vii
YOUMARES is a bottom-up conference, which has been organized for 8 years now by highly
engaged young people that are enthusiastic about marine sciences. It was initiated by the working group on studies and education of the German Society for Marine Research (DGM) with
the aim of building a network for young marine researchers.
From my perspective, part of the success of the YOUMARES conferences is the bottom-up
concept that generates a multitude of new and creative ideas, presentation formats, and communication approaches. Another unique feature is that YOUMARES is also open for pupils
and young university students interested in marine sciences. As a wonderful example, the
organizers of a previous YOUMARES conference contacted local schools and convinced an
English teacher to introduce the topic of fisheries biology in her class. As a result, the entire
school class later attended the YOUMARES fisheries biology session.
The challenge of the bottom-up concept is the natural fluctuation within the organizing
committee and it requires highly engaged people with good organizing skills to sustain
YOUMARES. In my view, on the other hand, the fundamental benefit for team members and
participants is a substantial gain of soft skills, long-lasting contacts and friendships, and the
build-up of personal networks.
Over 180 participants from 23 nations attended YOUMARES 8 and it was, again, highly
inspiring to see the creative ideas developed by organizers and participants. Apart from the
science itself, many sessions at YOUMARES 8 addressed gender aspects in science, compatibility of research and family, or proposal writing aspects, which are not always part of the
classical education in an early scientist’s career.
The publication of these proceedings is unique and faced several challenges: Is the science
sound and does the effort interfere with ongoing tasks, for example, in the authors’ PhD project? How can the proceedings be financed without having a research institution in the background? Who takes care of organizing submissions, peer-review process, and revisions? All of
these aspects were dealt with by the organizers with enormous creativity and momentum.
Their effort included proposal writing, acquisition of funding and supporters who helped organizing contributions and reviews.
This peer-reviewed publication documents the YOUMARES effort and, at the same time,
supports the future careers of the contributors. Several chapters inherently express young
marine researchers’ concerns toward the fundamental environmental and societal challenges in
the marine realm, such as climate change, littering, or human pressure on coasts. Meeting these
challenges requires multidisciplinary, international, and cross-generation interplay, and to cite
one chapter: “The Static, Boundary-Based Norm of Scientific Thinking Must Be Overcome.”
I congratulate the organizers and contributors for their effort and recommend reading these
proceedings – the laurels of highly engaged marine researchers, who will shape marine science
in future.
Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar
Boris Koch
and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
MARUM Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, Bremen, Germany
University of Applied Sciences, Bremerhaven, Germany
March 28, 2018
Foreword
YOUMARES is a bottom-up conference, which has been organized for 8 years now by highly
engaged young people that are enthusiastic about marine sciences. It was initiated by the working group on studies and education of the German Society for Marine Research (DGM) with
the aim of building a network for young marine researchers.
From my perspective, part of the success of the YOUMARES conferences is the bottom-up
concept that generates a multitude of new and creative ideas, presentation formats, and communication approaches. Another unique feature is that YOUMARES is also open for pupils
and young university students interested in marine sciences. As a wonderful example, the
organizers of a previous YOUMARES conference contacted local schools and convinced an
English teacher to introduce the topic of fisheries biology in her class. As a result, the entire
school class later attended the YOUMARES fisheries biology session.
The challenge of the bottom-up concept is the natural fluctuation within the organizing
committee and it requires highly engaged people with good organizing skills to sustain
YOUMARES. In my view, on the other hand, the fundamental benefit for team members and
participants is a substantial gain of soft skills, long-lasting contacts and friendships, and the
build-up of personal networks.
Over 180 participants from 23 nations attended YOUMARES 8 and it was, again, highly
inspiring to see the creative ideas developed by organizers and participants. Apart from the
science itself, many sessions at YOUMARES 8 addressed gender aspects in science, compatibility of research and family, or proposal writing aspects, which are not always part of the
classical education in an early scientist’s career.
The publication of these proceedings is unique and faced several challenges: Is the science
sound and does the effort interfere with ongoing tasks, for example, in the authors’ PhD project? How can the proceedings be financed without having a research institution in the background? Who takes care of organizing submissions, peer-review process, and revisions? All of
these aspects were dealt with by the organizers with enormous creativity and momentum.
Their effort included proposal writing, acquisition of funding and supporters who helped organizing contributions and reviews.
This peer-reviewed publication documents the YOUMARES effort and, at the same time,
supports the future careers of the contributors. Several chapters inherently express young
marine researchers’ concerns toward the fundamental environmental and societal challenges in
the marine realm, such as climate change, littering, or human pressure on coasts. Meeting these
challenges requires multidisciplinary, international, and cross-generation interplay, and to cite
one chapter: “The Static, Boundary-Based Norm of Scientific Thinking Must Be Overcome.”
I congratulate the organizers and contributors for their effort and recommend reading these
proceedings – the laurels of highly engaged marine researchers, who will shape marine science
in future.
Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar
Boris Koch
and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
MARUM Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, Bremen, Germany
University of Applied Sciences, Bremerhaven, Germany
March 28, 2018
Foreword