15th DEEP-SEA BIOLOGY SYMPOSIUM TRAVEL AWARDS
REPORT TO THE DEEP-SEA BIOLOGY SOCIETY & FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
by Lissette Victorero
National Oceanography Centre, University of Southampton, United Kingdom
This past September, I had the exciting opportunity to travel to Monterey Bay in California to participate in the 15th Deep-Sea Biology Symposium. This was possible due to the generous support of the Deep-Sea Biology Society and the Challenger Society, who funded my travel and expenses for the week. Having just handed in my PhD thesis a week earlier this felt like an amazing reward, which was a much needed change of scenery from the soul-crushing write up stage.
![Lissette1](https://dsbsoc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Lissette1.jpg)
The meeting was well organised with an action-filled agenda ranging from talks and posters to other social agendas, such as a student mixer and a delicious BBQ, with the aims of getting everyone networking and having fun. Each day was typically kicked off with an interesting set of plenary talks, in which I am sure there was something for everyone, followed by an array of topical sessions. I gave a talk on the first day titled “Ecological communities and drivers of biodiversity within the transverse ridge of the Vema Fracture Zone”, and I received useful questions and feedback prior to submitting this work for publication. One of the weeks highlights was that the conference had also secured free entrance to the world-famous Monterey Bay Aquarium for the whole week, which of course made us marine folk all so happy. And the fun didn’t stop there, we actually got to enjoy a candle-lit dinner in the aquarium after-hours. It truly was a unique experience, dining next to the Open sea tank and watching all that charismatic megafauna go about their business.
![Lissette2](https://dsbsoc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Lissette2.jpg)
What I enjoyed about this meeting, was getting to meet so many friendly people who share a common passion for deep-sea science and conservation. In addition, I also met some scientists with whom I have worked with, even skyped, but had never met face to face. Also, both times I have been to the symposium I have had a great chance to hang out with fellow deep-sea students from the National Oceanography Centre, whom I weirdly don’t get to see much when at the institution. Come to think of it, maybe they are just avoiding me?!
![Lissette3](https://dsbsoc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Lissette3.jpg)
All in all, Monterey Bay provided the perfect setting for this conference, with its great weather and abundance of friendly locals. Many whom I met through the week all wondered what I was doing there – to which I would reply “Oh I’m attending a conference about the deep-sea” and then they would say (everytime!) “Monterey Bay is an excellent location to study marine biology”. Well that was exactly what I got to do; study and submerge into deep-sea biology for a whole week gaining exposure to many topics outside my particular field. Thank you Deep-Sea Biology Society for enabling this experience and providing me and other students with great memories, inspiration and motivation for future deep-sea studies. See you in 2021 in Japan for the next one!