SOPOT, POLAND — Our first day of the Larwood Meeting was much fun, especially after I unloaded my presentation in the morning and could relax. We are gathering on the beautiful campus of the Instytut Oceanologii (one building pictured above), which is within an easy walk of the hotels and the beach. Just under 50 people are participating, from beginning PhD students to retired faculty. These meetings are also a mix of biologists and paleontologists who are interested in bryozoans, so everyone learns a lot from the talks and posters. All that is required is some intersection of the presented material and the Phylum Bryozoa, which can include evolution, systematics, physiology, ecology and genetics. This kind of scientific conclave is rare with its interdisciplinary diversity.
Piotr Kuklinski, our leader and senior staff at the Institute, opened this morning’s session with a greeting and orientation. Note the proud Polish eagle behind him.
Here’s a view of my hipster hotel. Hard to tell its a place to stay when you walk in. It looks (and sounds) rather more like a nightclub at times. Very comfortable, though.
I thought Dr. Pollock would appreciate the very distinct intrusion in this glacial erratic found in the nearby park.
Tonight we have a mysterious dinner “in the Eastern European forest”. I shall report later, if the wolves don’t get me.
Thanks for the intrusion photo. It’s nice to know that you still appreciate the “hard rock” side of geology, even at a bryozoan conference. Don’t spend too much time at the nightclub – you don’t want to be too tired for the field!