Association of Polar Early Career Scientists

 
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The votes on our September 2021 Polar Week Photo Competition are in. More than 180 people voted on the 36 amazing submissions on polar and alpine photographs. A big thank you to all the people who submitted a picture and another thank you to everyone who voted and made this photo competition happen. 

We are happy to now announce the winners of our photo competition. 

Congratulations to... Wilson (Wai Yin) Cheungand Pierre Coupel!

APECS Netherlands logo smallThis year’s symposium is titled: “For Sustainability in the Polar Regions“

Thursday 2 December| 09.30 to 17.00
Museon | Stadhouderslaan 37 | The Hague

You are warmly invited to join the annual Polar Symposium. NPP-NWO, APECS Netherlands and the Dutch Arctic Circle (DAC) joined forces to once again present a day full of state-of-the-art polar science, relevant results, new developments and most of all networking opportunities. We will link scientific insights with the development of activities in the Arctic and governance.

Samantha Jones with her poem ‘Spring Pulse’

282 Flore van Maldeghem Polar Week March 2021 Photo CompetitionWe received several inspiring poems dedicated to the polar regions describing harsh and icy landscapes, snow fall, polar explorers, and poems filled with worry for these vulnerable regions in the face of the changing climate. The winning poem ‘Spring Pulse’ by Samantha Jones from University of Calgary received the most votes from the judging panel consisting of APECS Art project group members. We thank all the polar poets who submitted their poems to the competition, reading them was a joy! Now enjoy the poem ‘Spring Pulse’ written by Samantha Jones.

421 Mentor Award Committee APECS CanadaAS Award 2021Do you know anyone who has made a meaningful impact on scientific research and community collaboration in the North? Do you feel like this person’s dedication should be recognized?

The Association of Early Polar Career Researchers Canada and the ArcticNet Student Association are looking to recognize a mentor who has contributed significantly over a period of several years to the mentoring and fostering of polar early career researchers in Canada.

369 INTERACT Fieldwork Communication and Navigation cover Gunhild Rosqvist

...and here comes another exciting POLAR WEEK highlight:

We're happy to announce the launch of the INTERACT Fieldwork Communication and Navigation Guidebook!

Polar Pride 2021With the start of Polar Week, our countdown to Polar Pride Day on the 18th Novemberhas begun! With 2 months to go we would like to invite you to join the UK Polar Network, and our partners in the British Antarctic Survey and the Diversity in UK Polar Science Initiative, in celebrating this day with your organisations and institutions.  

357 Vote now Rodrigo Alves PolarWeek2021 Photo Contest DesignJulianaSouzaKasprzykThank you for the amazing photos that you submitted for the International Polar Week September 2021! We received 36 submissions in total. Now it is time for YOU to vote on your favorite photo. 

How to vote?

359 small2 Juliana Souza Kasprzyk Poster Polar Week September 2021Let's celebrate APECS International Polar Week from 19-25 September 2021!For everyone who has an interest in the coldest regions of our planet, a diverse and vibrant international community that includes students, researchers, teachers, artists, and members of Indigenous nations. 

The main goal of this event is to engage the global polar studies community to share knowledge, experience, and fun from different perspectives. We continue this great tradition through diverse activities such as photo contests, interviews with polar artists, researchers, and educators, participation in virtual polar games, the APECS podcast, and many more all around the world, thanks to our National Committees. 

SCAR logo white backgroundRINGSDear APECS members,

We are seeking early career scientists to join SCAR’s new RINGS Action Group, and an APECS representative to RINGS. RINGS was established in early 2021, with the aim of developing synergies and international collaborations to map the critically undersampled bed topography around the Antarctic Ice Sheet margin using geophysics. The ultimate goal of RINGS is to obtain a reference bed topography dataset to accurately estimate the present and future contribution of Antarctica to sea level rise. RINGS works closely with SCAR’s Scientific Research Program INSTANT and many other relevant initiatives. For more information, please visit: https://www.scar.org/science/rings/about/.

We are happy to let you know that the current APECS Leadership organized some training sessions for you! These shall be interesting for everyone who is very new to APECS or who considers taking a leadership role in the future or who really wants to learn how APECS works, as we really want you to take the most out of your APECS experience and involvement. A short presentation was followed by a Question and Answer session.

9 Sept. 2021 14:00 GMT
Getting ready for the new term in APECS - An Introduction 
 
10 Sept. 2021 13:00 GMT
Getting ready for the new term in APECS - National committees and Representatives

10 Sept. 2021 17:00 PM 
Getting ready for the new term in APECS - Organizing online events and meetings in APECS 
 
Alpine Cryosphere Newsletter September 2021

SIOS logo ORIGINAL rgbSvalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System (SIOS) is a consortium of international institutions with research infrastructure in and around Svalbard. SIOS is building an integrated observing system (https://sios-svalbard.org/ObservingSystem) for long-term measurements addressing Earth System questions.

SIOS publishes an annual State of Environmental Science in Svalbard (SESS) report(https://sios-svalbard.org/SESSreport). The first issue was released in January 2019. The report summarises the state of current knowledge of key Earth System Science parameters and analyses how these parameters influence one another. The SESS report outlines the work that has been done in the previous year within the SIOS cooperation to optimise the observing system and recommends research priorities for the following year(s).

Banner PG Call Allison Cusick
APECS is currently finishing up its term and will start a new term on 1 October. We are now inviting all APECS members to join our activities as members of our Project Groups!

Project groups are working groups of APECS who are led by Council members. Some of the groups have been established over many years, others are newly developing. See a full list of offered Project Groups and a description below!

359 Juliana Souza Kasprzyk Poster Polar Week September 2021APECS International Polar Week from 19-25 September 2021 is a celebration for everyone who has an interest in the coldest regions of our planet, a diverse and vibrant international community that includes students, researchers, teachers, artists, and members of indigenous nations. 

Lisa Grosfeld credits Kerstin Rolfes small We welcome Lisa Grosfeld as our Project Officer in the APECS International Directorate! Together with Franziska and Svenja, along with Heike and Josefine, we built the APECS Office Team.

Lisa will contribute to the education and training activities in the EU Project Arctic PASSION and support the APECS Office in administrative tasks for the coming 4 years. We are happy to have you back, Lisa!

Photo by Kerstin Rolfes/AWI

Mailchimp Banner Council Call 2021 22 Ekaterina Uryupova

Do you want to get (or remain) active in APECS and be involved in the APECS leadership? The applications for APECS Council 2021-2022 are still open!

The application deadline for Project Group Leaders and National Committee/Partner Organization representatives is extended until 22 August 2021 at 23:59 GMT.The application deadline for Council leadership positions (Council Co-Chair, National Committee Coordinator, Social Media Coordinator) is 15 September 2021 at 23:59 GMT.

352 Shridhar Jawak International Mentoship Award 2021APECS is very pleased to announce our 2021 APECS International Mentorship AwardCongratulations to Dr. Shridhar D. Jawak! The mentorship awards were established in 2016 as a meaningful way to recognize the efforts of mentors within the international polar science community, and to honour those who have devoted significant time and energy towards building a supportive community for early career professionals.

APECS Alpine Newsletter 2021 August 

We are pleased to introduce the first issue of the Alpine Cryosphere Newsletter!

Mailchimp Banner Council Call 2021 22 Ekaterina Uryupova

Do you want to get (or remain) active in APECS and be involved in the APECS leadership? The applications for APECS Council 2021-2022 are now open! The application deadline for Project Group Leaders and National Committee/Partner Organization representatives is 15 August 2021 at 23:59 GMT. The application deadline for Council leadership positions (Council Co-Chair, National Committee Coordinator, Social Media Coordinator) is 15 September 2021 at 23:59 GMT.

The APECS Council is the larger of the two leadership committees of APECS. Its members lead Project Groups (e.g. webinars, workshops, Polar Weeks), coordinate APECS activities, and govern the organisation.

The 2021-2022 Council term is from 1 October 2021 through 30 September 2022. In September 2021 we will offer orientation webinars for new Council members so that you are well prepared to start your term on 1 October. Note that the 2021-2022 term will be the first term during which the APECS Council will only be composed of Project Group Leaders, Council leadership positions (Council Co-Chair, National Committee Coordinator, Social Media Coordinator), and National Committee and Partner Organization representatives. As a Council 2021 - 2022 Project Group Leader you would need to be available throughout September 2021 to review applications for your Project Group. 

349 Climate and Polar Research Travel Survey CO2 PG 2021

We are inviting you to participate in a survey "Climate and Polar research - the role of travel" that has been developed by the APECS Project Group “CO2 Reduction in Arctic Science”. We are curious about your experiences and opinions regarding sustainable research practices, particularly, concerning travel. Responses will be used to inform the creation of a pocket guide on the same topic.
 
Deadline for completing the survey: 31 August 2021
 
We are looking forward to your responses!
 
Thanks a lot!

The APECS International Polar Week September is coming with a wide range of activities to celebrate around the world!

348 Juliana Souza Flyer Polar Week September 2021

Josefine Lenz Permafrost polygons excom banner web


APPLY for the APECS Executive Committee
to help shape our organization over the next year and help influence the future of polar research!

The elections for the 2021-2022 APECS Executive Committee will be held in September 2021 for the term from 1 October 2021 to 30 September 2022.

Application deadline: 16 August 2021 at 23:59 GMT

346 Arctic Permit Systems News Release

Photos: The INTERACT Community

Doing scientific fieldwork in the Arctic often means many hours spend on getting the right permits from governments and other authorities for travels, collection and export of samples, movement of equipment etc. We all know of projects that were delayed or otherwise troubled by confusion over permits and related paperwork.

339 APECS Art PEI Summer Solstice SciArt Soiree June 2021It's Summer Solstice! The APECS Art Project Group is happy to collaborate on a special event with Polar Educators International (PEI): Join us for Summer Solstice Polar SciArt Soiree online, 20 June 7-9 pm GMT.

ArcticPASSION Logo D3 longWe are happy to announce that APECS is part of a newly starting EU project: Arctic PASSION!

242 Carla Tapia BaldisFreepik International Online Conference 2021 Banner
The 7th APECS International Online Conference was held on 12th of May 2021. This year’s theme was: “Polar Science: Success stories from the field and from home.” and the event ran over 10 hours to accommodate contributions from all timezones. The abstracts and session recordings of all 41 oral presentations and 11 poster presentations can be found on the Online Conference 2021 webpage. Including those of the following prize winners for each category!

334 Hugo Guimaro APECS SCAR Fellowships Webinar PortugueseOn 20th May 2021 at 2pm UTC, under the SCAR CBET (Capacity Building, Education and Training Advisory Group) framework, APECS Portugal and APECS Brazil organized a Zoom Webinar on SCAR Fellowshipsin Portugueseand was participated by more than 20 people from Portugal and Brazil. The goals of this event were to learn more about SCAR Fellowships for Portuguese speaking Early Career Scientists and details on how to apply.


Please find here the recording of the webinar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj7quujCFAE.

APECS ARICE DEARice webinar announcementAPECS (www.apecs.is) and ARICE (www.arice.eu) invites for a webinar on the project DEARice (DEvelopment of snow/ice/ecosystem models using winter-to-summer ARctic observations of coupled snow, ice, and ecosystem processes) on 4 June 2021 from 8:00 – 09:30 am GMT.

Lizzie Hebel Banner Call for Bids 2021 3

Call for Bids
to host the International Directorate
of the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS)

The Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) is launching an international call for bids to host the International Directorate Office for the organisation starting January 2022. 

The deadline for bids is 31 May 2021. 

331 Flyer APECS Mentorship Award 2021APECS International seeks to recognize and honor the efforts of its mentors within the international polar scientific community. The APECS International Mentorship Award is designed to recognize the time and energy that mentors devote to Early Career Researchers (ECRs) each year, and their efforts to build a community of support. APECS will award a mentor who works with the ECR polar scientific community (this covers Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine areas).

APECS Denmark Logo

APECS Denmark invites to a seminar on “Tools and best practice to nurture mental health in academia”.

Date:
4 June 2021 at 6:30 am GMT

APECS ARICE DEARice webinar announcementAPECS (www.apecs.is) and ARICE (www.arice.eu) invites for a webinar on the project DEARice (DEvelopment of snow/ice/ecosystem models using winter-to-summer ARctic observations of coupled snow, ice, and ecosystem processes) on 4 June 2021 from 8:00 – 09:30 am GMT.

242 Carla Tapia BaldisFreepik International Online Conference 2021 Banner© created by Carla Tapia Baldis /Freepik

The Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) is organizing the 7th APECS International Online Conference which will be taking place on Wednesday, 12 May 2021.

Support us as volunteers and fill out this form by Friday, 7 May 2021, 18 GMT.

242 Carla Tapia BaldisFreepik International Online Conference 2021 Banner© created by Carla Tapia Baldis /Freepik


Registration
now open!

The Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) is organizing the 7th APECS International Online Conference which will be taking place on Wednesday, 12 May 2021. This year’s theme “Polar Science: Success Stories from the Field and from Home” aims to involve polar and alpine researchers from around the world.

APECS logoAPECS International seeks to recognize and honor the efforts of its mentors within the international polar scientific community. The APECS International Mentorship Award is designed to recognize the time and energy that mentors devote to Early Career Researchers (ECRs) each year, and their efforts to build a community of support. APECS will award a mentor who works with the ECR polar scientific community (this covers Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine areas). APECS encourages ECRs around the world to nominate mentors who are deserving of this recognition.

324 APECS Denmark Seminar May 2021Welcome to the APECS Denmark Seminar on 7 May 2021, this time on Arctic biogeochemistry and carbon cycling! Here we will get to hear not just one, but two exciting talks. Rafael Gonçalves-Araujo (Technical University of Denmark) will tell us about dissolved organic matter as a potential tracer for Arctic water masses, and Maria Lund Paulsen (Aarhus University) about the effect of glacial runoff on the coastal bacterial and phytoplankton communities.

sooslogo2cAPECS logo

The Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) and the Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS) are looking for an early career scientist to join the SOOS Southern Ocean Air-Sea Flux Capability Working Group (SOFLUX CWG).

Adrian Dahood

We would like to announce the inaugural call for applications for grants from the Adrian Dahood-Fritz Memorial Fund

The Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) 2021, organized by Portugal, took place from the 19th to 26th of March 2021. The virtual conference gathered international and interdisciplinary researchers to discuss topics framed by the overarching theme “The Arctic: Regional Changes, Global Impacts”. This included science community and business meetings, a cultural day, and a science symposium.

YOPP LOGO beb4effb3cAPECS logoThe International Coordination Office for Polar Prediction and the Association for Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) invite the polar prediction community to share creative and artsy outcome of polar prediction research to be considered for publication in PolarPredictNews,the newsletter for the Year of Polar Prediction.

THANK YOU all for celebrating International March Polar Week with us from 14th to 20th of March 2021!

282 Flore van Maldeghem Polar Week March 2021 Photo CompetitionThank you for joining us in the celebration of the polar and alpine regions. 

During this year’s March Polar Week we kicked the week's excitement off with three keynote speakers spanning the Arctic and Antarctic research - researchers listening to melting glaciers through acoustics, understanding polar microbes through genetics, and learning about the legacy of long term monitoring projects.  There were also amazing musicians and artists' work featured through the Indigenous Art Gallery, and great podcast episodes highlighted in the Polar Times Podcast.  We were thrilled with all the contest submission pieces where we also heard about your own experiences through short essays, poems, and photos. Congratulations to the winners!

All Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance
The All-Atlantic Ocean Alliance is recruiting an European Arctic Representative for the All-Atlantic Ocean Youth Ambassadors Program. The Arctic Representative would join the ongoing term until December 2021 with the option to re-apply for the following term to continue successful collaborations where these were initiated.

All-Atlantic Ocean Youth Ambassadors are dedicated individuals from all walks of life and backgrounds, who promote sustainable development and stewardship of the Atlantic Ocean. They are currently either in training or education programmes, or in the early stages of their profession. Within the context of the All-Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance, Ambassadors will develop campaigns and communication strategies to reach out to local communities, students and civil society, engage decision makers as well as work with local media to conserve and protect the Atlantic Ocean for future generations. In developing online or local campaigns and events, Ambassadors will be integrated into the collaborative Atlantic pilot actions and supported by All-Atlantic research and innovation projects.

311 Lina Madaj Mental Health PG surveyDear APECS members,

It is increasingly clear that being an ECR in academia is stressful and challenging, especially with all the current uncertainties due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of the newly formed APECS “Mental Health Resources” project group is to create a database compiling online information, tests, tips, contacts, etc. from reputable sources on the issue of mental health (MH) and academia. APECS members and the wider community will be able to access, and contribute further to this resource through the website.

242 Carla Tapia BaldisFreepik International Online Conference 2021 Banner


Conference theme:
 Polar Science: Success Stories from the Field and from Home
Conference date: Wednesday, 12th May 2021

Abstract submission deadline extended: Wednesday, 14 April 2021

Who this conference is for:
 We invite polar and alpine researchers from around the world and from various academic levels to present stories related to the polar and alpine regions that happened in 2020. We hope to hear both success stories and stories of learning from failure. The ultimate goal of the project is to unite the ECR community in a collegial and learning experience organized under the 7th annual APECS Online Conference.

APECS logoAPECS International seeks to recognize and honor the efforts of its mentors within the international polar scientific community. The APECS International Mentorship Award is designed to recognize the time and energy that mentors devote to Early Career Researchers (ECRs) each year, and their efforts to build a community of support. APECS will award a mentor who works with the ECR polar scientific community (this covers Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine areas). APECS encourages ECRs around the world to nominate mentors who are deserving of this recognition.

<a href=APECS Spain Logo 2018The first session, "Climate Change at the Poles" will be held on 23rd March 2021, at 18:30 h (GMT+1).

Join us here: https://youtu.be/yH611zOZY2o!

Polar Week logo2 01The votes on our March 2021 Polar Week Photo/ Poetry/ Essay Competition are in. More than 100 people voted on the 28 amazing submissions.

A big thank you to all the people who submitted a picture, poem or essay and another thank you to everyone who voted and made this photo competition happen.

We are happy to now announce the winners of our competition. Congratulations to our Photo/ Poetry/ Essay Competition winners!

311 Lina Madaj Mental Health PG surveyDear APECS members,

It is increasingly clear that being an ECR in academia is stressful and challenging, especially with all the current uncertainties due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of the newly formed APECS “Mental Health Resources” project group is to create a database compiling online information, tests, tips, contacts, etc. from reputable sources on the issue of mental health (MH) and academia. APECS members and the wider community will be able to access, and contribute further to this resource through the website.

309 APECS T MOSAiC Vlogs PG video blogsThe awareness of the Arctic and its relevance to climate and ecosystems are increasing. While there is broad knowledge of Arctic science, few people have experienced Arctic environments and scientific research. Bringing the public to a journey into Arctic field research will foster a deeper appreciation for northern environments and science.

Polar Week logo2 01Thank you for the amazing photos/peoms and essays, that were submitted for the International Polar Week March 2021! We received 28 submissions in total. Now it is time for YOU to vote on your favourite photo/poem/essay. 

How to vote?

247 Henrietta Hammant Flyer Polar Week March 2021Let's celebrate the importance of the polar and the wider cryosphere! Twice a year, we celebrate Polar Week during equinox when day- and night-time are equal all around the World. During this time, we will share a series of activities through APECS international and its national committees to raise awareness of the polar and alpine areas - their indigenous people, wildlife, facts, stories, scientists, and landscapes, as well as the risks they currently face, especially due to climatic changes.

Polar Week logo2 01For this March Polar Week we would like to share your polar perspectives through photos, poetry and short essays!

If you are interested in participating in the competition, please fill out the Submission Form by March 11th, 23:59 GMT



Following you can find more information on the competition categories:

 

253 Morten Rasch FARO Workshop at ASSW2021

Join us for the "Workshop on International Access to Research Infrastructure in the Arctic"during the Arctic Science Summit Week 2021,organized by FARO together with ARICE, INTERACTand APECS.

SCAR logo white backgroundAPECS logoThe new Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) Scientific Research Programme INStabilities & Thresholds in ANTarctica (INSTANT) had its kick-off workshop between 15 and 17 February 2021. The workshop was online, based on zoom. For three days, about 150 participants from over 41 countries kept a very active discussion on the future development of this multidisciplinary program.

Please read here the full report.

Author: Lara Perez

Burgay Francois APECS Italy Advertisement February 2021 Jilda Caccavo*DEADLINE EXTENDED to MARCH 10*

APECS Italy is an association of early career polar researchers that aims to bring together those conducting polar and cryosphere research in Italy in order to organize outreach and capacity building events, and foster collaborations.
Despite organizing many successful events in recent years, the members of APECS Italy leadership have taken on new roles in their careers, and can no longer continue to lead the organization. For that reason, we are now seeking to nominate a new coordinator of APECS Italy.

251 Jonatan PieUnsplash APECS UKPN ECR ConferenceConference theme: Early Career Researchers and the future of UK Polar Science

Date: 5-6th May 2021

Location: Online

Abstract deadline: Friday 19th March 2021

The SCAR Expert Group on Antarctic Biodiversity Informatics works with the rOpenSci project to improve R software tools for Antarctic and Southern Ocean science (see https://ropensci.org/blog/2018/11/13/antarctic/ for more information). We are in the early stages of planning a "virtual tools hack" event and would like to gauge interest from APECS members to present at this event. The format is for a short initial session in which several presenters talk about the R tools that they are using or developing, and identify areas for improvement. There is then an intersessional period of several weeks in which community members can propose tasks to work on that will help address those issues, and then finally there is a half-day "hack" in which the actual work gets done.

242 Carla Tapia BaldisFreepik International Online Conference 2021 Banner


Conference theme:
 Polar Science: Success Stories from the Field and from Home
Conference date: Wednesday, 12th May 2021

Abstract deadline: Wednesday, 31st March 2021

Who this conference is for:
 We invite polar and alpine researchers from around the world and from various academic levels to present stories related to the polar and alpine regions that happened in 2020. We hope to hear both success stories and stories of learning from failure. The ultimate goal of the project is to unite the ECR community in a collegial and learning experience organized under the 7th annual APECS Online Conference.

Polar Week logo2 01For this March Polar Week we would like to share your polar perspectives through photos, poetry and short essays!

If you are interested in participating in the competition, please fill out the Submission Form by March 11th, 23:59 GMT



Following you can find more information on the competition categories:

 

247 Henrietta Hammant Flyer Polar Week March 2021Let's celebrate the importance of the polar and the wider cryosphere! Twice a year, we celebrate Polar Week during equinox when day- and night-time are equal all around the World. During this time, we will share a series of activities through APECS international and its national committees to raise awareness of the polar and alpine areas - their indigenous people, wildlife, facts, stories, scientists, and landscapes, as well as the risks they currently face, especially due to climatic changes.

Burgay Francois APECS Italy Advertisement February 2021 Jilda Caccavo*DEADLINE EXTENDED to MARCH 10*

APECS Italy is an association of early career polar researchers that aims to bring together those conducting polar and cryosphere research in Italy in order to organize outreach and capacity building events, and foster collaborations.
Despite organizing many successful events in recent years, the members of APECS Italy leadership have taken on new roles in their careers, and can no longer continue to lead the organization. For that reason, we are now seeking to nominate a new coordinator of APECS Italy.

175 APECS Podcast PG LogoHi polar people! Just a reminder that Polar Times, the APECS Podcast, comes out fortnightly on Fridays. We are always looking for guest suggestions and please feel free to volunteer yourself- we welcome anyone and everyone from polar life!

You can contact our PG leaders Jack and Ryan at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. respectively!

Are you looking to bolster your skills for working on a research icebreaker? The online technical training series organized by the Arctic Research Icebreaker Consortium and the Association of Early Polar Career Scientists may be what you are looking for! Exciting training modules taught by experts looking to share their knowledge and experience await in March and April of 2021.

Franziska Pausch Kerstin Rolfes AWIWe welcome Franziska Pausch as our 3rd Project Officer in the APECS International Directorate! Together with Boris and Svenja, along with Heike and Josefine, our APECS Office Team is (for now) complete.

Franziska will contribute to the education and training activities in the EU Project ARICE and support the APECS Office in administrative tasks.

APECS Canada Logo webAPECS Canada, along with the ArcticNet Student Association coordinated the adjudication and virtual presentation of the 2020 APECS Canada-ASA Mentor Award. This award is presented annually at the ArcticNet ASM banquet to an individual who has contributed significantly to the fostering and mentoring of polar early career researchers in Canada. However, due to the ongoing pandemic, this award was presented virtually for the first time. This year, five excellent nomination packages were put forth by polar ECRs across the country. The award was presented to Dr. LeeAnn Fishback from the Churchill Northern Studies Centre for her work in mentoring and supporting ECRs in their scientific research around Churchill, MB as well as her commitment to education and outreach in her community.

See more here.

243 Vikram Goel Remote Sensing PG Survey
The Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) Council 2020/21 are working on a project to synthesise and review the applications of Satellite Remote Sensing across the Polar sciences. Our goal is to develop a database and accompanying document that summarises key information about satellite platforms, including (but not limited to): technical characteristics, applications in Polar science, data accessibility and processing requirements.

Lizzie Hebel Banner Call for Bids 2021 3

Call for Bids
to host the International Directorate
of the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS)

The Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) is launching an international call for bids to host the International Directorate Office for the organisation starting January 2022. 

The deadline for bids is 31 May 2021. 

sooslogo2cAPECS logo

The Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) and the Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS) are looking for an early career scientist to join the SOOS Amundsen and Bellingshausen Sector Regional Working Group (ABS RWG).

Logo SOD WGI AR6

The Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), Mountain Research Initiative (MRI), PAst Global ChangES Early-Career Network (PAGES-ECN), Permafrost Young Research Network (PYRN), and Young Earth System Scientists (YESS) community successfully organized the group review of the Second Order Draft (SOD) of Working Group II (WGII) contribution to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 6th Assessment Report (AR6) by early career scientists.

The VI APECS-Brazil Symposium will be held online between February 2 and 4, 2021 with the theme "The importance of polar science in the face of global issues".

The event aims to provide the exchange of knowledge on polar topics and connect polar researchers from all over the world. The event is aimed at all people interested in polar science.

APECS StrategicPlan 2021 2025 front pictureWe are happy to announce the publication of the APECS Strategic Plan for 2021-2025!

The Strategic Plan is a result of discussions among the APECS Leadership (Executive Committee, Council and APECS Directorate), the APECS National Committees, and extensive consultation with the wider APECS membership and polar research community.

The APECS International Directorate is happy to introduce two new project officers: Boris Radosavljevic is contributing to training activities in the EU project ARICE. Svenja Holste develops information material and support capacity building in the EU Project INTERACT III. Welcome, Boris and Svenja!

apecs logo webiasc webThe International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) and the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), have the pleasure of announcing the start of the 2021 IASC Fellowship Program. APECS very kindly coordinated the application and review process; recommendations from APECS based on the review process were delivered for final selection to the IASC Secretariats and IASC WG Chairs. Six successful early career researchers were identified from 47 applicants for the IASC Fellowships. The reviewers were impressed by the excellent quality of the applications.

Dear APECS members, partners and friends

Another year is coming to an end - And it has been an exceptional and challenging year for the polar community as a whole, our society and for many of us personally. 2020 has shown us how important personal and professional networks are and we are grateful and proud that APECS is able to provide the necessary virtual polar connection to many early career researchers. Nonetheless, we all hope we can work, celebrate, laugh and meet in person again very soon.

AntarcticaDayLogoThe votes on our Antarctica Day 2020 Photo/Art Competition are in. More than 500 people voted on the 24 amazing submissions on Antarctic photos and art projects. A big thank you to all the people who submitted a picture/art project and another thank you to everyone who voted and made this photo/art competition happen.

apecs logo web

Antarctic Science Bursery

In coordination with the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), Antarctic Science Ltd. is running a webinar to help potential applicants of 2021 Antarctic Science International Bursary. This bursary runs every year and is for up to £6000 to support PhD or early career researchers to extend the scope of an existing research project. More details here: http://www.antarcticsciencebursary.org.uk/. A great opportunity to get top-up funding for that exciting idea of yours!

AntarcticaDayLogoThank you for the amazing photos and art projects that were submitted for our Antarctica Day 2020 Photo and Art Competition! We received 24 submissions in total. Now it is time for YOU to vote on your favourite photo and art project. 

How to vote?

On the occasion of International Mountain Day, Indian Polar Research Network (APECS-India) is organizing a webinar on ‘Himalayan Mountainous Regions’ on 11th December. We have three Early Career Researchers from three different domains, telling us about the various aspects of scientific research in the mountainous regions of Himalaya.

APECS Sweden new logo 20169th December 2020 at 15:00 (Stockholm)

Tired of cancelled fieldwork? Missing your daily procrastination fika by the coffee machine? Overloaded with Zoom calls and conferences (and currently reading this thinking, oh no, not another one?!)? Polar research has looked very different over the last year as we grapple with life under a global pandemic.

There is nothing more constant than change, as Heraklit once said...

With a sad and with a laughing eye we say Goodbye to our precious project officers in the APECS International Directorate, Lisa Grosfeld and Andrea Schneider.

With a crying eye, because they have provided great support for several years and helped with lots of small and big tasks to keep the office running smoothly. Lisa and Andrea both always created a positive working environment and kept us smiling and happy even in hectic times.

Andrea has worked for the EU projects APPLICATE and INTERACT II and maintained an additional project office at the UiT The Arctic University of Norway which is now coming to an end as well. We thank UiT for their yearlong support of APECS.

We also say goodbye with a laughing eye, as we are happy for you to take on new tasks and challenges; and happy for other colleagues now working with you.

The APECS Office will miss you for sure...

andrea schneiderLisa Grosfeld cut

Antarctica Day 2020_credit_Friederike_SäringThe international polar community celebrates Antarctica Day on the 1st of December to commemorate the 61st anniversary of the Antarctic Treaty. During this year, the APECS Antarctica Day Project Group (PG) has planned a series of activities for all our members and national committees to raise awareness of the importance of Antarctica in a fast changing world.

APECS logoAPECS is looking for a new Project Officer for the APECS International Directorate Office based at the Research Centre of the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) in Potsdam, Germany!

Application deadline is 7 December 2020.

iasc webapecs logo webThe International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) in cooperation with the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) are excited to announce the IASC Fellowship Program 2021.

The IASC Fellowship Program is meant to engage early career scientists in the work of the IASC Working Groups (WGs): Atmosphere, Cryosphere, Marine, Social & Human, and Terrestrial. This year, we will offer 6 IASC fellowships. 

Read the full announcment here!

apecs brasil logoThe APECS-Brazil is helping to advertise the call for papers of the "Annals of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (AABC)" - Special volume on Antarctic Research. The title and authors of the manuscript should be sent by November 2020, and the deadline for paper submission is March, 31 2021. This is a great opportunity for us, early in our career, to publish our work - and because the call is open to all countries we thought would be interesting to be published also in the APECS International social media. 
 
Find further information can be found here.

Josefine Lenz 2018As of 1 Nov, Dr. Josefine Lenz is APECS’ new Executive Director. Josefine has been an APECS Project Officer and was involved in various APECS leadership roles during the last years. Her science background is in permafrost research. “It is an honor and at the same time quite a challenge to follow in Gerlis` footsteps, that`s for sure. But with another great leadership team just starting its term, we will certainly steer APECS through another exciting and fun year filled with enthusiasm for polar research.

sooslogo2cAPECS logoThe Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) and the Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS http://www.soos.aq) are looking for an early career scientist to join the SOOS Southern Ocean Weddell Sea and Dronning Maud Land Sector Regional Working Group (WS-DML RWG http://www.soos.aq/activities/rwg/sois).

102 Vural Deniz Pixabay Polar Week September 2020Thank you for joining us in putting the polar and alpine regions into the spotlight. We were overjoyed about your own stories, photos and experiences shared with us using the hashtags: #PolarWeek, #ScientistsWhoSelfie, #PolarWeekPhoto, #PolarWeekArt and #PolarFunFact. During this year’s September Polar Week we shared a series of talks and activities through APECS international and its national committees to raise awareness on the polar and alpine areas and its indigeneous people, wildlife, facts, stories, scientists, landscapes and the risks, especially the importance due to climatic changes. We enthusiastically encouraged our early career researchers (ECR) to both join our activities and to create their own events within the framework of the Polar Week. Thanks to the wide collaborations between countries, we could expand and enrich our events and really feel the spirit of the Polar Week everywhere! See here the highlights of the September 2020 Polar Week.

APECS logoAPECS is very pleased to announce our 2020 APECS International Mentorship Award recipientsRia Olivier and Amaelle Landais! The mentorship awards were established in 2016 as a meaningful way to recognize the efforts of those mentors within the international polar science community, and to honour those who have devoted significant time and energy towards building a supportive community for early career professionals. We received several nominations for both categories and it was difficult to select the winners.

ECO SpecialIssueECO’s Polar Special Issue is published this month in partnership with APECS, Arctic Circle and SCAR. Here is the link to the digital issue. We have four regularly scheduled issues in 2021 with a dedicated Polar section, not to mention the dedicated news page on ECO’s website. We always encourage submissions for content should you or anyone in your network be interested. You can email submissions anytime to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Calling all Antarctic researchers and staff! Are you travelling to or over-wintering on Antarctica this year (November 2020 – January 2021)? If you are heading to Antarctica or any of the surrounding Antarctic islands this winter, we would love your help with our UK Polar Network Antarctic Flags Project! All we ask is that you take some flags (however many you are willing to take) sent to you as a .pdf or .jpg and photograph them in Antarctica as proof that they have made it there. For more info, please visit  https://polarnetwork.org/2020/10/join-us-for-antarctica-day-2020/ or get in touch at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Jennifer (UKPN Antarctic Flags Coordinator).

