Pippa Moore is Professor of Marine Science at Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK.
Pip is a marine community ecologist whose research investigates the structure, function and ecosystem services provided by shallow-water benthic ecosystems. She also undertakes research into green engineering tools, kelp restoration and climate change ecology. Perhaps uniquely placed to provide this talk, Pip started out in the early 2000’s as a staunch limpet tickler, but has over the years has migrated beneath the waves to become a kelp lover where she has spent much of the last 10+ years swimming around the kelp forests of the UK, Chile and Peru. Pip has been to every ITRS since Christchurch 2003 where she fell in love with the relaxed, dysfunctional family like atmosphere and the fact that there is a session when you are allowed to drink beer.
Presentation:
International Temperate Reefs Symposium: Genesis, Ethos and Evolution
Louise B Firth1, Pippa Moore2
1University College Cork, Ireland - 2University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK
The International Temperate Reefs Symposium (ITRS) was founded in 1990 as a response to the fact that temperate reef ecology wasn’t really being represented in the global conference scene—especially in the Southern Hemisphere. Initially a small, informal gathering of researchers primarily from Australasia and North America, it aimed to create a space for those studying temperate reefs to exchange ideas, share stories, and enjoy a pint together. Over the years, though, the conference has grown, and so has the research. It’s often been said that ITRS used to be conference about limpets, but now it’s a conference about kelp. In this talk, not only will we will look back at the origins and evolution of the symposium, but we will formally test the hypothesis that the conference has undergone a catastrophic phase shift and that the focus of the conference has indeed shifted over time. We will do this by sampling abstracts from past conferences to see how the themes have evolved. Looking to the future, we will also discuss how the spirit of ITRS—its inclusivity, its support for students and early-career researchers, and its focus on camaraderie—can continue to evolve as the conference moves forward.