Satisfied organisers
Josefin Madjidian is the research coordinator of BECC and Lina Nikoleris is the research administrator of both BECC and MERGE. They are two of the people who have been working hard to organise the Swedish Climate Symposium over the past six months, and when we spoke to them in the crowd on the second day of the conference, they were feeling satisfied:
- It's great to see all the participants and there seems to be a lot of interest in exploring other disciplines and finding cross- and transdisciplinary collaborations.
How does it feel this far?
- Great! We are happy and it is fun to meet and see all the participants. We feel that we have more experience of organising such a big event compared to last time. It is less stressful (although still quite stressful), and we can actively participate more in the symposium ourselves.
How do you perceive the atmosphere among the participants?
- There seems to be a lot of interest and people are open to attending lectures in other disciplines, even more so than during the 2022 symposium. We have had a greater focus in all preparations on it being a conference that contributes to increased collaboration between disciplines and across sectoral boundaries, and the experience is that this has also been the case.
- And we have only heard positive things so far. People look happy!
What do you think people get out of being here that others miss?
- Once again, we must mention the interdisciplinary. You really get the chance to open your eyes to climate research outside your own research field, and to how research can be relevant to policy. It opens opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration that can contribute positively to society's climate transition - which are also important purposes for both BECC and MERGE in general.
“exciting to see the wide range of different types of research”
Adrian Gustafsson is a member of both BECC and MERGE at Lund University. Adrian is currently working on modelling soils and perennial crops to find ways to increase carbon storage in agricultural soils.
What’s you impression of the symposium?
- Lively. There is a lot of interesting seminars and posters. It is exciting to see the wide range of different types of research.
What do you think people get out of being here that others miss?
- The networking is very exciting. A large proportion of those working in Sweden on these issues are here. Being able to talk and think together is valuable, and to gain insight into what others are doing.
In what way have you been inspired or helped in your further work by attending the symposium?
- I have gained some new contacts that I was planning to e-mail, but suddenly I could talk to them in real life which makes it much easier for future collaborations.
"a chance to strengthen our research community"
Cheng Wu is a researcher at the University of Gothenburg in the field of BVOC (Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds) chemistry. We met her as she was preparing to moderate a poster session.
What’s you impression of the symposium?
- It is a really nice chance for people from different specific areas to come together and talk, to learn more about what other people are doing, and to get a broader view of the Swedish research arena.
What do you think people get out of being here that others miss?
- The sense of uniqueness and focus of our Swedish research, and a chance to strengthen our research community.
In what way have you been inspired or helped in your further work by attending the symposium?
- I am an experimental scientist, so I have gotten inspired by a lot of modeling work that I listened to. It is closely linked to what I do, and we should have more collaboration.
More information about Swedish Climate Symposium
SMHI, the Strategic Research Areas MERGE and BECC, and the Bolin Centre for Climate Research arranged the 2nd Swedish Climate Symposium on 15–17 May, 2024, in Norrköping, Sweden.
