16th biennial International Conference on Harmful Algae (ICHA)
Rebecca Weeks
University of the Highlands & Islands
16th biennial International Conference on Harmful Algae (ICHA)
Towards the end of October 2014, I embarked upon the long but worthwhile journey from Oban, in the Highlands of Scotland, to the changeable climes of windy Wellington, New Zealand for the 16th biennial International Conference on Harmful Algae (ICHA). I believe the journey took the best part of 2 days but with a 13 hour time difference I arrived suitably confused and disoriented.
The journey was worth every second. Not only was it an honour to listen to some of the best brains in harmful algal science as guest speakers, but it was also thought provoking and sometimes mind boggling to listen to the vast range of research being carried out in this area. The talks were run as 3 parallel sessions, with research areas grouped together, allowing me to attend all of the talks that were of most interest to me. I was accepted to present a poster which provided an overview of my proposed PhD research, of which I’m still in the early stages, and was absolutely delighted to receive great interest during my poster session, sparking useful conversations and contacts with scientists from around the globe. This was my first international conference and the support from the Challenger Society played a large part in allowing my attendance. Being on the other side of the world the associated costs were not insubstantial, but to attend such an event in a country so dedicated to harmful algae research was invaluable and made the 60 hour return journey (with 14 hours of delays and no working on board entertainment!) worthwhile by far. I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the Challenger Society and the conference organisers for allowing me to attend such an interesting, well run and enjoyable event. I return to Scotland with a refreshed approach to my research and raring to put my new found inspiration into practice. I was so inspired by what the country and its research had to offer that I am already dreaming of post-docs in a few years’ time.
Profile
I attended the ICHA 2014 conference as a first year PhD student, based at the Scottish Association for Marine Science, under the supervision of Drs Phil Anderson, Keith Davidson (SAMS) and David McKee (University of Strathclyde). Having first achieved a first class honours degree in marine biology at the University of St Andrews, and an MRes entitled ‘Ecosystem based management of marine systems’ jointly at St Andrews and SAMS, I have undertaken a highly inter-departmental and multi-disciplinary 3 year PhD entitled ‘Identification and tracking of harmful algal blooms using multi-spectral techniques from remotely piloted aircraft platforms’ requiring expertise in biology, physics and technology combined.
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Marine Data Management, Governance and the MEDIN toolset
The Marine Environmental Data and Information Network (MEDIN) and OceanWise are delighted to invite you to attend our popular free online training workshop: ‘Marine Data Management, Governance and the MEDIN toolset’ on the 19th – 23rd of May 2025.
Workshop on the contribution of UK Arctic Ocean science to the International Polar Year 32/33
12:00 11th June – 16:00 12th June 2025: NOC Southampton (In-person with online option): Registration deadline 16th May
REGISTER HERE
Pre-meeting questionnaire (open to all)
The purpose of this workshop is for the UK Ocean Science community to discuss and then draft a prospectus document outlining the priority Arctic research questions the community would like to address during the run up to, throughout and beyond the International Polar Year 32/33. Additionally, to identify what unique strengths and technologies the UK has to help fill these knowledge gaps.
The second day of the workshop will be dedicated to writing groups, one for each of the priority research questions identified - from both the pre-meeting questionnaire (HERE) and day one discussion. By the end of the meeting, each group will have produced draft text and sourced supporting figures for the prospectus.
Post meeting, the draft will be opened for comments and suggestions from everyone, regardless of whether they were able to attend the workshop or not. It will then be shared with UK funders (UKRI, FCDO, DSIT, ARIA) and potential international programmes with whom we would like to collaborate (e.g. Arctic 2050, Norway). It will form a basis from which wider integration with terrestrial, atmospheric and cryosphere communities can be built, e.g. at the UK Arctic Science Meeting in September in Northumbria.
To ensure balanced community and ECR representation, and to ensure that the size of the writing groups is efficient and effective, if the number of registrations from individual institutes becomes overwhelming, we may contact individuals or teams and ask that each institute selects a smaller number of individuals to attend in-person. Please wait for confirmation of in-person attendance before finalising travel arrangements.
The workshop will be open to hybrid attendance and contributions on both days.
Challenger Society Council Position Vacancy
The Challenger Society for Marine Science (CSMS) are pleased to announce an exciting opportunity to support the next generation of ocean scientists and innovators. CSMS are looking for a new Council member to fill the Student Travel Awards and Stepping Stones Portfolio. The successful applicant will administer the travel and research grants available for Early Career Researchers.
The role involves:
- Receiving applications for the two schemes and responding to applicant inquiries
- Soliciting and compiling input from the rest of the Council for assessing the applications
- Communicating with successful and unsuccessful applicants for the two schemes
- Working with the Honorary Treasurer on allocating funds to successful applicants
- Following up with award winners on their reporting requirements
- Attending Council meetings four times a year (in person or online) and contributing to discussions and decision making for CSMS
The usual term for Council members is three years.
For more information about the CSMS Council, please follow this link: https://www.challenger-society.org.uk/The_Council
For more information about our Early Career Researcher grants and awards, please follow this link:
https://www.challenger-society.org.uk/Stepping_Stones
and
https://www.challenger-society.org.uk/Travel_awards
If you are interested in applying or have any questions regarding the role, please contact kathen@bas.ac.uk