Jun Oh
Report of GLOMAR PhD student Jun Oh about his participation in the "Sedimentology of Plastics: State of the Art and Future Directions" in Birmingham, UK organised by the Royal Society from 18 to 19 March 2024
The conference aimed to discuss and exchange various aspects of plastic behaviour in the environment, covering its physical and chemical properties, transportation mechanisms, and detection methods.
Approximately 35 individuals attended the conference. There were 13 presentations (7 in the first day and 6 in the second day) grouped into four sessions: Physical Properties and Transport, Chemical Properties and Degradation, Monitoring Plastic Sediment Distribution, and ‘Source to Sink’ Plastic Budgets. Each presentation was followed by a discussion session. Additionally, there was a poster session at the end of the first day and a big discussion session to finish the conference.
Despite the fact that the topics of the talks were more focus on microplastics (my project focuses more on macroplastics), I still learned a lot and got some idea that I could apply for my project.
During the poster session, I had the opportunity to share the preliminary results of my PhD project. Even though most of the people were not familiar with the subject of my project, I was still able to receive some interesting suggestion.
This was the first conference I attended for my PhD but also the first one about this field of study. I found that the small size of the conference helped to network and exchange. Despite being unfamiliar with other attendees initially, the small size facilitated meaningful conversations during breaks and meals, which might have been more challenging in a larger conference setting.
Interacting with individuals from diverse backgrounds helped in my understanding of the subject matter and provided me with insights that could be very valuable for my PhD project, especially in its early stage.
In summary, the conference provided an excellent opportunity to gain valuable ideas, insights, suggestions, and connections beneficial for both my PhD project and early career as a researcher. I would like to thank GLOMAR for the funding to attend this conference!