10th International Temperate Reefs Symposium (ITRS)
Sally Rouse
SAMS
10th International Temperate Reefs Symposium (ITRS), University of Western Australia, Perth
The International Temperate Reef Symposium is the premier conference for marine scientists whose research focuses on temperate hard-bottom habitats. This year the meeting was held at the University of Western Australia in Perth from the 12-17th of January. The meeting included 250 oral and poster presentations, as well as a series of plenary sessions. The research ranged intertidal ecology to citizen science, with the overarching theme of ‘Ecological Transitions’. Two ‘casual plenary’ sessions gave senior ecologists a platform to share their personal perspectives on trends in temperate reef ecology over the last three decades.
I presented the results of my experiments on drivers of benthic productivity on artificial structures, that form part of my PhD. My presentation was giving during the ‘Human Impacts’ session, which had other talks particularly pertinent to my research. The presentation was useful in facilitating my engagement with other researchers working on artificial substrates. This was the first time that I have presented the results of my work and the feedback and input from other reef ecologists has aided me in planning the next steps of my PhD.
I also presented a poster on a continuing project to develop an artificial grass sediment trap to measure food supply to organisms that live in benthic boundary layers. The poster was well received and it led to some interesting discussions on other potential applications of the sediment traps.
I would like to thank to the Challenger Society for their financial support that enabled me to attend the meeting.
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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