Let's talk about the Oceans!
Instead of our usual biennial meeting, the Challenger Society kindly invites all UK marine scientists to a series of discussion sessions to explore current topics in marine science. The format will be short talks, guided discussions and networking breaks. The Society welcomes members and non-members, with early career researchers especially encouraged to attend and contribute. Attendance to the sessions is free but a suggested donation of £5 per session can be made via the donate button on our membership page found here (please note that members must be logged out to see the button): donate. All sessions will be run on Zoom with links sent to those who have registered. Further details and calls for the sessions will be circulated in due course.
Save the Dates
18th November 2021 - 13:00-15:00
Science for the UN Decade of the Ocean
Further information can be found here.
Registration Link
9th December 2021 - 13:00-14:30
Defining Challenger Society's Role in Marine Science
Registration Link
Past Events
9th September 2021 - 12:00-13:30 and 10th September 2021 16:00-17:00
Welcome, Fellowship Award talks and the Annual General Meeting
The welcome and fellowship award talks will precede the Ocean Modelling SIG meeting. The AGM will follow on from day two of the SIG meeting.
Welcome and Fellowship Awards Registration Link
AGM Registration Link
5th and 6th October 2021 - 13:00-14:30
Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity sessions, co-hosted with MASTS
5th October Registration Link
Barriers to Diversity in UK Marine Science
Please join us for a panel discussion on real and perceived barriers to diversity in UK marine science and what we can do to remove them. We welcome four excellent panellists for the event:
Madeline Anderson (UK Polar Network)
Madeline Anderson is a MSci Marine Biology graduate from the University of Southampton. She took part in the Diversity in UK Polar Science Initiative (DiPSI) 2020 UK Polar Horizons project and is a UK Polar Network EDI co-officer. Madeline returned as a panellist for Polar Horizons 2021, is part of the Challenger Society EDIA working group and sits on the DiPSI steering committee.
Renuka Badhe (European Polar Board)
Renuka Badhe currently serves as the Executive Secretary of the European Polar Board, based in the Netherlands, and was previously based at the SCAR Secretariat as their Executive Officer. Her educational background is both in biological oceanography and in economics and public policy. As a knowledge broker, she has long standing expertise working with projects at the interface of governance, science, and policy in the polar regions. She is a passionate advocate for diversity in polar research and has co-founded the Women in Polar Science network (in 2014) to highlight and promote women working in all aspects of polar research. She is an outspoken advocate of diversity, has served on several advisory panels and groups for diversity in polar research. Renuka has been awarded the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) International Mentorship Award in 2017.
Donna Frater (NERC)
Donna Frater is an experienced 20 year geologist and a career long STEM Diversity Ambassador. Donna completed her MSc Gender, Development and Globalisation at London School of Economics to address the continuing issues with Diversity and Inclusion in STEM globally. Her current work at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) involves leading the UK's Diversity in Polar Science Initiative, a project jointly carried out by BAS and the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Huw Griffiths (Diversity in UK Polar Science Initiative)
Huw is a BAS marine biogeographer with an interest in the Polar Regions. He is a passionate believer in science communication and making science more accessible to the public, policy makers and government. Within BAS he has played a leading role within the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion sphere, co-organising the UK Polar Horizons Initiative. Huw is also the 2020 awardee of the SCAR medal for Education and Communication.
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6th October Registration Link
EDIA Case Studies & Best Practice
Latest News
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
NOC Association (NOCA) AGM 2025
The 14th AGM of the NOC Association will be held on Thursday 15th and Friday 16th May 2025. This free, on-line event will take place on Zoom, across two consecutive mornings, each starting at 10:00 and ending at 12:30. The agenda will focus on national capability (NC) science, ships, and autonomous vehicles, and how the community can engage. There will be an update on AtlantiS and on the new marine science scoping group. All are warmly welcome to join.
To participate, please complete your registration here.
For enquiries: Jackie Pearson, Secretary to NOCA: jfpea@noc.ac.uk