46th Annual Benthic Ecology Meeting: USA
Katie O’Shaughnessy
Plymouth University
The 46th Annual Benthic Ecology Meeting (BEM) in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA was a busy and information-packed 4 days covering topics under the theme, “Sustainable oceans in theory and practice." This year, topics ranged from living shorelines using oysters and cordgrass to chemical ecology of corals and sponges. Additionally, there were panel presentations from top ecologists, a “Careers and Coffee” networking session and of course the traditional “Beneath the Waves Film Festival”. I was fortunate enough to not only attend the conference, but also give an oral and poster presentation on my current and past research. This was only possible because of the generous funding by the Challenger Society for Marine Science.
The BEM is traditionally held at a university along the eastern seaboard of the United States every spring, and is the premier conference for domestic and international students and early career researchers to exchange ideas and practice feeling comfortable presenting to a large audience. A panel of professionals judged all student presentations, and constructive feedback was shared with presenters at the end of the conference.
My oral presentation was titled: “Eco-engineering of coastal infrastructure: a design for life,” and focused on my PhD research to date in Plymouth Sound. I generated much interest in the topic both during the Q&A session and afterwards throughout the remainder of the meeting. My poster presentation was titled: “Ecosystem restoration along the Grand Strand, South Carolina: the Coastal Oyster and Recycling and Restoration Initiative (CORRI),” which summed up much of the work I did with oyster reef restoration techniques in South Carolina.
Most valuable to me were the connections I made, both old and new. I completed my master’s degree in Myrtle Beach, SC, and thus have many professional and personal contacts in the area. It was exciting for me to share my work as a PhD student with old colleagues, as it is important for scientists in similar fields to stay abreast with each other’s research and aims. I walked away from the conference knowing that I contributed knowledge, and maintained and formed links across the ocean.
I want to personally say a very genuine “thank you” to the Challenger Society for making this opportunity a reality for me.
Profile:
2nd year PhD student, School of Biological and Marine Sciences, Plymouth University.
Title of PhD: “Ecological engineering of coastal infrastructure: a design for life.”
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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