IGSC 2013 - Inspiring Change

From 25 to 28 April 2013, the Student Geoscientific Society and its SEG, EAGE, and AAPG Student Chapters hosted the 4th International Geosciences Student Conferences in Berlin, Germany. 328 delegates from 22 countries realized the IGSC 2013 as their mutual opportunity to spread the vision of Inspiring Change from the heart of Europe to the world.

The IGSC 2013 Technical Program provided a unique platform to unite past, present, and future of the geosciences. Students and young professionals from all geoscience disciplines showed their research results in 61 oral and 44 poster presentations. Experts from industry and academia informed the delegates about the latest job opportunities at a recruitment exhibition and shared their experience in eleven high-quality lectures, short courses, workshops, and field trips. Among them were an SEG Honorary Lecture by Per Avseth and the Personal Reputation Management Workshop by Elsa Velasco.

Frederike Wittkopp (Utrecht University) and Aurélia Privat (Institut Polytechnique LaSalle Beauvais) were awarded for the best poster presentations. Ralf Milke (Freie Universität Berlin) won the 1st SGS Geosciences Slam by elating the audience with his presentation on "Is it opal? How to drink beer for science." Igor Karpov and Sergey Yaskevich (both Novosibirsk State University) demonstrated their outstanding technical knowledge and fighting spirit as champions of the SEG European Challenge Bowl sponsored by Total and are now going to represent Europe at the SEG Challenge Bowl Finals in Houston, Texas.

The IGSC 2013 Social Program kicked off with the opening ceremony and icebreaker reception, which brought together delegates and geoscience professionals from the Berlin-Brandenburg Metropolitan Region for welcoming speeches, music performances, and a special motivational keynote by Alessandro Airo (Freie Universität Berlin). On Friday, 26 April, Museum für Naturkunde Berlin served as an exclusive location for the truly unforgettable Praehistorica Conference Evening. Fossil celebrities, such as the largest mounted dinosaur in the world, welcomed 171 attendees for food and drinks in the nightly illuminated building of the largest museum of natural history in Germany. On Sunday, 28 April, 252 attendees brought the conference to a glorious end by dancing throughout the night at the farewell gala at Spindler & Klatt with direct access to Berlin's main river Spree.

We are honored and happy that so many students, faculty members, industry professionals, and society representatives have heard and followed our call for Inspiring Change. SGS thanks the many volunteers of the IGSC 2013 organizing committee, our co-hosts Geo.X and Freie Universität Berlin, our platinum sponsors Total and Prospectiuni, our gold sponsors SEG, EAGE, AAPG, and ExxonMobil, as well as the many silver sponsors, bronze sponsors, and supporters from industry, academia, and media. We hope that all delegates and sponsors will stay with the IGSC family in future years because the continuation of what they experienced and demonstrated at the IGSC 2013 is not just an option. It's an obligation in imaging the future of our sciences and society.

 

Aurelian Roeser
SGS Chairman