Limnology and Oceanography Bulletin最新文献

The future of our planet relies on scientists' ability to effectively translate knowledge into action, and researchers have an imperative commitment to leverage their understanding. As aquatic early career researchers (ECRs), we draw upon personal experiences to share our learnings about how individuals can drive change. We showcase diverse approaches for ECRs to create meaningful impacts by connecting with other researchers, broader society, and decision-makers. At the same time, institutional challenges inhibit scientific engagement beyond academia, particularly for ECRs. Such barriers include (1) lack of value and support for engagement activities, (2) limited training opportunities, (3) research siloes, and (4) rigid funding structures. We offer potential systemic solutions, from developing and adopting new performance metrics for academic researchers to enhanced flexibility with grant timelines and spending. Academic systems need to change and so does the way scientists engage. Our future depends on it.

The current United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030; hereafter, the Decade) offers a unique opportunity and framework to globally advance ocean science and policy. Achieving meaningful progress within the Decade requires collaboration and coordination across Decade Actions (Programs, Projects, and Centres). This coordination is particularly important for the deep ocean, which remains critically under-sampled compared to other ecosystems. Despite the limited sampling, the deep ocean accounts for over 95% of Earth's habitable space, plays a crucial role in regulating the carbon cycle and global temperatures, and supports diverse ecosystems. To collectively advance deep-ocean science, we gathered representatives from 20 Decade Actions that focus at least partially on the deep ocean. We identified five broad themes that aim to advance deep-ocean science in alignment with the Decade's overarching 10 Challenges: natural capital and the blue economy, biodiversity, deep-ocean observing, best practices in data sharing, and capacity building. Within each theme, we propose concrete objectives (termed Cohesive Asks) and milestones (Targets) for the deep-ocean community. Developing these Cohesive Asks and Targets reflects a commitment to better coordination across deep-ocean Decade Actions. We aim to build bridges across deep-ocean disciplines, which encompass natural science, ocean observing, policy, and capacity development.

When Tiara Moore penned the seminal L&O Bulletin article “The Only Black Person in the Room” (Moore 2018), she did not know how far her vision would go. In this piece, she poignantly details her struggles with loneliness and representation during her tenure as an ASLO Student Board Member. Six years later, Dr. Moore, now President and Founder of Black in Marine Science (BIMS), led a cohort of forty Black scientists to Barcelona, Spain for the UN Ocean Decade Conference as part of the BIMS Tidal Wave Fellowship.

I have never personally related to a L&O Bulletin article more. I am one of a few Black Ph.D. students at Oregon State University studying marine science. I have been to a healthy number of conferences as a student researcher, and it is rare to see myself reflected throughout the room. Although I grew up in a predominantly Black neighborhood in West Philadelphia, I currently live in a U.S. state founded as a white utopia (Novak 2015) that actively excluded Black people from establishing residence and purchasing property. My entire professional journey has been confined by eschewing the safety and support of my community in pursuit of career opportunities where I was the only one in the room. I wanted to feel for once that these two parts of myself did not need to be in complete opposition, and that I did not have to sacrifice one for the other. This sentiment inspired me to apply to the BIMS Tidal Wave Fellowship, and before I knew it, I was on a red eye to Spain.

The BIMS Tidal Wave Fellowship brings together Black researchers and marine advocates from all career stages to a large ocean conference (Fig. 1). For the UN Ocean Decade, we were given full funding to attend the conference, and professional development opportunities in the months prior. I was given free attendance to the first in-person BIMS week, Spanish lessons, and a workshop on how to give an effective scientific presentation. These experiences allowed me to get to know my Tidal Wave Fellows and develop confidence in networking and public speaking.

The UN Ocean Decade conference represented the perfect platform for the birth of the Tidal Wave, our first international foray. The conference brought together government delegates and other ocean stewards to share solutions under the theme of sustainable development. The conference was not strictly scientific—the opening plenary featured high-level speeches from the leaders of nations (Cabo Verde, Seychelles, among others) making commitments to safeguard our world's oceans. The typical UN modus operandi appeared in order—there were working groups, task forces, committees, and programs formed to address the ten Ocean Decade Challenges. I was pleased to see some representation from communities across the globe—pacific islanders, east Asians, south Americans, and so forth—although white Europeans still seemed to make up most participants. I believe strongly

ASLO members consistently indicate in member surveys that ASLO conferences and publications are the two things they value most among the many programs and activities we provide. Like all professional societies, ASLO is experiencing sharp increases in the costs of putting on our conferences, with the most dramatic increases seen in food and beverage (F&B) and audiovisual (AV) costs. ASLO has long provided very generous catering and full-service AV, including expansive, no-cost full internet service for attendees at our conferences. The explosion in costs that began in 2020 has accelerated around the globe, impacting our members in their own lives, as well as ASLO.

ASLO has three primary sources of revenue—membership dues, publications revenue, and conference revenue. The latter is comprised primarily of registration and abstract fees, with smaller contributions from exhibitors and sponsors. These primary sources of revenue must generate enough funds to support the society's operations, including membership promoting programs such as travel awards and discounted meeting registration for students and early career researchers. And ASLO is run very leanly, with only three employees and our business and conference management team at Bostrom. Unlike many professional societies, ASLO has no physical structure (owned or leased buildings) nor their high associated costs. Employees all work virtually from their home offices. Our fiduciary responsibility to our members is to ensure that ASLO remains viable, sustainable, and effective—conferences must therefore generate revenue beyond the expenses required to hold our meetings.

I sat down with Julie Elfand to talk about the cost increases, how ASLO is working hard to mitigate these costs, and how new realities are impacting things like the level of F&B spending we can sustain going forward.

ED: WELCOME, JULIE. FIRST, TELL US ABOUT YOUR PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE AND BACKGROUND. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WORKING IN CONFERENCE MANAGEMENT, AND AT BOSTROM SPECIFICALLY?

JE: I've been in the hospitality industry for 30 years and with Bostrom for 28. I started on the hotel side in the catering and convention services department, and then moved to the meeting planning side when I joined Bostrom. At Bostrom I plan conferences for numerous clients, ranging from small board meetings to multi-day conventions for 2500+ attendees.

ED: SHARE WITH US SOME INDUSTRY DATA ON THE INCREASES IN F&B AND AV COSTS IN THE LAST FEW YEARS. CAN YOU GIVE A FEW EXAMPLES OF SPECIFIC COSTS, LIKE COFFEE BREAKS, AND HOW THESE HAVE CHANGED JUST IN THE LAST TWO YEARS?

JE: Since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen costs increase significantly. According to data from Maritz Global Events, the average cost per attendee per day has risen 8.75% to US$174 for hotel, airfare, transportation, and meeting expenses. The a