24th International Association for People-Environment Studies Conference (IAPS 24): Sweden
Rebecca Shellock
Plymouth Marine Laboratory and University of Exeter
I would like to thank the Challenger Society for Marine Science for granting me a Travel Award to attend the 24th International Association for People-Environment Studies Conference (IAPS 24) in Lund, Sweden. The conference was a fantastic learning experience for me and it would not have been possible to attend without the Society’s generous support.
The IAPS 24 conference was organised by the International Association for People and the Environment studies, one of the largest communities that specialises in the study of the relationship between humans and the natural environment. The conference brought together environmental psychologists, planners, architects, geographers and health scientists in order to: (1) improve our understanding of how natural environments contribute to people’s quality of life, well-being and health and (2) develop multidisciplinary perspectives to address complex environmental issues.
My PhD is interdisciplinary and crosses the boundaries of marine science, environmental economics, environmental psychology and medical science. As a marine biologist by background, the IAPS 24 conference provided me with a vital opportunity to learn more about the field of environmental psychology, a core component of my PhD. I attended a range of interesting sessions on ‘restorative environments’, which explored the impacts of blue and green environments on people’s health and well-being. This provided me with a breadth of knowledge as well as the confidence to apply it to a marine and coastal context at my research institution. In addition to this, the conference provided me with a great opportunity to present the initial stages of my PhD research to a multidisciplinary audience. I presented a poster entitled: ‘The Marine Environment, Human Well-being and Environmental Valuation’. The poster session enabled me to gain ideas and feedback from researchers from all over the world. In addition to this, I was lucky enough to meet with researchers from the BlueHealth project and visit the Virtual Reality Lab at Lund University. Overall, this learning and networking opportunity has helped to shape my research, inspired new ideas for future work and initiated new collaborations.
Profile:
Rebecca Shellock is a first year PhD student at Plymouth Marine Laboratory and the European Centre for Environment and Human Health (University of Exeter). Her PhD aims to advance our understanding of the importance and value of marine and coastal environments for human health and well-being, using approaches from economics and psychology. Before starting her PhD in 2015, Rebecca worked as a Research Assistant for the Centre for Marine and Coastal Policy (MarCoPol) and completed a BSc in Biology and Animal Behaviour at the University of Exeter and an MRes in Marine Biology at Plymouth University and the Marine Biological Association.
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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