By Clara Douglas, PhD student University of Southampton & National Oceanography Centre Earlier this year, I travelled to California to carry out a three-month research placement at the University of California, Berkeley. While I was there, I was also able to attend the Polar Marine Science Gordon Research Seminar and Conference (GRS and GRC) in … More A trip across the pond: Polar Marine Science and Lipidomics

By Jordi Sola, PhD student at Swansea University In June 2023, I swapped the British weather for a dose of sun, sea and marine science in Mallorca. Thanks to the Challenger Society Travel Award, I was able to attend and participate in the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO) Aquatic Meeting 2023, … More Discussing the effects of substrate topography on rocky shore communities at ASLO Aquatic Sciences 2023

By Lucy Carruthers, a PhD student at Northumbria University I was very honoured to be awarded a travel grant by The Challenger Society to attend the ASLO Aquatic Sciences Meeting 2023 in Palma, Majorca, which took place from the 4th to the 9th of June.  This year’s theme was ‘Resilience and Recovery in Aquatic Systems’ … More ASLO Aquatic Sciences Meeting 2023

By Raphaela Gracie, PhD student at the University of Southampton This April, the annual Marine Biological Postgraduate Conference was held in Aberystwyth, a picturesque town located between the Cambrian Mountains and Cardigan Bay on the west coast of Wales. The MBA Postgraduate Conference is different to any other I have been to because it is … More Marine Biological Association Postgraduate Conference 2023: from kelp forests to funicular railways

By Lucy Martin, PhD student at the University of Portsmouth In June 2023, I attended the International Research Group on Wood Protection’s 54th (IRG54) Annual conference in Cairns, Australia. It was an incredible opportunity not only to network with new colleagues and meet old friends, but also to visit tropical Queensland and the Great Barrier … More On marine wood-boring organisms at the 54th meeting of the International Research Group on Wood Protection

By Ben Fisher, PhD student University of Edinburgh I was awarded a Challenger Society travel grant to attend the Polar Marine Science GRC in Ventura, CA at the start of March 2023. This bi-annual conference brings together scientists from across the globe to discuss the latest research in Arctic and Antarctic research. Gordon Research Conferences … More Polar Marine Science Gordon Research Conference

By Emily Hague, PhD student – Heriot-Watt University In February 2023, with help from the Challenger Society for Marine Science Travel Award, I travelled almost 5000 miles from Scotland over to Vancouver Canada, to attend the Fifth International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC5), a global forum that brought together ocean conservation professionals and high-level officials … More International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC5) & Beyond: a month of learning & networking about cumulative impacts on marine mammals

by Anamika Poyil, GIS officer at the University of Edinburgh I am extremely grateful to the Challenger Society for awarding me a travel grant to participate in the 12th Marine Alliance for Science and Technology Scotland (MASTS) Annual Science Meeting (ASM) from 8-10 November 2022, held in Glasgow at the University of Strathclyde. Since the … More Marine Alliance for Science and Technology Annual Science Meeting

By Hannah Earp, PhD student Aberystwyth University & Newcastle University In January 2023 I attended the 13th International Temperate Reefs Symposium (ITRS) in Hobart, Australia, and my attendance was generously supported by a Challenger Society Travel Award. ITRS brings together a global network of marine researchers, including both leading scientists and young researchers, working on … More A conference in a land down under: the 13th International Temperate Reefs Symposium

by Joséphine Anselin, PhD student British Antarctic Survey On a windy afternoon in November 2022, together with 49 other scientists from 14 different institutions, I boarded the German icebreaker Polarstern in Punta Arenas, Chile. As we were getting shuttled from the pier to the vessel on small boats, I couldn’t stop smiling. I was about … More Island Impact Expedition: Investigating sources and pathways of iron around South Georgia