GRC/GRS in Chemical Oceanography 2019 (New Hampshire, USA)
Koko Kunde
University of Southampton
Thank you Challenger Society for supporting me with a travel grant to attend the GRC in Chemical Oceanography 2019, my absolute favourite conference so far!
Take an empty boarding school in the middle of beautiful New Hampshire, stick a hundred or so chemical oceanographers from around the world together, and create a fantastic week packed with non-stop presentations, discussions and workshops. This was the successful recipe of the GRC in Chemical Oceanography this year. The small scale and unusual format, with the science program lasting all day long from 9am to 9pm and with all conferees eating together in a big dining hall and socialising during kayaking and pingpong in the breaks, really created a unique environment to get to know the other scientists beyond the typical brief conference chat.
The conference kicked off with a two-day seminar exclusive to PhD students and early career researchers. Between talks and posters, the seminar was a fantastic platform for me to catch up with old friends, make friends and discuss my research ideas with my peers in a “safe environment” before the senior scientists arrived. The seminar was concluded with a mentorship session by Dr Chris Reddy (WHOI) on science communication, which helped me to understand my research in the context of policy making, the media and the lay public.
Then the senior scientists showed up later that day. At first, it was a bit intimidating as I was finally going to meet some of the faces behind the papers I have been reading, some of my role models, and perhaps most importantly, some of the scientists I would love to work with after finishing my PhD. But, the GRC is so small and so intimate that there is no chance you can hide – and in the end, you didn’t have to either. Every single attendee was so approachable, so interested and so interesting. People were joking that the GRC was almost like “science summer camp” as the whole atmosphere was incredibly friendly… well, at least until the big biennial football match was hosted: Team USA vs Team The-Rest-Of-The-World. After the rest of the world quickly defeated the US with 2:0 (no surprise here), we were all friends again. ;-) The science talks covered an exciting broad range of topics in chemical oceanography, from hydrothermal plumes at depths to macro- and micronutrient acquisition in the surface. For me as an iron biogeochemist, it was particularly great to see how much chemical and biological oceanography intersect.
All in all, this was the best conference I have been to so far. I left feeling excited and motivated about all the open questions and fantastic people in the field of chemical oceanography. I hope it won’t be the last time I attended.
I am currently a 3rd year PhD student with Prof Maeve Lohan and Prof Mark Moore at the University of Southampton. My research focuses on the micronutrient iron in the subtropical North Atlantic. In particular, I am investigating the controls behind iron’s distribution and bioavailability across the subtropical gyre to identify regions where it may become limiting for phytoplankton.
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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