Dr. Ramesh Glückler

Anna Šolcová (Czech Academy of Sciences) and myself are now the initial early-career researcher (ECR) representatives within the European COST Action "PalaeOpen", joining the Steering Committee. We are a link between the Steering Committee and the early career community, and together with ECRs from the different working groups, we aim at improving the onboarding process and creating opportunities for networking. Should you have any questions regarding PalaeOpen, please don't hesitate to contact us! 

Hilda Jorke Kuna and Ino Christoph Bleckmann, both high school students at the Bertha-von-Suttner-Gymnasium in Potsdam, have received a special prize at Germany's major national youth science and technology competition, "Jugend forscht"! With their project on reconstructing wildfire activity in Brandenburg over the past millennia using sedimentary charcoal, they won both the regional competition in Potsdam and the state-level competition for Brandenburg, advancing to the prestigious national finals. There, they were awarded a special prize by the German Geological Association (DGGV). I am truly impressed by your initiative and the dedication you showed, especially given the long hours you put into this work - it is well earned! Congratulations! 

In April I had the pleasure of taking part in two productive workshops: In the first, organized by Sarah Ivory at Penn State University in State College, USA, discussing the future of charcoal-based paleofire data within Neotoma. Coincidentally, the day after the workshop was marked by a prescribed burn near campus! In the second workshop, organized by Graciela Gil-Romera at CSIC in Zaragoza, Spain, we discussed as a mixed group of paleofire researchers and applied forest and fire managers how to bring these perspectives together more efficiently. I am very much looking forward to continuing work on both topics and thank the organizers for their invitation!