Key Note © Kay Herschelmann/BMSOn Friday 20 October 2017, in collaboration with Geo.X the Research Network for Geosciences in Berlin and Potsdam, the BMS jointly held a “Career Day 2017: Scientific Life Balance” with twelve other graduate programs at the Urania in Berlin. This event about the art of work-life balance in scientific research was attended by over 100 registered participants.

The keynote speech on striving for balance in scientific life was followed by an open space session hosted by ten female and male researchers, professors and professionals. The hosts shared their work and life experiences in an open “marketplace-style” setting in which the participants were able to move between ten booths and gain a variety of information and ideas by engaging in each discussion at hand. Host sharing work and life experiences with PhD students © Kay Herschelmann/BMSThe topics at each booth ranged from how to develop effective time management strategies, or find a good job in the private sector, to the issues couples face such as finding a job in the same city, or how scientists with families achieve work-life balance at home or abroad.

 In the afternoon, there was a podium discussion with experts and decision-makers, who are active in the areas of science policy and research funding, and come from both the private and the academic sector. The aim was to provide an opportunity for additional discussion and suggestions at a more general level.

The overall goal of this event was to assist all female and male students and researchers at all scientific career levels to gain insight into the tried and tested ways of achieving a work-life balance. Working alongside the Berlin Mathematical School to bring this very successful event into being were two collaborative research centers CRC 1114 and CRC 1294, the graduate research school GeoSim, two research training groups BioMove and NatRiskChange, two European training networks SUBITOP and SystemRisk, two initial training networks IsoNose and ALErT, the international research training group StRATEGy, the integrative research institute IRI THESys and Geo.X Young Academy.


Written by S. E. Sutherland-Figini

Source: www.geo-x.net/career-day-2017/

 

 



Filmmakers: Johanna Ickert and René Arnold