175 APECS Podcast PG LogoHello Polar People!

APECS is very excited to announce the launch of our new podcast Polar Times- bringing science and stories from polar places to the masses!

Polar Times is a brand-new project group that is aiming to deliver an episode of the podcast every two weeks. We will be interviewing people from all walks of polar life- not just science and academia- from all around the world.

mosaic logo Auswahl 2 rgb 08MOSAiC is the largest Arctic research project of our times. Frozen into the ice, the German research icebreaker Polarstern has been drifting with the same ice floe through the Central Arctic from mid of October until the end of July when the ice floe eventually disintegrated into many small pieces. During those ten months, hundreds of scientists conducted field research on the polar atmosphere, ocean, ecology, the physical properties of the ice and biogeochemical relationships between all this, while the floe travelled from the Siberian Seas to the Fram Strait. Among those scientists have been many Master students, PhD-students, early Post-Docs, in short: Early career researchers (ECRs). 

iasc webapecs logo webThe International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) in cooperation with the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) are excited to announce the IASC Fellowship Program 2021.

The IASC Fellowship Program is meant to engage early career scientists in the work of the IASC Working Groups (WGs): Atmosphere, Cryosphere, Marine, Social & Human, and Terrestrial. This year, we will offer 6 IASC fellowships. 

Read the full announcment here!

Sign up to attend the APECS Polar Early Career Workshop 2020 on 14 October 2020! Join us for a day of keynote speeches, early career tea/coffee & Q&A with presentations by industry professionals, and early career researcher abstract presentations. See more informaiton on the poster...

Register here:https://forms.gle/Kfu4psNDb5uJEWHTA

apecs logo webAPECS is excited to announce that another leadership term has begun on 1 October 2020!

 

Gerlis FugmannWe would be remiss if we left out of this announcement that this is APECS’ first transition between terms without our North Star, our Southern Cross, Gerlis Fugmann. As many of you already know, this past August Gerlis moved on from her position as Executive Director of APECS, which she held for seven years, to become the new Executive Secretary of IASC, a fantastic opportunity for both her and IASC.

APECS South Africa LogoA day of insight hosted by APECSSA - Wisdom from experienced scientists.

We have enjoyed a very successful day on 15 September 2020 via zoom (over 70 participants from around the globe), gaining valuable insight and tips to keep in mind and draw inspiration from as researchers at the beginning of our careers - or otherwise, as mentioned by some of the speakers, starting out at the bottom. The morning was more than rhetoric, although plenty of phrases stood out.

The votes on our September 2020 Polar Week Photo Competition are in. More than 400 people voted on the 22 amazing submissions on polar and alpine photographs. A big thank you to all the people who submitted a picture and another thank you to everyone who voted and made this photo competition happen.

We are happy to now announce the winners of our photo competition and the print-version of the INTERACT field work planning handbook and practical field guide. Congratulations to our Photo Competition winners!

113 Souza Juliana APECS Polar Workshop Oct 2020

IF YOU HAVE ALREADY APPLIED/SIGNED UP TO ATTEND, PLEASE RESUBMIT YOUR ABSTRACT/DETAILS AS WE HAVE HAD ERRORS WITH OUR APPLICATION FORM!

We are pleased to announce this call for abstracts for the APECS Polar Career Workshop. We invite individuals early in their careers to submit their application to present a video/thesis/presentation - there is no restriction on topics.

173 Lina Madaj Polar Week September 2020 Photo Contest Voting

Thank you for the amazing photos that were submitted for our APECS International Polar Week September 2020 Photo Competition! Now it is time for YOU to vote on your favourite photo. 

How to vote? Click through the photos on our photo competition website and note their number and photographer name. And then fill out the voting poll here: https://www.poll-maker.com/poll3125406xc4B84677-97

102 Vural Deniz Pixabay Polar Week September 2020

It's International Polar Week from 20th to 26th of September 2020! Join us in putting the polar and alpine regions into the spotlight.

The Polar Week aims to celebrate the importance of polar and alpine regions and the cryosphere in general. It takes place twice a year for one week around the spring and autumnal equinox when daytime and night-time are equal all around the World!

During this Polar Week we will share a series of talks and activities through APECS international and NC committees to raise awareness on polar life, facts, stories, the role in the climate crisis and so forth. We enthusiastically encourage our early career researchers (ECR) to both join our activities and to create their own events within the framework of the Polar Week.

We are pleased to announce this call for abstracts for the APECS Polar Career Workshop. We invite individuals early in their careers to submit their application to present a video/thesis/presentation - there is no restriction on topics.113 Souza Juliana APECS Polar Workshop Oct 2020

Logo_SOD-WGII-AR6.v1.png

The Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), Mountain Research Initiative (MRI), PAst Global ChangES Early-Career Network (PAGES-ECN), Permafrost Young Research Network (PYRN), and Young Earth System Scientists (YESS) community successfully organized the group review of the Second Order Draft (SOD) of Working Group I (WGI) contribution to the IPCC 6th Assessment Report (AR6) by early career scientists.

103 Vural Deniz Pixabay Polar Week September 2020 Photo ContestAs for the past International Polar Weeks we are inviting all APECS members to participate in the #PolarWeekPhoto competition, taking place during September Polar Week from 20th - 26th. Please submit a picture you took in the Arctic, Antarctic or alpine areas. The picture can be documenting polar landscapes, animals and organisms, fieldwork, even experiments/lab work resulting from your fieldwork…, whatever you would like to share about your polar experiences!

Get inspired by the March Polar Week 2020 Photo Competition picture gallery and check out the Polar Week September webpage.

© Deniz Vural/Pixabay

APECS logo
APPLY for the APECS Executive Committee to help shape our organization over the next year and help influence the future of polar research!

The elections for the 2020-2021 APECS Executive Committee will be held in September 2020 for the term from 1 October 2020 to 30 September 2021.

Application deadline extended: 28 August 2020 at 23:59 GMT 9 September 2020 23:59 GMT

sooslogo2cAPECS logoThe Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) and the Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS) are looking for an early career scientist to join the SOOS Southern Ocean Indian Sector Regional Working Group (SOIS RWG).

APECS South Africa LogoOn 15 September, APECSSA will be hosting an online workshop with a series of webinars and discussions with Polar Science Experts from the South African National Antarctic Program! 

APECS logoSAVE THE DATE: September International Polar Week will be taking place from 20th to 26th of September 2020!

The Polar Week aims to celebrate the importance of polar and alpine regions and the cryosphere in general. It takes place twice a year for one week around the spring and autumnal equinox when daytime and night-time are equal all around the World!

us apecsUSAPECS is organizing the 5th Polar Film Fest, which will take place in mid-September! We are looking to showcase fun, informative and artistic movies about the Arctic, Antarctic, and wider cryosphere – no matter what language they are in! In the past, featured movies ranged from independently-produced videos, interviews and short news reports to 30 min long documentaries, so we welcome a diversity of submissions.

Instagram 1 APECS Workshop SCAR20201We are proud to announce  an early career workshop in collaboration with the Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research (SCAR) from 11-13 August, entirely online so join us for this unique event! The theme for the workshop is “Antarctic Science - Global Connections”, aiming to bring together polar ECRs from around the globe. Featured topics are Science Communication in the Southern Hemisphereand Logistical Collaboration. Learn more and register here!

APECS logoAPPLY for the APECS Executive Committee to help shape our organization over the next year and help influence the future of polar research!

The elections for the 2020-2021 APECS Executive Committee will be held in September 2020 for the term from 1 October 2020 to 30 September 2021.

Application deadline: 28 August 2020 at 23:59 GMT

IPCC SOD WGI AR6

The Working Group II (WGII) contribution to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) is due to be finalized in 2021. The Second Order Draft (SOD) of the IPCC AR6 WGII report will be open for expert review from 4 December 2020 to 29 January 2021.

The Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), the Mountain Research Initiative (MRI), the Past Global Changes Early Career Network (PAGES ECN), the Permafrost Young Research Network (PYRN) and the Young Earth System Scientists (YESS) community are coordinating a group review of the SOD of the IPCC AR6 WGII report by early career scientists. 

APECS logoDo you want to get (or remain) active in APECS and be involved in the APECS leadership?

This is a reminder to send your applications for the APECS Council 2020-2021term! 
The application deadline is 31 July 2020 at 23:59 GMT.

ECO Magazine has announced the publication of a special issue dedicated to polar research in partnership with theArctic Circle, theScientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) and theAssociation of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS).

ECO polar call for content

APECS logoDo you want to get (or remain) active in APECS and be involved in the APECS leadership? The applications for APECS Council 2020-2021 are open now! The application deadline is 31 July 2020 at 23:59 GMT.

APECS logoAPECS is looking for a new interim APECS Executive Director for the APECS International Directorate Office based at the Research Centre of the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) in Potsdam, Germany!

Application deadline on 28 June 2020.

sooslogo2cThe Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) and the Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS)are looking for an early career scientist to join the SOOS Ross Sea Regional Working Group (Ross RWG).

USAPESC newDear USAPECS Members and the Polar Science Community,

[Content warning: USAPECS response to current events. This CW is intentionally vague in an attempt to not cause further trauma]

We at the USAPECS Board condemn all acts of police brutality and injustice against Black individuals and the Black community as a whole. Black Lives Matter. The culture of structuralized white supremacy that pervades the very core of our academic, government, and other institutions perpetuate these acts of violence and oppression within our country.

apecs logo webRallies and discussions against racism and discrimination are currently spreading worldwide originating after recent horrific actions against members of the Black community in the United States. The polar science community is not free from discrimination, and the systemic structure in place has led to injustices throughout organizations, past and present, and ultimately, our field and community have suffered as a result. Now is the time to recognize, support, and amplify the voices of our friends, colleagues, and communities, that have been facing discrimination and racism around the world. We owe it to them to do better and to learn about the history of our own community. We encourage our members to take this time to learn about the many forms of racism and discrimination and intersecting barriers for members of the Black and Indigenous communities, people of colour and other under-represented and marginalized communities worldwide to success in polar science and support those who are being affected by them. Here are some resources to get you started:

3rdASMLogoSmallYou are invited to participate in an online workshop to discuss topics and ideas that you think are important for policy makers and the Arctic Science Ministers to better understand and prioritize at the Third Arctic Science Ministerial (ASM3). Bringing together States, Arctic Indigenous participants, and international organizations, ASM3 aims to take action on coordinated Arctic observing, research, and education in an open and transparent format which includes all Arctic stakeholders.

In an effort to engage the broader Arctic research community in the ASM3 process, IASC, IASSA, and APECS are convening two ASM3 Research Community Workshops on 15 June 2020.

One of the APECS Colombia aims is to look for opportunities to improve the skill to our members (fieldwork, personal, professional). In this opportunity, we contacted a researcher Evaristo Vazquez to develop a workshop about the software ‘R’. This is a useful statistics software to work with a huge amount of data, like the one we can record during our polar fieldwork. The workshop was developed online through our platform Zoom, where Evaristo explain the generalities of the software, with practical examples (the participant downloaded previously the software to work with some files in their computers). As feedback, we want to continue with this kind of workshop to enhance the skills of our community.

Mojica Jhon workshop R may 14 2020 1 Jhon Mojica Moncada

Photo credit: Jhon Mojica Moncada

 

 

ASSW logo 2021 large 01The Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) 2021 (20 – 26 March 2021, Lisbon, Portugal) has the deadline for their call for scientific sessions on 22 May.

The following proposed sessions are looking for early career researchersas co-chairs. Application deadline on 22 May at 13:00 GMT

Guimaro Hugo APECS Online Conference 2020 March2020This year’s theme, "Opening Doors: Collaboration across knowledge systems" aims to encourage collaboration between early career researchers, science communicators, educators, and local community members in polar and alpine regions. Presenters will address this topic in relation to a wide range of research, including Climate, Biology, Cultural, Education, Geology, Environmental, Cryosphere, Oceanography and Policy research. Audience engagement is encouraged, with time for questions at the end of each presentation. The detailed conference programme including all abstracts can be found on the APECS International Online Conference 2020 Website. It is completely free to attend from the comfort of your home or office!

APECS ARICE Webinar GO WEST teaserAPECS-ARICE Webinar: „ARICE, the ice and the fish. An Arctic expedition from planning to first results“

28 May, 16-17 GMT

Zoom Webinar, registration here!

web apecsiasc webSCAR logo white backgroundPEI logoWe need YOU (polar science and education experts) to review the original Polar Resource Book - Polar Science and Global Climate: An International Resource for Education and Outreach. Now almost a decade old, we are asking for feedback on the current book’s contents to identify content that is problematically outdated / misleading / wrong before we move forward with an updated version.

The Polar Resource Book was created to ensure efforts catalyzed by the International Polar Year (IPY). It will continue to inspire educators, students, and emerging polar researchers into the next generation with a shared commitment to outreach and education.

Guimaro Hugo APECS Online Conference 2020 March2020The 6th APECS International Online Conference will take place on 19-20th May 2020 and, once again, it's the time of the year that we ask for your support as volunteers! (Sign up here!)

Specifically, we need your help to act as Presentation Judges and Session Coordinators during the conference. No prior experience is required! We provide training for both roles (see below for more information). These are excellent opportunities to develop professional skills, support the APECS community, and gain experience that will boost your C.V.!

Picture1APECS-ARICE Webinar „From icebreakers into classrooms – opportunities for educators and scientists“

5 May 2020, 14-15:30 GMT

Register here!

In 2019, the APECS ExCom initiated the Organizational Review Committee (ORC) to perform a critical review of our organization. This was a tremendous undertaking by Hanne Nielsen, Ruth Vingerhagen, Elizabeth Orr, Renuka Badhe, Jenny Baeseman, Jennifer Cooper, Meagan Dewar, Agnieszka Kruszewska, Hugues Lantuit, Burcu Özsoy, Allen Pope, Jennifer Provencher, José Seco, Michael Sparrow, and Alex Thornton who comprise current and former APECS members, as well as senior members of the polar community. The 2019 review builds on the first ORC, which occured in 2015 and produced valuable guidance that helped APECS develop its Strategic Plan 2016 - 2020 and grow into the thriving, 3400+ member organization it is today. APECS is currently transitioning from a grassroots movement to an established and well-respected organization within the polar research community, which comes with unique challenges and opportunities. The goal of the 2019 review was to develop strategies for APECS to stay relevant and to continue providing resources and professional development opportunities for early career researchers.

Wondering how to respect and incorporate indigenous knowledge into your research? Join us April 16th at 8-9:30pm EST (0:00 - 1:30 GMT on 17 April) for a workshop on working with indigenous communities. The DEI and Indigenous Collaborations project groups are putting together a workshop including panel discussions from experts and break out sessions in order to help get a better understanding of how to foster connections with indigenous communities. We'll be hearing from Tuyara Gavrilieva, Vyacheslav Shadrin, Kate Snow, Lorna Little, Vera Metcalf, Marianne Falardeau and more to hear their perspectives and stories collaborating between researchers and community members. Anyone is welcome.

web apecs... Nil Rodes!

Congratulations Nil, you won a 100€ voucher for travel cost to a polar and cryosphere related conference (please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to retrieve your prize).

Thank you to all the participants for their beautiful photos!"

rodes nil polar week march 2020 photochallenge

Every morning sunshine between the rain during the fieldwork days in Isfjord, Svalbard.

Dear dedicated polar researchers,

APECS and INTERACT collaborate on developing resources for communication and navigation in the field – an important aspect that needs to be considered when preparing a field campaign in the remote, spectacular, but unforgiving Arctic. This aims to become a resource similar to the INTERACT Practical Field Guide. We invite you to contribute with your most compelling photos from the field until 17 May 2020!

web apecsThe PolarWeekPhoto photo challenge has come to an end: It's now time to vote for the photo contest of the March PolarWeek 2020. The winner will receive a 100€ voucher for travel costs to a polar or cryosphere related conference! You can see the photos and contest descriptions here. You have until Friday 3rd April 12 GMT to vote, here: https://www.poll-maker.com/poll2824041x94784d0c-83.

IPCC SOD WGI AR6

*** Changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic ***

We are temporarily pausing applications since the IPCC has modified the date of the WGII - AR6 expert review of the SOD (the new date is 4 Dec 2020 - 29 Jan 2021 - see IPCC calendar). We need some time to adapt our group review schedule to this new date.

In a few weeks, we will contact individuals who have already sent their applications to inform them about the new schedule. For those who have not applied yet, we would like to let you know that the updated call will be published in APECS, MRI, PAGES ECN, PYRN and YESS newsletters and social media, so stay tuned!

 

Fugmann Profile Picture 2020Dear APECS Members,

I have some news, that I need to share with you. I have accepted the position as new IASC Executive Secretary and will therefore be leaving APECS in July. This is a great new opportunity for me personally and I am quite excited about it and very much looking forward to this new appointment and to working with the IASC community.

At the same time, this of course means me leaving APECS, an organization that I have been involved in, and that has shaped my career and personal life for more than 11 years.

apecs logo webThe current COVID-19 (coronavirus) situation is affecting all of us and therefore also will have an impact on APECS activities in the coming months. The health, safety, and wellbeing of our members and community is our foremost priority. To that end, we wanted to provide an update for APECS activities as well as APECS leadership and National Committee operations during this time of crisis:

Pileci Rosaria Erika PolarWeek March 2020Join us in celebrating the icy and Polar Regions of the world and create further awareness of the science and activities being conducted in the Arctic and the Antarctic.The APECS International Polar Week March 2020 is shaping up to be an exciting party! From the 15 to 21 March, we will be featuring some great activities organized by Polar early career researchers from around the world. 

Guimaro Hugo APECS Online Conference 2020 March2020

The Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) is proud to announce the much awaited 6th annual APECS International Online Conference to go live on 19 May 2020. This year’s theme, "Opening Doors: Collaboration across knowledge systems" aims to encourage collaboration between early career researchers, science communicators, educators, and local community members in polar and alpine regions. 

Throughout fall 2019, APECS, the APPLICATE (Advanced Prediction in Polar regions and beyond: modelling, observing system design and LInkages associated with a Changing Arctic climaTE) project and the Year of Polar Prediction (YOPP) were running an open online course on "Advancing Predictive Capability of Northern Hemisphere Weather and Climate”. 

Grosfeld Lisa Science Policy Workshop Report 2020The knowledge transfer from science to policy plays a major role in modern science and will be even more important in the future. Exposing researchers to the science-policy-interface is particularly important in an early career stage to develop an understanding of the tools and processes involved and a natural collaboration beyond science. Policy needs scientists who have consolidated knowledge and give objective, independent and target-oriented advice. Communicating scientific information to policymakers requires certain skills in translating the scientific information into information that can be understood by policymakers or nonscientists, as scientists and policymakers very often speak different “languages”. [...]

Between January 26 – 30, the 14th Arctic Frontiers conference was held in Tromsø, Norway. The theme of the 2020 conference was “The Power of Knowledge” and it brings together an international community of students, early career researchers,  and young professionals to share knowledge and new perspectives. This year, APECS contributed to the Arctic Frontiers Young programme with several activities:

  • An Early Career Researcher Networking Night on 28 January,
  • 6th edition of the Nansen Poster Awards on 29 January,
  • “Science for Schools” from 28-30 January.

apecs logo webiasc webThe International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) and the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), have the pleasure of announcing the start of the 2020 IASC Fellowship Program. APECS very kindly coordinated the application and review process; recommendations from APECS based on the review process were delivered for final selection to the IASC and CAFF Secretariats. Five successful early career scientists were identified from 70 highly qualified applicants for the five IASC Working Groups. One CAFF-IASC Fellow was also selected for the Coastal Ecosystem Monitoring Group - Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program. The reviewers were impressed by the record amount and excellent quality of the applications.

 

APECS China Winter Camp 2020

During January 11-14, 2020, the National College Winter Camp activities co-organized by APECS China were successfully completed. More than 100 college students from all over country joined this activity. Ding Minghu, the Chairman of APECS China, also the researcher in the Institute of Tibetan Plateau and Polar Meteorology, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences joined this activity and made a scientific report entitled "Cryosphere and Climate Change".

The APECS Project Group on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is pleased to announce we have a new website! The main feature is a DEI Resource Repository that is intended to be a resource for the polar science community. Some resources are specific to polar work but many are applicable to wider conversations around academia, STEM fields, and field work.

Topics include: Community Guidelines, Ethnicity, Gender, Indigenous Communities, LGBTQIA+, Networks, Parenthood, Safety in Science, etc.

Don't see what you are looking for or know of a great resource we haven't included? Please add it to our repository!

 

APECS_Germany_Report_1.pngHow experienced are you in science communication? Do you prefer “online” or “in-person” science communication?

How do I choose the right words when talking about science? How do I connect to my audience?

Those were only a few of the questions that the 35 participants discussed among themselves and with three experts during the APECS Germany workshop “Best practice: Science communication” on the 25th of September 2019 in Bremen. Within the context of the International Polar Week 2019, the workshop took place in cooperation with the ICYMARE 2019 conference and the SPP Antarctic Research Coordination meeting. Bachelor, Master and PhD students, post-docs and young professionals from many disciplines joined us, creating a great atmosphere for exchange on one of the hot topics of the researcher’s world: science communication.

During January 26 – 30, the 14th Arctic Frontiers conference is held in Tromsø, Norway. The annual conference is an international event, linking policy makers, industry and academia focusing on the Arctic regions. This year, the APECS Arctic Frontiers organising team has prepared the following activities and events for you:

Tuesday  28/01   

16:00 – 19:00 MAIN poster session with evaluation for the Nansen poster awards

19:00 – 23:00 Networking Night, registration is required

Wednesday  29/01   

15:00 – 18:00 Poster session

apecs logo webAPECS participated in the ISAES 2019 symposium that took place in Incheon, Republic of Korea, from 22-26 July 2019. This year APECS contributed to the programme with a panel about Early carrer polar research and a poster about our association.

APECS Canada Logo webAPECS Canada board members (Jean Holloway, Jacqueline Hung and Enooyaq Sudlovenick) were involved in the organization of the ArcticNet Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) 2019 Student Day.

The USAPECS panel "Navigating your early career and beyond" was held in the Career Center Theater at AGU on 9 December 2019.

USAPECS held a social event on Monday night of American Geophysical Union Conference. We met at Golden Gate Taproom in San Francisco, a 15 minute walk from the convention center. Everyone had a great time, 18 people attended the social event including 3 board members and one of our panel members from earlier in the day. Additionally, at least two new people who have not previously known about APECS attended the social event!

USAPECS Early Career Spcial Event 2019

© Mariama Dryak 

Authors: USAPECS Chairs

APECS Germany2019 has flown by and we are looking back on an eventful year. The Board of the German National Committee of the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS Germany) would therefore like to reflect on the past year and thank all partners, members and friends for a successful collaboration. Highlights of the past year include our APECS Germany Workshop in Bremen, a Polar Film Fest in Potsdam and a APECS Germany Photo Competition & Raffle for Antarctica Day. Scroll through the full Review of 2019 in our interactive infographic. (Make sure to click on the icons for more information :) ).

For the second year in a row, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) invited APECS to present their work with the IPCC on organizing group reviews of IPCC reports by Early Career Researchers (ECR). Gwanaëlle Gremion (APECS Individual Council Member, leader of the IPCC group review project during the past three review cycles) and Jilda Caccavo (APECS President 2018-2019, current ex-officio to the Executive Committee) presented the results of the group reviews that APECS has run of IPCC reports. The session was chaired by Tania Guillén Bolaños, a chapter scientist for the Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C, and included Thelma Krug, Vice Chair of the IPCC, Palmira Cuéllar from the Young Earth Systems Scientists (YESS) network, and Adachi Muneki and Justice Musah, chapter scientists for Working Group III of the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6).

During the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP25) in Madrid, Spain, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)’s Arctic Program invited APECS to take part in a panel discussion entitled “Breaking the Ice – bringing young scientists and Indigenous youth to the decision-making table in the Arctic”. Jilda Caccavo (APECS President 2018-2019, current ex-officio to the Executive Committee) presented the work of APECS, how it supports and helps to provide a voice to Early Career Researchers (ECR), as well as how her own personal experience in APECS has provided her with opportunities to become engaged in the polar community.

arice logoapecs logo webThe Arctic Research Icebreaker Consortium (ARICE) and Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) invite for a webinar on Data Management, on 17 December from 9-10:30 am GMT.

APECS ColombiaAs part of the SENALMAR 2019 side meetings, the NC APECS Colombia, organized a fascinating talk on Tuesday 22 September from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm (local time). It was open for ECRs members and non-members of the association, as well as more experienced researchers in the mood to increase our networking. A total of 80 attendants joined to enjoy the evening together. A brief introduction to the talk by Jhon Mojica (in video) initiated the evening. The presentation on APECS association, aims, activities and challenges were given by Diego Mojica.

apecs logo webISAES2019 logoThe Asociation of Polar Early Career Scientist has a long tradition in organizing events and activities for early career researchers (ECRs) at major scientific conferences and events. In a relaxing atmosphere, ECRs come together and stablish the bases for future networking and professional relationships. During the XIII International Symposium on Antarctic Earth Sciences celebrated between 22 and 26 July 2019 at Songdo Convensia Center in Incheon, Republic of South Korea, a dedicated group of council members from APECS organized an evening event during the first day of the conference (22 July 2019). 

APECS ColombiaThe Association of Polar Early Career Scientist has a long tradition in organizing events and activities for early career researchers (ECRs) at major scientific conferences and events. In this event, the National Committee (NC) of Colombia continues the line of polar networking between Latin American countries, in collaboration with some researchers that visualized the polar work during the first APECS Iberoamerican Online Conference 2019 in Spanish. Our aim was to show APECS to the Colombian Antarctic human sciences researchers community, come together Early Career Researchers (ECR’s) and establish the bases for future networking and professional relationships. 

On the 4th November, three APECS National Committees joined forces and coordinated a full-day workshop in Norway's capital city Oslo. The workshop, which was organized by members of APECS Norway, the UK Polar Network and APECS Russia, hosted an early career researcher (ECR)-centered event that discussed all things related to planning and undertaking research and field work in Svalbard. The day was a huge success with over 50 ECR, mid and established career attendees (including from Norway, Denmark, Germany, UK, India, Russia, Poland, Canada, Turkey, USA), many of whom received partial travel support to attend thanks to the funding support. 

APECSSvalbardWorkshop taken by Robynne Nowicki of UKPN.png

The X Workshop APECS Portugal took place in Coimbra, the Portuguese city of students, on October 25, 2019. The University of Coimbra received more than 60 participants of the X Workshop. To celebrate the first decade of the workshop, we chose the topic “A Scientist is born”. The objective was to understand the value of early career researchers (ECR) to Science and vice-versa, such as the value of the ECR in a scientific team and organization like APECS. Understand how ECR can progress in their careers within scientific teams and their importance from the perspective of a senior investigator is key to the development of ECR skills and to the progression of science itself. In the context of the national and international scientific community, we discussed the importance of scientific networks for the ECR and their contribution to these networks.

AntarcticaDayLogoAntarctica Day is celebrated internationally on 1 December, marking the day of the signing of the Antarctic Treaty in 1959. 60 years ago, Antarctica became a continent dedicated to peace and scientific international collaboration!

Like every year, APECS joins our partners Our Spaces - Foundation for the Good Governance of International Spaces, Polar Educators International (PEI) and others around the world to mark this important milestone with fun activities.

Mountain Day Logo KopieAs part of the activities for International Mountain Day on 11 December 2019, the APECS Alpine and Cryosphere Project Group invites you to share your work in mountain regions with submissions in two formats:

  • Photo entries in “Nature” and “Culture” categories
  • Graphical abstracts explaining mountain research

apecs logo webOn 26 September 2019, APECS hosted the first online conference in Spanish, the APECS Iberoamericana. This event was a joint effort from the National Committees from Spanish-speaking countries: Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Spain and Uruguay. The aim for this event was to offer a space for Hispanic polar early career researchers and educators to share their work in their native language, and create resources for education of the Polar Regions in Spanish. 

CAFF greenlogo iascapecs logo webThe application deadline has been extended for the CAFF-IASC Science Policy Fellowships 2020 until 27 November 2019. The Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) Working Group of the Arctic Council and the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), in cooperation with the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) are excited to offer the CAFF-IASC Science Policy Fellowships 2020

apecs logo webiasc webThe Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) in cooperation with the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) is pleased to announce the availability of travel support for the Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) 2020 (27 March - 2 April 2020, Akureyri, Iceland).

The Working Group I (WGI) contribution to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) is due to be finalized in 2021. The Second Order Draft (SOD) of IPCC AR6 WGI report will be open for expert review from 2 March to 26 April 2020.

The Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), the Mountain Research Initiative (MRI), the Past Global Changes Early Career Network (PAGES ECN), the Permafrost Young Research Network (PYRN) and the Young Earth System Scientists (YESS) community are coordinating a group review of the SOD of IPCC AR6 WGI report by early career experts.

apecs logo webThe APECS-T-MOSAiC webinar “T-MOSAiC for ECRs” will take place on November, 19 (14:30-16:00 GMT). This webinar will provide an overview of the T-MOSAiC project, its goals, current activities within the Action groups and possibilities for early career researchers.

T MOSAiC Logo KopieT-MOSAiC (Terrestrial Multidisciplinary distributed Observatories for the Study of Arctic Connections) project is an IASC pan-Arctic, land-based program that will extend the activities for the IASC flagship program MOSAiC.  T-MOSAiC addresses the question, what are the implications of changing sea ice, oceanography and climate of Arctic seas for the surrounding land-based geosystems, ecosystems and human systems.

iasc webCAFF greenapecs logo webThe International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) and the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) Working Group of the Arctic Council, in cooperation with the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) are excited to announce several Fellowship programs for 2020 for early career researchers:

  • IASC Fellowship Program 2020
  • CAFF-IASC Science-Policy Fellowships

Application deadline for both fellowship types is on 20 November 2019 at 13:00 GMT.

Find out more about the fellowships and how to apply on the APECS website 

As a first event of the National Committee APECS Colombia, we will be going to present and describe all the great opportunities to be part of APECS. This will be developed during the next SENALMAR 2019, October 22-25, in the session “La Ruta Antartica”. The venue is the Centro Cultural Universidad del Atlántico, Barranquilla, Colombia. Everyone is welcome to participate in our talk on Tuesday, October 22 from 16:15 – 17:00 (local time), and visit our poster displayed during the full week. 

Info APECSColombia SENALMAR2019 Jhon Mojica Moncada

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In coordination with APECS, Antarctic Science are running a webinar to help potential applicants of the 2020 Antarctic Science Bursary. This bursary runs every year and is for up to £6000 to support PhD or early career researchers to extend the scope of an existing research project.

More details here: http://www.antarcticsciencebursary.org.uk/. A great opportunity to get funding for that exciting idea of yours!

The EU Horizon2020-funded project Nunataryuk, in cooperation with the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), and the Terrestrial Multidisciplinary distributed Observatories for the Study of Arctic Connections (T-MOSAiC) are organizing the APECS-Nunataryuk-T-MOSAiC School 2020 on the topic of “Arctic Coastal Adaptation - Capacity building and knowledge exchange across borders” at Abisko Scientific Research Station (Abisko, Sweden) from 21 - 30 April 2020.

apecs logo webAPECS is excited to announce that another leadership term has begun on 1 October 2019!

 

epb logo desktop 2015The European Polar Board (EPB)and the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) are seeking a rapporteur to take minutes during the upcoming EPB Autumn Plenary Meeting, to be held in Brest, France on the 22nd and 23rd of October 2019. For an early career researcher, this is a fairly unique opportunity to know how an international organisation works on a regular basis, as well as how it views, sets and reviews medium and long term goals.

Polar Week logo2 01It's APECS International Polar Week September 2019!

Join us in celebrating the icy and Polar Regions of the world, and create further awareness of the science and activities being conducted in the Arctic and the Antarctic.

The APECS International Polar Week September 2019 is shaping up to be an exciting party! From the 23 to 29 September, we will be featuring some great activities organized by Polar early career researchers from around the world. This seven-day programme includes

Fieldwork Handbook Logos UpdatedThe Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), the INTERACT Station Manager`s Forum and the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) are proud to share exciting news with you: Together, we developed the INTERACT Practical Field Guide for scientists - a pocket guide that is designed to be taken into the field. The INTERACT Practical Field Guide contains information on best practices and specific safety tips for fieldwork in the Arctic.

APECSIberoamConferencia Iberoamericana Online aims to create a space where Polar Early Careers Researchers and Educators from Spanish-speaking countries can share their work in their native language among peers and interested public.

Conference Date: 26 September 2019 (starting 19:00 GMT)

Abstract submission deadline on 20 September at 23:59 GMT

It is with a heavy heart that we bring you the news that one of our APECS Council members, Adrian Dahood-Fritz and her husband Andrew Fritz recently passed away in the Conception diving boat accident in California (USA). Adrian had been involved in the APECS Council for the past three years, and was well loved within the APECS community.

Panel Role of Social Media

Social media is one of the convenient ways to connect to the world. The main aim of the panel discussion is to explore as how we can use the social platforms to reach to wider audience. 

“Water Cycle in a 1.5°C warmer world: interdisciplinary approaches” – Joint Early Career Researcher Workshop

YESS-APECS-YHS, supported by WCRP and AGU
& ‘under the auspices of the WCRP Climate Science Week‘
December 7, 2019 @ AGU Fall Meeting, Afternoon (Tentative time: 1-5 PM)

Application deadline extended to 21 September 2019!

