The annual QRA postgraduate symposium aims to provide students with a friendly and supportive environment to develop important presentation and communication skills and to discuss ideas and problems with fellow students. This year, the 7th QRA International Postgraduate Symposium took place from the 19th to 22nd August 2008 and was hosted by students from the Department of Geography at the University of Liverpool. More than 60 students from all corners of the world attended, most of whom gave either oral or poster presentations, prompting valuable discussion amongst the delegates. The conference was officially opened with a wine reception in the evening followed by a night out on the town.
During the two days of presentations a number of very exciting talks in the fields of Palaeoecology, Geochronology, Geoarchaeology, Climate / Environmental Reconstruction & Modelling, Glacial Environments and Sedimentology were given. The first day of talks also saw a poster session, which not only provided insights into further research topics but also offered a perfect opportunity to discuss new ideas and thoughts inspired by the presentations. In addition to the postgraduate presentations, two highly inspirational keynote speeches were given. In the first speech, Professor Richard Bradshaw stressed the importance of combining traditional Quaternary and Biological sciences in order to link climate and ecosystem change for the past, present and future. In the second speech, Professor Frank Oldfield discussed the importance of using Quaternary science, in view of long term processes, reconstruction of feedback and forcing mechanisms and model testing in developing realistic projections of future environmental change.
Aside from all the hard work, the symposium provided a great social platform and an excellent opportunity to discover Liverpool. Evening entertainment included visits to the Cambridge ale house and several other pubs as well as a lively conference dinner at 60 Hope Street. At the dinner, prizes for the best presentations were awarded. The prizes went to Abi Stone for her talk entitled "Challenges for optically stimulated dating of linear dunes in the southern Kalahari: scale of De measurement and the influence of single grain behavioural types" and to Gina Moseley for her talk on "Past high sea stands, evidence from Conch Bar Cave, Middle Caicos, BWI". The night was rounded off in a popular bar in the city centre where everybody enjoyed a good dance.
On Friday, the conference ended with an interesting trip to the Wirral Peninsula led by Dr. Geoff Thomas and Dr. Richard Chiverrell. Here we explored a series of subglacial diamictons and outwash sand and gravel in a cliff section on a beach, which was followed by a visit to Thurstaston common were we discussed whether the existing features in the Permo-Triassic sandstone bedrock tors were sub-glacial channels or a result of Victorian vandalism.
Finally, the University of Manchester was elected to be the venue for the 8 th QRA postgraduate symposium, which will take place in 2009. The Postgraduate Symposium is a great way to meet other PhD students and to create links with people from many different fields of Quaternary science. It is also an ideal chance to present your PhD research in a relaxed and friendly setting. We hope to see many familiar and new faces in Manchester next year!
On behalf of all the postgraduates and the QRA we would like to warmly thank Ian Thrasher, Katharine Welsh, Lee Bradley and Ningning Li for their hard work to make this year's conference a truly great success and for looking after and entertaining us. Thank you!