After almost three years of online meetings, we finally got to see our ArcTrain cohort in person. Our Annual Meeting was hosted in beautiful Orford, Quebec, with almost 40 in person participants from Germany and Canada. The conference took place over five days and involved pico talks and poster sessions from our students. We also had the pleasure of hosting four invited speakers, and two workshops.
The in-person component of our meeting was not overlooked, both days of our poster session going an hour over the time discussing science with each other. This extended into one-on-one meetings between those in similar research areas, with discussions about future trans-atlantic research stays in Germany and Canada. We were finally able to have spontaneous discussions about all aspects of Arctic science and really connect over our research. After three years we had a lot to talk about!
Our time was not just limited to our conference room however. We were situated at the beautiful site of Jouvence in Orford, Quebec, which hosted a variety of outdoor activities! Between conference events, you could catch students and PI’s on kayaks, peddle boats, or playing long-lasting games of volleyball. Coincidentally you could almost see the court from our conference room in Jouvence! We were also able to catch some thunderstorms that illuminated the mountainous skyline, and a lunar eclipse. Students even got a glimpse into the Canadian wildlife, with sights of frogs, birds, and in one case a moose.
Finally discussing science in person again – we all enjoyed the poster sessions about our diverse research on the Arctic a lot! (Credit: K. Koerner) Between the scientific sessions, we used the chance to enjoy the great weather at the lake and in the mountains (Credit: S. Wett).
