About

Global Cupcake is a workshop to be held on 4-6 September at the University of Reading about the dynamics of global and large-scale coupled atmosphere-ocean climate change as a response to external forcing, especially climate feedback, ocean heat uptake, SST change, and how these things interact with each other and the base state. The workshop is a part of the "Couplet" European Research Council project, the aim of which is to gain understanding of the coupled system which would be useful to constrain the future.

The format of Global Cupcake is based on our trimonthly Cupcake meetings, at which each of us presents some of our recent work, in an order chosen by a random algorithm at the time. There's no agenda in advance, so no need for you to supply a title or abstract. Questions, explanations and digressions are expected throughout, so that everyone can understand everything as far as possible.

We have found that it takes about an hour per person on average, but please don't prepare material for giving an hour-long talk because, if it works like it usually does, you would never get through that much, because of questions and discussion along the way. One or two slides might possibly be enough, and short presentations are fine. A typical length is about a dozen slides. It's particularly useful to present things that really benefit from discussion, because they're new and not yet clear.

We would suggest that the best things to present are those which are still in progress or not yet published (and any essential background for understanding them), because these will be the most unfamiliar and hence most informative to everyone else. This depends on trust, and we hope that you agree that, when we freely share ideas we haven't yet tried or published, it's with the expectation that anyone else who wants to use those ideas will involve us in developing them.

Participants

A list of all participants can be found here.

Agenda

Monday, 4 September
  • 9am - noon, morning session, Brian Hoskins building, room 1L61 (for all University locations, see this annotated map)
  • noon - 1pm, lunch to be provided
  • 1pm - 6pm, afternoon session, Brian Hoskins building, room 1L61
  • 6pm, dinner and drinks, Park House (on the University campus; Google Maps link and menu)
Tuesday, 5 September
  • 9am - noon, morning session, Brian Hoskins building, room 1L61
  • noon - 1pm, lunch to be provided
  • 1pm - 6pm, afternoon session, Brian Hoskins building, room 1L61
  • 7:30pm, dinner, Pepe Sale (Google Maps link and menu)
Wednesday, 6 September
  • 9am - noon, morning session, Brian Hoskins building, room 1L61
  • noon - 1pm, lunch to be provided
  • 1pm - 6pm, afternoon session, Brian Hoskins building, room 1L61

Getting here

Getting to Central Reading

From Heathrow: The easiest way to get from Heathrow to Reading is to take the RailAir RA1 bus, which travels from the Heathrow Central Bus Station and Terminal 5 directly to Reading Central. You can see timetables here. The Heathrow Central Bus Station is located between Terminals 2 and 3. Tickets can be purchased in advance, as well as on the bus itself. Advance tickets guarantee a spot on a given departure, and can be used for any other routes on the same day, space permitting. Return tickets are available, to be used within a month, and are cheaper than single.

From Gatwick: Great Western Railway runs trains directly from Gatwick Airport to Reading Central. Alternatively, you can connect via central London. Tickets are available in advance via Trainline, or at the station.

From London: The fastest way to Reading is to take the Great Western Railway from Paddington, as it is either the first or second stop on almost all trains, taking about 25 minutes, and there is regular service, with trains leaving every ten minutes or so. Look on the departure summary screen for fast trains to Reading, usually the first stop, sometimes the second (after Slough). Tickets are available in advance via Trainline, or at the station. (Advanced tickets cost the same as those at the station.) If you are selecting an open ticket, be sure to select "period return" as opposed to "day return," and be mindful of peak vs. off-peak hours. Be sure to hang on to your tickets, as you will use them to exit the station when you arrive.

Alternatively, you can take the Elizabeth Line, which is less expensive, but takes longer to reach Reading (about an hour). The Elizabeth Line has stops throughout London, and you can pay for it (along with all other London transport) simply by tapping your card or phone when you enter and exit the system.

Getting from Central Reading to campus

The Brian Hoskins building is located towards the back of the Reading campus, and is most frequently served by the Purple 17 and Lion 4 & X4 bus lines (get off at the Three Tuns stop, which in the case of the 17 is the last stop) which depart from central Reading. You can pay for the bus either in exact cash or by contactless card or phone. Reading buses offer an unlimited day ticket, which is cheaper than two fares. You can also take the less frequent Little Oranges 19a, b, c lines, which drop you directly at Earley Gate, the back entrance to the campus, or if you feel like walking across the campus, the Claret 21, which comes in the front gate. If you come to campus by taxi or by ride share, ask for the Earley Gate entrance. An annotated campus map is available here.

The meeting will be in the Meteorology building, which has recently been renamed Brian Hoskins, as shown on the sign outside its front entrance. Once inside, go up the short flight of stairs (half a storey), go past the library, and turn down the corridor on the left to reach the meeting room 1L61. We will put up some direction signs.

Places to sleep

Other Reading things

While in Reading, why not enjoy:

Contact

The organizers are: