What is an URGE Pod?
The URGE pod is a monthly journal club which focuses on learning about race and racism in geosciences by reading mostly academic literature and listening to experts and personal experiences. The pod met online for nine months to discuss a range of topics beginning with understanding the many facets of racism and how it manifests in academia, to learning about schemes that were successful in improving the representation of historically underrepresented groups within the geosciences.
Challenger URGE Pod
The pod met online for nine months to discuss a range of topics beginning with understanding the many facets of racism and how it manifests in academia, to learning about schemes that were successful in improving the representation of historically underrepresented groups within the geosciences. Each month the pod worked towards an implementable policy deliverable (often in collaboration with the Challenger EDIA group) that should lead to actionable progress in improving the representation, experience and retention of underrepresented ethnic groups within marine science in the UK. We produced deliverables relevant to UK marine science which included a code of conduct for Challenger conferences, including an anonymous reporting form, a fieldwork inclusivity strategy, and several sets of compiled and synthesised resources and recommendations focused on topics such as hiring practices.
Deliverables
Session 1: Group Norms and Pod Guidelines
Session 2: Code of Conduct for Meetings and Reporting Form
Session 3: Demographic data for the Challenger Society (long-term goal as part of the Challenger strategy)
Session 4 and 6: Fieldwork inclusivity plan and guidance with a section focused on working with communities of colour (ongoing)
Session 5: Recommendations for hiring and recruitment practices in UK marine science (ongoing)
Session 7: UK focused resource map (ongoing)
Session 8: Dissemination plan (complete)
Latest News
Townhall on UK Arctic Ocean contribution to International Polar Year 32/33
The Arctic is one of the most rapidly-changing regions on our planet, with impacts on global sea-level rise, changes to our climate and weather patterns, and threats to our shared biodiversity and ecosystem services. With the international community rapidly mobilising towards the International Polar Year 32/33, and with new international programmes and initiatives now being shaped, it is timely for the UK Ocean Science community to come together and articulate what its unique offerings could be to Arctic research and technology.
This hybrid 2-day meeting, to be held at NOC Southampton, is intended to start this process. Recognising the Arctic Oceans role in global Earth and Human systems, anticipated outcomes include a high-level shaping of what the UK Arctic Ocean community would like to achieve over the course of the IPY, stimulation of new collaborations and proposals for grand Arctic challenges and a baseline from which wider integration with terrestrial, atmospheric and cryosphere communities, both in the UK and overseas, can be built. Discussions will continue in diverse forums, including the UK Arctic Science Meeting in September and at Challenger 2026.
This action is supported by the UK Arctic Office and UK Arctic and Antarctic Partnership
Further details and meeting registration link will be circulated in April together with a questionnaire to help shape the agenda and discussion
In the meantime…SAVE THE DATE
Potential Availability of NERC Ship Time During the 25/26 Programme Year
The NERC Marine Facilities Programme for 2025/2026 for the RRS Discovery and the RRS James Cook has been published on the Marine Facilities Planning website.
The RRS Discovery programme currently contains a 79 day alongside slot between the 2nd of November 2025 and the 19th of January 2026, which is available for science delivery if funded science projects can make use of this time. Due to the location of the vessel, the ship is most likely to be able to deliver fieldwork in the North and East Atlantic regions. Some support for science capability within the National Marine Equipment Pool is potentially available, although there is no capacity for use of autonomous vehicles or remotely operated vehicles. Any fieldwork within Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) will need the appropriate diplomatic clearance submitted to coastal states at least 6 months in advance, and to NMF with sufficient lead time for processing via the FCDO.
If interested in making use of this ship time, please contact NERC Marine Planning (marineplanning@nerc.ukri.org) ASAP to start discussions.
THE MARINE FACILITIES ADVISORY BOARD – CAN YOU HELP?
The Marine Facilities Advisory Board advises the National Oceanography Centre on marine facilities and services, including the Natural Environment Research Council’s National Marine Equipment Pool (NMEP), the British Oceanographic Data Centre and the British Ocean Sediment Core Research Facility.