News
SO-CLIM Retreat 2025 at the Schneefernerhaus
22 Dec 2025
SO-CLIM met at Schneefernerhaus: presentations, workshops, and exchange strengthened research, collaboration, and future planning.
© Alexander Haumann
From 10 to 12 December 2025, the SO-CLIM research group, led by Alexander Haumann, held an intensive retreat at the Environmental Research Station Schneefernerhaus (UFS) on the Zugspitze. Set in an exceptional alpine environment, the retreat provided space for scientific exchange, methodological development, career planning, and strengthening collaboration within the interdisciplinary group based at the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) and Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU).
The retreat opened with a Pecha Kucha session in which participants presented current research topics, new ideas, and ongoing challenges from the various SO-CLIM sub-projects through short, image-driven presentations. This dynamic format fostered lively discussions and enabled the integration of diverse scientific perspectives.
On the second day, the Pecha Kucha presentations were concluded, followed by a guided tour of the Schneefernerhaus, offering insights into the work of this unique high-altitude research station.
After lunch, the focus shifted to scientific and personal development. An interactive workshop provided guidance on effective presentations and the clear visual communication of results from Southern Ocean research. Further sessions addressed the future structure of group meetings, featured an open career roundtable discussion, and included a practical hands-on workshop on creating personal websites using GitHub Pages. Alongside the formal program, ample time was dedicated to informal exchange and the joint development of new ideas.
The retreat concluded on the morning of the third day with a hike around Lake Eibsee, before wrapping up with a visit to the Garmisch-Partenkirchen Christmas market and a shared Christmas dinner in Munich.
The retreat at the Schneefernerhaus clearly demonstrated the importance of in-person interaction for creative research, team cohesion, and long-term scientific vision, and provided a strong impetus for continued collaboration within the SO-CLIM group in the coming year.