EPD workshop, Göttingen (Germany) 30-31 March 2023

Boosting Neotoma through the European Pollen Database to gain a better understanding of long-term whole ecosystem change

Aims

The main aim of this INQUA-funded workshop is to start the process of creating a multi-proxy European representation in the Neotoma database (www.neotomadb.org) that will harness the power of Neotoma as a tool facilitating multi proxy data analyses, populate Neotoma further and engage in collaborative research.

In view of this long-term objective, we will introduce European palaeoecologists to the Neotoma database, develop ideas for cross-continental multi-proxy data analysis, and develop a COST-application to pursue this community effort. We would be pleased if we could stimulate populating the Neotoma database with already existing palaeoecological data sets for Europe. To meet these aims, attendants will be introduced to the Neotoma data-extraction and data-handling toolboxes, and in addition will receive training to join the active Neotoma Data Stewards community.

An obituary to Eric Grimm by the EPD community

On November 15 we lost a good friend, a brilliant scientist and pioneer in striving for open shared scientific data. Eric Grimm’s passing leaves a large empty space in our hearts.

Eric is known worldwide to the palynological community as the maker of the “Tilia” program to manage pollen data and produce pollen diagrams. He was a key driver behind the creation of pollen databases; he helped establish our European Pollen Database and supported our work over the years. His knowledge of different aspects of palaeoecology, plant taxonomy and computer programming was combined in his contribution and lasting legacy, the palaeoecological database Neotoma.

We also remember Eric for his passionate discussions of new ideas and findings. He supported palynologists worldwide in countless workshops, teaching them how to best create pollen diagrams, understand their data and work with pollen databases. He showed patience and enthusiasm for individual problems and was indefatigable in finding solutions.

Beyond this, Eric enriched many workshop evenings with stories of fieldwork and science history based on his immense and irreplaceable experience. He will be greatly missed by our community as a leader, a scientist and a friend.

Past global change and Mediterranean biodiversity

A Symposium in memory of Armand Pons (25/01/2013, Marseille, France)

Armand Pons, born in 1931, died this year in January 2012. This meeting is organised to celebrate a major pioneer of modern Palynology and Palaeoecology in France and to make a point on the state of the art in the fields he started to explore 50 years ago. Find and download the program at symposium_armand_pons_2013.pdf

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