The future of the world as we know it
After an action-packed 2 days, the DESCEND-2 workshop came to a close this evening. Yes, 2 days seems awfully short for a workshop to decide the future of the world as we know it (well, at least as far as submergence technologies are concerned), but let me tell you, not a second was wasted. We had nothing but short coffee breaks during the whole workshop and even worked straight through lunch. In the end, we made some real progress.
Today began with some presentations on new and emerging technologies. The presenters were from a variety of backgrounds and organizations - private companies, non-profit organizations, government-sector funding agencies, and scientific institutes. One thing I've actually heard from the older researchers at the workshop is that the available research infrastructure nowadays comes from a wider variety of sources than it ever used to. Decades ago, the only option was government-funded and -administrated ship time, but now, there are numerous for-profit and not-for-profit companies offering resources for science. This is in part advantageous for scientists, who have different organizations to choose from and partner with, but it also means a bit more leg work. After all, each sector has its own conventions, each organization its own priorities. Gathering equipment for science is becoming a matter of finding the right resources, wherever they come from.
In the afternoon, we had two final break-out sessions in order to wrap up the previous day's discussions and write out recommendations for the future. To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised by the tangible and progressive nature of the final recommendations. We had a large number of people gathered for a short amount of time, but even so, we were able to make what I would call progress. The results of the workshop will be written up by the organizers and discussion leaders into a document that can be circulated among deep-sea researchers and funding agencies. I actually look forward to editing the resulting document and seeing its effects throughout the deep-sea community in the coming years.
It's been a good few days in Massachusetts!
Today began with some presentations on new and emerging technologies. The presenters were from a variety of backgrounds and organizations - private companies, non-profit organizations, government-sector funding agencies, and scientific institutes. One thing I've actually heard from the older researchers at the workshop is that the available research infrastructure nowadays comes from a wider variety of sources than it ever used to. Decades ago, the only option was government-funded and -administrated ship time, but now, there are numerous for-profit and not-for-profit companies offering resources for science. This is in part advantageous for scientists, who have different organizations to choose from and partner with, but it also means a bit more leg work. After all, each sector has its own conventions, each organization its own priorities. Gathering equipment for science is becoming a matter of finding the right resources, wherever they come from.
In the afternoon, we had two final break-out sessions in order to wrap up the previous day's discussions and write out recommendations for the future. To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised by the tangible and progressive nature of the final recommendations. We had a large number of people gathered for a short amount of time, but even so, we were able to make what I would call progress. The results of the workshop will be written up by the organizers and discussion leaders into a document that can be circulated among deep-sea researchers and funding agencies. I actually look forward to editing the resulting document and seeing its effects throughout the deep-sea community in the coming years.
It's been a good few days in Massachusetts!
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