Challenger 2024: A Sea of Connections, Community, and Discovery

Clara Douglas

University of Southampton / National Oceanography Centre

The Challenger Society for Marine Science fosters a vibrant community of marine scientists across the UK and beyond. One way this community comes together is through the biennial Challenger Conference, this year held in Oban. I attended my first Challenger conference in 2022 – the Challenger 150, no less! I presented my first in-person (thanks, COVID) presentation of my PhD to a room full of scientists within the Natural History Museum. I had an amazing time during that conference, meeting early career researchers (ECR) like myself and receiving feedback from scientists outside my immediate research circle, as well as learning more about the Challenger Society and its working groups.

Earlier this year, the call for abstracts and sessions came from the Challenger Society, with confirmation that the 2024 conference would be hosted in sunny (no, actually!) Oban, Scotland. This year's conference held a special significance to me because of its location in my home country of Scotland. While completing my undergraduate degree in St Andrews, I would frequently visit Oban for scuba diving trips, and my love for marine science flourished. This year’s conference provided some free time on one of the days for activities and exploration of the local area. Before going for a sea swim, I joined a tour of the small but mighty Oban Distillery. A music night was organised by some of the multi-talented scientists in attendance and we celebrated the last night of the conference in true Scottish style with a ceilidh (the best addition to any event)!

After watching the EDIA (Equality, Diversity, Inclusivity and Accessibility) panel at Challenger 150, I was keen to get involved in the Challenger Society EDIA working group. The EDIA group meets regularly to discuss and implement ways of promoting inclusivity and accessibility in marine science. Cultivating spaces to share resources and discussions enriches our communities. It not only improves lived experiences through equity of opportunity, but also influences the quality of our work as scientists with a diversity of perspectives. One of the most worthwhile experiences I had at the conference was to represent ECR as a panelist in the EDIA session. Despite my excitement for the opportunity, I was initially nervous and questioned what contributions I could make to a topic as significant as recruitment and retention of underrepresented groups. Talking to respected peers and mentors helped me realise the imposter syndrome I was experiencing was indicative of the problem itself: hesitance or doubt in one’s own experience or expertise is a barrier to entry. I was reassured that the purpose of a panel discussion was to bring our own experiences to the session, to share and build on discussions of important issues and solutions in relation to the theme, and that ultimately, I had worthwhile things to say. In the end, it was a fantastic opportunity to provide ECR insight into EDIA topics. There was huge enthusiasm for the panel session, and unfortunately not enough time to touch on all questions, such as LGBT+ topics, but disability and health accessibility/accommodations was a big discussion theme that all members of the panel participated in. As a late-stage PhD student it is important to me that there are conversations happening across and within career stages – for example, often new ECR don't know about systems that are in place for supporting them through their research journeys. The panel facilitated not only dissemination of this information to ECR, but also communicated the needs of ECR to more established scientists to improve the system going forward.


I also had the privilege to present my own ongoing research – using biogeochemical-Argo floats to estimate the biological carbon flux in the Weddell Gyre – as part of an excellent session with speakers from across career stages presenting cutting-edge science. Recognition and feedback from other scientists who are working in the same field as me, particularly those whose papers I have read, was rewarding. The sessions throughout the week covered a broad range of topics, with my favourite talk being about how oyster bed restoration in Scotland is being aided by looking at references to oysters in Gaelic place names. I think the interweaving of science with local culture is a beautiful and valuable way of ensuring our work remains grounded and part of 'the big picture'. From a global point of view, this also emphasises how diversity in marine science can enrich the quality of our science, enabling us to learn from indigenous knowledge sources.

Overall, the conference was an exciting and engaging week: It started with a science communication workshop held by Incredible Oceans which was a great day of learning ways to communicate in engaging and accessible ways. (*You can read more about the workshop in the next Ocean Challenge!*) The icebreaker then kicked off the main conference. Although loud and chaotic, it was fun bumping into old friends and acquaintances, many of whom I hadn't seen since the Challenger 150 conference. The icebreaker was just the first night of a very sociable week! The conference brought together a handful of the UK-based mentors and fellow students from a Southern Ocean summer school that I attended earlier in the year, our reunion dinner taking place in one of my favourite Oban restaurants (Cuan Mór). Finally, the AMBIO and OMG special interest group meetings were a nice balance of sharing specialised research in a more relaxed environment and catching up with a few more people as the conference week came to an end.

I am grateful to the Challenger Society for awarding me a travel grant that allowed me to attend the Challenger 2024 conference. It was truly a wonderful experience thanks to the organisation and attendance of many brilliant people. As I finish my PhD, I am grateful to the Challenger Society for facilitating me in building my UK(+) network and look forward to the possibility of returning to the Challenger conference in the future.

Profile: I am a final year INSPIRE PhD student at the University of Southampton and the National Oceanography Centre. My research aims to better understand the Southern Ocean biological carbon pump using data from satellites and autonomous Biogeochemical-Argo floats, with a focus on the Weddell Gyre. I am a member of the Challenger Society EDIA working group. I have an MSc in Oceanography from the University of Southampton and a BSc in Marine Biology from the University of St Andrews.