Polar Marine Diatom Workshop (IASC/SCAR)

Final Report

The 6th Polar Marine Diatom Workshop, held at Lakeside Lab, was a success. A diverse group of researchers from students to full professors, representing 12 countries, spent the week engaged in microscope sessions, talks, and posters. Microscope sessions were led by experts in order to facilitate consistent species identification. Each participant took home a set of reference slides. Biostratigraphy was one of the main foci of these sessions, given the current and upcoming IODP expeditions to the Southern Ocean. Scientific talks and posters were also presented; an upcoming issue of Marine Micropaleontology will showcase that work. In addition, outreach events were held at Lakeside Lab to encourage the local community to learn more about diatom research.

Highlights

The Polar Marine Diatom Workshop (PMDW) provided several opportunities for taxonomic collaboration between students, individuals new to polar marine diatoms, and established experts.
Each participant was able to take home a collection of taxonomic handouts and microscope slides based on the workshop.
Talks and posters detailed results from recent studies and drilling expeditions and allowed the participants to network and keep up with the current state of the art.
The biostratigraphic focus of the PMDW prepared participants who will sail on upcoming IODP missions in the Southern Ocean to operate within the same temporal and taxonomic framework.