The first order draft (FOD) of the Working Group 2 (WGI) 6th Assessment Report (AR6) by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) is due to be published around 2021. APECS, PYRN, YESS, PAGES-ECN, MRI and IMECaN, are coordinating the next review by early career experts that will take place between October and November 2019.

APECS in association with NCPOR (National Center for Polar and Ocean Research), India and the Indian Polar Research Network (IPRN) will be organizing a Panel Discussion as a side event of National Conference on “Polar Sciences” (NCPS-2019) from 20th- 22nd August 2019 at NCPOR, Goa, India. The theme of the Panel Discussion: 'Role of Social Media in Effective Science Communication and Collaboration'

The public is increasingly aware of the Arctic and its importance to global climate and ecosystems. Yet, few people have experienced Arctic environments and the excitement scientific research in remote northern regions, despite the interconnectedness that technology offers. Our mission for the video blogs (vlogs) initiative is to help bring the public on a journey to the Arctic, to foster a deeper appreciation for northern environments and science!

APECS South Africa (APECSSA) will be holding the SCALE Mini Symposium on 28 August from 07:00-14:00 GMT. We will be hearing from early career researchers involved in SCALE, on their research aims, objectives and initial findings from the #SCALExperiment! The Symposium will consist of two sessions:

Webinar: Concisely Communicating the Relevance of your Arctic Research: Elevator Pitches and 2-pagers for Policy Makers

28 August 2019 @ 16:00 GMT

Registration Link

web apecsWe are reaching out to you because we are planning to prepare a report to inform how to better support ECR attending conferences, workshops, etc. The report will be delivered to organizations giving travel support to ECRs (e.g. IASC) along with the wider scientific community. In order to reach robust conclusions, we need to collect information from an audience as broad as possible, therefore, we would appreciate very much if you could take 15 minutes to fill out this survey by 14th September 2019.

apecs logo webAPECS Webinar: Bias in professional relationships

Date and Time: 8 August 2019 at 20:00 GMT

Registration link 

The webinar will be an airing of a panel that APECS Council member Meghan Helmberger helped organize with the CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in the Environmental Sciences) graduate association or CGA that she co-chairs at University of Colorado Boulder. The panel is 45 minutes long with about 15 minutes of questions/discussion and that will be followed by a question/answer period/discussion with the APECS community, including two of the original panelists (Kristy Tiampo and Chelsea Thompson).

APECSGermany LogoAPECS Germany workshop: Best practice - Science communication

Wednesday, Sept. 25 2019, 15:00 - 17:00
Bremen University

USAPESC newA scorching heat wave is about to consume about two-thirds of the US. Need to cool off? USAPECS is organizing the 4th Polar Film Fest, which will take place during APECS International Polar Week from September 23-28!

After the side meeting “Plastic at the Poles” during POLAR 2018 conference, the SCAR Plastic Action Group is happy to propose the Workshop “Plastic in the polar environment: sources, impact and solutions” which will take place in Hull, United Kingdom on 28-30th October 2019. More information about the activities, keynote speakers, and accommodation will be announced soon. The event will be free of charge, but with a limited number of places.

Executive Committee 2017 2018APPLY for the APECS Executive Committee to help shape our organization over the next year and help influence the future of polar research!

The elections for the 2019-2020 APECS Executive Committee will be held in September 2019 for the term from 1 October 2019 to 30 September 2020.

Application deadline: 30 August 2019 at 23:59 GMT

APECS will be organizing a workshop on 22 July 2019 at the upcoming XIII International Symposium on Antarctic Earth Sciences (ISAES) https://www.isaes2019.org (22 – 26 July 2019, Incheon, Republic of Korea). The workshop with the title APECS workshop: careers and networking for Early Career Scientists will be from 18:00 – 21:00 in Songdo Convensia 2F, room 207. The workshop is focus on the career challenges that researchers face at different steps of their career, but in particular the personal challenges that you as attendant wish to rise up. It is an opportunity to find out about APECS, meet other Early Career researchers attending the conference, and discuss career options with our panel. 

We are pleased to announce that the Association for Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) is organising a 1 day event "Research in Svalbard: An APECS Workshop​". The workshop is a side event for the Svalbard Science Conference (SSC), and aims to bring together early career and established researchers with any interest in research or field work on Svalbard.

epb logo desktop 2015apecs logo webThe European Polar Board (EPB), in cooperation with the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), is seeking one rapporteurto take minutes during the workshop, “Towards harmonisation of polar infrastructure access”, which will be held in Plovdiv, Bulgaria on the 1st August 2019. Application deadline on 10 July 2019.

APECS Canada and the ArcticNet Student Association are looking to recognize a mentor who has contributed significantly over a period of several years to the mentoring and fostering of polar early career researchers in Canada. The deadline for nomination package submissions is September 15, 2019.

apecs logo webThe first Organizational Review of APECS was conducted in 2015, and the results were used for developing the APECS Strategic Plan 2016 - 2020. In preparation for the drafting of the next APECS Strategic Plan 2021 - 2025 a second Organizational Review is being conducted throughout 2019. Findings will help the APECS leadership to better develop and adjust the strategy for APECS in the coming years.

You are invited to participate in this process and to provide feedback to the ORC by filling out a survey, which will take 20-30 minutes: https://form.jotformeu.com/91396124421352. The deadline has been extended to 30 June 2019!

1J8A7031 1 KopieDo you want to get (or remain) active in APECS and be involved in the APECS leadership? The applications for APECS Council 2019-2020 are open now! The application deadline is 31 July 2019 at 23:59 GMT.

APPLICATE course logos 2We would like to draw your attention to the APECS-APPLICATE-YOPP online course on “Advancing Predictive Capability of Northern Hemisphere Weather and Climate”. The online course is designed for early career researchers (e.g., Master and PhD students, Postdocs) with a specific interest in Arctic weather and climate prediction and modelling. The course will run from September to December 2019.

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We are delighted to announce that Floor van den Heuvel (EPFL and MeteoSwiss, Switzerland) has been selected to join the editorial board for the 2nd issue of the State of Environmental Science in Svalbard (SESS) report published by SIOS (Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System). SIOS plans to publish the report in January 2020 during the SIOS Polar Night Week in Longyearbyen.

The international programme Integrating Climate and Ecosystem Dynamics (ICED), in cooperation with the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), is looking for 6 early career scientists to help out as rapporteurs for the session “Managing the effects of change on Southern Ocean ecosystems: Understanding, challenges, and solutions” at the IMBeR Future Oceans2 Conference. The session is scheduled for Wednesday 19th June, 11am-3.30pm. Application deadline is on monday 10th of June 2019!

The second China Polar Youth Forum, hosted by China Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS China), was successfully held at the International Conference Hall on the 5thfloor of Student Activity Center in East Campus of University of Science and Technology of China(USTC) by Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Polar Environment and Global Change of School of Earth and Space Sciences of USTC from May 25 to 26, 2019.

APECS Alpine / Cryosphere Webinar: Glacier changes in the European Alps between 1850 and 2100

Date: Wednesday, June 12, 2019

Time: 15:00 GMT 

Registration Link

Presenter: Dr. Michael Zemp, University of Zurich, Switzerland

COMNAPSCAR logo white backgroundapecs logo webEarly career researchers planning on applying to the 2019 SCAR and COMNAP Fellowship schemes are invited to participate in an online webinar that will introduce the available Fellowships and provide advice and practical tips on applying.

USAPESC newUSAPECS is hosting a ‘Polar Science 101’ webinar series this summer! The goal of the series is to share polar science in an easily and accessible way, and promote interdisciplinary collaboration amongst APECS members.

The June - Polar Science 101 webinar is titled Polar Science 101: Arctic Policy by Kelsey Aho on June 7th at 19:00 UCT. The 30 minute webinar (15 minute presentation and 15 minute Q&A) will introduce Kelsey and the Center for Arctic Policy Studies and will address the following:

apecs logo webThe first Organizational Review of APECS was conducted in 2015, and the results were used for developing the APECS Strategic Plan 2016 - 2020. In preparation for the drafting of the next APECS Strategic Plan 2021 - 2025 a second Organizational Review is being conducted throughout 2019. Findings will help the APECS leadership to better develop and adjust the strategy for APECS in the coming years.

apecs logo webNominations are now accepted for the APECS International Mentorship Award 2019!

APECS would like to recognize and honour the efforts of their mentors within the international polar science community. There are 2 award categories, which have been created to acknowledge the time and energy that mentors dedicated to early career researchers each year, and their efforts in building a supportive community.

USAPESC newUSAPECS is hosting a ‘Polar Science 101’ webinar series this summer! The goal of the series is to share polar science in an easily and accessible way, and promote interdisciplinary collaboration amongst APECS members.

This month’s Polar Science 101 webinar is titled Polar Science 101: International Teamwork by Pedro Marques Quinteiro on Friday, May 24, 2019 at 6 pm GMT. The 10-12 minute webinar will introduce Pedro and he will address the following:

Fieldwork Handbook Logos UpdatedThe Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), the INTERACT Station Manager`s Forum and the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) are proud to announce that we have developed a Fieldwork Planning Handbook for scientists; just in time for the start of the Arctic field season! The handbook will facilitate safe fieldwork and maximise the results of research and monitoring activities in the Arctic and other cold regions of the Northern Hemisphere.

Online Conference Logo 2019Registration is now open for audience members to participate in the APECS International Online Conference 2019 on 20 May! 

This year’s theme, “Breaking Barriers: Promoting Interdisciplinarity in Polar Science” aims to encourage collaboration between early career scientists from varied disciplines, working in the polar and alpine regions. 

APECS Sweden new logo 2016Swedish Polar Secretariat mobile highres logoAPECS Sweden & SPRS Workshop: Exploring the frontiers of Antarctic Research in Sweden

Time: May 23, 2019 at 9-12.

Place: Alexandria, Geovetarcentrum, Göteborg

For who?: Early career scientists who are interested in Polar Research

apecs logo webiasc webSCAR logo white backgroundAPECS is pleased to announce that it has renewed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research (SCAR) and the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) for a period of 5 years, extending the partnership through 2024. The first MoU was signed in 2008 with the creation of APECS and was renewed in 2013.

The Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), the German Arctic Office of the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), and the Icelandic Center for Research (RANNIS), in cooperation with the German Embassy in Reykjavik and supported by the German Federal Foreign Office are organizing a workshop "Raising awareness and building capacity for science-based policy-making" on 8 - 9 October 2019 in Reykjavik, Iceland just before the start of the Arctic Circle Assembly 2019.

APECS Alpine / Cryosphere Webinar: Thinking fast and slow about permafrost in high-mountain areas

Date: Friday, May 10, 2019

Time: 7:00 PM (UTC), 3:00 PM (EST)

Registration Link

Presenter: Dr. Stephan Gruber, Carleton University, Canada

apecs logo webPEI LOGO iasc webSCAR logo white backgroundThe Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), Polar Educators International (PEI) and the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research(SCAR) jointly announce the opportunity for an AUTHOR to write a SCOPING DOCUMENT for the updated POLAR RESOURCE BOOK (PRB) PROJECT.

Dreaming of bringing polar and climate sciences actively into classrooms? Then this opportunity might be of interest for you.

The Workshop "Raising awareness and building capacity for science-based policy-making" will take place on 8 - 9 October 2019 in Reykjavik, Iceland, organized by the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), the German Arctic Office of the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), and the Icelandic Center for Research (RANNIS), in cooperation with the German Embassy in Reykjavik and supported by the German Federal Foreign Office

APECS and the Arctic Research Icebreaker Consortium (ARICE) invite for a webinar on Proposal Writing, on 25 April 9-10 am GMT. The webinar is organized in two parts.

APECS Switzerland organised an Workshop on Public Outreach with the title "How to communicate Science?". It will take place in Bern, Switzerland on 24 April 2019. 

The EGU General Assembly 2019, taking place in Vienna (Austria) on 7–12 April 2019, will bring together geoscientists from all over the world to one meeting covering all disciplines of the Earth, planetary, and space sciences. Full program can be found at https://www.egu2019.eu/

APECS will be co-organizing with the EGU Cryosphere Division the Polar Science Career Panel on 9 April from 12:45 - 13:45 in Room -2.32:

APECS will be organizing a workshop on “Socio-ecological interactions in the Arctic for Integral Sustainability" at the upcoming Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) 2019in Arkhangelsk, Russia  on 23 May 2019. 

The new abstract submission deadline is now April 22, 2019, for the 5th International YES Congress 2019, to be held at the Freie Universität in Berlin, Germany from  9 - 13 September 2019. 

apecs logo webSCAR logo white backgroundThe Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) in cooperation with the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) is looking for an early career scientist to join the SCAR Antarctic Climate Change and the Environment (ACCE) Advisory Group.

The Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) is proud to announce its 5th APECS International Online Conference on 20 May 2019. This year’s theme, “Breaking Barriers: Promoting Interdisciplinarity in Polar Science” aims to encourage collaboration between early career scientists from varied disciplines, working in the polar and alpine regions.

Polar Week logo2 01APECS International Polar Week March 2019 is approaching! A series of events will be organised all over the world, online and offline, in the week of March 17-23 to share and increase our knowledge of the polar regions!

APECS has released its annual report for the period of October 2017 to September 2018! The APECS Annual Report 2017-2018 was compiled by the APECS International Directorate Office based on information reported by the APECS committees, project groups and National Committees.

epb logo desktop 2015apecs logo webThe Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) and the European Polar Board (EPB)are seeking 2 rapporteurs to take minutes during the upcoming EPB Spring Plenary Meeting, to be held in Lisbon, Portugal on the 27 - 28 March 2019.

 

Between January 20 – 24, the 13th Arctic Frontiers conference was held in Tromsø, Norway. The annual conference is an international event, linking policy makers, industry and academia focusing on the Arctic regions.

The EU Horizon 2020-funded APPLICATE project organised a 3-day Early Career Event in cooperation with the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS). The workshop took place directly after the APPLICATE General Assembly at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) in Reading, UK, from January 30 to February 1, 2019.

The abstract submission deadline for the 5th International YES Congress 2019, to be held at the Freie Universität in Berlin, Germany from  9 - 13 September 2019 has extended. A full list of sessions and details on abstract submission can be found here: https://yesdeutschland.weebly.com/call-for-abstracts.html

Abstract submission deadline is now March 4, 2019

APECS is delighted to announce the publication of a journal article in Polar Record. The article summarises APECS' development since its foundation during the last International Polar Year (IPY) and highlights the valuable role of APECS' education and outreach initiatives, such as Polar Weeks, in training the next generation of polar early career scientists in a wide variety of skills from leadership to communication.

On December 10th, 2018 USAPECS held a panel on Diversity and Inclusion in the Polar Sciences at the 2018 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting.

apecs logo webiasc webThe Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) in cooperation with the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC)is pleased to announce the availability of travel support for the Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) 2019 (22-30 May 2019, Arkhangelsk, Russia).

The German Chapter of the Young Earth Scientists Network (YES) is pleased to announce the 5th International YES Congress 2019 to be held at the Freie Universität Berlin in Berlin, Germany from 9 - 13 September 2019. The congress will have the theme “Rocking Earth’s Future”

From hostile work environments to all white faculty rosters, polar research can be a pretty intimidating place at times. In the age of MeToo, what are polar agencies doing about it? Find out at the APECS webinar "Polar Policy: How Polar Agencies Are Changing their Policies to be More Inclusive" on February 26th at 16:30-18:00 GMT.

The APECS national committees of the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg teamed up in 2018 to organize an international outreach project within the context of Antarctica Day for elementary school children. Antarctica Day is a tradition within APECS and usually revolves around outreach projects teaching young children about Antarctica, and polar science in general.

The ArcticNet Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) was held in Ottawa (Canada) December 10-14, 2018 The event was the arena for several APECS Canada related activities, notably the 2018 Student Day. APECS Canada had several representatives on the ArcticNet Student Association (ASA) Student Day Planning Committee: Jean Holloway, Marianne Falardeau, Jacqueline Hung.

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The International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) and the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) have the pleasure to announce the start of the 2019 IASC Fellowship Program. The Program received 108 applications for only 5 slots.

ARICE (https://arice.eu/) invites for a webinar organized by APECS (https://www.apecs.is/) and IOPAN (http://www.iopan.gda.pl/). This webinar will take place on 19th February at 9 am UTC and is dedicated to pre-cruise planning and preparing for ship-based research activities.

The first order draft (FOD) of the Working Group I (WGI) 6th Assessment Report (AR6) by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) is due to be published around 2021. APECS, PYRN and YESS, WCPA, and PAGES ECN are coordinating the next review by early career experts that will take place between April and June 2019.

SOOSLogo1aapecs logo webThe Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) and the Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS) are looking for an early career scientist to join the SOOS Amundsen/Bellinghausen Sector Regional Working Group (Amundsen RWG).

Thank you to all the participants for their submissions to APECS Antarctica Day Photo Contest 2018 ‘Tell a story’. The entries showed various facets of Antarctica from its natural beauties to the research activities and many more with a short interesting story behind it.

Antarctic Science Logo copyIn coordination with APECS, Antarctic Science are running a webinar to help potential applicants of the 2019 Antarctic Science Bursary. This bursary runs every year and is for up to £6000 to support PhD or early career researchers to extend the scope of an existing research project. More details here: http://www.antarcticsciencebursary.org.uk/

APECS was invited to contribute to a side-event for early-career researchers (ECR) on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on Climate Change and the Oceans and the Cryosphere (SROCC) during the Past Global Changes (PAGES) conference in Bern, Switzerland on December 18th, 2018.

IMG 0953 Tayana ArakchaaAPECS held a presentation about APECS at the Tuvan State University, at Kyzyl, Tyva Republic, Russia on December 7, 2018. 

Four young researchers doing polar science (Andrea Bueno, Miguel Ángel Fernández, Isaac Garrido y Luis Rodríguez), members of APECS Spain, shared through short and dynamic talks at Madrid's 'Museo Geominero' their scientific studies done in Antarctica. They also presented relevant information about Antarctica's organization and history, and about the presence of Spain in the continent.

yeslogo 1The 5th International YES Congress will be held from the 9th to 13th September 2019 in the vibrant city of Berlin, Germany. The YES Congress in 2019 will be a special opportunity for young scientists from all over the world to share their experiences, their science and culture and to expand their skills.

January is coming soon and with it the Arctic Frontiers conference in Tromsø, Norway, between January 20 and 24!

Please see the little end-of-the-year-review of APECS Germany! It’s interactive. Click on the icons for more information. The Board of APECS Germany wishes you all the best for 2019 and is looking forward to new activties - maybe together with you?

https://infogram.com/apecs-germany-2018-1hmr6ggymj7o6nl?live

Photo4 Jilda CaccavoDuring the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP24) in Katowice, Poland, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) hosted a series of symposia.

IMG 3756 APECS information

On November 30th, 16 young researchers met in Bremerhaven for the PYRN-APECS Workshop during the 10th meeting of the Working Group Permafrost of the German Society of Polar Research (DGP) in Bremerhaven (30 Nov – 1 Dec 2018).

apecs logo webInteract logoThe Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) and the International Network of Terrestrial Research and Monitoring in the Arctic (INTERACT) collaborate on developing the INTERACT Fieldwork Planning Handbook that summarizes many important aspects that need to be considered when preparing a field campaign in the remote, spectacular, but unforgiving Arctic.

APECS Turkey, in conjunction with ITU PolRec, hosted a workshop on Education and Outreach in the Polar Sciences in Istanbul, Turkey, at the Istanbul Technical University (ITU) from 3 - 4 October. In total, 18 attendees representing 9 countries participated in the 2-day workshop. Sessions and presentations focused on National Committee activities, the development of a polar-themed museum in Turkey, methods for outreach, introduction of polar-themed activities in primary schools within Mexico, and a discussion towards the progression of the APECS Developmental Program. Ideas were also exchanged on how to engage an audience comprised of the entire family, rather than just school-age children.

iasc webAWI WortBildmarke Farbe RGBmosaic logo Auswahl 2 rgb 08The Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) and the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) Project are pleased to announce that we are now accepting applications for the MOSAiC School 2019.

AntarcticaDayLogoAntarctica Day is celebrated internationally on 1 December, marking the day of the signing of the Antarctic Treaty in 1959. 59 years ago, Antarctica became a continent dedicated to peace and scientific international collaboration!

iasc webapecs logo webAPECS and the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) are organizing a webinar for all those interested in applying to the 2019 IASC Fellowship Program. We will be introducing the IASC Fellowship Program, and several of the current and past IASC Fellows will be introducing themselves and discuss their work with the IASC Working Groups. The webinar will also provide the opportunity for potential applications to ask questions about the program and the application process.

In the 26th of October the University of Aveiro staged another edition of APECS Portugal Workshop, the IX Workshop APECS Portugal. This year the theme was “StAY POLAR – How to communicate science?”, where several topics related to the importance of science communication were developed throughout the day.

APECS Portugal Workshop - StAY POLAR - How to communicate science

26 October 2018, University of Aveiro, Portugal

APECS Portugal workshops cover topics targeting early career researchers, providing free opportunities for professional career development. This year, the IX Workshop APECS Portugal will focus on Science Communication. From scientific conferences, to talks in schools, social media and communicating with policy makers, learning how to communicate well is increasingly relevant to the career development of young researchers. A diverse public requires the researcher to adapt the language to share scientific knowledge in a clear way for every audience. During the workshop, we will have national and international speakers from different institutions sharing their experience communicating with different audiences, including communication of large European scientific projects, communication of scientific journals, and communication with Indigenous communities. Following the talks, we will have a hands-on activity under the same topic, which will stimulate the active participation of early career researchers. The workshop will conclude with a debate on science communication featuring all the invited speakers, and open for public participation. Additionally, the attendants will have opportunities to interact and network with the speakers, as well as other participants and APECS mentors during coffee and lunch breaks.

Since the APECS Portugal workshops take place as part of the Portuguese Conference on Polar Sciences, and along with the science communication topic, this year we will offer prices for best student oral and poster presentation. This will further contribute to engage the development of early career researchers in science communication.

If you cannot join the event on site, you can follow it online via this link: https://zoom.us/j/357199619

Cartaz IX Workshop APECS Portugal com convidados1

iasc webapecs logo webThe International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), in cooperation with the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), invites Early Career Scientists (ECS) to apply for the 2019 IASC Fellowship Program.

The IASC Fellowship Program is meant to engage ECS in the work of the IASC Working Groups (WGs): Atmosphere, Cryosphere, Marine, Social & Human, and Terrestrial. Each year, one Fellow per WG is chosen.

IASC Fellows are doctoral or postdoctoral researchers who actively participate in selected activities of the IASC WGs. Fellows are expected to contribute scientifically and also to help organize specific activities and to help with reporting to the IASC Secretariat. Thus, the Fellowship Program provides the opportunity for ECSs to become involved in leading-edge scientific activities at a circumarctic and international level, to build an international network, and also to develop management skills. The level of involvement very much depends on the Fellow's interest - the more you invest, the more you get out of it!

The total duration of the IASC Fellowship Program is 1+2 years. In their first year, the Fellows will receive travel support to attend two consecutive Arctic Science Summit Weeks (ASSWs) where the annual WG meetings are held. After the first year, Fellows have the opportunity to stay involved for up to 2 more years without dedicated funding support from IASC. Note: The travel support during the first fellowship year is the only financial remuneration for the Fellows. Salary is not included during the fellowship.

For more information please see the IASC website or contact the IASC Fellowship Coordinator Maja Lisowska (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or the APECS Executive Director Gerlis Fugmann (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

For this round of applications, interested ECSs must fulfill the following criteria:

  • PhD student/candidate or postdoctoral researcher (up to 5 years past terminal degree)
  • Able to commit to participating in the activities of one of an IASC WG for at least 1 year
  • Able to attend the two upcoming ASSWs: 22 - 30 May 2019 in Arkhangelsk, Russia, and 27 March - 2 April 2020 in Akureyri, Iceland
  • Located at an institution in an IASC member country
  • Have a good command of English

How to apply:

If you are interested in this amazing opportunity then please fill out this application form. You can upload your CV as a PDF file within the form. If you have problems accessing or submitting the form, please contact the APECS Executive Director Gerlis Fugmann at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to receive a Word version of the form.

Application deadline is Monday 19 November 2018 at 13:00 GMT. Late applications will not be considered. Successful applicants will be notified before the end of the year.

Selection process:

The selection of candidates is coordinated by APECS and will be only based on the material you provide in the application form. So be as specific as possible. Applications will be reviewed according to multiple criteria including your research background and the quality of your statement of interest of why you would like to become an IASC Fellow. Top candidates will be suggested to the WG Steering Committees, who will decide on their 2019 IASC Fellow.

The Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS)and the University of the Arctic ran a joint science communication workshop in connection with the UArctic Congress 2018 in Oulu, Finland, from 3-4 September 2018. On the first day the participants worked with mentors on a range of communication techniques, including storytelling techniques (Jessica Rohde); producing videos in iMovie (Sonja Bickford); and using social media for science communication (Hanne Nielsen). Mentors also provided best practice advice on how to communicate science to policy makers and the public (Nate Bickford), and ways of communicating with the media (Markku Heikkilä).

APECS - UArctic 2018 Student Workshop from APECS Webinars on Vimeo.

The theme of knowing your audience was common across all three sessions. For those wanting to inform evidence-based policy, Nate Bickford stressed the importance of communicating with policy makers at a local level, and with policy advisors. During the social media session, Hanne Nielsen outlined a range of tools available on social media, from the academic-focussed Researchgate through to popular platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Participants were asked to consider how they “brand” themselves as researchers, and which networks they are a part of, and to then choose a platform that would help them reach their desired networks.

All participants developed an “elevator pitch” about their own research, and practiced explaining the significance of their work to each other. They then considered how they might alter the pitch when talking to a range of specific audiences, including policy makers, family members, and young children. In order to develop skills in both speaking to camera and editing video, these pitches were filmed. Participants then put their new skills into practice throughout the duration of the congress, tweeting from the sessions, and using their elevator pitches when explaining their research to other delegates.

The workshop culminated in the production of a video, which highlights the UArctic conference activities (including twitter activity), as well as the projects of several participants. The video, which was presented at the Helsinki welcoming reception on Thursday evening on September 6th, can be viewed here: https://vimeo.com/295284697

Thank you to the mentors who helped make this workshop such a valuable learning opportunity, and to all the participants who communicated with a range of audiences throughout the #UArcticCongress2018 event!

apecs logo webAPECS is excited to announce that another leadership term has begun on 1 October 2018!

APECS Executive Committee 2018-2019:

APECS’ 12th Executive Committee (ExCom) is now in place and ready to continue to shape the polar world.

  • Jilda Caccavo (University of Padua, Italy)
  • Jennifer Cooper (University of Kansas, USA)
  • Clare Eayrs (New York University Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates)
  • Juan Höfer (Southern University of Chile & IDEAL research center, Chile)
  • Gabriela Roldán (University of Canterbury, New Zealand)

have been elected by members of the 2017-2018 APECS Council to form the ExCom, the main leadership body of APECS. Hanne Nielsen (Australia) and Alexander Thornton (USA) will serve as ex-officios and support the new ExCom over the coming year. And of course, Gerlis Fugmann, the APECS Executive Director will continue to support and foster the group from the International Directorate Office in Potsdam, Germany.

More information on the APECS 2018-2019 Executive Committee can be found here.

 

Jilda Caccavo 2018 1APECS President 2018-2019:

With a new term, comes a new president, and this year Jilda Caccavo will be taking on this role. Jilda just completed her PhD on the population structure of the keystone species the Antarctic silverfish. Her research interests involve combining multidisciplinary techniques including genetics, otolith chemistry and trophic analyses to understand the health of Antarctic fish populations in order to gauge what impacts climate change and anthropogenic disturbances will have on them. This is her second term on the APECS Executive Committee and she is excited to have the opportunity to continue to support the ambitious projects of the Council, the day to day business of running APECS, and realizing the overarching goals of each ExCom’s mandate: providing opportunities for and supporting early career Polar researchers.

 

APECS Council 2018-2019:

For the 2018-2019 term, the APECS Council is made up of 87 very enthusiastic members from 28 countries, including representatives from 24 National Committees:

APECS Council Leadership:

  • Council Chairs: Stanislav Ksenofontov (Switzerland), Morgan Seag (UK), Neelu Singh (India)
  • National Committee Coordinators: Iqra Choudhry (UK), Emily Choy (Canada), Swati Nagar (India)
  • Social Media Coordinators: Mia Bennett (Hong Kong), Rupa Rupa (UK)

Other Council member:

Kelsey Aho (USA), Keechy Akkerman (UK), Mehnaz Alam (Bangladesh), Stefano Ambroso (Spain), Tayana Arakchaa (Russia), Eda Ayadin (France), Atreya Basu (Canada), Linde van Bets (Netherlands), François Burgay (Italy), Natalie Carter (Canada), Mathieu Casado (Germany), Paula de Castro-Fernández (Spain), Nicolas Champollion (France), Eleonora Conca (Italy), Matteo Luciano Contu (UK), Adrian Dahood (USA), Rahul Dey (India), Mariama Dryak (USA), Vikram Goel (Norway / India), Gwenaëlle Gremion (Canada), Rebecca Gugerli (Switzerland), Hugo Guímaro (Portugal), Kaushik Gupta (Canada), Christel Hansen (South Africa), Carolynn Harris (USA), Alexa Hasselman (USA), Meghan Helmberger (USA), Andrea Herbert (New Zealand), Charlie Hewitt (UK), Doğaç Baybars Işıler (Turkey), Shridhar Jawak (Norway), Amy Kirkham (United States), Maria Korneykova (Russia), Erin Kunisch (Norway), Kara Layton (Australia), Jasmine Lee (Australia), Sasha Leidman (USA), Martine Lizotte (Canada), Sarah Maes (Belgium), Maciej Mańko (Poland), Sebastián Marinsek (Argentina), Ricardo Matias (Portugal), Claudia Maturana (Chile), Kyle Mayers (UK), Jhon Fredy Mojica Moncada (United Arab Emirates), Bernabé Moreno (Peru), K M Vishnu Namboodiri (India), Özgun Oktar (Turkey), Elizabeth Orr (USA), Prashant H. Pandit (India), Lindsey Parkinson (USA), Lara F. Pérez (UK), Carla Pérez Mon (Switzerland), Jean Polfus (Canada), Ankit Pramanik (Norway), José Queirós (Portugal), Arthi Ramachandran (Canada), Kabir Rasouli (Canada), Corinna Röver (Sweden), Jessica Rohde (USA), Paul Rosenbaum (France), Marius Rossouw (South Africa), Elizabeth Rudolph (South Africa), Cynthia Sassenroth (Germany), Valentina Savaglia (Belgium), José Seco (Portugal / UK), Elisa Seyboth (Brazil), Sarah Shakil (Canada), Grace Shephard (Norway), Maud van Soest (United Kingdom), Philip Sontag (USA), Greta Carrete Vega (Spain), Florian Vidal (France), Deniz Vural (Turkey), Mateusz Waligóra (Poland), Samuel Weber (Switzerland), Maximillian Samuel Van Wyk de Vries (USA), Nadya Yanakieva (Bulgaria), Sinan Yirmibesoglu (Turkey)

Additionally, Alice Bradley (USA), Meagan Dewar (Australia) Jean Holloway (Canada), Trista Vick-Majors (United States), Ruth Vingerhagen (Norway), Yulia Zaika (Russia), Scott Zolkos (Canada) remain on the Council in an ex-officio role.

More information on the APECS 2018-2019 Council can be found here.

Once again, we thank the many APECS leaders that have come before us and have helped guide and foster many of those serving today! We look forward to another year with the projects that are currently underway, and continue to look for more ways that we can improve and expand this organization and assist early career polar researchers around the world.

APECS Leadership 2018-2019 Map

APECS Leadership Map 2018 2019

USAPESC newThe 3rd Annual Polar Film Festival was held during this year's fall Polar Week, featuring films submitted from all around the world. This virtual film showcase allows for online accessibility to film submissions in locations spanning the globe. Submissions to this year's festival fell into themes including:

  • Tipping the Balance: Exploring rapid changes in polar ice cover (Monday)
  • Polar Research, Field Work, and Citizen Science (Tuesday and Wednesday)
  • Melt: An exploration of life in the polar ice pack (Thursday)
  • Environmental issues in the polar regions (Friday)

If you haven't yet had the opportunity to access the amazing entries from this year's festival, you can still access them online at: http://usapecs.wixsite.com/usapecs/copy-of-polar-film-festival-2018

Please share some your favorite parts of this year's submissions on social media using the hashtag #PolarFilmFest. Thanks for tuning in, and we look forward to sharing more polar films with you for years to come!

epb logo desktop 2015The European Polar Board, in cooperation with APECS, is seeking 4 rapporteurs to take minutes during their upcoming Autumn Plenary Meeting, to be held at La Cristalera, near Madrid, Spain on 20 - 21 November 2018. This meeting will include both normal order of business, as well as a retreat where the EPB Members will discuss implementation of their Strategy. For an early career researcher, this is a fairly unique opportunity to know how an international organisation works on a regular basis, as well as how it views, sets and reviews medium and long term goals.

The note taking will be for two full days (20th and 21st Nov), working with the EPB Secretariat. There will be a mixture of Plenary and breakout sessions, where you will have to work both in teams and by yourself. Cleaned and formatted notes should be provided to the EPB Secretariat within two days of the end of meeting. Transport to La Cristalera will be provided. Due to the fast moving nature of the meeting, it is desirable to have (1) a very high command of the English language, (2) some prior experience of rapporteuring or note taking, and (3) some knowledge of international polar organisations.

