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EGU Members: have your say on the direction of the Union

Olivia Trani November 5, 2019

As EGU’s representatives and staff members, we work hard throughout the year to ensure the Union is serving its members, and we need your input to continue to do so,

The EGU is a member-led organisation with around 20,000 members from all over the world. To promote the Earth, planetary and space sciences, the EGU conducts many activities ranging from publishing open access journals and hosting geoscientific meetings to organising education and outreach initiatives.

EGU / Keri McNamara

As EGU’s representatives and staff members, we work hard throughout the year to ensure the Union is serving its members, and we need your input to continue to do so. That’s why we’ve designed a short EGU member survey to give you the chance to voice what you value about the EGU and what you would like the Union to accomplish in the future.

If you are an EGU member, we ask that you take 5-10 minutes to give feedback on the EGU and its activities. The deadline to complete this survey is 15 November 2019. We are grateful for the nearly 2,000 members who have already responded with their views.

How to provide your input

You can find our survey online through this link: https://survey.zohopublic.eu/zs/LTBB60

EGU/Foto Pfluegl

The survey first aims to get a better picture of who you are. We’d like to know who comprises the EGU membership, which scientific disciplines and career stages are represented, and where our members are based.

The second part of the survey aims to learn more about what EGU initiatives you are already aware of, what resources you value the most, and what activities you think should be improved or expanded.

Through this survey we also want to know more about why you’re an EGU member, how a Union membership supports your professional career, and what’s the one thing EGU can do to most benefit you—and the geosciences.

This survey is the biggest and best opportunity for you and the greater EGU community to help steer the Union’s course, and the results will help ensure that we remain responsive to what you want. Thank you in advance for helping shape EGU’s future! Please share this survey widely within your own professional network.

GeoPolicy: Shaping EU Missions – bridging the gap between geoscience and policy

Chloe Hill October 31, 2019

Shaping EU Missions. Roundtable discussions. Credit: Chloe HIll, EGU

This month’s GeoPolicy blog post is a Q&A about the EGU’s second annual science-policy event, Shaping EU Missions: bridging the gap between geoscience and policy which was hosted in Brussels on October 17 2019.

The EGU has an annual event outside of the General Assembly??

Yes! Except this one is much smaller with about 70 participants and relatively new (only starting in 2018). The EGU hosts these science-policy events in Brussels to discuss issues and topics that are important to the geoscience community as well as to facilitate collaboration between geoscientists and policymakers. These events also aim to highlight policy-relevant outputs from EGU scientists and support evidence-based policymaking.

But what are they actually about?

The themes of EGU’s science-policy events are selected based on their significance to the geoscience community as a whole and their relevance to Europe’s current policy issues. And yes, finding a theme that fits into these criteria can be quite tricky! This year’s science-policy event was about the EU Commission’s “Missions” which are part of the EU’s next research and innovation framework programme, Horizon Europe,

What are these “Mission” things?

There are five EU Mission themes that will be part of Horizon Europe. Each Mission is directed by a board, composed of 15 experts who will identify a set of priorities within the broad theme that are ambitious, interdisciplinary, cross-sectorial and inspirational! From these priorities, the Mission Boards will create projects that focus on specific challenges with clear targets. You can read more about the Missions and Mission Boards here.

But what does all this have to do with the EGU?

Encompassing a large number of scientific disciplines, the geosciences play an important role in all of the EU Missions as well as many policy decisions, including but not limited to, those related to climate change, natural hazards, energy, agriculture and ocean health. This event is therefore an opportunity for researchers to share their expertise with policymakers and discuss the specific issues within each of the Missions, as well as to assess how greater collaboration between the two communities can be achieved to overcome societies biggest challenges.

The EGU’s Shaping EU Missions event focused on four of the five Missions that are most relevant to the geosciences:

Adapting to climate change, including societal transformation
Healthy oceans, seas, coastal and inland waters
Climate-neutral and smart cities
Soil health and food

So, scientists presented research that related to the Missions during the event?

Not exactly! The event was kicked-off by a panel of speakers who who outlined the role of the Missions, how they are likely to function and what can be done to bridge the gap between science and policy.

Shaping EU Missions panel speakers (from left to right): Constantin Ciupagea (Head of Land Resources Unit, Joint Research Centre), Gesine Meißner (Member of the Mission Board for ‘Healthy Oceans, Seas, Coastal and Inland Waters’) and Jean-Pierre Bourguignon (President of the European Research Council)

The rest of the event consisted of roundtable discussions which focused on specific issues within the broad EU Mission themes and involved all of the event’s participants. Roundtable discussions give all attendees the opportunity to get involved, share their own expertise and learn from the others at their table. They also allow participants to connect with each other, hear alternative viewpoints and ask questions that they might not feel comfortable asking during a more formal setting. Each of the Shaping EU Missions’ roundtables had a moderator to help navigate the discussions and ensure that the participants stayed roughly on topic.

‘Soil health and food’ roundtable discussion, moderated by Olivia Trani. Credit: Chloe Hill, EGU

Extensive Post-It notes from the ‘Adapting to climate change, including societal transformation’ roundtable discussion! Credit: Chloe Hill, EGU

What were the outcomes of the roundtable discussions?

Good question! Despite the varied themes discussed, a couple of suggestions were outlined by multiple tables. Participants believed that scientists, institutions and other stakeholders will better understand how they can best contribute to these Missions if the boards publicly outline how the Missions will work, overcome knowledge gaps, and be transformed into policy.

It was also suggested that establishing a shared knowledge interface could enhance the exchange of ideas, progress, common themes and solutions. This would not only allow the Missions to solve individual problems but also improve the connectivity between different types of science and data, bringing all the types of knowledge generation together and making it available.

