Final-year PhD student Maddie Shankle enjoyed her first experience co-convening a session at the EGU24 meeting.

Final-year PhD Student Maddie Shankle enjoyed her first experience co-convening a session at a major international conference, the General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union held in Vienna, Austria, from 15-19 April 2024. With other early-career and senior researchers, Maddie helped organise and run a session titled “Dynamics of Glacials, Deglaciations, and the Ocean's Role in CO2 Changes during Quaternary Glacial Cycles”. This session brought together expertise and perspectives on various feedbacks and processes within the Earth system – involving everything from orbital variations, to terrestrial ice sheet dynamics, to sea ice and sea level changes, to different modes of ocean circulation – that are believed to have contributed to atmospheric CO2 changes during Earth’s ice ages.

This was a great scientific and professional opportunity for both Maddie and two other students, Chen Xu and Megan Pelly, who presented talks on their PhD work as part of this session.

Conferences such as EGU serve as vital forums for researchers to exchange ideas and receive critical feedback on their work, as well as network and foster new collaborations for future research.

An excellent turnout from the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences was had by Maddie, Chen, Megan, and other members and alumni of the Rae-Burke research group, and they are all looking forward to their next scientific meeting!