3rd Student-Led Conference On Polar Environments (SCOPE) at the University Centre in Svalbard
Photo credits: SCOPE
The 3rd Student-Led Conference On Polar Environments (SCOPE) held at UNIS on October 13th and 14th, 2023, marked another year of the successful student-led conference. In total 102 students participated, with 9 local attendees joining the event on the open day, which took place on Saturday. The conference included 18 student presentations, representing all educational levels from Bachelor to PhD. These presentations covered a wide range of interdisciplinary topics, such as human-polar bear interaction, marine and terrestrial biology, beach clean-up, and renewable energy. Additionally, a session with seven poster presentations allowed participants to engage in exchanging ideas and networking.
While one of the scheduled keynote speakers was unable to attend, Sil Schuring and Gijsbert Breedveld stepped in, presenting UNISprout and the Arctic Field Grant. The conference featured notable keynote speakers, including Ullrich Neumann discussing his experiences as a self-employed alumnus and the importance of entrepreneurship. Other keynote talks focused on data management and the Svalbox project. APECS (Association of Polar Early Career Scientists) played an active role in the conference.
Photo credits: SCOPE
The participants expressed their satisfaction with the amount of lectures and the opportunity to network with students from different disciplines. The interdisciplinary nature of SCOPE was appreciated, and many attendees stated that they learned something new during the conference.
SCOPE received financial support from bioCEED, iEarth, and Svalbox, in total 110,000 NOK, ensuring the smooth execution of the event. Most of the funding was spent on organizing the conference dinner, arranging lunch and coffee, printing the posters, and buying prizes for the best presentation and poster.
Photo credits: SCOPE
The positive feedback highlights the value of such interdisciplinary events while also offering constructive suggestions for future improvement. With continued support and engagement from students and faculty, SCOPE is likely to grow and thrive in the coming years, providing a platform for the exchange of ideas and fostering a sense of community within the institution.
For more information about the conference visit our homepage: https://scope-conference.weebly.com/