The roundtable discussions also focused on aspects relevant to the particular Mission Boards. These outcomes will be published in a report by the EGU in mid-November.

Where can I find more information?

You can read more about the event in this EGU news item which was published earlier this month. The report outlining all of the events outcomes will also be linked here once published later this month. Alternatively, you can email policy@egu.eu if you have specific questions about the event.

EGU General Assembly 2020: Apply to be our next artist in residence!

Olivia Trani October 18, 2019

EGU 2019 artist in residence Morgane Merlin illustrating magma transport in the crust (Credit: Artwork: Morgane Merlin, Photo: Anastasia Kokori).

Calling all artists interested in the geosciences! For the third year in a row, the European Geosciences Union (EGU) will be providing artist in residence opportunities at its annual General Assembly.

Our residency programme provides artists with an opportunity to engage with scientific research in a dynamic setting and be inspired by new scientific discoveries. Researchers, on the other hand, can discover new and creative ways of making their work more accessible to the public through interacting with EGU artists in residence. Since 2018, we have hosted artists that produce diverse forms of art, from poetry and cartoons to illustrations and sculptures.

The EGU 2020 General Assembly will take place at the Austria Center Vienna in Vienna, Austria, from 3–8 May 2020. The residency would take place at the conference centre and last for the full week. The programme is most attractive for scientist-artists, especially those already familiar with, and interested in, the EGU General Assembly. The EGU provides a stipend of €1200 to cover accommodation and contribute towards travel expenses, as well as a free registration to the meeting.

Examples of the work produced by the EGU artists in residence in 2018 and 2019 are available on the EGU blog. However, we are open to a wide range of art forms that enhance the science discussed at the meeting and promote dialogue and collaboration between artists and scientists.

If you are interested in applying, complete the application form online by 1 December. More information about the opportunity and the application can be found here.

And if we haven’t convinced you yet to apply, Matthew Partridge and Sam Illingworth, our cartoonist and poet in residence from the 2018 General Assembly, can attest to the experience:

Matthew Partridge: “I spend a lot of time communicating science via a computer screen. Through cartoons, drawings and art I have spent almost 6 years communicating science and research to people, the vast majority I have never met. Being the resident artist at the EGU General Assembly in 2018 gave me an amazing opportunity to not only meet the people who’s science I was helping to communicate but engage directly with the audience. I got to talk to scientists about what is important to communicate as well as talk to people that had seen the drawings and wanted to know more. It was one of the best experience I’ve had as a cartoonist and I would say to any artist to go try it, meet a bunch of wonderful people and let them help you make amazing art.”

Sam Illingworth: “Being the poet-in-residence for the 2018 EGU General Assembly was an incredibly unique opportunity that enabled me to engage with a diverse audience of scientists and think about how their research, and my own might better be communicated through poetry. The whole experience has had a lasting impact on my work and practice, and I heartily recommend this post to any artist that is interested in finding out more about what geoscientists do, how they work, and how art might play a role in the development and communication of research.”

You can also catch the highlights from the 2019 General Assembly artists in residence in the video below.

The EGU General Assembly 2020 will take place from 3 to 8 May 2020 in Vienna, Austria. For more information on the General Assembly, see the EGU 2020 website and follow us on Twitter (#EGU20 is the official conference hashtag) and Facebook.

Call for new EGU network blogs!

Olivia Trani September 3, 2019

Do you have a passion for writing about the geosciences? You can hone your science communication skills by joining the EGU blog network!

Here is your chance to join the EGU blog network! Since 2013, the Union’s network blogs have enjoyed thought-provoking and engaging contributions on a range of topics: from the workings of the inner Earth and palaeontology, through to geomorphology and air quality. The network aims to foster a diverse community of geoscience bloggers, sharing accurate information about geoscientific research in a language understandable not only to fellow scientists but also to the broader public. The network blogs complement the EGU official blog and division blogs.

If you are an Earth, planetary or space researcher (whether you’re an early career scientist, or a more established one) with a passion for communicating your work, or a geoscience communicator, we’d like to hear from you!

We currently feature blogs that cover international development (Geology for Global Development), volcanology (VolcanicDegassing), and groundwater (Water Underground). We’d love to receive blog proposals from fields within the Earth, planetary and space sciences we don’t yet feature, including interdisciplinary and trans-disciplinary topics (e.g. ‘Sustainability’ or ‘Geoscience and Art’).

The benefits: apart from your site gaining exposure by having its posts listed on the front pages of the EGU website and the EGU blogs, we will also share highlights of your work on our social media channels (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram) and advertise the blog network at our annual General Assembly, which has over 16,000 attendees. And, of course, you’ll get to join a great community of bloggers (21 blogs run by more than 60 volunteers)!

Having an existing blog is not a requirement for application. However, if you don’t have a blog already, we’d like you to have at least some experience of writing for a broader audience, be it as a guest blogger, or contributing to outlets such as The Conversation. In this case, let us know what you’d like your blog to be called, what topics you would cover, and link to articles you’ve published in the past. Interested in blogging, but don’t want to go solo? We also are accepting applications submitted by a blog team!

If you’d like your blog (or blog idea) to be considered for our network, fill out this form by 16 September.

Network bloggers should be prepared to publish at least 1-3 blog posts a month. Please note that only blogs in English will be considered, as this is the EGU working language, and the language of the EGU blogs. We particularly encourage applications from all European countries, not just English-speaking countries, but bloggers from outside Europe can also apply.

Feel free to contact the EGU Communications Officer Olivia Trani if you have any questions. In the meantime – happy blogging!

By Olivia Trani, EGU Communications Officer