IRTG Travel Grants Programme
PhD researcher Swetlana Paul joned the European Research Course on the Atmosphere (ERCA) in Grenoble, France
In January 2025, I had the opportunity to attend the European Research Course on the Atmosphere (ERCA) in Grenoble, France. The winter school was organized by an international team of atmospheric researchers and lasted two weeks. The associated events were held at the Institute of Environmental Geosciences (IGE) on the campus of the Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA). My attendance was made possible by the travel grant provided by the IRTG.
The days usually started with lectures that covered a broad range of topics associated with atmospheric sciences, such as the role of aerosols, atmosphere-ocean interactions and paleoclimatology, to name a few. The talks were complemented by tutorials on statistical analysis, neural networks, scientific writing and science communication.
The afternoons were devoted to project work, during which each student was working on a topic individually chosen by them using the school’s computational infrastructure as well as supporting material such as observational and reanalysis data. The project work was carried out in small groups, each one under the guidance of an experienced researcher. I was able to use the project time to explore CALIOP lidar data, thereby benefiting from the support provided by the group leader.
The program also included presentations and panel discussions on the societal context of atmospheric and climate research, which gave the participants the chance to talk to ECMWF representatives and researchers who were involved in the writing of IPCC reports, among others. Gaining insights into the interplay between science and policymaking and discussing the role of atmospheric scientists in a world facing global warming with both experts and fellow PhD’s was a great experience.
The course provided a lot of room for scientific exchange. It was a pleasure to speak to early-career scientists from a multitude of cultural and topical backgrounds and to get to know PhD students who work on topics related to mine. The poster session was a helpful exercise in presenting. At the same time, it provided room for informal discourse among the students. Spending two weeks with leading environmental researchers was an invaluable opportunity to learn from and discuss with them and to extend one’s scientific network.
Overall, the ERCA team managed to create a very welcoming, open and supportive atmosphere that I highly appreciated and that I benefited a lot from.
A list of all funded travel grants can be found on the IRTG page here.
