The group photo of participants
The integrated CHESS and NGF (Norwegian Geophysical Society) meeting from 25th to 28th September at Vikersund was successfully concluded! It was well attended by a total of 54 participants with 29 talks and 14 poster presentations. Apart from participating in the scientific presentations and discussions, CHESS members also enjoyed some social activities including hiking up the hills and swimming in the cold but refreshing fjord water.
The meeting started off with the usual fun team building. Participants were encouraged to form groups with people from diverse backgrounds (based on sex, discipline, nationality etc.), and the most diverse group got the best marks. Each group then had to build a paper bridge which could withstand some weights. In the end, one group was a clear winner and received a small present. After lunch, the scientific presentations began with the “Ocean” session and continued until the poster session in the evening.
Which one looks more like a bridge?
The meeting continued the second day with the “Ice and solid earth” session. In the afternoon, our invited guests from Vestlandets Innovasjonsselskap in Bergen led a workshop about start-up and innovation. It was very useful and well received; and some participants were encouraged to present their preliminary innovation ideas to the audience. We might see the fruits of their ideas in the future!
The scientific presentations of the “Atmosphere” session filled the morning of the third day. Before the CHESS part of the meeting was concluded and our international evaluation board members each gave some valuable feedback.
After lunch, the NGF annual meeting was opened by Thomas Spengler who presented the future vision of the integration of the CHESS community into NGF as a legacy for the research school. The afternoon was filled with interesting talks given by NGF members.
The final morning was the NGF official general assembly. There were quite a few changes in NGF’s statutes, which are necessary for the ambitions of the new board and the legacy of CHESS, and also included the restructuring of the organization into a national geoscience union with subsections in Oslo, Bergen, and Tromsø. In the coming year, we will work on the completion of this integration. A final big conference is already planned in June 2024 in Bergen. We look forward to transitioning the CHESS legacy to NGF!
Text: Mandy Kong and Thomas Spengler, all photos: Mandy Kong