A short online meeting between the selected rapporteurs and the EPB Secretariat will be held during the week prior to the meeting to clarify duties and go over the meeting agenda.

The EPB will provide for the selected rapporteur:

  • Return flights or travel expenses up to €200 to get to Madrid (reaching Madrid daytime on the 19th Nov, and leaving Madrid on 22nd Nov)
  • Transport to meeting venue from Madrid, accommodation and meals from evening 19th Nov to Lunch 22nd Nov will be provided to the rapporteurs
  • Additional € 80 to cover any extra costs incurred (with receipts).

The copies of all receipts must be provided for the EPB to reimburse any expenses.

If you are interested in this opportunity, please provide a one-page CV and a 500 word statement detailing your previous experience as a rapporteur and motivation to attend no later than Monday 8 October 2018 to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

SOOSLogo1aapecs logo webThe Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) and the Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS) are looking for early career scientists to join the SOOS West Antarctic Peninsula Working Group (WAP WG) and the SOOS Southern Ocean Air-Sea Fluxes Working Group (SOFLUX WG).

About both positions:

Position 1: SOOS West Antarctic Peninsula and Scotia Arc Working Group (WAP WG): The West Antarctic Peninsula and Scotia Arc Working Group (WAP WG) of the Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS) are inviting applicants for one early career scientist on our committee.The WAP WG APECS representative will attend WG meetings, and be responsible for assisting with data collection, curation, and reportage, and will be an important link is liaising between APECS and SOOS. We are particularly interested in receiving applications from countries not yet represented by the working group steering committee. For specific questions on this position contact Kate Hendry (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), Sian Henley (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or Oscar Schofield (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Position 2: SOOS Southern Ocean Air-Sea Fluxes Working Group (SOFLUX WG): Early career position available within the steering committee of the SOOS capability working group on Southern Ocean Air-Sea Fluxes (SOFLUX). An early career representative will contribute to telecons and planning discussions, and help to coordinate information sharing within the SOFLUX community. SOFLUX interests include fluxes of heat, fresh water, momentum, and gases. SOFLUX has three active themes: coordinating in situ observations of air-sea fluxes, including promoting process studies and sustained observations; evaluating requirements for air-sea fluxes; building links to modeling, assimilation, and satellite observations to provide a global assessment of air-sea fluxes. The early career representative will participate in telecons and meetings, help to take minutes and compile notes, serve as a liaison to APECS, help to prepare newsletter items, and contribute to other steering committee activities. We are particularly interested in receiving applications from countries not yet well represented by the SOFLUX working group steering committee. For specific questions on this position contact Sarah Gille (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), Seb Swart (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), and Louise Newman (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Both positions will be for 2 years and non-salaried, but there will be travel reimbursement for attending one meeting if the working group holds a meeting during your term, and potential for co-authorship of publications.

To apply, you need to meet the following criteria:

  • early career researcher (up to 5 years past PhD)
  • Have a research background that fits the focus of the two groups:
    Position 1: working knowledge of observational research of the Southern Ocean with a particular interest in the WAP and Scotia Sea areas.
    Position 2: research focus on fluxes of heat, fresh water, momentum, and gases in the Southern Ocean.
  • Country restrictions: We welcome applications from early career researchers worldwide and especially from countries not yet well represented the two groups.

How to apply?

Please send the following information to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by no later than 10 October at 23:59 GMT

  • your CV
  • Statement of Interest (max one page), including your research background, your motivation in joining the working group, and your thoughts on how you can contribute to the group and how this would benefit your career

flyer september2018 KopieJoin us in celebrating APECS International Polar Week September 2018 from September 17-23! Polar Week is a series of events happening globally, with the goal of promoting the science taking place in polar latitudes.

This September, our theme is #PolarNumbers with a focus on showcasing quantitative aspects of your own polar education and research interests. Everyone deals with numbers - whether it be, for example, the number of penguins in your study, the number of days you spent in the field this summer, the year of a historical event, a statistically significant data point in your recent research, or just your favourite polar-related number - we want to know!’ We encourage you to share your #PolarNumbers through a series of fun and professional activities online, and don’t forget to seek out local events through your National Committee.

If you are oganizing your own Polar Week activity, please submit details via the Polar Week website.

To find out more about the events and how to participate, please visit our Polar Week website. If you have any questions or would like to get involved, please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

iasc webapecs logo webT-MOSAiC and APECS are pleased to announce the availability of partial travel support for early career researchers to attend the 3rd T-MOSAiC workshop on 10 December 2018 during the ArcticNet Annual Scientific Meeting 2018 in Ottawa, Canada. The funding is generously provided by the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC).

T-MOSAiC(Terrestrial Multidisciplinary distributed Observatories for the Study of Arctic Connections) is an IASC pan-Arctic, land-based program that would extend the activities that are currently in advanced planning for the IASC flagship program MOSAiC: ‚The Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate“. MOSAiC is a multinational year-round study (2019-2020) of the central Arctic Ocean to measure the coupling between atmosphere, sea ice, ocean and ecosystem processes.

The 3rd T-MOSAiC workshop will be divided into a closed session for the steering committee (8:00 - 12:00) and an open meeting in which all are welcome (13:00 - 17:00). The selected travel support recipients would be expected to attend the entire day. All travel support recipients have to be registered for the ArcticNet ASM meeting .

Applicants should be:

  • Early career researchers up to 5 years past PhD
  • Affiliated with an institution in an IASC member country
  • Have not received IASC travel support in the 18 months before December 2018
  • Have a research background that fits with one of the IASC working groups

To apply for the travel support please fill out this application form: https://goo.gl/forms/y5AMSBzo5lxymVEY2.  Application deadline for the travel support will be on 5 October 2018. 

Please note, that there will also be T-MOSAiC Workshop at the upcoming Arctic Science Summit Week 2019 (22 - 30 May 2019, Arkhangelsk, Russia) for which travel support will be announced in early 2019. It is only possible to receive travel support for either the workshop in Ottawa or in Arkhangelsk but not both.

The review and selection process of travel support recipients is organized by the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) in close cooperation with T-MOSAiC. If you have any questions about the funding, please contact the APECS International Directorate office at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

iasc webRegistration is now openfor the 2019 Workshop on the Dynamics and Mass Budget of Arctic Glaciers & the IASC Network on Arctic Glaciology Annual Meeting. 

The meeting will take place at Bardøla Hotel in Geilo, Norway, 20-24 January 2019, and host a cross-cutting activity of the Marine and Cryosphere working groups of IASC: “The importance of Arctic glaciers for the Arctic marine ecosystem”.

The meeting is open to anyone interested in Arctic Glaciology and proglacial marine ecosystems. The cross-cutting activity aims at bringing together people from glaciology, marine ecology and oceanography - more details below.

You can register and submit your abstracts (maximum length 300 words) by filling this online-form (copy paste the following link into your web browser: https://goo.gl/forms/nhmcMqH14RbHXYkx1

Registration deadline is October 31, 2018. Indicate whether you prefer oral or poster presentation and if your presentation is a contribution to the cross-cutting activity. If you have questions, e-mail Thorben Dunse (Thorben.Dunse [at] hvl.no).

Travel support is available for early-career scientists (up to 5 years past PhD), prioritizing those that wish to contribute to the cross-cutting activity. Funds will be distributed through the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS)

For further info on travel support, cross-cutting activity and workshop logistics read below or visit the IASC-NAG website: https://nag.iasc.info/workshop

Best regards,

Thorben Dunse, on behalf of the IASC Network on Arctic Glaciology and co-conveners of IASC cross-cutting activity, Renate Degen, Monika Kędra, Shin Sugiyama, Marit Reigstad and Martin Sharp

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Contributions:

We welcome contribution on all aspects concerning the mass balance and dynamics of arctic glaciers and ice caps, including the Greenland Ice Sheet, and that utilize a broad range of methods, including field observations, remote sensing and modelling. We especially encourage submission to our cross-cutting activity.

Contributions in the form of oral presentations and or posters are welcomed. Presentation will be 15-20 minutes, including discussion. For those who bring a poster, time will be reserved in the program to give a short 2-3 minute introduction to the poster. Three days of talks and poster presentations, as well as open-forum discussions are planned.

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Cross-cutting activity on “The importance of Arctic glaciers for the Arctic marine ecosystem”
Conveners: Thorben Dunse, Renate Degen, Monika Kędra, Shin Sugiyama, Marit Reigstad, Martin Sharp

Arctic glaciers contribute significant amounts of freshwater into Arctic fjords/ocean, in form of surface melt and runoff and frontal ablation (iceberg calving and submarine melt). While the impact on glacial freshwater-discharge on fjord and ocean circulation is widely recognized, awareness of the potential impacts of glacial processes and glacier-change on marine ecosystems and biodiversity is only emerging.

This cross-cutting activity is endorsed by the Cryosphere and Marine working groups of IASC. Following up on last year’s event in Obergurgl, Austria, the cross-cutting aims at bringing together people from glaciology, marine ecology and oceanography to stimulate cross-disciplinary research.

Topics may include
· proglacial marine ecosystems (e.g. plankton, benthos, fish, seabirds and marine mammals) and their response to glacier processes and glacier changes
· glacier-ocean interactions / physical and bio-geochemical processes at tidewater-glacier termini
· glacigenic sediment and nutrient delivery to adjacent seas and downstream ecosystems
· new technologies to investigate proglacial marine environments

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Financial support:

apecs logo webWe have received financial support from the IASC Cryosphere and Marine working groups to enable early career scientists to participate in the meeting and cross-cutting activity, in particular. Funds will be distributed through the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS; www.apecs.is). Eligible for the funding will be early career scientist who meet the following criteria:

  • are within 5 years of finishing their PhD
  • are affiliated with an institution in an IASC member country (Austria, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, India, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, USA)
  • have submitted an abstract for the workshop
  • have a research background relevant to the meeting
  • have not received IASC travel support in the last 18 months prior to January 2019

If you are interested, please fill out the following google form https://goo.gl/forms/0vLYQlajcbiQ9fqg2 by no later than 31 October 2018. If you have problems accessing the online form, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to receive a word version.

If you have questions regarding the funding applications, please contact the APECS Executive Director Gerlis Fugmann (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). If support is granted, reimbursement will be after the meeting through the IASC Office. Detailed information will be provided to those selected for the travel support. Those supported have to provide a brief 1-2 page report to IASC after the meeting.

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Meeting venue and accommodation:

The workshop will be held at Bardøla Hotel in Geilo, Norway. Accommodation is available within the main building or in comfortable cabins, shared by four to eight persons (https://bardola.no/en/rooms/). Rates are NOK 1250/1050 per person and day in a single or double room, respectively (around 125 or 105 Euros) and cover full board from dinner on arrival to lunch on departure day, refreshments/coffee/tea during two daily breaks and access to conference facilities, swimming pool and training facilities. To make reservations contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and mention that you are participating in the "Arctic Glaciology Workshop 2019”. If you choose to stay in a cabin, you may want to organize yourself in a group and provide a name list. Please inform the hotel about any dietary preferences you may have.

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Travel information:

Geilo is located 250 km northwest from Oslo and best reached by train (3.5 to 4 hours from Oslo). Bardøla hotel offers free shuttle service for groups up to 7-14 persons to and from Geilo station, upon request. For larger groups, expect to pay a return fee of around NOK 100 per person.
Geilo offers a wide range of winter activities, including great opportunities for alpine and cross-country skiing (https://www.skigeilo.no/en).

Polar Week logo2 01USAPESC newIn conjunction with the APECS International Polar Week September 2018, USAPECS is hosting the 3rd annual Polar Film Fest during the week of 18-22 September 2018. For five days, the Polar Film Fest will feature short films about the Arctic, Antarctic, and wider cryosphere. This year’s daily themes include:

Monday: Tipping the Balance: Exploring rapid changes in polar ice cover

Tuesday and Wednesday: Polar Research, Field Work, and Citizen Science

Thursday: Melt: An exploration of life in the polar ice pack

Friday: Environmental issues in the polar regions

To view the films visit the USAPECS Polar Film Fest 2018 website

US Association of Polar Early Career Scientists
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
http://usapecs.wixsite.com/usapecs

 

Polar Week logo2 01USAPESC newIn conjunction with the APECS International Polar Week September 2018, USAPECS is hosting the 3rd annual Polar Film Fest during the week of 18-22 September 2018. For five days, the Polar Film Fest will feature short films about the Arctic, Antarctic, and wider cryosphere. This year’s daily themes include:

Monday: Tipping the Balance: Exploring rapid changes in polar ice cover

Tuesday and Wednesday: Polar Research, Field Work, and Citizen Science

Thursday: Melt: An exploration of life in the polar ice pack

Friday: Environmental issues in the polar regions

To view the films visit the USAPECS Polar Film Fest 2018 website

US Association of Polar Early Career Scientists
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
http://usapecs.wixsite.com/usapecs

 

yeslogo 1

The 5th International YES (Young Earth Scientists) Congress 2019 will be held from 9 - 13 September 2019 in Berlin, Germany and APECS is a partner to the congress.

The YES Congress in 2019 will be a special opportunity for early career scientists from all over the world to share their experiences, their science and culture, and to expand their skills. We will be offering numerous summer schools and a "Workshop on Global Geochemical Baselines and Resourcing" in the period before and after the congress. Different events ranging from invited keynote lectures, to "elevator pitches" and a "market of opportunities" will offer young talents the possibility to introduce themselves to potential future employers from industry, business, universities and public authorities, and to discover opportunities for training and research in Germany.

In 2019, the 5th YES Congress will have the theme "Rocking Earth's Future".

Global change confronts us with major challenges such as rapid population growth, increasing urbanization, global warming, soil destruction and water pollution. Globalization processes increase further our vulnerability. For early career researchers, the task is to ensure that humanity is prepared to tackle all these challenges in a smart and sustainable way. This requires hard facts, reproducible and transparent science and a sound commitment.

The YES Congress 2019 will attempt at "Rocking Earth's Future" by focusing on six large topical issues:

  • Ashes to Ashes - Understanding Earth Processes
  • Unboxing Earth - Interdisciplinary Problem Solving
  • Heritage Earth - Sustainable Resource Management
  • Society at Risk - Impacting Earth Phenomena
  • Brave New World - Advanced Technologies in Earth Sciences
  • Beyond Printing - Communicating Science

For those themes, we invite you to submit your session proposals. Session formats can be anything from traditional oral presentations and poster presentations, to roundtable discussions, panel discussions, interactive Q&A sessions, open discussion rounds, science slams, barcamps, PICO, field trips, elevator pitches or others. Be creative!

Submission deadline is 30 September 2018

The lead convener in each session proposal has to be an early career scientist!

Read the detailed call for sessions on the congress website and find out how to submit your session proposal. For questions please contact the organizing committee at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

Interact logoapecs logo webAPECS is currently involved in the EU Horizon 2020-funded INTERACT (International Network for Terrestrial Research and Monitoring in the Arctic) project. One of our tasks has been to produce example introductory videos of some of the INTERACT research stations. Two of these have now produced, for:

These videos are there to provide a brief introduction to each research station, what facilities are available, what research is carried out there, and other general information about the area.

Find out more about how APECS is involved in INTERACT here or the INTERACT project here.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) special report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (SROCC) will be published in September 2019. APECS is coordinating the next review by early career experts that will take place between November and December 2018.

From last April, the APECS-IPCC working group went though the first Round of Review of this report, working with up to hundred international selected early career reviewers. This first Round was a success, and we published about it in Nature Correspondence in August. Participation recognizes you not only as an early career expert, but is also an exciting opportunity to gain valuable insight and training in how the scientific review process of such a report is conducted.

We are now looking for reviewers for the second round of review and encourage members from various career stages to participate, from advanced Master students, PhD students, postdoctoral researchers to early career faculty members! (If you do not fit in these categories and are interested in applying, please email us with a short explanation so we can determine eligibility.) If you want to participate, please fill out this online form, by no later than 8 October 2018 (23:59 GMT). Accepted participants will be assigned to a chapter and contacted by the end of October.

The second round of reviews will take place from 16 November 16 December 2018, so applicants should make sure they have the necessary amount of time available during this period. You need to be intimately familiar with the recent literature in your field and will need to review roughly 10 to 20 pages of the special report. These are not anonymous reviews, so this means you will be individually credited for your contribution, and your comments will be made a part of the public record. Further informations about the reviewing process will be given to the selected participants.

For further details on the general review process for the report go to: https://www.ipcc.ch/report/srocc/ . If you have any questions about this opportunity, please contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Do you know anyone who has made a meaningful impact to the scientific community in the North?

APECS Canada and the ArcticNet Student Association are looking to recognize a mentor who has contributed significantly over a period of several years to the mentoring and fostering of polar early career researchers in Canada.

We encourage nomination packages from a variety of backgrounds for this award, including academics, industry professionals, community members, Elders, educators, public servants, and anyone else that has made a meaningful impact on polar early career researchers.

For more information on the award and how to nominate a mentor, visit www.apecscanada.wixsite.com/ehpecs/mentor-award. The deadline for nomination package submissions is September 14, 2018.

Mentor Award Call 2018 English

APECSSA WorkshopAPECS South Africa hosted their 1st workshop at the recent 5th SANAP/NRF PI Symposium. The symposium is organised every two years and open to any researcher and student involved in South African polar research. Since many of the APECS South Africa National Committee members were attending we decided to maximise on this opportunity to hold a workshop where we would spread the word about APECS & APECS South Africa, while also using the event to celebrate the 1st successful year as a NC.

The workshop was held on the evening of 14 August and was attended by approximately 40 people. Since APECSSA is a fairly new group within APECS, the majority of the workshop was used to introduce APECS and APECSSA to the participants.

We spoke about:

  • Who APECS is;
  • Who APECS South Africa is;
  • Advantages of joining APECS and APECS South Africa (we also spoke to PIs about the mentor program and got some promises to sign up);
  • Group activity/discussion on how to maximise attendance at conferences and networking from an established researcher's perspective, as well as an emerging researcher's perspective. Ian Meiklejohn from Rhodes University was kind enough to speak to the workshop participants from an established researcher's perspective. The APECS South Africa Chair (Christel Hansen) spoke from the view of an emerging researcher's perspective. 
  • The workshop concluded with more information on joining APECS and/or the APECS South Africa NC.

APECS South Africa was able to hold the workshop at the Symposium due to the assistance of the sponsors (the South African National Research Foundation) and organisers (the Cape Peninsula University of Technology and the South African National Space Agency). Material from the workshop is available on our website; the various presentations given are available (collated) here.

APECS South Africa Workshop 2018 3

During the last year, APECS has organised a group review of the next IPCC special report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate, in which 75 Early Career Scientists were involved. This process was very instructive and we were able to compile more than 2000 comments that were submitted to the IPCC at the end of June. In light of this project, we believe that Early Career Scientists should have a greater role in the scientific review process, given that presently, Early Career Scientists account for only 6% of all reviewers.

A correspondence has now been published about this process in Nature. 

The 2018 APECS World Summit was held in Davos, Switzerland, from June 17-18, as part of POLAR2018. In total 41 representatives from 22 countries participated in the first day, with sessions dedicated to facilitating local and national networks of ECRs and how to better serve APECS members. The second day, 110 participants from 24 countries joined for a workshop on interdisciplinary and inter-polar research. While the two days had different foci and different participants, common themes emerged through the whole event. These included: Recruitment and Retention of members; Career Development; Education and Outreach; and the importance of Interdisciplinary and Interpolar Research.

Word Summit 2018 - Day 1

Twenty one APECS National Committees were represented on Day 1 (June 17) of the APECS World Summit. The local APECS Switzerland representative Carla Perzmon welcomed APECS members to Davos. Several National Committees were invited make short presentations to initiate discussions about running large funded events; engaging with mentors; collaborating with national organisations; engaging members; and effective education and outreach. It was noted that many of the challenges outlined were also faced by other National Committees, and participants were reminded they can contact each other as valuable resources when solving problems locally.

There were two major outcomes from Day 1 of the APECS World Summit. First, it was noted that for some members it is useful to have a document certifying their involvement with APECS. In order to address this point, and to provide an incentive for recruitment and retentions of APECS members, the establishment of a voluntary APECS Development Program was proposed. An APECS Project Group will develop this proposal further, providing suggested requirements and a rationale for these.

Partnerships with other organisations were also discussed. Participants decided to establish an APECS Project Group to create a resource that outlines best practice for working with partners. This project group will contact partner organisations to seek examples of what has worked well, and develop best practice guidelines to be posted on the APECS website and used by APECS International, APECS National Committees, and organisations looking to collaborate with APECS on opportunities for ECRs.

The second day of the APECS World Summit (June 18) was open to all early career researchers attending POLAR2018, and had a focus on interdisciplinary research, collaboration and exchange. The day consisted of four plenary presentations, followed by two break out group sessions. The first break out session related to the development of soft skills, including data management and education and outreach, while the second break out session was focussed on research challenges and creating connections between participants and disciplines. The day concluded with a panel discussion on interdisciplinary, inter-polar research, and participants were encouraged to continue dialogue throughout the POLAR2018 conference. Many new connections were formed, and we look forward to seeing new friendships and professional collaborations develop in the coming years.

World Summit 2018 - Day 2

A more detailed project report with the outcomes of the meeting as well as more photos from the two days will be published on the World Summit website in the coming weeks.

(Photos by Stephen Curtain and Gerlis Fugmann)

 

 

APECS Spain Logo 2018APECS Spain welcomes all members to their Workshop in Madrid on September 4th. The workshop will be held in Spanish and will take place during the whole day. In the morning we will have a couple of talks about how Polar Research is organised in Spain and another talk about carrying out effective presentations in science. In the afternoon we will discuss the future and organisation of APECS Spain, experiences from other National Committees are very welcomed.

Attending the event is free but registration is required. Registration is done by sending an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

All the information (in Spanish) can be found here: https://apecsspain.wordpress.com/2018/07/28/encuentro-apecs-spain/

APECS Turkey WorkshopAPECS Turkey was founded in 2013 by Dr. Burcu Ozsoy (Director of ITU PolReC) In 2015 Turkish Students’ Polar Research Team (PolSTeam) was founded to have organic body with APECS Turkey. Since that time APECS Turkey is a growing family with undergraduate and graduate students plus public’s involvement.

APECS Turkey has a big E&O program, executed by PolSTeam members. During one-year period, APECS Turkey members usually visit about 30-60 primary, middle and high schools, make age orientated presentations about climate change and polar regions. Also APECS Turkey members organize public event and surveys.

To reach more children, we did teach 150 science teachers all around the Turkey and around half of those teachers founded polar clubs in their schools. (60 clubs * 10-20 students/per year) During their club times (1 hour each week for 20 weeks) they follow a curriculum designed and fully filled with sources by APECS Turkey members.

Another project, named “Educators Supporting Collaboration on Polar Regions Project (ESCoP)”, is supported by ITU PolReC to involve teachers to Arctic and Antarctic expeditions to improve their knowledge on polar regions and polar science. A national open call will be opened on August for the educators.

Additionally, APECS Turkey members are working with Ministry of Education to add more climate and polar issues to national curriculums for all grade students.

Some of the main problems of APECS NCs are funding, structure and reaching children. As of APECS Turkey, we would like to share our experiences on the topics

  • how APECS Turkey solved some of those difficulties
  • how can we improve the E&O program and adapt to other countries,

by hosting you in Istanbul on 3rd and 4th of October.

If you would like to attend the workshop, please fill the form.

ITU PolReC would like to support all participants for accommodation, lunches, dinners and coffee breaks. Also we are happy to inform you that ITU PolReC accepted to support 3 participants’ travel limited with 1000 USD each. All early career scientist, educators and polar E&O programs members are welcome to apply for travel grant by filling the form.

NCs or other organizations who would like to make presentations should send an e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Registration deadline: 31st of August 2018 - EXTENDED to 15 September!

APECS TURKEY WORKSHOP ON EDUCATION & OUTREACH

USAPESC newIn conjunction with Polar Week this September USAPECS is organizing our third Polar Film Festival! The festival will showcase several short videos on topics related to the Polar regions to the public and broader APECS community. Films will be hosted each day digitally on our website, in accordance with each day’s theme.

This year’s themes are:

  • Tipping the Balance: Exploring rapid changes in polar ice cover
  • Polar Research, Fieldwork and Citizen Science
  • Melt: An Exploration of Life in the Polar Ice Pack
  • Polar Industries
  • Environmental issues in the Polar regions

If you would like to submit or suggest any short films or videos (1-30 minutes long) related to one of this year’s themes for viewing, please submit them using this google form: https://goo.gl/forms/zZ2i4S2wfjGOx8lq1. Submissions of independently created films (created by you or someone you know) are welcomed and encouraged. In the past, we’ve featured works ranging from feature films and documentaries to independently-produced videos, interviews and news reports, so we welcome a diversity of submissions. We are also looking for people to host in-person screenings this fall, so if you’re interested in helping to do so please indicate this as such on the film submission form or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

We’ve held this event the past two years and had great turn out, so we hope to get similar participation this time. Last year’s videos can be viewed at usapecs.wixsite.com/usapecs/pff2017.

Kind regards,

USAPECS Board

Twitter (https://twitter.com/US_APECS)
Website (usapecs.wix.com/usapecs)
Email (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

amap logoEUPolarNet logo2CAFF greenThe Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) and the EU-PolarNet are organizing a stakeholder workshop on „Research Needs on Arctic Biology and Terrestrial Ecosystems“ on 12 October at the upcoming Arctic Biodiversity Congress 2018 (Rovaniemi, Finland, 9 - 12 October 2018). They are looking for 2 early career researchers to:

  • attend the Arctic Biodiversity Congress and especially the sessions on Freshwater Ecosystems and Terrestrial Ecosystems
  • summarize the results of these sessions
  • present the results of the sessions as introductory talks at the stakeholder workshop on 12 October

Travel and participation costs in the Arctic Biodiversity Congress will be covered for the two selected early career researchers.

You can apply for this opportunity if you:

  • are an early career researcher (up to 5 years past PhD)
  • are based in at a university / research institution in Europe
  • have a research background related to Arctic Freshwater Ecosystems and Arctic Terrestrial Ecosystems
  • are able to attend the Arctic Biodiversity Congress

To apply please send the following material to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by no later than 24 July 2018 at 16:00 GMT

  • CV
  • Statement of Interest detailing your:
    • Research background
    • Your motivation in attending the Arctic Biodiversity Congress and the Stakeholder Workshop organized by AMAP and EU-PolarNet
    • Your thoughts on how you would contribute to the congress and workshop (beyond the required tasks listed above) and how this would benefit your career

Executive Committee 2017 2018The elections for the 2018 - 2019 APECS Executive Committee will be held in September 2018 for the term from 1 October 2018 to 30 September 2019.

APPLY for the APECS Executive Committee to help shape our organisation over the next year and help influence the future of polar research!

Application deadline: 7 September 2018 at 23:59 GMT

The APECS Executive Committee consists of five members, who are elected by the APECS Council to manage the day-to-day decisions of the organization. You can find information about the APECS Executive Committee on the APECS website including some general information, the list of current ExCom members; as well as summaries of their meeting notes.

Elections timeline:

  • 7 September 2018 at 23:59 GMT: application deadline
  • 10 - 18 September 2018: Review period within the APECS Council including Q&A call with APECS Council and ExCom applicants
  • 19 - 23 September 2018: Voting period within the APECS Council
  • 24 - 30 September 2018: Final vote count, review of results, transition process
  • 1 October 2018: Announcement of the 2018 - 2019 APECS Executive Committee and President

The Executive Committee is a rewarding, but high-paced and work intensive committee and its members must be willing and able to contribute actively throughout their term (except of course during e.g. field work, exam periods, holidays). To apply you have to be an APECS member and have prior experience being engaged in APECS or equivalent.

Go to the Executive Committee Elections page to see the full election announcement including the eligibility criteria, how to apply and a more detailed explanation of the election process. If you have any questions, please contact the election committee at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Is this your first time you want to get active in APECS? If you have not previously been involved in APECS (or equivalent organization) and want to gain some experience, we encourage you to rather apply to the APECS Council. The APECS Council is the larger of the two leadership committees of APECS and its members work on various projects, coordinate APECS activities, and govern the organization. Unlike in the Executive Committee, no prior experience in APECS is necessary to join the APECS Council, and we encourage all APECS members to consider applying. Working with APECS as a Council member is a great first step towards becoming active and gaining experience in the APECS leadership. Application deadline for the APECS Council is already on 31 July 2018!

 

POLAR2018

Over 150 early career researchers recently show-cased their reserach as part of the poster competition held during the POLAR2018conference (Davos, Switzerland, 15-26 June). The well-deserved prizes (based on geographical region) were awarded at the closing ceremony.  The competition was organised by APECS and coordinated by Ruth Vingerhagen on behalf of the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) and the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) . We sincerely thank all the judges who contributed their time to judge the posters!

POLAR2018 poster winners

The six winning posters

Africa and Middle East
Winner: Luca Stirnimann, University of Cape Town, "The Island Mass Effect (IME) on carbon cycling in the plankton ecosystem around the Prince Edward Islands archipelago".
Runner-up: Daniela Monsanto, University of Johannesburg, "Genetic patterns at fine spatial scales: complex findings in a complex landscape".

Asia
Winner: Gautami Samui, ESSO-National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research, "Nutrient cycling in supraglacial ecosystems in Larsemann Hills, East Antarctica".
Runner-up: Shridhar Jawak, ESSO-National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research, "Mapping surface facies of selected alpine glaciers from Himalaya using worldview-2 imagery".

Europe
Winner: Sandra Brugger, University of Bern, "Five millennia of environmental dynamics from an ice core in the Mongolian Altai".
Runner-up: Ewa Poniecka, Cardiff University, "The secret life of bactiera: Ecological function in cryoconite hole environments".

POLAR2018 poster runnerup

The six runner-up posters

North America
Winner: Joel Singley, University of Colorado Boulder, "Sub-daily biogeochemical cycling in sediment of an ephemeral meltwater stream".
Runner-up: Mark England, Columbia University, "The contribution of internal variability to recent sea ice loss across the Arctic".

Oceania
Winner: Kara Layton, The University of Western Australia, "A newly discovered radiation of endoparasitic gastropods in Antarctica".
Runner-up: Wilma Huneke, University of Tasmania, "Deep bottom mixed layer instability drives variability of Antarctic slope front".

South America
Winner: Elisa Seyboth, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, "Isotopic-based warming effects on the northern Antarctic Peninsula ecosystem".
Runner-up: Sérgio Gonçalves Jr., Federal University of Paraná, "Aerosol integrated analysis in central west Antarctica: Brazilian standalone unit".

POLAR2018 poster winnerpeople

L to R: Luca, Sandra and Elisa, winners of Africa and Middle East, Europe and South America respectively. Hanne Nielsen, president of APECS presenting Luca with his award. Steven Chown and Larry Hinzmann, presidents of SCAR and IASC respectively, presenting Sandra with her award. Elisa.

APECS is very pleased to announce our 2018 APECS International Mentorship Award recipients - Dr. Aleks Terauds and Dr. José Xavier! The mentorship awards were established in 2016 as a meaningful way to recognize the efforts of those mentors within the international polar science community, and to honor those who have devoted significant time and energy towards building a supportive community for early career professionals.

This year, we received several deserving nominations for both categories and it was genuinely difficult for our award committee to select the winners. Thank you to all of those who nominated mentors, and to the Mentorship Award committee members who handled the nomination and award process. Both Aleks and José have devoted significant time to training, advising, and assisting those at the start of their careers, as seen by the following highlights from both of their nominations:

Alex Terauds.jpgDr. Aleks Terauds (Australian Antarctic Division, Australia) is the 2018 recipient in the “member category”. APECS members were invited to nominate someone who has been an outstanding personal mentor to them in their career. Aleks was nominated by Jasmine Lee, Meagan Dewar, Hannah Wauchope and Jarod Hodgson, who emphasise that Aleks is an exemplary role model to early career Antarctic scientists across the world. They wrote that “Aleks is an approachable and engaged mentor… this approachability is a welcome relief, fostering a collegiate and collaborative dynamic,” and described him as “the perfect mix of academic support and career guide who has ensured that I already have a flourishing career.” Aleks makes time to support and provide opportunities to those in early career stages, and has helped to shape the career paths of many young researchers. He genuinely cares about integrating early career voices into the Antarctic community, and is invested in setting them up to successfully work with and contribute to policy-making. In addition, Aleks regularly contributes his expertise and time to APECS events, such as the 2017 APECS Oceania Symposium. APECS is therefore honoured to recognise Aleks with an APECS Mentor Award for the significant contribution he has made to fostering early career researchers.


Jose Xavier.jpgDr. José Xavier (University of Coimbra, Portugal) is the 2018 recipient in the “APECS category”. APECS committees were encouraged to nominate a mentor who has made an outstanding contribution to the success of APECS, and José was nominated by several National Committee, including APECS Portugal, as well as several individual APECS members. They remarked upon the way he brings people together and “is constantly identifying and introducing ECRs to leaders in their scientific field and marking introductions,” and described APECS as “José’s second love, scoring close to science!” José is an excellent example of how APECS is now growing its own mentors. He has been actively engaged with APECS since our establishment in 2007, held a vital role in helping to develop our organisation, and over the years he has participated in numerous panels and workshops as a mentor. José is also dedicated to building capacity around the world, and has supported the creation of several APECS National Committees. In addition, he has mentored numerous students in his career - regardless of whether he was their supervisor or not - leading them to professional success. This support has ranged from guidance during Antarctic fieldwork to helping students learn how to best take advantage of time at international conferences, or to become better educators themselves. José is an enthusiastic communicator who inspires not only the people of Portugal, but also the entire APECS community with his infectious enthusiasm. We therefore congratulate José on a well-deserved award.

