Bianca Thobor

This December, I got the opportunity to present some of my findings from research conducted on Curaçao (in the Dutch Caribbean) at the 5^th AcroporaNet Symposium, hosted by the University of Amsterdam. AcroporaNet is a community of scientists and institutions doing marine research in the tropics, with most members working in the Netherlands or the Dutch Caribbean. The aim of the symposium is to create a platform to discuss and connect findings to ultimately improve the management of tropical marine areas, and coordinate future research and education. I got invited to this event by one of the members from my GLOMAR thesis committee, Dr. Andreas Haas, who works at the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ).

My talk was the second one in the morning, which did not leave me time to get too nervous after finding out that the whole auditorium was full of scientists and students. Afterwards, I got some interesting questions and suggestions, and could then relax and listen to the other talks for the rest of the day. As most of the presented studies were also conducted in the Dutch Caribbean and focused on coral reefs, I took many notes on information which could be relevant to my current or future research. After the scientific program was finished, everyone met up for a networking event at “the Polder”, a restaurant right next to the venue. Here I had some interesting discussions and could talk to colleagues I met one year before during my field work on Curaçao.

Overall, I think it was worth it to travel to Amsterdam for the AcroporaNet symposium, even though it is not a big international conference (with me being the only participant who actually came from abroad). Rather, it was a symposium with a specific focus on topics that are relevant to my PhD and possibly future research. I would like to thank GLOMAR for enabling this experience by contributing to the travel and accommodation costs.

I stayed in the “Generator” hostel, which I recommend as it is inside a historic building next to a park and close to the university. Unfortunately, I did not have time to do any sightseeing in Amsterdam, but I am planning to return soon as a tourist, and maybe also for next year’s AcroporaNet Symposium.