MeteoXchange Conference 2024

The virtual MeteoXchange conference, organised by early career scientists from several European countries, took place for the third time at the beginning of April. For two days, young scientists from all over the world had the opportunity to exchange ideas and present their scientific research in the fields of meteorology and climatology, and this year an entire session was also dedicated to hydrology. Bachelor’s and Master’s theses as well as doctoral projects were presented.

The conference is ideally placed to practise presentations and posters for the EGU conference taking place a few weeks later. Thanks to our sponsors Copernicus.org and the European Meteorological Society (EMS), very attractive prizes could be awarded this year: For the best poster a free participation at the EMS Annual Meeting in Barcelona in September, and for the best presentation a free publication in one of the Copernicus Open Access journals. Congratulations to the winners! We received support from the EMS to find the best poster and there was also a small jury to judge the presentations. In addition, all participants had the opportunity to take part in a vote, which was also taken into account for the selection.

A workshop on “Science Slam” funded by UPAS and keynote presentations by Dr Jordi Bolibar (Utrecht University) and Dr Ana Prieto Nemesio (ECMWF) on machine learning in the geosciences rounded off this year’s programme. The number of participants is increasing from year to year (this year there were around 70 participants from almost every continent), the positive feedback from participants and the quality of the presentations are motivation enough for us to continue the concept next year.

The provisional date for the 4th MeteoXchange ECS conference is 10 and 11 April 2025, so please save the date, present your own research or help with the organisation. The organisation is expected to start in September. If you are interested, please contact the organisation team at info@meteoxchange.de or join the mailing list so you don’t miss any updates.

Stories from our two award winners about their participation in this year’s conference will hopefully inspire even more young scientists to take part in next year’s conference themselves. Alice Guccione (University of Milano Bicocca) reports: “Attending the third MeteoXchange ECS conference was an inspiring and enthusiastic experience. The conference successfully brought together young researchers from all over the world, who were all committed to sharing knowledge and learning more about the work of other scientists. […] The platform used, Gather, facilitated connection among people even if it was a remote conference. It allowed me to speak with small groups of people as well as to everyone. This was particularly clear during the poster presentations, where it was possible to form small groups, share ideas, and better connect with other young scientists. […] As a young scientist passionate about atmospheric science and physics, I found the conference to be a valuable platform for both academic enrichment and personal growth. I also enjoyed the interdisciplinary nature of climate research. In conclusion, the third MeteoXchange ECS conference was a resounding success. I look forward to applying to the next one, and I hope to meet more young scientists like me in the future.”

Matej Žgela (Politecnico di Milano) also encourages students to take part in the conference: “It was my first time attending the MeteoXchange conference, and I can just say that it has been a valuable and fantastic experience. The interactivity of the conference is sky-high with gather.town platform. It enables the participants to reach an almost like real conference simulation, thus avoiding the issues that online conferences often face. Since the conference is aimed at early career scientists at any stage, from Master’s to PhD students and others, it creates a vibrant group of people who wish to discuss and discover more about science. From oral to poster sessions, everyone has been awesome and I learned a lot from various topics that were presented. Also, it has been encouraging to see many Master’s students presenting their research. So, to everyone unsure, nervous or under the pressure of attending only big conferences, MeteoXchange is a great first point to practise your presentation skills. Not to forget, the organisation team (primarily consisting of early career scientists!) has been awesome, they did a great job so kudos to them.” You are also welcome to view the full report and the poster of Matej Žgela.