On behalf of all APECS members, we would like to sincerely thank José and Aleks for all that they have done as mentors for both our organization and so many early career researchers as individuals. The 2018 APECS International Mentorship Award is a small token of our gratitude for all of the time, wisdom, and passion they have shared. We look forward to working with both of them further in future. Both awards were handed out during the POLAR2018 Conference in Davos.

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Mentors come in many guises – if there is someone who has made a difference in your career who you think deserves recognition, please do put them forward for next year’s awards. Nominations for the 2019 APECS International Mentorship Award will be announced early in 2019 on our website, and you can learn more about this year’s nomination process through our archived page.

Award Committee (2017-2018):

José Queirós, University of Coimbra, Portugal (Chair)
Julie Bull, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health / University of New Brunswick / University of Toronto, Canada
Natalie Freeman, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, United States
Laura Hobbs, University of Strathclyde / Scottish Association for Marine Science, United Kingdom
Nadya Yanakieva, Bulgarian Antarctic Institute, Bulgaria
Gabriela Roldan, Gateway Antarctica, University of Canterbury, New Zealand
Alex Thornton, ARCUS, United States
Gerlis Fugmann, APECS / Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research, Germany (ex-officio)

Online Conference logo 2018 1The 4th APECS International Online Conference was held on 16th of May 2018. 22 early career researchers presented over 4 sessions than ran over 17 hours to accommodate time zones across the world. This year’s theme was: “Butterfly Effect: Small Changes, Big Impact!.”.

APECS congratulates the three prize winners, all of whom have won funds towards future conference travel:

  • Arctic: Mariama Dryak, Climate Change Institute, Earth and Climate Sciences; University of Maine, “Understanding Ocean Forcing of Polar Glacier Change Using Remotely Sensed Iceberg Melt Data” (Session 3)
  • Antarctic: Amy Kirkham, University of Alaska Fairbanks, “How do hormones and the skin transcriptome influence molt in a polar pinniped?” (Session 4)
  • Innovative Communication: Allison Lee, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, “Antarctic Ambassadors Learning to Love Fjord Phytoplankton” (Session 4)

A very big thank you to our keynote speakers: Nicole Biebow (AWI) and Veronica Willmott (AWI) - Session 1, Margareta Johansson (Lund University) and Sarah Baatout (SCK•CEN) - Session 2, James Overland (NOAA/PMEL) - Session 3.

We are also grateful to all the presenters and volunteers who made the conference possible.

For links to the conference recordings, and to view all abstracts of the 2018 Online Conference on the APECS website.

SIOS logo ORIGINAL rgb

We are delighted to announce that Elizabeth Orr (University of Cincinnati) has been selected to join the editorial board for the 1st issue of the State of Environmental Science in Svalbard (SESS) report published by SIOS (Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System). SIOS plans to publish the report in January 2019 during the SIOS Polar Night Week in Longyearbyen.

Elizabeth is currently a PhD student and her research focuses on the reconstruction of Quaternary landscape and glacial histories of the Himalayan-Tibetan orogen.apecs logo web

The selection process was organised in cooperation with the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), who managed the applications and coordinated the work of independent, volunteer reviewers to evaluate and recommend the highest quality candidates. The final selection was made by SIOS.

V Symposium APECS-Brazil - Organizing Committee.jpgThe V Symposium was held at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil from May 15 to 18, 2018. The event connected 68 researchers and students from 30 different institutions. It is important to emphasize that this is the only scientific meeting focused on polar science in Brazil. In the first day of event, the members of the APECS-Brazil ministered the mini-courses “Political and environmental aspects of the Antarctic treaty: structure and functioning of the Madrid protocol”, “Polar science in basic education: from scientific literacy to school practice”, “Pollution in the Antarctic environment” and “Antarctic mycology”. On this day, also had a scientific communication activity “Talking with Polar Scientists: Antarctic experience” that gave lectures to over 600 children of basic education activities. In the next three days, guest speakers gave lectures in the most diverse areas: archeology, mycology, parasitology, medicine, education, geology, geopolitics, marine biology, paleontology, botany, ecology, evolution and climate change were performed. The roundtable discussed the achievements of the APECS-Brazil, which for 10 years are promoting and disseminating knowledge about the Polar Regions in Brazil.

Also, during the symposium, the polar early career scientists presented the abstracts - oral and mini video. As a way to stimulate them, the best works presented were awarded at the end of the event.

We thank the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), APECS-International and the other supporters.

V Symposium APECS-Brazil - Oficial picture.jpg

APECS in collaboration with the Marine Ecosystem of the Southern Ocean (MEASO) and the IDEAL research center of Chile held a panel in Hobart, Australia on April 8th.

APECS in collaboration with the Marine Ecosystem of the Southern Ocean (MEASO) and the IDEAL research center of Chile held a panel in Hobart Australia on April 8th. This panel was one of several workshops preceding the first MEASO conference. The two hour event discussed how early career researchers (ECR) can get involved in large international initiatives that are shaping Antarctic research and policy. Our panel covered topics such as: advantages/disadvantages of being involved, when and how to get involved as an ECR and best ways to make an impact on politics. The panel consisted of: Dr. Aleks Terrauds (AAD and chair of SCAR standing committee on the ATS), Indi Hodgson-Johnston (IMOS and ECR rapporteur for ATS and CCAMLR), Dr. Nadine Johnston (BAS and ICED program manager) and Dr. Stephen Nicol (UTAS and Australian delegation to CCAMLR). The panel was moderated by APECS ExCom member Jilda Caccavo. Twenty-two ECRs attended the panel.

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According to our panelists ECR should try to get involved with these initiatives as soon as possible. They highlighted the many advantages participating in these groups, and noted that the only downside is that it is time consuming and represents an extra workload during your PhD or post-doc. However, all the panelists agreed that being involved is an excellent way to raise your professional profile and increase the impact of your research. Involvement in these large international initiatives would also give you plenty of opportunities for networking and influencing policy. The panel noted that there are many ways to get involved as there are many different initiatives. . The panel recommend looking for a group that matches your interests, be thy research, policy or career development interests, and becoming involved. The group noted that most scientific meetings and the Antarctic Treaty System require rapporteurs for their large meetings. Rapporteuring is an excellent opportunity to become more actively involved in the groups, network, and learn the very useful (and marketable!) craft of writing reports. The panel highlighted that organizations differ in how easy it is to get involved. For example, CCAMLR is more political and participants in CCAMLR process need to be invited into the group. Invitations can take the form of CCAMLR scholarships, internships or jobs such as, rapporteuring. Other organizations, like ICED, are more open and you only need to browse through their website and register yourself to participate. Finally, being involved gives you an outstanding platform for your research to impact policy. Many of the scientific organizations (like SCAR and ICED) have an established reporting chain to political bodies such as, CCAMLR and the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting. High quality research with a crystal clear message is always helpful to impact policy. It is also helpful to cultivate relationships with policy makers who can carry your message into the decision making processes. Maintaining these relationships is time consuming, but it is a very effective way to ensure that your science influences policy. A less direct, but also effective way to have your research message reach policy makers is to engage in outreach and publishing “non-academic” abstracts for larger audiences (e.g. twitter, websites, etc.).

apecs logo webIDEAL.jpgMeaso_3.jpg

 

Foto World SummitDo you want to get (or remain) active in APECS and the APECS leadership? The applications for APECS Council 2018-2019 are open now! Application deadline is 31 July 2018 at 23:59 GMT

About the Council

The APECS Council is the larger of the two leadership committees of APECS. Its members work on projects (e.g. webinars, workshops, Polar Weeks), coordinate APECS activities, and govern the organisation.

The Council has two categories of members:

  • individual Council members (any APECS member who wants to serve on the APECS Council as an individual);
  • representatives from APECS National Committees and organisational members of APECS (i.e., partner organisations).

The 2018-2019 Council term is from 1 October 2018 through 30 September 2019. In September 2018 we will run several orientation webinars for new Council members and you will get an introduction to our Council project groups, so you are well prepared to start your term on 1 October.

More information on the Council, the Council member categories and their tasks, rights and responsibilities can be found in the Council Charter and on our Council pages. Please also get to know our current Council members and read notes of our meetings. No prior experience with APECS is necessary to join the Council, and we encourage all APECS members to consider applying!

Why should you get active in APECS? Being involved in the APECS Council provides you with opportunities to engage internationally and across disciplines with other early career researchers and professionals who are interested in the Polar and Alpine regions and the wider Cryosphere. Within our projects, you can develop valuable skills in project management, leadership and communication skills in a friendly and supportive environment that will help you in your future careers no matter if they will be in academia or non-academic professions. APECS Council members value the international networks they develop through the council, as well as the recognition and accomplishments through their work.

How to apply?

 

For both new applicants and returning applicants, the Executive Committee will vote on your application at the end of August and inform you of the outcome of your application.

If you have any questions, or you want any general information about the APECS Council please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

We really appreciate all our APECS volunteers and their commitment to paving the way for the future of polar research!

Foto World SummitDo you want to get (or remain) active in APECS and the APECS leadership? The applications for APECS Council 2018-2019 are open now! Application deadline is 31 July 2018 at 23:59 GMT

About the Council

The APECS Council is the larger of the two leadership committees of APECS. Its members work on projects (e.g. webinars, workshops, Polar Weeks), coordinate APECS activities, and govern the organisation.

The Council has two categories of members:

  • individual Council members (any APECS member who wants to serve on the APECS Council as an individual);
  • representatives from APECS National Committees and organisational members of APECS (i.e., partner organisations).

The 2018-2019 Council term is from 1 October 2018 through 30 September 2019. In September 2018 we will run several orientation webinars for new Council members and you will get an introduction to our Council project groups, so you are well prepared to start your term on 1 October.

More information on the Council, the Council member categories and their tasks, rights and responsibilities can be found in the Council Charter and on our Council pages. Please also get to know our current Council members and read notes of our meetings. No prior experience with APECS is necessary to join the Council, and we encourage all APECS members to consider applying!

Why should you get active in APECS? Being involved in the APECS Council provides you with opportunities to engage internationally and across disciplines with other early career researchers and professionals who are interested in the Polar and Alpine regions and the wider Cryosphere. Within our projects, you can develop valuable skills in project management, leadership and communication skills in a friendly and supportive environment that will help you in your future careers no matter if they will be in academia or non-academic professions. APECS Council members value the international networks they develop through the council, as well as the recognition and accomplishments through their work.

How to apply?

 

For both new applicants and returning applicants, the Executive Committee will vote on your application at the end of August and inform you of the outcome of your application.

If you have any questions, or you want any general information about the APECS Council please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

We really appreciate all our APECS volunteers and their commitment to paving the way for the future of polar research!

UKPN and APECS Russia Presidents Archana Dayal and Yulia Zaika meet at Polar2018 to continue to build links and collaborations between UK and RussiaThe UK Polar Network and APECS Russia, national committees (NCs) of APECS (Association of Polar Early Career Scientists), collaborated on organizing activities in 2017-18 with mutual interests benefiting early career researchers from the UK and Russia. The NCs organized 2 workshops in Moscow and Cambridge in February and March 2018, which saw an exchange of 20 Arctic early career researchers with a focus on learning about working in the Russian Arctic in the future. These were funded and organized in collaboration with the NCs national bodies - NERC Arctic Office, British Antarctic Survey, UK Science and Innovation Network, Marine Research Centre and Geography faculty of Lomonosov Moscow State University and Embassies.

This resulted in some unique and great deliverables, including a publication of a joint opinion piece in Nature (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-05340-5) and the creation of a website (https://ukrussiaarctic.wordpress.com/), a great resource in-the-making for further research and outreach opportunities.

In order to continue and build on this collaboration, the NCs have recently successfully submitted and won a joint funding bid to the Foreign Commonwealth Office for an interdisciplinary field course workshop in the Russian Arctic, to be organized in February – March 2019.

The NCs are extremely grateful to have been mentored by APECS Executive Committee and Council members over the years, who have provided their guidance and support in all their endeavors. They therefore commit to cooperate, foster links and build relationships for future scientific advancements and progress.

UK Polar Network President – Archana Dayal
APECS Russia President – Yulia Zaika

 

UKPN and APECS Russia polar early career researchers meet at Polar2018 for a meeting

SOOSLogo1aThe Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) and the Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS) are looking for one or two early career scientists for a new regional working group on the Weddell Sea - Droning Maud Land. The objective of the working group will be to coordinate the international long-term observation of the Weddell Sea – Droning Maud Land.

The selected candidates, will contribute to the work of the group helping among others with scientific / management input (e.g. discussions, workshop), and eventually writing papers and contribute to a special issue on present research in the Weddell Sea – Droning Maud Land.

This is a volunteer position for a term of minimum 3 years with no associated direct funding. However, if e.g. a workshop is organized, early career scientists of the working group will be considered first for available early career funding.

There will be a meeting of the working group in Davos at the POLAR2018 conference and those selected early career researchers, who are attending the conference are welcome to join this meeting. More information will be sent to the selected early career researchers before the conference. You can also apply for this opportunity if you are not attending the POLAR2018 conference.

To apply, you need to meet the following criteria:

  • early career researcher (up to 5 years past PhD)
  • previous experience in Southern Ocean research (ideally focused on the Weddell Sea - Droning Maud Land area)
  • Country restrictions: We welcome applications from early career researchers worldwide and especially encourage applications from Asia, South America and Africa. Due to the composition of the already existing group members, early career researchers from Germany and Norway are unfortunately not able to apply for this opportunity.

How to apply?

Please send the following information to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by no later than 14 June at 23:59 GMT

  • your CV
  • Statement of Interest (max one page), including your research background, your motivation in joining the working group, and your thoughts on how you can contribute to the group and how this would benefit your career

apecs logo webcsm GermanArcticOffice Logo CMYK 300dpi 468c0c2589AWI WortBildmarke Farbe RGBWe are announcing an exciting opportunity to work as project manager in the APECS International Directorate and the German Arctic Office at AWI!

The Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) is a member of the Helmholtz Association (HGF) and funded by federal and state government. AWI focuses on polar and marine research in a variety of disciplines such as biology, oceanography, geology, geochemistry and geophysics thus allowing multidisciplinary approaches to scientific goals. The AWI invites applications for a Project Manager to support its German Arctic Office and the APECS International Directorate Office, both based at the AWI research center in Potsdam, Germany.

You will be a member of both offices at AWI Potsdam, working 50% for the German Arctic Office and 50% for the APECS International Directorate Office. Your tasks will include but are not limited to: (1) supporting and assisting both offices in the management of projects and events including their planning, coordination and implementation; (2) helping with the communication and public relations of both offices, including assisting with the websites and social media and the development of promotional materials; (3) handling of administrative tasks for both offices including the maintenance of mailing lists and various financial and accounting tasks and reporting.

Application Deadline: 27 June 2018

The position is full-time and limited to two years. Please note that excellent written and oral German and English language skills are needed for this position.

More information about the requirements and the full position description are available in this PDF or on the AWI website.

 

About the German Arctic Office and APECS:

German Arctic Office: Established by AWI January 2017, in consultation with the Federal Foreign Office and the Federal Ministry for Education and Research, the German Arctic Office serves as an information and cooperation platform for German stakeholders from science, politics and industry. The office advises the Federal Government on Arctic issues and fosters Germany's participation in the Arctic Council's scientific activities. The German Arctic Office initiates and organizes national Arctic meetings and events in cooperation with partners from science, politics and industry, and supports the federal government in the representation of German Arctic research and policy at international conferences.

Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS): APECS is an international and interdisciplinary organization for undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, early faculty members, educators and others with interest in Polar and Alpine Regions and the wider cryosphere. APECS aims to 1) create a network of polar researchers across disciplines and national boundaries to meet, share ideas and experiences, and develop new research directions and collaborations; 2) provide the opportunity for career development for both traditional and alternative polar and cryosphere professions; c) promote education and outreach as an integral component of polar research and to stimulate future generations of polar researchers. The International Directorate Office of the organization is funded and hosted by the AWI in Potsdam.

Polar Week logo2 01APECS hosted the 12th International Polar Week from 19-25 March 2018. Polar Week is a series of international events with the goal of promoting the science that takes place in polar latitudes. This March, our theme was #PolarPride with a focus on appreciating APECS members from all aspects of polar sciences. We have fantastic members and wanted to show our pride! Our goal was to provide a range of activities where members could interact, participate in professional development training, and showcase their research. We also hoped to recognize individuals that are traditionally underrepresented either because of what they study or because of systemic issues of diversity within polar sciences. Overall, we had good engagement with members during this Polar Week, especially on social media, and you can find a summary of the specific activities below.

March Polar Week 2018 was a huge success. Read the report about the main activities that took place on the APECS website. We thank the Polar Week planning group for all their hard work! Stay tuned for more activities during the next Polar Week from September 17 - 23, 2018.

APECS_Canada_Logo_web.jpgWe’re excited to be hosting a new webinar on Data Management Essentials presented by Gabrielle Alix (Data Manager) and Chantal Risdale (Project and Outreach Coordinator) from the Canadian Cryospheric Information Network/Polar Data Catalogue. This webinar is all about good data management practices and will be held on Thursday June 7th from 11:00-12:15 am EST/3:00-4:15 pm UTC.

Register for this webinar: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YiZLvGYVTMmpQRy0fYZK_w

Title: Data Management Essentials

Abstract: Data Management is increasingly required by funding agencies in several nations around the world. Most researchers are familiar with this new requirement, but many do not know how to prepare data for archiving properly. CCIN/PDC has worked closely with the Polar data community in Canada and internationally to develop guidelines based on stakeholder feedback, as well as implementing data archiving for a number of Canadian national research programs, and so we are well positioned to help others understand and implement them effectively. This webinar will help students and researchers understand why data management is important, what the best practices are, how best to undertake it, as well as address concerns about sharing data. We believe that through education and training, data contributors are capable of attaining success through preparation proactively, rather than reactively.

Data Management CCIN PDC Webinar Poster.jpeg

APECS and the organizers of the 2018 North Pacific Arctic Conference (NPAC)held from 15 – 17 August 2018 in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States with the theme "Arctic 2030 and Beyond – Pathways to the Future" are looking for early career researchers to join their sessions.

In total we need for the following four conference sessions one early career researchers each:

  • Session II: The Future of Arctic Ocean Cooperation
  • Session III: Climate Change in the Arctic: Future Directions for Adaptation
  • Session IV: Trends in Arctic Resource Extraction and Logistics – Global Drivers and Regional Conditions
  • Session V: The SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) and Agenda 2030 in the Arctic

Click the "read more" button below to read a more detailed description about the four conference session and their framing questions.

The selected early career researchers would participate in the conference

  • as panelists in one of the sessions
  • as contributors to the published NPAC 2018 Proceedings and
  • as participants of the general discussion and contributors to the social media output of the conference and potential published policy briefs
  • contribute a 5 - 7 page summary document 

All selected early career researchers would receive the following funding support:

  • Airfare to Honolulu from their home location
  • Per Diem Ground Transportation
  • Other Travel Costs
  • They are included in all NPAC 2018 programs, events and special dinners

Who can apply?

  • To apply for this opportunity, you have to be early career researchers (US citizen or international) based at a US institution (university, research institution or other institution where they are engaged in a professional career with Arctic perspectives)
  • working on a research topic that fits the topic of the session you apply for

How to apply?

Please send the following information to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by no later than 11 June at 23:59 GMT

  • your CV
  • The session you want to apply for
  • Statement of Interest (max one page), including your research background, your motivation in joining the conference, and your thoughts on how you can contribute to your preferred session and how this would benefit your career

 

 

APECS and the Polar Climate Predictability Initiative (PCPI) are looking for six early career researchers to be included in their leadership structure (one in each of their six themes).

The PCPI is an initiative of the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP), whose goal is to improve the understanding of the predictability of climate and the effect of human activities on climate. The PCPI has a focus on polar regions and their role in the global climate system and aims to improve predictability of the climate system on all time scales by improving our understanding of the underlying physical mechanisms and their representation in climate models. The PCPI includes 6 themes:

  1. Improve knowledge and understanding of past polar climate variations (100+years)
  2. Assess reanalyses in polar regions
  3. Improve understanding of polar predictability on seasonal to decadal timescales
  4. Assessing model performance in the polar regions
  5. Model error
  6. Improve understanding of how jets and non-zonal circulation couple to the rest of the system in the Southern Hemisphere

You can see a more detailed description of each theme here. Each of the themes is led by two senior researchers, and we will be adding one early career researcher for each of the six themes. The early career researcher will then work in close cooperation with the two senior researchers on the development of the themes.

The position advertised will last for a 2 – 3 year term. These are volunteer positions with no associated direct funding. However, if e.g. a workshop is organized, PCPI tries to fund attendance of early career scientists and the selected early career researchers for each of the themes will be considered first for available funding.

There will be a meeting of the participants in the PCPI themes at the Polar2018 conference in Davos and those selected early career researchers, who are attending the conference are welcome to join this meeting. More information will be sent to the selected early career researchers before the conference. You can also apply for this opportunity if you are not attending the POLAR2018 conference.

Who can apply?

  • early career researchers (which is for this opportunity within 10 years of the PhD!) with an already completed PhD
  • Research background that fits at least one of the themes of the PCPI

How to apply?
To apply please send the following information to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We will be starting to review applications on 9 June 2018, so please apply before that.

  • Your CV
  • The theme(s) you would like to join
  • A Statement of Interest letter detailing
    • Your research background
    • Your motivation in joining the PCPI and theme(s) you selected
    • Your thoughts on how you can contribute to your preferred theme(s) and how this would benefit your career

The APECS International Directorate Office will only share your application data with the selected group of reviewers deciding on the applications and with the leadership and theme chairs of the PCPI. The data will not be shared with any other third party.

apecs logo webImportant Information for all APECS members:

As you may have heard the new General Data Protection Regulations (“GDPR”) in the European Union comes into effect on 25 May 2018. Since our international Directorate Office is based in the EU (Germany) and to ensure our compliance with the new regulations for our mailing list, you will have to re-confirm your APECS membership and that you want to continue receiving updates from APECS, regardless of whether you are in the EU or not..

Please note that if you do not re-confirm your membership, we will no longer be allowed to email you after 25 May and will have to remove you from our mailing list and delete your personal information.

To update your settings and confirm that you want to stay an APECS member and receive our email updates, all of you have received an email from APECS earlier today with a big blue “I want to remain an APECS member” button. All you have to do is to click this button, check the information we have stored from you (update it if necessary), read our new data use permission text, check the box where it say "Yes, I want to be an APECS member and receive APECS emails" and then click the "Update Profile" link at the bottom of the form. This all takes only a few seconds and can also e.g. be done from a mobile device: please take a moment and update your profile immediately and by 25 May.

If you have not received this email from APECS, please check also your spam folders and if you still have not received it, you have to re-register for APECS on our Join APECS page

If you cannot re-confirm your membership by 25 May, the “I want to remain an APECS member” link above will remain active until end of June 2018. After that you can only re-subscribe by filling out our membership registration form on the APECS website.

If you so far have not been an APECS member yet and want to subscribe, we have updated our membership registration form and you can access it on our Join APECS page

APECS is strongly committed to protecting the data of our members so we see compliance with the new regulations in the EU, where our international office is based, as extremely important. Besides the current changes on the APECS membership and mailing list, the APECS leadership is actively working on a new data policy for APECS and our activities, which will be published in the coming weeks.

If you have any questions, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Best regards,

Gerlis Fugmann (Executive Director of APECS) and Hanne Nielsen (APECS President 2017-2018) on behalf of the APECS Executive Committee

Do you know anyone who has made a meaningful impact to the scientific community in the North?

The Association of Early Polar Career Researchers Canada and the ArcticNet Student Association are looking to recognize a mentor who has contributed significantly over a period of several years to the mentoring and fostering of polar early career researchers in Canada.

We encourage nomination packages from a variety of backgrounds for this award, including academics, industry professionals, community members, Elders, educators, public servants, and anyone else that has made a meaningful impact on polar early career researchers.

For more information on the award and how to nominate a mentor, visit https://apecscanada.wixsite.com/ehpecs. The deadline for nomination package submissions is September 15, 2018.

Cheers,

Jacqueline Hung
APECS Canada-ASA Mentor Award Committee Chair

On behalf of the APECS Canada-ASA Mentor Award Committee 2018-2019:
Enooyaq Sudlovenick, University of Prince Edward Island
Kamil Chatila-Amos, University of Guelph
Samuel Gagnon, Université Laval
Kate Snow, Department of Fisheries and Oceans (Ex-officio)
Marianne Falardeau, McGill University (Ex-officio)

mentor

 

In short: 100s of Swedish potatoes, 10s of delicious cinnamon rolls, 29 enthusiastic students, 26 fascinating lectures, 13 excellent lecturers, 10 hands-on practicals, 7 kind sponsors, 1 brilliant training school!

The Polar Prediction School was held from 17-27 April 2018 at the beautiful Abisko Scientific Research Station in northern Sweden. It brought together 29 students from nine different countries and at various career stages, from early PhD students through to post-docs. The programme for the school was designed to provide a comprehensive overview of the main aspects related to polar weather and climate prediction. It included theoretical lectures, practical exercises, meteorological fieldwork, and a dedicated science communication programme.

PPS2018 group

 

The lectures and exercises covered polar weather, chaos and predictability, polar lows, polar ocean forecasting and sea-ice modelling, sea-ice prediction and predictability, limits of predictability, data assimilation and reanalysis, model verification in polar regions, remote sensing of the cryosphere, polar boundary layer dynamics, polar mid-latitude linkages, as well as air-sea exchange and turbulence.

To introduce the students to various observational techniques as well as the challenges related to making these sorts of measurements in high latitudes, they conducted practical exercises based on data obtained from a micrometeorology mast. The mast was erected on the first full day of the training school by the students on the surface of the frozen Lake Torneträsk, a 5-minute walk away from the research station.

Radiosondes were also launched each day and the soundings were uploaded to the Global Telecommunication System, which is used in operational forecasts. In addition, a mini intense observational period was held on one day where radiosondes were launched every six hours. This was to study the diurnal cycle of the polar boundary layer at the site, even though the weather conditions at the time were not ideally suited to this.

mast setup

Soft skills training was provided through a dedicated science communication programme, with six evening sessions and an afternoon of final presentations. These sessions were run by Jessica Rohde of the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee and specifically designed for early career researchers. Topics covered included how to distil information, tailoring messages for specific audiences, using social media, and slide design.

The students put what they learnt directly into practice through the brief informative videos (‘FrostBytes’) about their research that they worked on during the school. On the final afternoon each student presented their work and this was recorded. The videos will be made available on the APECS and APPLICATE websites.

Daily weather briefings were also made by the students each evening. They were asked to provide an overview of the day’s weather, to compare the previous day’s forecast with the observed radiosounding they made, and to analyse forecasts for the coming days using global and regional products. The briefings were an opportunity for the students to learn to interpret weather forecasts in complex polar mountain environments, such as where Abisko is located, and to better understand how today’s models perform in such regions. Furthermore, they led to interesting discussions about model skill and uncertainty in polar regions.

A diverse course such as the Polar Prediction School, bringing together a wide set of students and lecturers, helps build and maintain the community needed to address the polar prediction problem, which is inherently multi-disciplinary. Overall, the school was a great success and we recommend this model be used for any future schools for early career researchers.

The Polar Prediction School 2018 was organised as part of the EU Horizon 2020-funded APPLICATE project, in cooperation with the World Meteorological Organization’s Polar Prediction Project (PPP) in occasion of the Year of Polar Prediction (YOPP). It was also generously supported by the World Climate Research Programme's (WCRP) Climate and Cryosphere project (CliC), the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), and the Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research (SCAR).

Eu Arctic ClusterIn partnership with the European Polar Board (EPB), APECS organises a series of webinars that aim to connect polar research and policy. The webinars are aimed at polar researchers, policymakers and other professionals at all career stages.

The fourth EPB-APECS webinar will be held 13:00-14:00 (UTC) on Tuesday 5th June 2018. 

Kristina Bär, EU-PolarNet Communications Officer, will introduce the EU Arctic Cluster and how it is bringing together EU-funded polar research projects to jointly maximise their impact.

The EU Arctic Cluster is a network of Horizon 2020 and a Framework Programme 7 funded Arctic projects, with APECS being involved in four of them. Currently it comprises eight projects: APPLICATE, ARICE, Blue-Action, EU-PolarNet, ICE-ARC, INTAROS, INTERACT and NUNATARYUK. The Cluster thus merges a broad spectrum of research and coordination activities - ranging from the most up-to-date findings on permafrost and sea ice, from enhancing observation to improving predictions, and from networking research stations to coordinating access to icebreakers.

The EU Arctic Cluster's objective is to bring the insights from various areas of expertise together in order to provide one entry point to EU funded Arctic research. Jointly the Cluster aims to provide policy-relevant information and support the EU in implementing its integrated policy for the Arctic.

To join the webinar, please register here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_kqUmTRS4QP-IdG8D5NLmSQ

Details of all webinars in the EPB-APECS series, including recordings and summaries, can be found here.

SIOS logo ORIGINAL rgbapecs logo webThe Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System (SIOS) in cooperation with the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) are looking for an early career scientist to join the editorial board for the State of Environmental Science in Svalbard report. Application deadline is on 25 May!

SIOS is a consortium of international institutions with research infrastructure in and around Svalbard. SIOS is building an integrated observing system for long-term measurements addressing Earth System questions. 

Starting in 2018, SIOS will produce an annual State of Environmental Science in Svalbard (SESS) report. The report will summarise the state of current knowledge of key Earth System Science (ESS) parameters and analyse how these parameters influence one another. The SESS report will outline the work that has been done in the previous year within the SIOS cooperation to optimise the observing system and recommend research priorities for the following year(s).

The first issue of the SESS report will be published in two steps. A preliminary report will be published online in early summer; its chapters will be subject to an open review. A final report will be based on the reviewed chapters and additional contributions and will be released during the Polar Night Week in Longyearbyen, 14-17 January 2019.

SESS report

The editorial board consists of three persons, two of which are senior researchers from SIOS member institutions. We would like to appoint an early career scientist as a third member of the editorial board.

The tasks of the editorial board are:

  • review received contributions
  • invite additional contributors
  • organise a scientific review process ‘light’
  • merge all contribution to a coherent report (synthesis work)
  • develop a layout and design profile
  • prepare the SESS report release
  • prepare promotion material


The editorial board works in close cooperation with scientific and communication advisors within the SIOS community.

Applicants should:

  • have an education background within Earth System Science
  • be available during the next 8 months and the Polar Night Week
  • have an interest in editorial activities
  • be an active team player
  • be fluent in oral and written English

We offer an excellent opportunity

  • to gain insight in the editorial work of scientific reports
  • to influence the development of the SESS report, both in content and layout
  • to build a network with diverse fields of arctic research within Earth System Science

The applicant is expected to attend board meetings (mainly on video) and the Polar Night Week in Longyearbyen 14-17 January 2019. Travel costs will be refunded. 

SIOS expects the work of the editorial board to commence right after the appointments are made (beginning of June). The time period of appointment to the editorial board is limited to the completion of the first issue of the SESS report (January 2019). There may be the opportunity to continue on the editorial board, depending on the decisions made by the SIOS Board of Directors.

The application and selection process is coordinated by APECS. If you are interested in applying, please send the following information by no later than 25 May 2018 to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.:

  • CV
  • Statement of interest (max one page), including
    • your research background
    • your motivation in joining the editorial board for the SESS report
    • your thoughts on how you could contribute to the editorial work and how this work would be beneficial for your career

If you have questions about the position, please contact SIOS directly at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

APECS International Online Conference 2018: “Butterfly Effect: Small Changes, Big Impact!”Online Conference logo 2018 3 no day

Conference Date: 16 May 2018 (06:55 GMT to midnight GMT)

Event Format: Online conference (webinar)

Registration is now open for audience members to participate in the conference! It is completely free to attend from the comfort of your home or office!

How to register? Please register separately for each session of the conference you wish to attend. Once you register you will receive a unique attendance link for each of the sessions you registered for in your email inbox. Please use the attendance links to join the conference as an audience member on 16 May, 2018 and please check that you are using the correct link for each session you wish to join. Please register as early as possible but no later than 30 minutes before the session starting time in order for you to receive your attendance link via email. Sessions are limited to 100 participants each. Note that session timings are subject to change so do keep an eye on the schedule in the run-up to the conference.

This year’s theme, “Butterfly Effect: Small Changes, Big Impact!,” challenges polar scientists to communicate the impacts of changes occurring in and connected to polar and alpine regions, including their environment, local communities, science methods, and policy and education.

What to Expect: Presenters will address this topic in relation to a wide range of research, including Atmosphere and Climate, Biology, Cultural, Education, Science Communication, Geology, Environmental, Cryosphere, History, Oceanography and Policy research. Audience engagement is encouraged, with time for questions at the end of each presentation.

The detailed conference programme including all abstracts can be found on the APECS International Online Conference Website.

POLAR2018
During POLAR2018 we are offering the opportunity for a small group of Early Career Researchers (ECR) to have an informal lunch with the morning's two plenary speakers. If you wish to have the chance to take part in this opportunity please fill in this form by 3 June! Participants will be drawn by lots from the applications received. This event is sponsored by SCAR and IASC and organised by APECS.

