EurOCEAN 2019 conference was a high-level marine science-policy conference where the marine science community had the chance to interact with those that set, manage and implement the European and National marine science agendas. The Organizing Committee was keen to involve early career scientists in this conference, which are those who would actually deal in 2030 with the consequences of our current actions.
For the EurOCEAN 2019 conference, a call for abstracts was opened from scientists at PhD or post doc level for presenting a poster at the conference to present an innovative and eye-catching printed poster on one of the main themes of the conference (sustainable marine resources, the land perspective on the ocean, new pollutants in the marine environment, or Oceans and Human Health). A useful guide on how to make a powerful and visual poster can be found here.
Based on the criteria below, the EMB secretariat selected the 10 best submissions,
which were invited to provide a poster that was displayed throughout the 2-day conference and to give a 1-min pitch presentation in plenary. During the conference, the public judged the oral and poster presentations and voted via a Sli.do poll open till the morning of 12 June 2019.
The most voted one with 42% was Maria Kazour (University Littoral Côte d’Opale, France) with her poster Sources of microplastics pollution into the marine environment: Importance of wastewater treatment plant and coastal landfill. The poster prize, a commissioned piece of art from Camilla Brendon, a mixed media and installation artist, was given by the Member of European Parliament Ricardo Serrão Santos.
Criteria for selection
- Clear and written in language that is easy to understand.
- Use of language which is engaging and excited curiosity in the topic.
- Focus on one of the main themes of the conference (Sustainable marine resources, the land perspective on the ocean, new pollutants in the marine environment, or Oceans and Human Health) was essential.
- Ability to present your research in an innovative and eye-catching poster and to reflect that in the abstract.
During the conference, the poster presenters benefited from:
- Opportunity to present your work at a high-level marine science-policy conference held in the IOC-UNESCO headquarters in Paris.
- Free participation to an important high-level marine science-policy conference.
- Opportunity to network and meet relevant people.
- Gather new ideas for your research with one-to-one discussions.
Posters at EurOCEAN 2019
Maria Kazour, University Littoral Côte d’Opale, “Sources of microplastics pollution into the marine environment: Importance of wastewater treatment plant and coastal landfill” (WINNER)
Simona Aracri, University of Edinburgh, “Biodegradable Soft Robots for Ocean Monitoring”
Jacob Bentley, Scottish Association for Marine Science, “Co-creating knowledge for sustainable fisheries management: a case study for the Irish Sea”
Meenakshi Shankar Poti, Free University Brussels, “The coastal conundrum: conservation-development conflicts in rapidly developing tropical islands”
Loubna Boutahar, Mohammed V University and University of Seville, “Biomonitoring of Atlantic semi-enclosed water areas using new approaches: Zostera noltei meadows”
Saara Suominen, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, “Anoxic Microbial Oceans: The functioning of an unexplored carbon cycle”
Veloisa Mascarenhas, Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment - University of Oldenburg, “Underwater Light Availability in fjord ecosystems: effects of glacial meltwater release”
Tainá Fonseca, Centre for Marine and Environmental Research - University of Algarve, “Toxic effects of anticancer pharmaceuticals in the marine environment: An invisible pollution”
Rebecca Shellock, Plymouth Marine Laboratory and University of Exeter, “Can improvements to coastal environments improve the well-being of local communities?”
Alexander Hooyberg, Flanders Marine Institute, “Better health and vitality when living near the coast in Belgium”