The 28th IUGG General Assembly was held in Berlin from 11 to 20 July. With over 5000 participants, it is one of the most important geoscientific events in the world. After more than two years of online/hybrid scientific meetings, this General Assembly was a special opportunity for participants from around the world to meet again to discuss the full range of geodetic and geophysical topics. These include atmospheric, oceanographic, hydrological and cryospheric sciences.
As at every scientific conference, there are many young and early career scientists attending the IUGG. To this end, a series of ECS-specific events were organised by the 8 different IUGG Associations. Representing the International Association of Cryospheric Sciences (IACS), APECS Germany was involved in the organisation of two IUGG ECS events.
Firstly, the ECS Social was held on Saturday 15 July and was a friendly social event open to all individuals who identify as early career. Participants had the opportunity to meet ECSs from across the IUGG, share experiences and enjoy food and drink. They could also anonymously submit thoughts and questions for the ‘Big Theme’ panel discussion the following day. In total there were around 200 people in attendance. What a great evening!
At the ‘Big Theme’ panel discussion the following day, Sunday 16 July, representatives from each association discussed the needs, wishes and demands of the ECS. This revolved around input from the ECS Social and questions from the audience. How does your IUGG association compare to others? Where does IUGG aim to change in the next four years? What are ECS demands moving forward?
Part of the panel, discussing these questions, was APECS Germany board member Erik Loebel. He represented IACS and ECS in cryospheric research.
The large stage, as well as the financial and organisational support, shows that the IUGG cares about ECS. We are very pleased to have been involved in the organisation of the ECS programme at IUGG and look forward to continuing this successful collaboration in the future.
There are lots of great pictures from the ECS Social and the ‘Big Theme’ panel discussion on the IUGG website.