Plenary Speakers and abstracts

apecs logo webUArctic logo newThe APECS-UArctic Science Communication Workshop is organized in connection with the UArctic Congress 2018 in Oulu, Finland on 3 September 2018. Participants will be expected to work on tasks throughout the duration of the congress. Deadline for applications is on Sunday 13 May 2018.

The workshop will focus on four topics:

  • Storytelling as a tool for science communication
  • Using social media for science communication
  • Videos as a tool for science communication
  • Communicating with the Media

The workshop will include both introductory lectures and also hands-on practical parts. In addition to the workshop day, the participants will receive a task to use the skills gained during the workshop during the UArctic Congress (incl. conducting interviews). More information will be communicated to successful applicants before the workshop. The results of the workshop and message from Oulu will be communicated at the Helsinki welcoming reception on Thursday evening (Sep 6th).

As the workshop is limited to max 25 participants, you will have to apply for it. Application deadline is on Sunday 13 May 2018. We will let applicants know if they are accepted to participate in the workshop by 25 May so that successful applicants can still register for the UArctic Congress before its early bird registration deadline. The workshop is open to students at all levels as well as for other early career scientists.

To apply and to find more information about workshop, please visit workshop webpage.

Dear APECS Germany members,

APECSGermany LogoOver the last ~21 months we as APECS Germany initiated several very successful events all over Germany, some of which you might have heard of via our website or facebook-page. However, all this was only possible through our board-members, many of which are now actively involved since July 2016. Just last summer, we established some official terms of reference (see http://apecsgermany.wixsite.com/apecsde/about) to ensure that a thought-through future continuation of our network is possible. One major puzzle piece of that is a board full of motivated young scientists, but for that we are of course relying on a more or less steady inflow of new board members, and that’s where you come into play!

The new board-term will start very soon in May 2018, and we happily invite you to join the board of our network so that you can bring your ideas into action!One of the very first tasks in a new board term will be the election of a new leadership team consisting of one chair and three co-chairs. However, we understand if there are question marks about being active in such a network, so in order to give you an overview on what exactly we`re doing and what we did in the past you are all invited to an informal online-presentation and a Q&A via the Zoom-Meeting-platform on May 8th, 2018 at 3 P.M.

You can join this meeting using the following link: https://zoom.us/j/353220763

Please drop us a short line whether you’re interested to join on May the 8th, but please feel free to also join on short notice. Some of our current board members will be online and answer any upcoming questions regarding our past work.

We’re very much looking forward to hearing from you!

Cheers, Andi
On behalf of the APECS Germany board

arice logoThe EU Project ARICE (Arctic Research Icebreaker Consortium)opens now a call for ship-time proposals to access the icebreakers CCGS Amundsen, RV Sikuliaq and PRV Polarstern. This call will remain open until the 5th of July 2018.

Applications are welcome from international teams of researchers and industry partners from all career stages. Female applicants are encouraged to apply.
Check full eligibility criteria and funding conditions at: https://www.arice.eu/apply-for-ship-time

The access to PRV Polarstern is offered in the frame of the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) Expedition, the first year-round expedition into the central Arctic exploring the Arctic climate system. Specific access regulations to PRV Polarstern in the frame of MOSAiC apply. Further information at https://www.arice.eu/apply-for-ship-time

NOTE: Proposals submitted to ARICE for PRV Polarstern will require a Confirmation of Endorsement from MOSAiC, a process which is encouraged to be started by potential applicants as soon as possible, as the endorsement process is expected to take 3 weeks from the submission of the request for endorsement until endorsement is confirmed. Detailed information is available at https://www.arice.eu/apply-for-ship-time

Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

SecNet logoInteract logoapecs logo web

 

Indigenous Peoples of the Arctic Countries website

When we conduct research in the Arctic we are visitors in someone else's homeland: people who live there all year round, who have unique knowledge and wish to be involved in research concerning their land and ways of life. In this pair of webinars, arising from conversations at the 2017 Siberian Environmental Change Network (SecNet) workshop (arranged in cooperation with INTERACT), two speakers will build on their personal experiences to highlight ways in which researchers can successfully engage with local communities, from a Canadian and a Russian perspective.

Webinar 1: Dr. Sandra Juutilainen, University of Waterloo
When: Friday 4 May, 16:00 GMT (12 noon Toronto) Register here!

Webinar 2: Lidia Rakhmanova, PhD in Sociology, Sociologist of the Center of Sociological Research, the State Hermitage Museum, associated member of the Sociological Institute of FCTAS RAS
When: Thursday 10 May, 13:00 GMT (16:00 Moscow) Register here!
Please note this webinar will be held in Russian.

Thank you for all the great submissions to the APECS Polar Week Photo Contest 2018 "My #PolarPride"! After all the votes are in, we are happy to announce the winner in each category:

 

Category: Working Environment

1st Prize: Sarah Baatout, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre, Belgium

Description: Health, drugs & environment monitoring, & school connections at Belgian Princess Elisabeth station in Antarctica as analog for
human space exploration.

 Sarah Baatout


 Category: Research and Laboratory

1st Prize: Gustavo Souza dos Santos, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Brazil

Description: Antarctic macroalgae in exposition at the Summer School in Pharmaceutical Sciences 2018, showing to undergraduate students from different states of Brazil the importance of Polar Science.

 

Gustavo Souza dos Santos

 

apecs italy logoAPECS Italy is proud to support the NET project, in which ten students from the Istituto Tecnico Industriale Statale “Max Planck” high school in Treviso (Italy) become involved in scientific research about climate change in the Arctic environment. The purpose of the project is to expose students to the various issues and techniques involved in climate change research at the poles, and how knowledge gained from polar research on climate change can inform climate change decisions back home in Italy. Following the field portion of the work, the students will gain experience in science communication and outreach by preparing presentations of their experience that will be shared with the public. In order to secure the last funding needed to support this project, NET is sponsoring a crowdfunding campaign, more information about which can be found at the following website (in Italian) https://schoolraising.it/progetti/net/.

IMG_3446.JPG

APECS Canada Logo webThe 6th Queen’s Northern Research Symposium will be held on Thursday April 12th, and broadcast as a webinar presentation by APECS. The three keynotes for this year’s event include:

  • Valerie Michaelson of Queen’s University (Department of Public Health Sciences and School of Religion),
  • Elyn Humphreys of Carleton University (Department of Geography and Environmental Studies), and
  • Daniel Fortier of Universite de Montreal (Department de Geographie).

The day also includes a variety of talks on reconciliation in Canada’s North, Arctic contaminants, and vegetation responses to the warming Arctic.

Participants can view the event for free from 8:30 am to 2:45 pm EST via webinar; register for the webinar here (https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_hhV5ssh8RR6c0TVh4Mve-g) to receive an access link to the event. For those interested in this event but unable to attend, this presentation will be recorded and published on the APECS vimeo site (https://vimeo.com/apecs) at a later date. For more information about the Queen’s NRS, visit queensnrs.wordpress.com.

Your APECS Canada (ehPECS) Board

POLAR2018 logos travel award KopieIn February 2018, the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) in cooperation with the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), the Tinker Foundation, the US National Science Foundation, the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the UK Science & Innovation Network Nordics, the Antarctic Science Ltd. and the Climate and Cryosphere (CliC) Project of the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) announced the availability of travel awards for the POLAR2018 (15-26 June2018, Davos Switzerland), including Arctic Science Summit Week 2018 & IASC Business Meetings, XXXV SCAR Biennial Meetings, SCAR/IASC Open Science Conference, and 2018 Arctic Observing Summit.

We received a total of 346 applications for this process and due to the high quality of the applications it was very difficult to make a decision. All applications were reviewed by two reviewers each via a blind review process. Final recipients were then determined from the resulting ranked list keeping in mind as wide as possible country spread.

Through this generous financial support from all contributing organizations, we were able to fund 91 applicants from 27 countries (Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, India, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States). All recipients have been notified and have accepted their awards. Congratulations to all recipients!

Thank you again to all the funders for making this incredible support possible. Also a big thank you to the reviewers who took their time to help us evaluate all these applications.

We are looking forward to seeing many of you in Davos!

More information on the awards can be found on the APECS website

EGU logoThe European Geosciences Union (EGU) will bapecs logo webe meeting again in Vienna, Austria, from 8-13 April 2018 for the General Assembly. The annual meeting is the largest gathering of geoscientists in Europe, with events and sessions covering a wide range of polar and cryospheric activities.

If you are planning to attend please consider joining us for all three of the early-career social events that APECS is co-organizing. Attachedis also a list of some of the polar-related sessions, organized by day.

Polar & Cryo Pre-icebreaker
Sunday 8 April
16:00–18:00
Cafe Merkur
Florianigasse 18, 1080 Vienna, Austria
Facebook event

Polar & Cryo Midweek Meetup
Wednesday 11 April
19:30–23:30
Zwölf-Apostelkeller
Sonnenfelsgasse 3, 1010 Vienna, Austria
Signup
Facebook event

Session SC3.4/CL6.05/CR8.10/OS6.3
Polar science career panel (EGU Cryosphere and APECS) (co-organized)​
Tue, 10 Apr, 12:15–13:15 / Room -2.85

On Thrusday 22nd March, APECS Norway held their first in-person event in Oslo at the univeristy's science library. The event coincided with the APECS Polar Week. It was a successful evening with keynote speakers (Lars Eivind Augland, UiO; Bob Paquin, Canadian International Arctic Centre and Andy Kääb, UiO) and a "PolarPitch" where  audience members, who came from a range of disciplines and career stages, gave a two minute introduction to their work. We then headed for pizza downtown.

Please get in touch with us (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) if you would like to help organise a future event with APECS Norway around the country. 

Pictures clockwise from bottom left: Keynote speakers Lars Eivind Augland, Andy Kääb and Bob Paquin. APECS Norway committee members Pierre-Marie Lefeuvre, Grace Shephard and Ruth Vingerhagen.

APECSNorway polarweek Mar 2018 01

APECSNorway logo

We are pleased to announce the winner of the APECS Norway logo competition!

Our new logo was designed by Kyle Mayers, the Vice-President of the UK branch of APECS - UK Polar Network. As Kyle explains "The inspiration for the image idea came from a trip I took earlier this year to Tromsø, and seeing the Northern lights, which was a really special experience! It is also something people usually ask about when they think of Norway (although in Bergen the clouds are usually in the way)! The mountain is a great symbol of Norway, but also polar regions (Arctic, Antarctic and alpine) so I thought it was a a nice all encompassing image!". We agree, and here provide the original black version as well as a white background version - tusen takk, Kyle.

We would like to again sincerely thank all the participants for their entries!

Thank you for the 58 amazing photos that were submitted for our APECS International Polar Week March 2018 #My PolarPride Photo Contest! Now it is time for YOU to vote on your favourite photos in each of the two categories. 

How to vote? Click through the photos on our photo contest website and note their number and photographer name. And then fill out the two voting polls below.

You can only vote once in each category! Voting will close on 27 March at 23:00 GMT. The winners will be announced afterwards as soon as the voting results have been verified.

Bildschirmfoto 2018-03-21 um 12.33.08.pngWebinar title: Glaciology in the St. Elias Mountains of Yukon, Canada: science, logistics and surprises
By Dr. Gwenn Flowers, Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada

Summary: The St. Elias Mountains of Yukon, Canada, are home to vast icefields, surging glaciers and some of the highest peaks in North America. Since 2006, Gwenn and her research group at Simon Fraser University have been carrying out glaciological field work in this area to investigate surface mass and energy balance, glacier response to climate, glacier thermal structure, ice dynamics and outburst floods. This webinar will highlight some of the research results, illustrate the role of funding and logistics in defining the research, and touch on the opportunities and challenges associated with field-based studies in this relatively remote area.

Please register for Glaciology in the St. Elias Mountains of Yukon, Canada: science, logistics and surprises on Wednesday April 11th, 2018 at 4:00 PM GMT here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_2F7JMn4zRAOwBltkedstug.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

web apecsIDEAL logoAPECS Panel - Placing your research within the big picture Opportunities for Early Career Researchers (ECRs) to be involved in large international initiatives


When: Sunday 8th of April 2018 from 13:30 to 16:30MEASOVertical

Where: Institute for Marine & Antarctic Studies (flexspace), University of Tasmania, 20 Castray Esplanade, Hobart, Australia

Organized by: Association of Polar Early Career Scientists

Co-organized by: MEASO2018, IDEAL research center

Registration Link

Over the past decade many large international initiatives have been developed to address the significant environmental and climatic changes impacting the Southern Ocean, to further our knowledge and to influence international policy. Initiatives and organizations such as SOOS, ACE Expedition, Southern Ocean Research Partnership and ICED are leading interdisciplinary and international research efforts to better understand the causes and impacts of changes in the Southern Ocean. These initiatives are influencing international policy on climate change, fisheries, and environmental practices. But how can you as an ECR get involved in these international initiatives and how can your research influence international policy in the Southern Ocean?

APECS will be hosting a panel session to address how Early Career Researchers can contribute to and participate in large international initiatives within the Southern Ocean. Our panel will address questions such as:

  • What are the knowledge gaps that an ECR can partially answer within international initiatives (SCAR, SOOS, etc.)?
  • What opportunities are there for ECRs to be involved in large international initiatives?
  • How can an ECR work (thesis, manuscripts …) have a greater impact within global/international initiatives?
  • How can networking help ECRs become part of large international initiatives?
  • How can an ECRs work influence policy and how can ECRs get involved/gain experience in Southern Ocean Policy?

Panel:

  • Dr. Aleks Terauds (Australian Antarctic Division)
  • Indi Hodgson-Johnston (University of Tasmania)
  • Dr. Nadine Jonhston (British Antarctic Survey)
  • Dr. Stephen Nicol (University of Tasmania)

apecs brasil logoV Symposium APECS-Brazil: Achievements and challenges in a decade of changes in the national and international scenario
15 - 18 May 2018, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil

In is fifth edition, the APECS-Brazil symposium brings not only updates and new findings in polar science, but also celebrates the 10th anniversary of the creation of the Brazilian APECS committee and the last International Polar Year. We hope to stimulate important reflections and discussions about the achievements of our association and the challenges that we will face from now on.

Registration: Registration is open and should be done through the APECS Brazil website

APECS members have reduced registration fees.

More information https://www.apecsbrasil.com/a5th-symposium-apecs-brazil/

Swedish Polar Research Secretariat

The Swedish Polar Research Secretariat, in cooperation with the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), are seeking three early career researchers (ECR) from Nordic countries to participate in the upcoming Way Forward: Knowledge Gaps in Nordic Arctic Research Workshop from 30 - 31 May 2018 in at Hanaholmen in Espoo, Finland.

apecs logo webThe workshop is sponsored by the Swedish Ministry of Higher Education and Research and NordForsk and will be organised by the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat with the support of Hanaholmen – The Swedish-Finnish Cultural Centre as a part of the Swedish Presidency programme of the Nordic Council of Ministers 2018.

The workshop aims to identify urgent research areas and present Nordic Arctic research collaborations. A group of renowned Nordic and international scientists will identify knowledge gaps and research challenges that the Nordic countries, in international collaboration, are particularly apt to develop into world leading Arctic research. The results aim to contribute to sustainable development for the people in the Arctic, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and give an enhanced understanding of the global implications of a changing Arctic. Furthermore the workshop aims to provide input to the Arctic Science Ministerial in Berlin, October 2018.

The workshop is expected to produce a report consisting of white papers on three preset research themes. The report will support NordForsk and other Nordic funding providers in prioritising in Arctic Research and will be thoroughly disseminated to relevant authorities in the Nordic countries, EU, and international partners.

The three scientific themes are:

  • Arctic data and global modelling: What data gaps are the most crucial to get a better disciplinary and interdisciplinary understanding of Arctic past, current and future in the Arctic? What global consequences do these data gaps create?
  • Arctic strategies and social innovation: How do Arctic societies respond to climate change and pollution? What are the challenges and opportunities for adaptation strategies and social innovation at the local level? How can traditional indigenous knowledge contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of Arctic and northern environment and communities?
  • Sustainable use of Arctic resources: How to foster sustainable use of national and common Arctic resources for e.g. energy, shipping, fishing, and tourism? What are the crucial questions in regional and in international contexts to implement Sustainable Development Goals?

We will select three early career researchers to attend, one for each of these three themes.

Applicants should:

  • be from an institution / organisation in a Nordic country (Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Iceland, Faroe Islands, Åland and Greenland)
  • have an Arctic research background fitting into one of the three themes of the workshop
  • be a PhD candidate or Postdoc / early faculty member within five years of completing their PhD (with deductions for periods of parental leave)

The selected ECRs will be provided funding for travel, hotel and food expenses.

If you are interested in applying, please send the following by no later than 28 March 2018 (extended deadline!) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

  • CV
  • Statement of Interest (maximum length one page) addressing
    • your research background
    • how your research interests fit into one of the three themes
    • why you would like to attend the workshop
    • what you would like to contribute to the discussion
    • why attending the workshop would help your career

If you have questions, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Image result for Hanaholmen logo

 

apecs logo webarice logoAWI WortBildmarke Farbe RGBWe are announcing an exciting opportunity to work as part-time scientist in APECS International Directorate at AWI for the ARICE project!

The Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) is a member of the Helmholtz Association (HGF) and funded by federal and state government. AWI focuses on polar and marine research in a variety of disciplines such as biology, oceanography, geology, geochemistry and geophysics thus allowing multidisciplinary approaches to scientific goals. The APECS International Directorate in Potsdam, Germany, invites applications for a Scientist (Arctic research) (50%) to coordinate the APECS tasks of the ARICE project.

The Arctic Research Ice Breaker Consortium (ARICE) is a recently funded EU-Horizon2020 project to improve the capacities for marine-based research in the ice-covered Arctic Ocean. The project includes a consortium of fifteen partners from thirteen countries and will run for four years from 2018 – 2021. The project aims to better coordinate the existing polar research fleet by offering scientists access to six research icebreakers and collaborating with the maritime industry. APECS, hosted by AWI, is a member of the consortium and is leading the work package on educating a new generation of polar researchers and professionals by creating educational materials and performing training activities.

You will be a member of the APECS International Directorate Office at AWI and will be coordinating the APECS tasks of the ARICE project which include but are not limited to organising, content development, coordination and evaluation of in-person and online training courses and resources on research and soft-skills topics related to ARICE (including a summer school for early career researchers and professionals and several webinar series), participating in ARICE project meetings and contributing to other APECS activities as needed. You will support and work with a group of volunteers as part of the project tasks. The position is temporary part-time (50%) and limited until the end of 2021. It will be based in Potsdam, Germany.

Application deadline is 3 April 2018.

More information about the requirements and the full position description are available in this PDF or on the AWI website.

https://static.wixstatic.com/media/16f1d1_79c9569af1a9440793852cf2b91960d3.png/v1/fill/w_1074,h_294,al_c,lg_1/16f1d1_79c9569af1a9440793852cf2b91960d3.pngUS APECS is organizing a Reddit Science AMA for Polar Week (March 19-23). The idea is to have several early career researchers in polar fields available to answer questions from the public over the course of a one-day period. They have done similar events before, making it on to the front page of Reddit Science.

US APECS is also launching a blog on their website featuring different post 'series' relevant to early career researchers. The first series will be focused on science communication. Posts will relate individual researchers' science communication experiences (e.g. science communication experiences, outcomes, advice for science communicators, what worked/didn't work) to other young scientists, and should include details on what you think makes communication experiences effective, exciting and inclusive. If you are interested in writing for the blog post series, or know someone who might be, please contact Mariama Dryak (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) for more information.

Polar Week logo2 01APECS International Polar Week March 2018 will be from March 19-25! Polar Week is a series of events happening globally, with the goal of promoting the science taking place in polar latitudes.

This March, our theme will be #PolarPride with a focus on appreciating APECS members from all aspects of polar sciences. We have fantastic members and want to show our pride! We also hope to recognize individuals that are traditionally underrepresented either because of what they study or because of systemic issues of diversity within polar sciences. We will focus on celebrating YOU, the members of APECS through a series of fun and professional activities:

We encourage APECS members and National Committees to organize their own activities and to submit details via the Polar Week website!

To find out more about the events and how to participate, please visit our Polar Week website. If you have any questions, please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

APECSGermany LogoOn March 25th (3-6pm) we`ll have an APECS Germany Workshop on “Getting involved in Polar Organizations: Opportunities and Challenges” in Rostock, Germany.

During the workshop we will navigate the acronym jungle of polar sciences and explore ways to engage in international polar organizations. What possibilities and opportunities are there for groups and individuals? What challenges need to be overcome for young scientists as well as for organizations such as the German Society for Polar Research (DGP)?

The Workshop is embedded into the International Polar Conference and free of charge. If you are interested to participate, please write an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Online Conference logo 2018 3 no dayAbstract submission for the APECS International Online Conference 2018, “Butterfly Effect: Small Changes, Big Impact!” has been extended to 9th March, 2018 at 22:00 GMT. More detailed information on the call for abstract, the presentation formats, abstract guidelines as well as the abstract submission form can be found on the APECS International Online Conference 2018 website.

There are three opportunities for recognition this year! We will award prizes for the best Arctic and Antarctic Oral Presentations and another for best Innovative Communication!

IT'S TIME TO VOTE!!

Here are the fantastic submissions from our APECS members! Please vote for your favourite option here by March 6th: http://pollmaker.vote/p/Q4VLZO6J

The APECS Norway National Committee will make the final decision soon after.

While the options are 'anonymous' we would like to thank (in no particular order) Nathalie Carrasco, Ruth Vingerhagen, Kyle Mayers, Sian Roberts, Pierre-Marie Lefeuvre, Morgan Ip, Denis Migulin/APECS Sweden, and Constanza Rojas. 

APECSNorway logo comp 2018

APECS-EPB Webinar: ESA's Human Research Programme

apecs logo webepb logo desktop 201515 March 2018 at 15:00 GMT

Speaker: Jennifer Ngo-Anh, Head of the Human Research Office at the European Space Agency (ESA)

Registration Link

On Thursday 15th March 2018, Jennifer Ngo-Anh, Head of the Human Research Office at the European Space Agency (ESA), will give a webinar on 'ESA's Human Research Programme', including an overview of ESA's work at Concordia research station in Antarctica. The webinar is the third in a series of webinars organised by APECS and the European Polar Board (EPB).

Details of previous webinars in the EPB-APECS series, including links to recordings, can be found here.

APECS Canada Webinar1 KopieAPECS Canada is excited to be hosting their first webinar of 2018! Join us on February 28th from 1-3pm EST to hear Dr. Jennifer Provencher present on her experiences collaborating with northern communities to form research partnerships. The presentation will be followed by a Q+A session. Dr. Jennifer Provencher is currently a W. Garfield Weston Post-Doctoral Fellow in Northern Research at Acadia University. For more information about Jennifer’s research, check out her website: jenniferprovencher.com.


Title: Working with Northern Communities to Build Collaborative Research Partnerships: Perspectives from an Early Career Researcher


Abstract:
Working with northern communities is a part of Arctic research in Canada. I will discuss my experiences from my graduate and post-doctoral work as a natural scientist working with communities in Nunavut, Nunavik and the NWT. I will talk about how early career researchers can engage with communities, co-develop research questions, and create meaningful training programs with communities. This will include discussing opportunities, mechanisms, and barriers to engaging in community collaborative research in northern Canada. I will also expand on some ideas from a co-authored essay (Tondu et al. 2014, Arctic), and talk about specific examples of how I implemented these practices in my own work as an ecologist.

Register for this webinar: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_xgj_T-bgQhG1nmkTsCHMbA

apecs logo webNominations are now accepted for the APECS International Mentorship Award 2018!

APECS would like to recognize and honour the efforts of their mentors within the international polar science community. There are 2 award categories, which have been created to acknowledge the time and energy that mentors dedicate to early career researchers each year, and their efforts in building a supportive community.

APECS International Mentorship Award 2018 Categories:

  • “Member category”: APECS members are encouraged to nominate a mentor who has been an outstanding mentor to them during their career.
  • “APECS category”: APECS members, committees (including National Committees) and project groups are encouraged to nominate a mentor who has made an outstanding contribution to their APECS committees, activities or the organisation as a whole

The nomination process is open until 15 April 2018. More information about the award and nomination instruction you can find on the APECS website. Only complete nomination packages are accepted.

This year the Arctic Frontiers 2018 poster session was held on 24 January and, new this year, in the city centre at the Scandic Ishavshotel. A team of judges helped evaluate the posters across the four themes: Aquaculture in the High North in times of change; Circumpolar Safety, Search and Rescue Collaboration; Resilient Arctic Societies and Industrial Development; and The New Arctic in the Global Context. With more than half of the nearly 70 posters being from early career researchers and the excellent quality of posters, the competition was tough! In the end, after a difficult decision, the three winners were chosen. The excellent prizes sponsored by Arctic Frontiers were awarded at the Science Conference dinner also at the Scandic Ishavshotel. A warm congratulations to:

  • 1st prize: Emmelie Åström – Trophic relationships and community structure at cold seeps in the Barents Sea
  • 2nd prize: Chloé Maréchal – Wasting disease assessment in the northern sub-Arctic seagrass beds
  • 3rd prize: William Hatchett – Reinforcing Reinforcement: Reinforcement in Fucus distichusand Fucus serratus

 

Arctic Frontiers 2018 Poster Awards2 Kopie

Photos: Alberto Grohavaz

Continuously growing in popularity, this year’s edition of Arctic Frontiers Science for Schools, organized by APECS and the Science Centre of Northern Norway, brought together well over 100 students from five different schools in Tromsø. Living above the Arctic circle means the kids are very familiar with ice and snow, but most of them have so far not had the occasion to see what scientific research really entails. Scientists from five different countries, either living in Tromsø or abroad, shared their first-hand experiences of what it’s like to do research in Polar environments – whether it be drilling ice cores, investigating the rich sea life through diving or deep-sea cameras, or learning about permafrost through cartoons. They were amazed by the beautiful underwater photography of Peter Leopold and fascinated by Kirstin Werner explaining how ocean sediment cores can be used to say what the climate was like thousands of years ago. Thanks to Polona Itkin and Anja Rösel they also nearly all got a chance to saw through a real piece of sea-ice and find out just how salty it really is!

After the presentations and hands-on experiences it was the turn of the students to impress us with their excellent posters. Grade 10 classes presented their projects on Tuesday and Thursday, while the more advanced grade 12 class presented the experiments they had carried out on Wednesday. For many of them this was the very first time they presented a poster at a mini scientific conference – and they did an absolutely fantastic job! The level of English was just astounding, not to mention their enthusiasm as well as the well-thought out research projects.

The excellent quality of all the projects meant that for those of us serving as judges we had an extremely difficult task on our hands! We evaluated the posters and learnt a lot from the students through our discussions about their topics of choice, which ranged all the way from understanding the impact of climate change on different Arctic species through to whether munition from the local shooting range was polluting nearby freshwater streams.

After some very difficult decisions, we chose one winner from each day of the event. They were: My name is carbon, black carbon (Tuesday); Heavy metal seaweed (Wednesday); and An ocean of problems (Thursday). The overall winners of the Grade 10 classes was An ocean of problems. There is definitely enormous potential in the next generation of scientists!

We want to warmly thank all the great speakers who volunteered their time to be part of the Science for Schools event: Anja Rösel, Polona Itkin, Charlotte Havermans, Julie LePage, Kristin Werner, Peter Leopold, Lawrence Hislop, and Mona Fuhrmann.

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Photos: Alberto Grohavaz

APECS organized a fascinating panel discussion on Tuesday 23 January during the Arctic Frontiers conference entitled “Adventures in the Field”. Inspired by the work that APECS is doing as part of the INTERACT project, the panel discussion focused on what it takes to do fieldwork in the Arctic. Four speakers, with many years of experience between them, shared many of their stories, anecdotes, and advice with an enthusiastic audience of over 40 people. Ingrid Wiedman(University of Tromsø) shared her experience of doing fieldwork from research vessels and how one needs to ensure excellent planning and communication when one is a scientific cruise leader. Alex Messerli(Norwegian Polar Institute) also highlighted how important it is to have detailed plans as well as several backup plans. She pointed out how essential it is to have a good field team that is well-informed and aware of each of their responsibilities. Morten Rasch(University of Copenhagen) shared a few stories from his perspective as station manager and leader of the INTERACT station manager’s forum. Being well prepared to go out into the field makes the station staff’s lives much easier, and is particularly important in view of safety and avoiding any possible rescue operations. Morten also highlighted how as early career researchers one should focus on the smaller and ‘relatively easy’ to obtain funding opportunities that are available, for example, the INTERACT transnational access programme. Svein Mathiesen(International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry) gave an excellent overview of how fieldwork in the Arctic, particularly through working with local communities, had changed his life. He shared several very funny anecdotes as well as much good advice. A healthy discussion with the audience rounded off a well-appreciated and interesting hour talking about adventures in the field!

Arctic Frontiers2018 panel Kopie

APECS will be hosting several events to celebrate the APECS International Polar Week from March 19-25th. Our theme this year will be #PolarPride with a focus on appreciating APECS members from all aspects of polar sciences. We have fantastic members and want to show our pride! We also hope to recognize individuals that are traditionally underrepresented either because of what they study or because of systemic issues of diversity within polar sciences.

During Polar Week, we will be hosting a number of events from a photo competition to social media gatherings to blog posts. One of the events we hope to hold are webinars that directly relate to our theme of #PolarPride. We would love your opinion of which topics to discuss. Please choose your favorite topic with the poll linked below and let us know if you have any questions at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The deadline for submitting a response is February 17th. We hope to see you all at our upcoming events.

Webinar Poll: https://goo.gl/zfZs5s

Thank you,

The Polar Week Organizing Committee

EU funds an Arctic Research Icebreaker Consortium, which will provide researchers with improved access to research icebreakers.


ARICE logo[Bremerhaven, 6th February 2018] Fifteen partners from thirteen countries including two North American partners from USA and Canada have joint forces to improve the capacities for marine-based research in the ice-covered Arctic Ocean. In the project “ARICE- Arctic Research Icebreaker Consortium”, they aim at better coordinating the existing polar research fleet, at offering scientists access to six research icebreakers and at collaborating closely with the maritime industry. The European Commission funds the project, which is coordinated by the German Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), with 6 million Euros. The project kick-off meeting takes place at the German Maritime Museum in Bremerhaven 6th to 7th February 2018.

See here the full press release: Making the Arctic accessible for excellent science

Lisa LesotoDr. Loseto has been a solid presence in arctic science for several years, and when not in the field, is often found in households and harvesting camps across the north. Her attention to the well-being of northern residents, coupled with her commitment to ensure that Indigenous peoples are involved in the science and study of traditional foods, make her a visible and honoured member of the arctic science community.

One of the central components in Dr. Loseto's impeccable reputation is her drive to serve as a mentor to early career scientists. A work colleague to Dr. Loseto, Dr. Robert Young, says this about her mentorship:

"Since 2008, Lisa has mentored and contributed to the training of over more than 20 northern students through her beluga health research program. These students have had the opportunity to work with her in the field, to travel to Winnipeg to work for periods in the lab as well as to scientific conferences where they were exposed to a range of Arctic research. Many of her students were given the opportunity and guidance necessary to present posters or make presentations on their research projects. Her mentoring efforts have had a profound impact on these students. It has inspired them to gain a new insight into the value of their environment, research and its importance to northern communities. Her leadership has also instilled a sense of self confidence in these students that has contributed to successful careers in range of professions, including polar research, for most of her students. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has benefited because Lisa's approach to research and training has created a highly successful community-based monitoring program and a leader in incorporating traditional ecological knowledge into research and management decision making.

Dr. Loseto has also mentored and trained 18 students at a number of academic institutions. The range in students has been broad and includes supervision and mentoring of high school, postsecondary, graduate (MSc and PhD) students as well as post-doctoral fellows. The mentoring opportunities for these students have been quite varied ranging from field work and conferences to developing highly innovative laboratory techniques and statistical modeling approaches."

One of the greatest and most unique aspects of Dr. Loseto's mentoring approach is found in her commitment to ensure that students are able to connect their work with Indigenous communities and to involve these communities in many phases of the science process. This necessary approach highlights cooperation and strong community-based involvement, which is an essential component in how science is conducted across the Arctic.

Dr. Loseto, congratulations on being recognized as a leader in arctic science mentorship. Your work is commendable, and your commitment to engendering both students and community members is exemplary!

Online Conference logo 2018 3 no dayThe Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) is proud to announce the 4th annual APECS International Online Conference to be live-streamed on 16 May 2018. This year’s theme, “Butterfly Effect: Small Changes, Big Impact,” challenges polar scientists to communicate the impacts of changes occurring in and connected to polar and alpine regions, including their environment, local communities, science methods, and policy and education.

The Poles are dynamic and complex regions, vulnerable to the effects of climatic and other changes, and inextricably linked to the rest of the globe. The concept of the butterfly effect was originally coined by Edward Lorenz to illustrate how a tornado could be affected by minor changes, such as the flapping of butterfly wings far away and several weeks earlier. This concept also has broader applications. For example, a change in the mid-latitudes can effect changes at the Poles and vice-versa; minute temperature changes can significantly impact local communities or ecosystems; the development of new scientific methods and technologies can generate answers to outstanding questions and open new fields of research; in the wake of shifting global politics, a small alteration to a document can modify treaty impacts and lead to significant consequences; a small act in your community, such as sharing your science at a local school, can inspire and mold future visions for our planet.This year, APECS challenges the scientific community to make an impact by presenting the large and the small of their research ideas, methods, and outcomes: a short presentation in our one-day virtual event can have a significant impact, both on you and the audience of the 4th APECS International Online Conference!

