Reaching Out to the European Science Community

 
Published: 10 May 2013
Foot traffic was dense and steady around the Austria Center Vienna during EGU 2013, held April 7-12.

In chilly, early April, more than 11,000 scientists from 95 countries gathered at the European Geosciences Union General Assembly in Vienna, Austria. The weeklong meeting saw 4,684 oral, 8,207 poster, and 452 PICO (presenting interactive content) presentations. Joining the fray for the second time, representatives from the ARM Facility presented information about ARM in several sessions and answered questions posed by numerous visitors to the ARM booth in the Assembly’s exhibit area.

Jim Mather, ARM Technical Director, presented “New Measurements, Data Products, and Services” in a general session on clouds, aerosols and radiation. Scott Collis, ARM Precipitation Radar scientist, gave two talks—one invited—during a session on the evolution of convective storms. Mather and Collis attended numerous others sessions and a variety of Town Hall meetings, including one on “Big Data” and another on the “Future of Research in the EU.”

Rotating duties at the ARM booth with Mather and Collis, Lynne Roeder, ARM Public Information Officer, attended sessions on science communications and outreach. Hundreds of researchers packed the room for a particularly lively panel discussion about the use of blogs and social media in scientific research.

Jim Mather (left) and Tuukka Petaja (right) pause for a photo at the ARM booth during EGU 2013. Petaja is the principal investigator for the Biogenic Aerosols-Effects on Clouds and Climate (BAECC) field campaign, which takes place in Hyytiala, Finland, in 2014.

About 200 visitors stopped by the ARM booth to pick up information and ask questions. The most common inquiry—leading to further questions and interest—was incredulity that all ARM data are freely available to anyone. Another popular topic was the ARM Mobile Facilities, with visitors interested in field campaigns ranging from Bulgaria and Chile to the Mediterranean and Caribbean.

Highlighting the week was a visit by Tuukka Petaja, principal investigator for the upcoming Biogenic Aerosols-Effects on Clouds and Climate (BAECC) field campaign in 2014. This campaign will use an ARM Mobile Facility at a heavily forested site in Hyytiala, Finland. He talked in depth with Mather about: science issues and goals; data product needs; radar siting and calibration and other instrument issues; potential U.S. and Finnish collaborators; and a fall (2013) workshop leading up to the deployment.

Next year’s EGU General Assembly will again be held in Vienna, from April 27-May 2, 2014.