(22.07.20) The travel plans of countless geoscientists had already been finalised when they were thwarted by the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. Instead of coming together in late May 2020 in the Japanese metropolis of Chiba, they connected virtually from their home offices from 12 to 16 July. Not least to give the researchers and exhibitors more planning security, the organisers decided not only to convert the conference into a virtual format but also to postpone it by two months at short notice. In spite of the new date, over 5,000 participants were registered in the course of the event – far more than would have been expected at a face-to-face event.

An extensive timetable provided an overview of scientific presentations on the virtual conference platform and a gallery of interactive posters invited conference participants to browse and chat. A quiz rally guided participants through a variety of iPosters with the chance to win prizes from participating exhibitors. The Research in Germany initiative was represented with an iPoster among the approximately 70 exhibitors. The iPoster, as well as the complementary chat, was organized by the DFG office in Bonn, together with the DFG office in Tokyo.

The Makuhari Messe conference centre, which normally hosts around 150 exhibitions a year, remained empty this week, as participants simply had to log in to the conference portal to access the exhibition.

Participants quickly found the iPoster “Geosciences in Germany” once they were online. This was worth taking a look at, not least to gain a point in the quiz rally, as the answer to the question about a certain German landmark was hidden there. The subject-specific overview of the German research landscape also attracted a great deal of interest. The iPoster created specifically for the event was viewed, shared and downloaded more than 500 times in total. However, no one used the accompanying chat function.

Further Information

JpGU-AGU Joint Meeting

• http://www.jpgu.org/meeting_e2020v/

Research in Germany initiative

• www.research-in-germany.org