sessions happening earlier today.

Finally, remember to take the opportunity to meet the people behind EGU in the day’s Meet EGU sessions.

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.

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.