An Early Career Researcher (ECR)’s Perspective on Convening: Interview with Dr. Maria Dias
Most people go to Goldschmidt to present their research, meet with colleagues, and hear about cutting-edge science. Sounds like a lot already, right? A select few choose to go further by becoming a convener of a scientific session!
Conveners essentially mold the science you see by facilitating sessions according to their research interests and expertise. Session conveners ensure balance in the contributions to draw interest and engage discussions that move the field forward in exciting new ways! In most cases, conveners are well-established researchers who have contributed significantly into the field. Is there a place for early career researchers (ERC) in session convening?
I spoke to an ERC convener Dr. Maria Dias, a researcher from Ruhr-Universität Bochum in Germany, who is co-convening the session 02j – Isotope Fractionation and Diffusion Processes: Experimental and Theoretical Insights into Magmatic Processes and Mantle Dynamics. Here Maria sheds light on what it is like as an ECR convener at Goldschmidt.
- Why have you chosen to become a convener for Goldschmidt in Prague?
Maria Dias (MD): It was a combination of multiple things – during my PhD I went to conferences to present my own work, which were very good experiences. A convener is a different way of engaging with the conference, and I was curious about it. The field I work in [diffusion] is somewhat specialized, and sometimes there is no ‘home’ in the big conferences for this field. Many people use diffusion as a tool, so I wanted to provide a home for this work [at Goldschmidt]. I also think it is important to have ECR representation in the organization of the sessions.
2. What are some of the challenges that you and your conveners faced during the convening process?
MD: One of the major challenges was to come up with a session that strikes a balance between incentivising discussion within the community and specific enough [in scope], but still broad enough to bring in new people. It was important not to have a hyper-specialized session, but still have a meaningful discussion, and Thilo [Bißbort], Carlo [Pellulo], and I discussed it at length about this. Practically, other challenges include accommodating busy schedules for everyone to meet and merging our sessions, but in the end it was not too bad.
3. How did you and your conveners choose which presentation becomes a talk or a poster?
MD: Fortunately, this was not an issue in our session, because everyone was able to present in their preferred format. If we had to convert a poster to a talk, we could look for exciting approaches or results, with demonstrated implication in the geosciences.
4. Do you have any advice for aspiring (early career) researchers who want to convene a session at Goldschmidt?
I would highly recommend [becoming a convener]. It’s a great experience to contact other scientists, and gain a new perspective into the details and particulars of conference organization. You’re much more engaged with the science and get an early peek into the contributions in your field. Just go for it!”
N.B. If you wish to become a convener in future Goldschmidt conferences, stay tuned for a “call for conveners” in the autumn. This call will be published in the EAG newsletter and through various social media channels. Once the call opens, gather a team of conveners together and submit a session description to be considered for inclusion in the science programme for the next Goldschmidt conference. Good luck!