Successful conclusion of the second General Assembly of NGF in Oslo

The Norwegian Geophysical Society successfully concluded its second General assembly a bit over a week ago. With close to 80 participants, 7 union lectures, 47 oral and 14 poster presentations, the General Assembly had a packed program with many interesting contributions and plenty of time for networking and discussions. The University of Oslo also published a nice article about the conference.

We would like to thank all participants for joining this exciting meeting with great networking opportunities. Special thanks also to the Britta Schäfer (CICERO), Vemund Stenbekk Thorkildsen (UiO) and Charlotte Bruland (NORSAR) for taking on the local organisation. We would also like to thank the members of the Scientific Organisation Committee for putting together this interesting program and for nominating an exciting lineup of union lectures.

NGF’s General Assembly is the ideal platform for all geophysical scientists in Norway to connect and exchange ideas. The Research Council of Norway was also present, introducing plans for the upcoming International Polar Year (IPY) and making themselves available for in depth discussions on other matters related to funding.

It is always amazing how well we can converse across our geophysical disciplines, despite their obvious differences. We speak one common language using physics-based description of the world. In addition, geodesy makes for a great ally and field of great relevance, as we all rely heavily on their expertise and data, even without often really knowing about it.

In additional to the union lectures on the first day, we had both disciplinary and inter-disciplinary sessions on Thursday and Friday. It was especially rewarding to see connections between hydrological, cryospheric, and atmospheric sciences and how far these disciplines have come in jointly tackling pressing research questions, related to both climate change issues, as well as other fundamental research questions at the interface of these disciplines.

At the end of the first day, all participants enjoyed an icebreaker sponsored by NORSAR, with plenty of snacks and drinks available. Thursday, we went to the famous Ekeberg Restaurant at the outskirts of Oslo in beautiful weather with amazing views. The three-course meal in company of friends and colleagues was a fabulous treat.

On the last day, NGF also conducted its Annual Meeting with good participation. A new board was elected and several interesting and timely issues were raised to further strengthen and expand NGF and its member base as well as its relevance for the geophysical science community in Norway. More details about the new board will be provided after the constituting board meeting the coming weeks.