Abstract submission is now open until 2 March 2018 at 22:00 GMT. More detailed information on the call for abstract,the presentation formats, abstract guidelinesas well as the abstract submission formcan be found on the APECS International Online Conference 2018 website.

We will award three prizes this year for the best Oral Presentations (Arctic and Antarctic) and the best Innovative Communication!

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iasc webSCAR logo white backgroundAPECS, SCAR and IASC are organizing an Early Career Research Poster Award. If you would like to be included in this competition, please fill in this form. There are no strict definitions of 'early career'; SCAR and IASC generally consider early career to be within 5 years of a terminal degree, but we trust your judgement! You will be judged on both the visual AND oral presentation of your poster, and you should therefore plan to be present at your poster during the relevant poster session.

In order that the poster competition is a success, we require the help of volunteer judges (of all career stages, as long as you are not entered in the competition!). As a judge, you will be asked to evaluate and provide constructive feedback on a handful of posters using a set of defined criteria. Your help would be very much appreciated by the ECRs! Please also fill in this form if you would be able to help at one or more of the poster sessions.

apecs logo webSCAR logo white backgroundiasc webPOLAR2018The Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS)in cooperation with the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) and the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) are pleased to announce the availability of travel support for the POLAR 2018 Conference  (15 - 26 June 2018, Davos Switzerland)

Travel support via this process is currently available for:

  • Early career researchers up to 5 years past PhD with an Arctic and / or Antarctic and / or Cryospheric research focus (an allowance will be made for career breaks such as parental leave)
  • Indigenous researchers of all career stages(defined as researchers who are of Arctic Indigenous heritage, in particular those represented by the Arctic Council Permanent Participants)

APECS will be administering the funds provided by IASC and SCAR and will coordinate the application and distribution process of the funds on behalf of these organisations. We are continuing to work with other polar organisations to raise additional funds and encourage our partner organisations to get in touch with the APECS Secretariat at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you want to take advantage of having your early career travel funds for the conference distributed via this APECS-led application process.

These travel awards will only be able to cover part of your travel costs and the costs will be reimbursed after the meeting based on receipts that you provide (unfortunately, upfront payment is not possible).

Please read the more detailed announcement text and requirements for the funding and submit your application via the online form on the APECS website.

Application deadline for the Travel Awards will be on 28 February 2018 at 23:59 GMT. Late applications will not be considered. No exceptions will be made.

If you have any questions please contact the APECS Secretariat at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

UK Russia Workshop2018The National Committees of APECS in Russia (APECS Russia) and the UK (UK Polar Network), NERC Arctic Office, The Faculty of Geography Lomonosov Moscow State University, Marine Research Center of Lomonosov Moscow State University in partnership with the UK Science and Innovation Network in Russia and the British Embassy in Moscow will held the UK-Russia ECRs workshop devoted to the Arctic research priorities and collaborations on 1-2 March 2018, at Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia.

The Workshop will get together 50 participants including 40 early-career researchers to discuss the ongoing bi-lateral research projects and future priorities for joint scientific collaborations, and possibilities to build longstanding partnerships.

Links to APECS Russia: https://vk.com/apecs.russia
Links to UKPN: http://polarnetwork.org/

APECS Norway logo competitionThe Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) aims to stimulate interdisciplinary and international research collaborations in polar research. APECS Norway is a newly formed chapter to connect those based in or interested in activities in Norway.

In order to share this exciting news and the role of our broader organization, we would like find a new APECS Norway logo. We would like to invite all members to design and create an APECS Norway logo which reflects the polar regions, and with a bit of Norwegian 'inspirasjon'.

We invite all APECS members to send us a logo in .pdf .eps .jpg .png or .tif-format by Tuesday 20th February 2018 to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.! All entries will be uploaded to the APECS Norway facebook page after this date where the public can see and vote for their favourite until 6th March (note, that you don't have to be a facebook member in order to vote in the poll). The top 5 will be reviewed by members of the APECS Norway National Committee who will choose the best logo! The design will be used on APECS Norway materials so plenty of future glory for the winner.

The original APECS logo in various formats is available on the APECS website. N.b. the orange colour is (RGB 241,106,34) and the Blue is (RGB 0,77,140), and the text font is Optima Bold. Though you are encouraged to be creative - check out the various other National logos.

Any questions: please This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.!

Lykke til/Good luck!

CAFF-IASC Fellows in 2018 Erica Oberndorfur and Thomas Lameris
Thomas Lameris
and Erica Oberndorfer are the inaugural CAFF-IASC Fellows!

The Conservation of Flora and Fauna (CAFF) and the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) welcome Thomas Lameris and Erica Oberndorfer to the inaugural CAFF-IASC Fellowship in 2018.

CAFF and IASC have teamed up together to provide Fellows with an opportunity to identify an area of interest and expertise, participate in and contribute to CAFF’s work, and produce at least one peer reviewed publication and/or deliverable report to the Arctic Council Senior Arctic Officials.

The selection process was organized in cooperation with the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), who managed the applications and coordinated the work of independent, volunteer reviewers to evaluate and recommend the highest quality candidates. The final selection was made in consultation with CAFF and IASC.

Lameris and Oberndorfer will begin their Fellowship by attending the CAFF Board Meeting February 6-8, 2018 in Fairbanks, Alaska. After this initial introduction, they will delve into their respective projects and continue with appropriate meeting(s), and advance the work of the groups on which they will focus. In addition, they are expected to contribute to the program of the Arctic Biodiversity Congress, 2018.

Lameris will focus his activities on CAFF’s Arctic Migratory Birds Initiative (AMBI) and Oberndorfer will focus on CAFF’s Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program’s (CBMP) Terrestrial work.

Lameris is a bird ecologist, mainly focusing on the impacts of climate warming on phenology and reproduction of Arctic migratory birds. During his MSc at the Wageningen University in the Netherlands (2013), he studied the effects of anthropogenic land use changes on breeding birds. He shifted in focus to climate warming effects during his PhD, where he studied barnacle geese that migrate from wintering grounds in Western Europe to breeding grounds in Arctic Russia. He is currently finishing up his PhD thesis, and starting his post-doc work on the effects of climate warming on the growth of red knots that breed in the Russian Arctic.

Oberndorfer received her PhD from Carleton University (Ottawa, Canada) in 2016 and is a Post-doctoral Fellow at the Labrador Institute in Happy Valley-Goose Bay (Labrador, Canada), where she lives. Her work is guided by plant mentors in the Inuit Community of Makkovik (Nunatsiavut), with a view to understanding how plants are integrated into daily life in the region, and how plant communities express the ecological legacy of cultural practices in Labrador. She is currently working on the Makkovik Plant Book, a community book focused on the teachings of Makkovimiut plant mentors.

CAFF and IASC welcome Lameris and Oberndorfer and thank APECS for helping to promote the Fellowship and securing the successful candidates.

b_670_446_16777215_00_images_news_2018__DSC4913_Large.jpgYou may have heard some version of the phrase “If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter.” This statement has been accredited to many great people from Mark Twain to Cicero to Winston Churchill, but it was actually Blaise Pascal - a French mathematician, theologian, physicist and inventor - who penned the original that has been paraphrased for nearly 400 years.

Although Pascal championed his way through many fields of science in the 17th century, his wit still offers a good lesson in humility to scientists today when it comes to communicating their research. Putting complex ideas into simple, direct language can take a lot of effort, as a group of us recently learned.

For three days in August 2017, thirty-two researchers from around the world (the majority of whom were early career) gathered at the University of Colorado in Boulder, USA for a workshop to improve their skills at “Communicating Polar Science". Sponsored by NSF and NASA, and co-organized by IGS, APECS and USAPECS, this event was led by science communication professionals.

The first two days focused on oral communication, led by instructors from the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University. Using role playing exercises and games from the world of improvisation, we learned how to connect with a range of audiences by finding common ground, telling stories, and painting evocative pictures.

Our first lesson was that communicating well requires listening and thinking from the perspective of your audience. Our instructors illustrated this point by noting how reading a scientific paper for a layperson is like someone with no knowledge of baseball trying to read a technical newspaper account of a game. In a parallel to oral communication, we performed an improve exercise in pairs in which one person had to precisely mirror the motions of the other. When in the role of the leader, we realized we had to adapt the speed and complexity of our motions so that the copier could follow, in the same way that a great communicator reads and adapts to the reactions of their audience. We also practiced techniques to better get to know and understand our audience. For instance, asking questions to establish their level of understanding, or breaking an opponent’s views down into shared core values (e.g. equality, honesty) when in a debate to reveal their line of reasoning.

Another key skill we honed at the workshop was how to engage an audience and convey a foreign concept using metaphors and analogies, along with movie quotes and song lyrics. Learning by doing, we practiced giving TV interviews; each being filmed and then critiqued by the group. Feedback covered tone (e.g. show more passion), clarity (e.g. shorter sentences, repeat key points) and body language (e.g. more eye contact, stay present). This collaborative format nurtured team building, too: participants began to coach one another, and as the paths of communication opened up, everyone became more animated and confident. We also learned the power of putting your key message up front and then using repetition to embed it in the minds of your audience. Other highlighted techniques included stating something surprising about your research, or showing how it relates to your audiences’ lives to create intrigue, and revealing why you care about what you study to generate rapport.

DHIEfx-V0AA9QgQ.jpgThe final day of the workshop focused on written communication. Dr. Max Boykoff and his team from the Center for Science and Technology Policy at CU Boulder provided new perspectives on how to develop different writing styles for different media, from academic journal articles to social media posts. We learned how to build a Twitter following by finding your niche tweeting topic, along with sharing parts of your non-scientist personality, like external interests. Studying examples, we saw how photographs (e.g. animal encounters), short videos (e.g. interviews) and graphics can make a critical difference in achieving a wide reach. Comparing and discussing articles in groups, we saw how keeping language free of jargon, using a frame (e.g. adventure journalism), and incorporating characters and human interest (e.g. food) could be employed to great effect.

The workshop provided many opportunities to step outside one’s comfort zone and to develop the skills to talk effectively with the wider public. Participants practiced using the ‘Yes, and…’ exercise when confronting an opposing viewpoint. Instead of responding ‘no’ and setting up a debate where we remain opposed, we started with ‘yes, and…’ to build positive momentum on what someone else thinks, creating a bond by agreeing with something they find important. After they understand you’re listening, they are more willing to hear what you want to say. This simple technique can be used in everyday in both formal and informal settings. Participant Robin Matthews said, “I came away with a deeper understanding that communication should have a clear purpose. Now, instead of jumping straight into the show of my communicating, I first ask myself - what do I what my audience to think, feel or do?”

Christian Wild, a PhD candidate at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, put his training to use even before leaving Boulder. “I was thrown in at the deep end when I joined a panel discussion on science communication at the IGS symposium immediately after our workshop, along with workshop participant Michaela King and two more senior scientists. During this discussion and the question session from the audience, I was particularly thankful for the improvisation techniques that we learned from the Alda team just a few days earlier. Paying close, dynamic attention to others, reading their body language and nonverbal cues helped me to shift my focus from what I was saying to what the audience was receiving.”
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This workshop report from “Communicating Science for Polar Researchers” was written by Robin Matthews, Paul Rosenbaum, and Christian Wild who, as international participants, received funding from the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) and the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) to attend the workshop. The workshop was organized by Alice Bradley, Ellyn Enderlin, Mahsa Moussavi, and Allen Pope and funded by the NSF Office of Polar Programs (Award #1720574) and the NASA Cryosphere Program (Award #NNX17AK61G).

USAPESC newWith the start of a new year, USAPECS would like to announce a call for applications for its executive board for 2018. Members of the USAPECS Board are expected to work together to develop and execute activities that they think will be of interest and beneficial to APECS members living in the US. The activities can include anything you're passionate about, from organizing social events or panel discussions at meetings to running a Reddit AMA session or organizing a webinar. This past year we ran a super successful science communication workshop at the University of Colorado Boulder and we would love to have new Board members organize something similar in the future! We'd also love volunteers to continue our Polar Film Festival in September and organize a panel and social at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting in Washington DC in December.

It's a great opportunity to become more involved in the broader polar science community within the US. The activity (or activities) you help with are totally up to you! The time commitment varies depending on your level of involvement, but is typically an hour or so per month unless you are particularly involved in an activity (like running a scicomm workshop).

If you're interested in serving on the USAPECS Board in 2018, please send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with your name, title of your current position (undergrad, Masters student, PhD student, postdoc, faculty, etc), where you are employed, and a few short sentences on activities you would like to help organize this year. Applications are due January 21st. We'll have an online meeting to welcome new members the following week.

I hope to see your applications!
Ellyn
USAPECS Chair

MariaMonteiro 2INTERACT LogoThe Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) is currently involved in the EU Horizon-2020 INTERACT project, an Arctic-wide network of field stations. In relation to this work we are organising a panel discussion about 'Fieldwork in the Arctic' during the upcoming Arctic Frontiers 2018 conference in Tromsø, Norway.

The aim is to have a stimulating discussion about what it takes to plan and carry out field work in the Arctic, covering aspects such as logistics, safety, and how best to ensure fieldwork is as successful as possible. The hour-long discussion will comprise four panelists who will share their experiences and plenty of time for questions from the audience.

Panelists: 

  • Alex Messerli, Norwegian Polar Institute
  • Ingrid Wiedmann, Norwegian Polar Institute
  • Svein Mathiesen, International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry
  • Morten Rasch, University of Copenhagen

Date & Time:
Tuesday 23 January 2018, 17h00-18h00

Location:
Radisson Hotel Tromsø, Norway, Room TBD

iasc webapecs logo webIASC and the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) have the pleasure to announce the start of the 2018 IASC Fellowship Program. The Program received 135 applications for only 5 slots. During the selection process, APECS coordinated the generous work of our independent, volunteer reviewers to evaluate and recommend the highest quality candidates, and final selection was made in consultation with each of the IASC Working Group chairs.
The chairs and reviewers were certainly impressed by the record amount and excellent quality of the applications.

The 2018 IASC Fellows are:

The IASC Fellowship Program is meant to engage ECS in the work of the IASC Working Groups. More information about the IASC Fellowship Program can be found here.

Dear APECS members, supporters and friends,

2017 Seasons GreetingsAPECS had again a very successful year in 2017 and we wanted to thank all of our members, mentors, sponsors and partners for helping us shape the future of polar research!

Enjoy some of our best moments of 2017 in our APECS 2017 Season’s Greetings video.

Happy New Year to all of you! We are looking forward to a fantastic 2018!

Best wishes,

Hanne Nielsen, APECS President 2017-2018
Gerlis Fugmann, APECS Executive Director
on behalf of the APECS Leadership

This year, APECS Italy organized its third Antarctica Day event in conjunction with the ‘Climate change, the grand challenge’ public outreach symposium, held at the Zattere campus of the University of Venice Ca’ Foscari. In contrast to previous years, APECS Italy teamed up with a larger event to celebrate Antarctica Day, one that was focused on the use of art to communicate science. To this end, as well as to emphasize how the themes of polar research and climate change are in inextricably intertwined, the event was organized in two parts: after a brief introduction to the impacts of climate change in the Veneto region by Professor Roberto Pastres from the University of Venice Ca’ Foscari, the first half of the event focused on the use of art to capture themes of climate change. In this section, works by artists submitted to a competition for inclusion in the symposium were displayed and discussed by the symposium judges, as well as by the artists (when they were present). Works included painting, sculpture and poetry. The second part of the event was spearheaded by APECS Italy, more specifically addressing Antarctica Day by discussing topics in polar research and how they relate to climate change concerns. The presentations revolved around the theme of polar exploration in research, specifically, the confluence of the scientific aspects with the human experience. The ‘Protecting Ice Memory’ project was discussed, promoted by the University of Ca’ Foscari Venice, the CNR-IDPA in Venice and the LGGE in Grenoble. The final section concluded with a reading of the polar diary recently published by Federico Dallo, which sheds light on the human side of conducting polar research: the hardships, emotions and triumphs.

20171201 190539 APECS Italy Antarctica Day 2017

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Thank you for all the great submissions to the APECS Antarctica Day Photo Contest 2017 Antarctica Alive! After all the votes are in, we are happy to announce the two winners in each category:

 

Category: Antarctic teamwork in the field 

1st Prize: Maria Monteiro, University of Waikato, New Zealand

December 2016, Lake Vanda in Wright Valley, McMurdo Dry Valleys - Sampling soil and microbial mats at Lake Vanda, Wright Valley

MariaMonteiro 2

 

2nd Prize: Roseline C. Thakur, National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research, Goa, India

The pic was taken by me from the bridge of Ivan Papanin which was embarked at the ice shelf of East Antarctica which is around 100km from the second Indian station Maitri. The pic was taken during the summer (March) of 2014.

Description:Arduous teamwork of Indian Scientists and Logistic personnel on the ice shelf of east Antarctica to unload the cargo on the ice shelf and transport the necessary ration, fuel and scientific equipment to the permanent Indian base, Maitri, in vehicle convoys. The excellent coordination and hard work of the team ensures the sustenance of the Station and ensures the smooth functioning of the scientific activities throughout the harsh winter of this frozen continent.

Roseline Thakur 1

 

"Antarctic fauna" category: 

1st Prize: Stefano Ambroso, Institut de Ciencies del Mar Barcelona, Spain

Photo was taken the 3rd of January 2014 During Polarstern Expedition ANTXXIX/9 in the Weddell Sea

Description: Lobodon carcinophagus Crabeater Seal looking intensely the photographer!

Stefano Ambroso

 

2nd Prize: Angela Klemmedson, University of San Diego, United States

Neko Harbor, Western Antarctic Peninsula (December 2015)

Description: Gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua) basking in the glory of icebergs

Angela Klemmedson

 

 

The pace of Arctic change is outrunning the process of conducting scientific assessments. However, the demand and need for timely, accurate, relevant, and credible information is greater than ever. Scientific assessments synthesize, document and supply critical information to decision-makers on key issues. They continue to be the principal means for harnessing and communicating scientific knowledge, but the mechanisms of this process are unfamiliar to many early-career researchers.

To address this need, the Association of Polar Early Career Researchers (APECS), the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) and the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) hosted a one-day workshop about scientific assessments on 24 April 2017 in conjunction with the International Conference on Arctic Science: Bringing Knowledge to Action. The workshop was attended by two dozen early-career and mid-career researchers and professionals from a range of countries and disciplines. Thirteen panellists, including assessment creators, contributors, communicators and end-users, discussed how assessments are produced, how scientific knowledge is translated and communicated, and how scientists can leverage assessments in their own outreach. Many valuable lessons and practical skills were discussed, as well as challenges and opportunities for the future of scientific assessments in the Arctic.

Full Article in The Polar Journal: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/2154896X.2017.1394122

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The next Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) special report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate will be published in September 2019 and APECS will be participating in the review process by coordinating an early career expert review group. We are therefore looking for early career researchers to help review sections of the report. Participation recognizes you not only as an early career expert, but is also an exciting opportunity to gain valuable insight and training in how the scientific review process of such a report is conducted.

We encourage members from various career stages to participate, from advanced Master students, PhD students, postdoctoral researchers to early career faculty members! (If you do not fit in these categories and are interested in applying, please This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with a short explanation so we can determine eligibility.) Participants will be teamed up by area of expertise, and we will make sure that we partner those of you who have some experience with reviewing already with those who have never done this before.

If you want to participate, please fill out this online form, by no later than 15 January 2018 at 18:00 GMT. Accepted participants will be assigned to a chapter and contacted by the end of February.

The first round of reviews will take place from May through June of 2018, so applicants should make sure they have the necessary amount of time available during this period. You need to be intimately familiar with the recent literature in your field and will need to review roughly 10 pages of the special report. These are not anonymous reviews, so this means you will be individually credited for your contribution, and your comments will be made a part of the public record. All participants will be required to participate in an online training session provided during March and April 2018.

For further details on the general review process for the report go to: https://www.ipcc.ch/report/srocc/ . If you have any questions about this opportunity, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

NERC_UKRussia_Flyer_02 (1).pngThe UK Polar Network invites applications from UK Arctic early career researchers (from PhD level to 10 years post PhD) to participate in and foster research links through collaborative workshops in the Russian Arctic.

These events are organised in collaboration with the UK Science & Innovation Network, APECS Russia, NERC Arctic Office and Lomonosov Moscow State University.

These events will stimulate new collaborative work between early career researchers based in the UK and Russia. The intended outcomes are capacity building, intellectual exchange, joint development programmes and networking. In essence, the aim is to develop the next generation of experts in Russian Arctic Science.

Workshops will be held at Moscow and Cambridge with travel and accommodation support available.

Application deadline is 5th January, 2018 and any additional enquiries can be addressed to the NERC Arctic Office: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

For more information and the application form, please visit: http://polarnetwork.org/uk-russia-ecr-event/.

Applicate logo

9 January 2018 at 17:00 GMT

Speaker: Dr. Doug Smith (MetOffice, United Kingdom)

Registration Link

How does the Arctic influence mid-latitude weather and climate? What physical mechanisms play a role and how can we better model these processes? How does sea-ice loss affect the atmosphere and oceans in remote regions? Doug Smith, of the UK MetOffice, will discuss some of the science around these questions and how coordinated multi-model experiments can help to answer them. This webinar is the third in a series part of the EU-funded APPLICATE project. The APPLICATE project brings together a European consortium of scientists from different disciplines to advance our capability to predict the weather and climate in the Arctic and beyond. To find out more about the project go to: https://applicate.eu/​.

CAFF IASC Fellowships

As two international organizations based in Akureyri, Iceland, the Conservation of Flora and Fauna (CAFF) and the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), are teaming up together and with the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) to help early career scientists get more involved in the process of taking research from results through to science policy recommendations.

We are looking for two CAFF-IASC Fellows in this inaugural year. Fellows will identify a joint area of interest and expertise, participate in and contribute to CAFF’s work, and produce some culminating output.
Application deadline: 20 Dec 2017 at 13:00 GMT

This year's areas of interest are:

The duration of the Fellowships will be from January through November 2018. Each Fellow will begin by attending the CAFF Board Meeting (6-8 Feb 2018; Fairbanks, Alaska), continue on with an appropriate working group meeting, and contribute to the program of the Arctic Biodiversity Congress. As appropriate, Fellows will continue working with their CAFF groups to deliver peer-reviewed publications and/or a report to the Arctic Council Senior Arctic Officials.

Fellowship Commitment
During their appointment, both Fellows will be expected to attend the followning meetings:

Travel support to attend 3 – 4 meetings for each Fellow during their Fellowships will be made available through CAFF and IASC. The travel support is the only financial remuneration for the fellows. Salary is not included during the fellowship.

Fellowship Deliverables

  • Fellows will deliver meeting reports for partner newsletters.
  • As this is a pilot program, Fellows will deliver program feedback and evaluations.
  • As part of their Fellowship, Fellows will contribute to at least one peer reviewed publication and/or deliverable report to the Arctic Council Senior Arctic Officials.

Application & Selection Criteria
Fellows should:

  • be an advanced Master Student, Doctoral student / candidate, postdoctoral researcher or early career faculty members (up to 5 years past PhD),
  • Commit to participating in the activities and meetings listd above in the announcement text from January to November 2018,
  • Be excited about international teamwork, be open to cross-disciplinary work, and appreciate the need to engage between science and policy-related institutions, and
  • Have a good command of English.

To apply please fill out this online application form: https://goo.gl/forms/JevkrFsRpHv4EgQV2. Applications are due by 20 December 2017 at 13:00 GMT and applicants will be contacted on 11 January 2018. A Word copy of the form is available through This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for those who have problems viewing or accessing the online form. In recognition of project funding from Sweden, candidates from Sweden are encouraged to apply. APECS will coordinate the application and review process; recommendations from APECS based on the review process will be delivered for final selection to the CAFF and IASC Secretariats.

Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF)
CAFF is the biodiversity working group of the Arctic Council and consists of National Representatives assigned by each of the eight Arctic Council Member States, representatives of Indigenous Peoples' organizations that are Permanent Participants to the Council, and Arctic Council observer countries and organizations. CAFF’s mandate is to address the conservation of Arctic biodiversity, and to communicate its findings to the governments and residents of the Arctic, helping to promote practices which ensure the sustainability of the Arctic’s living resources. For more information: www.caff.is

AntarcticaDayLogoThe APECS Antarctica Day Photo Contest 2017 has received 52 submissions! And now it’s time for YOU to vote for the best photos in two different categories:

  • Antarctic teamwork in the field
  • Antarctic fauna

How to vote?
Go to the photo contest website and look up the photo numbers and the names of the photographers of the photos that you like best in the two categories. And then submit your vote in the polls below:

Voting deadline is Sunday 3 December 2017 at 21:00 GMT. The 1st and 2nd prize of each category will win a prize of €100 (Hundred euros) and €50 (fifty Euros) respectively. These funds can be only used towards travel costs to a polar or cryosphere related conference of your choice within 1 year of the date of the award.

20171031 SecNet2 logos

Winter weather and climate extremes: How can researchers, authorities, and local peoples work together to record, predict and adapt?Salekhard, Yamal-Nenets automonous district, 31 Oct – 4 Nov 2017

The message was clear: To understand world climate, you need to understand the Arctic. To understand Arctic climate, you need to understand the Russian Arctic. To understand the Russian Arctic, you need to understand Yamal!

The Siberian Environmental Change Network was founded in 2016 to provide a “super mega transect” of stations; to create a science mega facility analogous to CERN that would serve as the hub of Siberian research. The workshop was jointly organised by INTERACT and indeed several SecNet stations are INTERACT partners. But the main theme of the workshop was not increasing research infrastructure, but rather how to effectively work with all stakeholders including government and local residents. The unique, and refreshing aspect with this meeting was that instead of scientists talking about these issues amongst themselves, representatives from the various stakeholder groups were present and fully engaged in the meeting.

Due to the diverse backgrounds of the workshop participants the first day was spent on introductions. Thereafter, the format of the workshop centered on breakout groups. In the first breakout, participants were split according to sector (Researcher, Northern Peoples, Decision makers) and asked to identify the challenges and opportunities related to communicating with the other groups. Out of interest, I joined the Decision Makers group. In terms of communicating with scientists, they identified a lack of local experts able to engage with regional problems. Additionally, they highlighted the lack of clear, coherent priorities coming from the international science community. A positive example identified was the CALM network where rather than saying that ‘permafrost research is important’, exact variables that needed to be measured were defined. For communicating with local people, they raised the interesting point that after a few years the representatives of those communities may not be ‘representative’ anymore, after having spent considerable time away from home.

In the second breakout, the groups were mixed and each new group had to discuss areas of high priority, which required the three groups to work together. A common theme amongst all groups was education: developing Arctic specific courses and being able to deliver them close to home. Salekhard, population 40 000, has no university. Education includes learning about the legal system: how to influence the decisions that will impact you. Land access, was also identified as an area ripe for inter-sector collaboration.

In the final section of the workshop, all the discussions were summarised and an action plan developed to drive the momentum forward. The overwhelming impression I got from this meeting was that communication is crucial, whether that is within your own ‘group’ or between sectors. There are many examples of good practice and various guidelines have been developed, but to make a real impact they need to be widely communicated and translated (both in terms of language and style of delivery). Clearly not all scientists should/need to engage in inter-sector communication and would be best served by dedicated representatives. But, as was highlighted in this meeting, care needs to be taken that those representatives don’t just end up travelling from meeting to meeting, losing touch with their ‘constituency’ along the way.

I would like to thank the organisers of the conference for providing me opportunity to attend and experience Yamal, and Olga who provided real time Russian-English translation, without which this workshop would not have been as successful as it was.

20171031 SecNet2 picutres

NWO logoAPECS 10 year logoThe Netherlands Polar Committee of NWO and APECS Netherlands are pleased to invite you for the annual Symposium of the Netherlands Polar Programme, to be held on 8 December, 2017 in The Hague. The central topic of the symposium is:

The value of International Collaborations and Networks in Polar Research

The 2017 annual symposium of the Netherlands Polar Programme (NPP) aims at highlighting the importance of international collaborations and networks in polar research. Networking and collaborations are essential for the future of polar research in the Netherlands, from early career researchers looking to develop networks for research opportunities to the provision of large-scale international research programmes to address pressing scientific questions in polar regions. Speakers from different career stages and various disciplines are therefore invited to discuss the many aspects of international partnerships, collaborations and communication that can lead to a successful, commended and cost-effective polar research programme. We welcome you to the annual symposium to discuss and celebrate these concepts, and to increase the links already in place within the polar community. 

Manfred Reinke will share his extensive experiences in international networks as the former Executive Secretary of the Antarctic Treaty. Stef Bokhorst from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam will talk about his collaborations with multiple international partners and why these are essential for his science and journey home from the Antarctic. Henrik Christiansen from the University of Leuven will share his experiences as chair of APECS Belgium and early career scientist in (inter)national networks. Many more presentations about international collaborations and networks in polar research will be scheduled and an interactive workshop will provide a different perspective on networking within the polar community.

The symposium will be held on 8 December, 2017 at NWO, Laan van Nieuw Oost-Indië 300, 2593 CE in The Hague. The symposium will be English spoken.

Participation is free, please register online before 24 November.

You are invited to present a poster during the Symposium and can choose for this option on the registration form. The deadline for submitting an abstract for a poster is 17 November.
*Due to room capacity, symposium attendees limited to 120.

For more information please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

On behalf of the organising committee:

Gemma Kulk (APECS)
Patrick Rozema (APECS)
Hans Slagter (APECS)
Alison Webb (APECS)
Jacqueline Stefels (NPC)                                   
Dick van der Kroef (NWO-NPC)
Debbie Liauw (NWO-NPC)

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During the recent Svalbard Science Conference (6 - 8 November, Oslo, Norway) there were two evening poster sessions where researchers had the opportunity to showcase their work and impress a team of judges.  The well-deserved prizes were awarded during the conference dinner. Prizes were awarded in two categories: early career researcher (ECR) and experienced researcher (ER). The competition organised by APECS in collaboration with the Research Council of Norway. We would like to thank all the judges who contributed their time to judge the posters and of course to all the presenters!

ECR
Winner: Alistair Everett "Seals like plumes"
Runner Up: Megan Lee "The impact of pollution on pathogen prevalence in an Arctic seabird"

ER
Winner: Agnès Baltzer "Evolution of pro-deltas: a print of glacier melt processes"
Runner Up: Edyta Łokas "Airborne contaminants in terrestrial environments in Svalbard"

Congratulations to all! 2017 Svalbard ScienceConference PosterAwards

 

Caption: The winning posters and (L to R) Harald Ellingson (Managing Director, UNIS and Chair of Advisory Scientific Committee), Ruth Vingerhagen (APECS), Agnès Baltzer, Edyta Łokas, Alistair Everett, and a colleague of Megan Lee.

AntarcticaDayLogo

Antarctica Day 2017 will be on 1 December 2017 and APECS will be again joining Our Spaces - Foundation for Good Governance of International Spaces and other partners in supporting the commemorations. This event was created to celebrate the spirit of international peace and scientific cooperation that signified the signing of the Antarctic Treaty in 1959.

Antarctica Day 2017 is an international effort to share knowledge about Antarctica. APECS is proud to take part, helping to inspire a new generation of polar researchers. The day is for everyone, so take some time to celebrate with your co-workers, family and friends!

This year will see many events and classroom activities take place, centered around Antarctic science and exploration. Who goes there? What happens in Antarctica? And why is Antarctica important to the planet as a whole? We look forward to having these discussions all over the globe.

As a highlight for this year, we will be organizing an Antarctica Day Photo contest - Antarctica Alive! We encourage you to submit your best Antarctic photos for the following two categories:

  • Antarctic teamwork in the field
  • Antarctic fauna

Please read the rules and regulations for the contest before submitting your photo. Submissions are due 24 November 2017 at 18 GMT and should be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. See also the announcement of the photo contest for more information.

Are you planning to organize something for Antarctica Day 2017? See all of what is happening at the APECS Antarctica Day website, and add your events to the list of activities for Antarctica Day 2017.

To include your support for Antarctica Day 2017, you can also insert your information on our map.

Happy Antarctica Day 2017 from APECS!

29 November 2017 at 17:00 GMT

Applicate logoSpeaker: Dr. Matthieu Chevallier(CNRS-GAME/MétéoFrance, Toulouse, France)

Registration Link

Weather and climate models have typically been developed for mid-latitude regions, but different processes are relevant for the Polar regions. Prediction in the Arctic and beyond using global models can be improved through a better representation of processes at the atmosphere-sea ice-ocean interfaces, including small-scale processes, and through a revisit of the atmosphere-ocean coupling strategy in coupled models.

This webinar will focus on ‘Enhanced weather and climate models’, one of five science work packages of the EU-funded APPLICATE project, which brings together a European consortium of scientists from different disciplines to advance our capability to predict the weather and climate in the Arctic and beyond. Improved modelling capabilities will be achieved through enhanced process descriptions in the various components (atmosphere, snow, sea-ice, ocean) of the models. Our primary targets will be to address well-known problems in processes that contribute to momentum transfer at the surface and to the surface energy budget. Other improvements are related to coupling processes between the atmosphere and the land or sea-ice/ocean surface. A novel approach of a coupled single-column model will be extensively used as an intermediate step to constrain the model physics towards fully coupled modelling for weather and climate predictions. Based on a set of coordinated model experiments, using available and upcoming observations, we will assess the impact of model improvements. To find out more about the APPLICATE project go to: https://applicate.eu

Foto World SummitAPECS is organising the APECS World Summit 2018 just before the start of POLAR2018 in Davos, Switzerland from 17-18 June 2018.

The preliminary program for our 2-day summit is available online. Day one (17 June) is a closed meeting for members of our APECS Leadership and APECS National Committee Leaderships only. Day 2 (18 June) will be an open workshop for all early career researchers attending POLAR2018. We will continue to update the World Summit page over the coming months with more information.

The registration form for the summit is available on the summit websiteThere will not be a registration fee for the World Summit (either day), but participants are required to register for the IASC/ASSW business meetings section of POLAR2018, at a cost of 30 CHF.

Registration deadlines will be:

  • 16 February 2018 for APECS Leadership and APECS National Committee leadership reps who want to attend both days of the summit.
  • 31 March 2018 for APECS members and other interested early career researchers wanting to attend the second day of the summit.

There will be also other interesting workshops and events planned for early career researchers around the POLAR2018 conference. We will add information about them to our APECS website as they are scheduled. Current information on all side-meetings of the conference can be found here.

If you have any comments or questions about the APECS World Summit, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 

Further updates from POLAR2018

POLAR2018The abstract submission deadline has been extended for the POLAR2018 conference. It is now on 12 November 2017 at 18:00 CET.

To submit your abstract go to: https://www.polar2018.org/abstracts.html

Session categories, descriptions and conveners you can find here: https://www.polar2018.org/session-program-categories.html


Registration for the Open Science Conference, the SCAR and IASC/ASSW business & satellite meetings and the 2018 Arctic Observing Summit are now also open. You can also book your hotel, hostel or holiday flat within the registration system. Go to the registration page for more information https://www.polar2018.org/registration.html

A facebook group has been established to help early career researchers share accommodation and thereby reduce conference expenses.

For more information on the conference itself go to: https://www.polar2018.org/

APECS - EPB Webinar: An introduction to the Arctic Council

2 November 2017 at 15:00 GMT

Speaker: Timo Koivurova, Research Professor and Director, Arctic Centre, University of Lapland

Registration Link

The Arctic Council is the leading intergovernmental forum promoting cooperation, coordination and interaction among the Arctic States, Arctic indigenous communities and other Arctic inhabitants. Giving an overview of its structure, including Members, Permanent Participants and Working Groups, this webinar will act as an introduction to the Arctic Council, providing information on its workings, issues of focus, and recent achievements.

This webinar series is jointly organized by APECS and the European Polar Board (EPB).

SCAR logo white backgroundAPECS 10 year logoThe Solid Earth Response and Influence on Cryosphere Evolution (SERCE) SCAR Research Programme, in cooperation with the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), would like to appoint an early career researcher (ECR) to the SERCE steering committee. The overarching objective of SERCE is to advance understanding of the interactions between the solid earth and the cryosphere to better constrain ice mass balance, ice dynamics and sea level change in a warming world. The role of the ECR would be to contribute to the leadership and implementation of SERCE activities in general, and specifically to help improve the reach of SERCE science outcomes through outreach and communication by:

  • liaising between the ECR community and the SERCE steering committee
  • giving feedback on how SERCE can ensure ECR engagement with their activities

Applicants should:

  • preferably be within 5 years of completing their PhD; and
  • have an active research interest in understanding interactions between ice sheets and the solid Earth, preferably with a focus on Antarctica (as this is a SCAR program).

The ECR rep would be expected to attend the SERCE steering committee meeting, which will be held in conjunction with the POLAR2018 conference in Davos in June 2018, and will be provided with US$500 towards expenses associated with attending this meeting.

The SERCE program is slated to end in 2020 and the incoming ECR representative would have the opportunity to remain part of the steering committee until the conclusion of the program. Please note that you can also apply for this opportunity if you cannot commit to the entire period (recommended minimum commitment is 18 month) .

If you are interested in applying, please send the following by no later than Monday 30 October 2017 at 15:00 GMT to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

  • CV
  • Statement of Interest including: 
    • Your research background and how it relates to the foci of SERCE
    • Why you would be interested in joining SERCE and how this position would be beneficial for your research career
    • Clear statement how long you could commit to participcate SERCE steering committee (if until 2020 or shorter).

If you have questions, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

APECS Chile Mentor Panel 2017 4During the IX Congress of Latin-american Antarctic Science held in Punta Arenas (CLCA, almost 300 scientist from 15 countries), APECS Chile was able to performed a Mentor Panel and our first Annual Meeting.

Three mentors were invited to the Panel: Dra. Maria Andrea Piñones Oceanographer from the center of high Latitudes research (IDEAL), which is the most important long term chilean project in Antarctic science, Dr. Ricardo Jaña, Engineer in Geography and specialized in GIS platform from the Chilean Antarctic Institute (INACH), the main chilean government entity in Antarctic logistic and funding and Dr. Claudio González Marine Biologist from the University of Magallanes, the local university which has recently open a PhD program in Antarctic and sub-Antarctic Sciences.

We advertised in our website, social media and the official site of the conference (links below) and prepared the biography of each mentor and suitable question to open the debate.

The whole activity took 40 minutes. The panelist share their experiences and how they got involved in Antarctic research. We were able to share different aspects of being an Antarctic scientist, working opportunities and discuss the importance of networking in Antarctic science. We gave them an acknowledgment award for their participation during the closing ceremony.

After the Mentor Panel, we had time to discuss the idea of APECS Chile as a formal institution, the aims as a National Committee of APECS international and how to work to incorporate more active members in order to achieve our goals. We have more than 50 people on the audience including mentors, undergraduate and graduate students from Chile, Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina and Peru.

APECS Chile Audiencia Mentor Panel 2017 2After a long day preparing the Panel and the annual meeting, we went to El Rustico bar, which is a nice and friendly bar in Punta Arenas. Here we ordered Pizza and beers for the members and coordinators which help us during the whole week. We enjoyed the moment and recruited more members as they were able to ask and chat more about APECS initiative after the “formal” meeting. Also, it was an opportunity to discuss with teachers and mentors about our organization and listen their feedback and comments.

In addition, the british Embassy organized a meeting-coctel to talked about possible fundings for Post-doc and early career scientist opportunities invitation that was extended to the APECS Chile members, recognizing the importance of this platform as a direct link with early career scientist. We will put together the information compiled in this meeting to make it available for students the next month.

Our second most important activity was to award the best oral and poster student presentation. We rigorously evaluate more than 200 works (two evaluators per work) and we had the collaboration of mentors and APECS members to do this (almost 10 collabs). It was a huge amount of work, but it was satisfactory to see great level of presentations and the spirit of working together. Thanks to the congress organizers, we were able to used the closing ceremony to gave the awards.

At the closing ceremony, Claudia Maturana, the president of APECS Chile, gave a speech to the audience about the main aims of this organization and how it was clear during the IX CLCA that we have enthusiastic people and we could achieve any goal that we propose with coordination and effort.

After the conference, we received lots of good comments about our activities and performance, several students and mentors are very keen to participate and motivate their students to be part of this initiative. Even Dr. Steven Chown congratulated Claudia for the active participation of APECs Chile at the conference and her speech.

Special Thanks to all the people involved who made this possible: Renato Borrás, Marely Cuba, Gustavo Chiang, Daniel Ramirez, Claudio Gómez, Claudio González, Andrea Piñones, Ricardo Jaña, Zambra Lopez, Javier Naretto, Elie Poulin, Elias Barticevic, Marcelo Leppe, Paulina Rojas, Carolina Lamas, Carlos Pineda

APECS Chile Equipo 2017 3

More information:
http://www.inach.cl/inach/?p=22399

http://congresoantartico2017.com/apecs-chile-mentor-panel-chilenos-liderando-en-antartica/

 

iasc webAPECS 10 year logoThe International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), in cooperation with the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), invites Early Career Scientists (ECS) to apply for the IASC Fellowship Program 2018.

The IASC Fellowship Program is meant to engage ECS in the work of the IASC Working Groups (WGs): Atmosphere, Cryosphere, Marine, Social & Human, and Terrestrial. Each year, one Fellow per WG is chosen.

IASC Fellows are doctoral or postdoctoral researchers who actively participate in selected activities of the IASC WGs. Fellows are expected to contribute scientifically but also to help organize specific activities and to coordinate the reporting to the IASC Secretariat. Thus, the Fellowship Program provides the opportunity for ECSs to become involved in leading-edge scientific activities at a circumarctic and international level, to build an international network, and also to develop management skills. The level of involvement very much depends on the Fellow's interest - the more you invest, the more you get out of it!

The total duration of the IASC Fellowship Program is 1+2 years. In their first year, selected Fellows will receive travel support to attend two consecutive Arctic Science Summit Weeks (ASSWs) where the annual WG meetings are held. After the first year, Fellows have the opportunity to stay involved for up to 2 more years without dedicated funding support from IASC. Note: The travel support during the first fellowship year is the only financial remuneration for the Fellows. Salary is not included during the fellowship.

For more information please see the IASC website or contact the IASC Fellowship Coordinator Maja Lisowska (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or the APECS Executive Director Gerlis Fugmann (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

For this round of applications, interested ECSs must fulfill the following criteria:

  • PhD student/candidate or postdoctoral researcher (up to 5 years past the PhD)
  • Able to commit to participating in the activities of one of an IASC WG for at least 1 year
  • Able to attend the two upcoming ASSWs: 15-18 June 2018 in Davos, Switzerland (as part of POLAR2018), and Spring 2019 in Arkhangelsk, Russia
  • Located in an IASC member country
  • Have a good command of English

How to apply:
If you are interested in this amazing opportunity then please fill out this application form. If you have problems accessing or submitting the form, please contact the APECS Executive Director Gerlis Fugmann at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to receive a Word version of the form.

Selection process:
The selection of candidates is coordinated by APECS and will be only based on the material you provide in the application form. So be as specific as possible. Applications will be reviewed according to multiple criteria including your research background and the quality of your statement of interest of why you would like to be come an IASC fellow. Top candidates will be suggested to the WG Steering Committees, who will decide on their IASC Fellow 2018.

Application deadline is Monday 20 November 2017 at 13:00 GMT. Late applications will not be considered. Successful applicants will be notified before the end of the year.

APECS Canada Logo webYou are cordially invited to a two-day workshop entitled “Intercultural Indigenous Workshop: Sharing perspectives and experiences of research in Canada's North.” hosted at McGill University in partnership with APECS Canada

When: November 16th and 17th, 2017

Where: Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU), University Centre, 3480 McTavish, Montreal, QC.

Thursday November 16th, Ballroom 301: This is a full-day workshop entitled “Indigenous Realities: A Cultural Awareness-Building” facilitated by Suzanne Keeptwo, Métis of Kichisipirini (Algonkin) descent. This presentation explores Canada’s historic relationship with First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples and how it impacts current realities using storytelling, music and visuals. Lunch, coffee and snacks provided. Registration required.

Evening of Thursday November 16th, Ballroom 301: All are welcome to participate in this evening event including a keynote speaker, a round table discussion on sharing perspectives and experiences of research in Canada’s North, and a networking event with cocktails and snacks available. No registration required.

Friday November 17th, Rooms Madeleine Parent and Lev Bukhman: This half-day event called “The Exchange Experience: Validating 500 Years of First Nations History” with Suzanne Keeptwo is an interactive, arts-based and experiential workshop. The workshop thrives on an indigenous teaching model in concept, structure and content. Participants become the creative collaborators exploring First Nations historical, political and social issues while guided through a creative learning process. The experience works to validate Indigenous realities and sensitize Canadians’ understandings of Aboriginal history and worldviews. Lunch not included. Registration required.

For whom: Early career scientists conducting fieldwork in Canada’s North or with an interest in conducting research on traditional territories across Canada. These workshops are targeted to graduate and post-graduate students, however undergraduates may also register.

How to sign up: Please follow this link to register for the workshops: www.qcbs.ca/iiw

Costs are $35.00 + tx. for both Thursday and Friday or $20.00 + tx. for the Thursday workshop only. Presence at the Thursday workshop is a prerequisite for participation in the experiential workshop on Friday. The number of places is limited, please register early. The deadline to register is November 1st, 2017 at 5:00pm. A detailed program will be soon available.

You will find a poster promoting this event attached to this email, please share it with interested colleagues. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions!

We look forward to seeing you at the Indigenous Intercultural Workshop!

The IIW Planning Committee
Sophie Dufour-Beauséjour (Université INRS / Centre d’études nordiques), Marianne Falardeau (McGill University), Justine Lacombe-Bergeron (Université de Montréal), Gwyneth Anne MacMillan (Université de Montréal / Centre d’études nordiques), Allyson Menzies (McGill University), Élise Morin (Université de Montréal / Ok8APi‎ (graduated)), and Pascale Ropars (Université de Québec à Rimouski), and Cécile de Sérigny (Université de Montréal).

For any questions, please contact:
Marianne Falardeau: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Justine Lacombe-Bergeron: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Notte della ricerca Venezia 09 2017As part of the Venice VeneTOnight event series‘Notte della Ricerca’ (Night of Research), which took place on September 29th, in three cities across Veneto on the same evening, APECS Italy represented together with the University Ca’Foscari of Venice and IDPA-CNR at the ‘Climate of the Past’ stand, where researchers offered the public a glimpse of how polar research is organized. Real ice cores, a poster and a hands-on component using an artificial ice core helped to engage visitors by bringing to life the techniques used and the impacts of the data acquired when engaging in this type of polar research.

SSC logo horisontal
Are you are attending the Svalbard Science Conference in Oslo next month, or are based nearby?

APECS has reserved a room on 6 Novemberfrom 14:00to 14:30 in the conference venue (Scandic Fornebu) so that we can meet each other!

This is a chance to meet other ECR and ask any questions you may have about APECS' activities.

 

MEASO.jpg

The Association of Polar  Early Career Scientists (APECS) and the organizers of the Marine Ecosystem Assessment for the Southern Ocean (MEASO18) Conference (9-13 April 2018, Hobart) are excited to announcenine volunteer opportunities relating to the MEASO18 conference, which are now available for early career researchers interested in attending the conference. The positions are well suited to those with backgrounds in marine or polar ecology, policy, or polar science. Some of the positions are open to only local early career researchers but others also open to anyone interested in applying no matter where you are located.

The following positions are available:

1) MEASO18 conference: support for theme contributions

Available positions: 4 (local or remote)

Research Background: Marine/Polar Ecology

Time commitment: October 2017-May 2018

These roles will assist with contributions to the four MEASO themes (one role for each theme). The themes are:

  1. Assessments of status and trends in habitats, species and ecosystems, and the causes of change
  2. Responses of species to changing habitats, including ocean acidification, sea ice and temperature;
  3. Modelling and analytical methods to assess status and trends; and
  4. Implementation of observing systems to estimate dynamics and change.

Specific tasks include:

  • Assist in maintaining databases of contributors
  • Assist with email contact to contributors - seeking and guiding input as appropriate
  • Assist with theme report generation

Successful candidates will have the opportunity to establish networks with working group contributors, and to be involved in workshops.Travel support to attend the MEASO18 Conference in Hobart is also available (amount TBC)

 

2) MEASO18 conference: support local organisation

Available positions: 2 (only local)

Research Background: Polar Science, with interest in Southern Ocean Ecosystems

Time Commitment: February 2018-April 2018

These roles will assist with local conference organisation and running tasks. The two volunteers will act as contact points, and assist with general tasks in the immediate lead up to the MEASO18 conference, and during the event.

Successful candidates will have the opportunity to establish networks with conference attendees, and will have the conference registration fee waived.

 

3) MEASO18 Policy Forum Co-organiser

Available positions: 3 (local or remote)

Research Background: Policy and/or Conservation for Polar Environments

Time Commitment: October 2017-May 2018

These roles involve working with Professor Tony Press to coordinate the one-day Policy Forum as part of the MEASO18 conference.

Specific tasks include:

  • Contact and invite contributors
  • Plan and help coordinate the running of the day
  • Assist in generating summary outputs 

Successful candidates will have the opportunity to establish networks with working group contributors, and to be directly involved in both the policy forum and the rest of the conference. Travel support to attend the MEASO18 Conference in Hobart is also available (amount TBC)

 

To apply for any of these positions, please fill in the application form by 18 October 2017.

If you have questions about the application process, please contactThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

For more information about the conference, please seehttp://www.measo2018.aq

APECS - EPB Webinar: The Antarctic Treaty and the protection of the environment

23 October at 14 GMT

Speaker: Yves Frenot, Director, Institut polaire français Paul-Emile Victor (IPEV)

Registration Link

The Antarctic Treaty, signed in Washington on December 1, 1959, has the purpose to ensure that "in the interest of all mankind that Antarctica shall continue for ever to be used exclusively for peaceful purposes and shall not become the scene or object of international discord". Signed in 1991, the Protocol on Environmental Protection (the Madrid Protocol) to the Treaty, designates Antarctica as “a natural reserve, devoted to peace and science”. This webinar will give an overview of how the Antarctic Treaty and its Madrid Protocol work, and how the Treaty system is used to protect the Antarctic environment.

This webinar series is jointly organized by APECS and the European Polar Board (EPB)

APECS Italy Workshop 2017 KopieIn conjunction with the Past Antarctic Ice Sheet Dynamics (PAIS) conference, an international conference held every year in Trieste, Italy, APECS Italy organized a workshop open to the public for scientists and anyone to whom the title “Social Media and Science Communication” might strike an interest.

The objective of the workshop was to examine the various ways in which science can be communicated, from more traditional means such as print media, to those that require a greater investment but may affect a wider audience such as film, to finally the new frontiers in science communication via social media.

After a brief introduction about APECS by Jilda Alicia Caccavo and Mathieu Casado, the first session began, discussing science communication in print media. First Emilio Antoniol spoke, discussing the goals of the publications of Officina, a cultural association at the University IUAV of Venice with the goal to promote communication between the world of academic research and the general public. Next, Enrico M. Balli of SISSA (Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati) discussed the Journal of Science Communication (JCOM), an open access journal on science communication. Given the rapid growth in the need for effective science communication, JCOM seeks to provide theoretical guidelines both for scholars and practitioners in the field of public communication of science and technology.

APECS Italy Workshop 2017 3 KopieDuring the second session of the workshop, Peter Barrett, an Emeritus Professor in Geology from the Antarctic Research Centre at the University of Wellington presented his recent work on the film “Thin Ice –the inside story of climate science”. After studying Antarctic climate history for over four decades, Peter Barrett turned to film to better bridge the gap between the climate science community and the general public, creating this film in order to provide scientists themselves with a platform to communicate why their research and results related to climate change matter, and what we can all do to mitigate the impacts of climate change.APECS Italy Workshop 2017 2 Kopie


Finally, the last session was geared towards the use of social media to communicate science research. During the session, Giulia Annovi, a Scientific Freelance Journalist from SISSA, as well as Angel Del Prete, a Social Media Manager, and Giulia Massolino from the National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics demonstrated practical examples of effective Social Media use by various platforms and third-party add-ons. This culminated in the launching of hashtag #PaiSocial and the creation of a summary of the workshop using the app storify (https://storify.com/GiuliaMassolino/paisocial).



APECS 10 year logoAPECS is excited to announce that another leadership term has begun on 1 October 2017!

APECS Executive Committee 2017-2018:

APECS’ eleventh Executive Committee (ExCom) is now in place and ready to continue to shape the polar world.

  • Jilda Caccavo (University of Padua, Italy)
  • Jean Holloway (University of Ottawa, Canada)
  • Hanne Nielsen (University of Tasmania, Australia
  • Gabriela Roldán (University of Canterbury, New Zealand)
  • Alex Thornton (University of Alaska Fairbanks, United States)

have been elected to form the ExCom, the main leadership body of APECS. Ruth Vingerhagen (Norway) and Alice Bradley (United States) will serve as ex-officios and support the new ExCom over the coming year. And of course, Gerlis Fugmann, the APECS Executive Director will continue to support and foster the group from the International Directorate Office in Potsdam, Germany. More information on the APECS 2017-2018 Executive Committee can be found here.

Hanne Nielsen 2017

 

APECS President 2017-2018:

With a new term, comes a new president, and this year Hanne Nielsen will be taking on this role. Hanne recently completed her PhD at the University of Tasmania, where she analysed representations of Antarctica in advertising material. She is a 2017 SCAR Fellow, and an active member of the SCAR Humanities and Social Sciences Expert Group. Hanne has been involved in APECS leadership for the past three years, and is also a member of APECS Oceania.

More information on Hanne can be found here. 

 

 

APECS Council 2017-2018:

In 2017-2018 the APECS Council is made up of 65 very enthusiastic members from 24 countries: 

Kelsey Aho (USA), Stefano Ambroso (Spain), Atreya Basu (Canada), Liz Bowman (USA), Julie Bull (Canada), François Burgay (Italy), Emily Choy (Canada), Nicolas Champollion (Germany / Switzerland), Henrik Christiansen (Belgium), Casey Clark (USA), Matteo Luciano Contu (UK), Jennifer Cooper (USA), Jim Crowell (USA), Adrian Dahood (USA), Donovan Dennis (USA), Meagan Dewar (Australia), Denis Doronin (Russia), Clare Eayrs (United Arab Emirates), Alevtina Evgrafova (Germany/ Switzerland), Natalie Freeman (USA), Yi-Ming Gan (Belgium), Vikram Goel (Norway / India), Christel Hansen (South Africa), Laura Hobbs (UK), Juan Höfer (Chile), Bruno Ibañez (Peru), Cyril Jaksic (New Zealand), Shridhar Jawak (India), Meric Karahalil (Turkey), Hanna Maria Kauko (Norway), Amy Kirkham (USA), Nikita Kuprikov (Russia), Sasha Leidman (USA), Josefine Lenz (Germany), Arinda Mandal (India/ Germany), Sebastián Marinsek (Argentina), Claudia Maturana (Chile), Kyle Mayers (UK), Swati Nagar (India), Ozgun Oktar (Turkey), Ankit Pramanik (Norway), José Queirós (Portugal), Kabir Rasouli (Canada), Corinna Röver (Sweden), Paul Rosenbaum (France), Morgan Seag (UK), Jose Seco (Portugal / UK), Elisa Seyboth (Brazil), Grace Shephard (Norway), Neelu Singh (India), Runa Skarbø (Norway), Petr Sorokin (Russia), Kent Spiers (Canada), Sara Strey (USA), Greta Carrete Vega (Spain), David Velazquez (Spain), Florian Vidal (France), Deniz Vural (Turkey), Gary Wesche (USA), Nadya Yanakieva (Bulgaria), Sinan Yirmibesoglu (Turkey)

Additionally, TJ Young (UK), Tristy Vick-Majors (Canada), Yulia Zaika (Russia) and Scott Zolkos (Canada) remain on the Council in an ex-officio role. More information on the APECS 2017-2018 Council can be found here.

Once again, we thank the many APECS leaders that have come before us and have helped guide and foster many of those serving today! We look forward to another year with the projects that are currently underway, and continue to look for more ways that we can improve and expand this organization and assist early career polar researchers around the world.

APECS PolandAPECS Polska and IPSIP Conference team invite early-career researchers to the Project Management intensive workshop, which will be held on 16 November.

Project Management intensive workshop is aimed at early career scientists who want to lead top-quality research projects. During the workshop, you will work in small groups and learn step by step what project management is about. The workshop covers following topics:

  • Introduction to effective project planning;
  • How to design a convincing Project Concept Note;
  • Good project proposal in 10 steps;
  • Funding sources and how to read them;
  • Stakeholders and why to include them;
  • Problem/objective/strategy analysis;
  • Project logic - the simple way how to structure your project;
  • Work plan in 6 steps;
  • Basics of budgeting.

It is an intensive, all-day course prepared by our excellent mentor Kamil Jagodziński. 

If you want to participate, please fill in the short survey and send it to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. no later than 25 October. We will inform selected candidates by email short after closing of application process.

Please note that due to limited number of places we will make a selection based on the date of application, but we will prioritize PhD students and post docs attending IPSIP Conference (http://www.ipsip.pl/).

The workshop will be held on 16 November 9.00-18.00 (with breaks) in Warsaw. We will inform you about the details later. The participation is free of charge.

If you have any questions, please contact Marta Bystrowska: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

1st APECS Oceania Symposium

"Addressing Future Antarctic Challenges from an Oceania Perspective"

  • 18th -19th September 2017
  • Monash University, Melbourne (Australia) 

Symposium Summary:

The inaugural APECS Oceania Symposium was held during Polar Week on the 18th and 19th of September 2017 at the Monash University Conference Centre, Melbourne. Twenty early career researchers (ECRs) attended the symposium in person, with at least another dozen attending remotely.

Eighteen ECRs presented their work during the symposium, with five remote presentations from ECRs in New Zealand and Tasmania. Two keynote presentations were given by Dr Gwen Fenton and Dr Aleks Terauds.

 APECS Oceania Symposium openedDr Gwen Fenton presents speaker awards

The best ECR presentation was awarded to Kara Layton from the University of Western Australia for her presentation on the diversification of parasites in gastropods (pictured above with Dr Gwen Fenton) and the runner up prize was awarded to Cyril Jaksic from Lincoln University (NZ), for his presentation on predicating the human response to extreme environments.

Three early career workshop sessions were run to help support ECRs with career advice, CV writing and optimising social media impact. The symposium was well represented on facebook and twitter, with over 100 tweets generated and the symposium hashtag #APECS17 trending on the Australian twitter. The symposium can be considered a success on all accounts.

This conference was made possible with the support of Monash University, the Australian Antarctic Division and APECS International.

ECR presentations on Day 1Future of APECS Oceania discussed

Session Overview:

Day 1

The symposium was opened by Jasmine Lee with a brief overview of APECS Oceania and a summary of the greatest challenges Antarctica faces into the future, as described by Antarctic scientists and policymakers across Oceania.

Dr Gwen Fenton, Chief Scientist of the Australian Antarctic Division, delivered the first keynote address for the symposium. She provided an overview of the Australian Antarctic Division's 20 year Strategic plan and the level of investment Australia is making in Antarctica and Antarctic research, including the construction of the new Icebreaker which will be equipped with state of the art equipment and technology to facilitate innovative and strategic scientific research. Gwen also unveiled the new Antarctic Foundation which will provide funding for research in Antarctica for Australian Scientists. Gwen highlighted that this is an exciting time for ECRs to be involved in Antarctic science and asked for feedback on how the Antarctic Division could better support ECRs.

The following three sessions consisted of 18 presentations by early career scientists from Australia and New Zealand across a range of disciplines including psychology, social sciences, climate modelling, invasive species, parasites and microbes.

Aleks Terauds gives keynote at APECS Oceania SymposiumAPECS Oceania Symposium

 

Day 2

Thanks to our sponsorsThe second day began with a workshop from Prof Michael McCarthy from Melbourne University on career skills, including writing CVs, understanding and applying for both academic and non-academic jobs and tips for career progression from post-doctoral to fellowship or lecturer stage.

Dr Aleks Terauds gave the second keynote presentation for the symposium on the pathway to impact: undertaking science that can impact Antarctic policy. This was followed by a session on utilising and optimising social media by Jasmine Lee and Hanne Nielsen.

The symposium concluded with a panel session focusing on challenges facing ECRs and potential solutions. The panel consisted of Dr Aleks Terauds, Dr Gerlis Fugmann (APECS Director), Dr Helena Baird from Monash University and Hanne Nielsen, and was chaired by Dr Meagan Dewar and Jasmine Lee.

The first APECS Oceania Symposium was organised by Meagan Dewar, Jasmine Lee, Gabriela Roldan, and Hanne Nielsen.

Recordings of the sessions are avialble via vimeo: https://vimeo.com/channels/APECSoceania2017

For more on APECS Oceania activities, see www.apecsoceania.com, www.facebook.com/APECSOceania, or follow www.twitter.com/APECSOceania.

APECS Switzerland organized a one-day symposium on polar research, the “Swiss Polar Day” that took place in Zürich on September 7th 2017 at the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL.

The symposium provided a broad overview on all Polar research topics taking place universities/ institutions in Switzerland. For the first time, representatives of most Swiss universities or research institution presented their university's’ activities in Polar research, informed about research platforms and future plans in Polar research, such as planned expeditions or projects.

The first part of the day was filled with presentations open for the larger interested public. The second part of the day was reserved for a round table and networking event of the representatives of the universities/ institutes.

Around 60 people took part in this meeting and the feedback was very positive. Most participants agreed on the need of such event on a regular basis. The Swiss Polar Institute will organize similar events in the future based on this first meeting and we are very happy that stronger national connections will be made in the future!

SwissPolarDay2017 Kopie

 

PEI Webinar Polar Week KopieAPECS - PEI Polar Week Webinar: Kids are not your peer reviewer

24 September at 19:00 GMT

Speaker: Julia Dooley (Polar Educators International)

Registration Link

If a six-year old can talk about a Tyrannosaurus and describe how it differs from a Stegosaurus, they can engage with some of the big ideas in your research. You just have to remember they are not your typical science audience. Julia Dooley, President of Polar Educators International and Primary level teacher of Gifted and Talented students will share a few teacher tools, and ideas for making your classroom visits engaging, and actually a little fun.

APECS Polar Week Webinar: How to get involved: Insights from EPB, IASC and SCAR fellows

23 September 2017 at 13:00 GMT

Registration link

Speakers:

  • Joseph Nolan, Junior Policy Officer, European Polar Board (EPB)
  • Alevtina Evgrafova, 2017 Fellow, International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) 
  • Lavenia Ratnarajah, 2016 Fellow, Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR)
  • Jilda Caccavo, 2016 Fellow, Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR)

Whether you research phenomena in the Arctic or Antarctic, there are worldwide committees available to you. International collaboration is an integral part of polar research for early career professionals and beyond. How do you get involved? Just ask our panel! The webinar will be convened by Sara Strey form our APECS Polar Week Committee.

webinar poster

 

 

FionaTummon photoAPECS is excited to announce that Fiona Tummon will be joining the APECS International Directorate as new Project Officer on 1 October 2017. Fiona will be based at the Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT The Arctic University of Norwayand will be responsible for managing the UiT tasks focused primarily on training and outreach activities that complement APECS activities within the recently funded Horizon 2020 EU projects APPLICATE(Advanced Prediction in Polar regions and beyond: Modelling, observing system design and LInkages associated with ArcitC ClimATE change) and INTERACT (International Network for Terrestrial Research and Monitoring in the Arctic). In addition, she will contribute to other APECS activities in the APECS International Directorate.

Fiona grew up in Cape Town, South Africa, where she completed her undergraduate education in Oceanography and Zoology. In 2007 she started a joint PhD between the University of Cape Town and the Université Paul Sabatier Toulouse-III focused on the regional climatic effects of aerosols, which she completed in 2011. Thereafter she shifted focus (and countries!), moving to Zurich, Switzerland, to work for the World Climate Research Programme’s Stratosphere-troposphere Processes And their Role in Climate (SPARC) project. There, she spent half her time doing research focused on atmospheric chemistry and the other half of her time doing work for the SPARC project office. She has extensive experience with science communication, organising scientific workshops and meetings, and coordinating international scientific research.

Fiona first joined the APECS community in 2016, inspired by a visit to the high-altitude Swiss research station at the Jungfraujoch organised by APECS Switzerland. She also has been very involved with the YESS (Young Earth System Scientists) community and hopes to provide a nice link between the two active networks.

As a participant in the recent Antarctic Circumpolar expedition, Fiona fulfilled part of a dream of going to the Antarctic (although she’s yet to make it on to the continent itself!). She’s very excited to join the APECS team and learn more about the polar regions and their importance for the global Earth system.

Welcome Fiona!

APECS OceaniaPolar Week is nearly upon us, as is the first APECS Oceania Symposium "Addressing Future Antarctic Challenges from an Oceania Perspective." This event will be held in Melbourne, Australia from 18-19 September, and a video link is available for those in other locations who are interested in the talks.

Keynote speakers are Dr Gwen Fenton, Chief Scientist at the AAD, and Dr Aleks Treads. Early Career Researchers from NZ and Australia will also be presenting their work.
To sign up to attend symposium sessions remotely, please use the links below, or visit https://apecsoceania.com/2017/04/06/1st-apecs-oceania-symposium/

Remote registration for APECS Oceania Symposium Sessions:

If you want to know what else is happening during Polar Week, check the APECS website. 

Applicate logoAPECS-APPLICATE-Webinar: Advanced Prediction in Polar Regions and Beyond

28 September 2017 at 15:00 GMT

Speaker: Prof. Dr. Thomas Jung (Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research, Germany)

Registration Link

In November 2016, a European consortium of scientists from different disciplines set out to advance our capability to predict the weather and climate in the Arctic and beyond in the framework of the EU-funded project called APPLICATE. In this presentation, I will describe the basic rationale behind this project and outline what is needed to make step changes in our ability to predict Arctic weather and climate prediction, and to increase our understanding of the impact of Arctic climate change in mid-latitudes. In this context I will touch on the following topics: model evaluation, model development, teleconnections, observing system design, education and stakeholder engagement. To find out more about the APPLICATE project go to: https://applicate.eu/

European Commission LogoApplicate logoThe EU Horizon 2020-funded APPLICATE project, in cooperation with the World Meteorological Organisation’s Polar Prediction Project (PPP) in occasion of the Year of Polar Prediction (YOPP), the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) and other partners are organising the second Polar Prediction School 2018 on weather and climate prediction in the polar regions from 17 - 27 April 2018 at Abisko Scientific Research Station in Sweden.

APECS 10 year logoYOPP LOGO beb4effb3cThe course will cover topics including chaotic systems and predictability, polar boundary layer processes, polar clouds, sea ice and high latitude ocean processes, polar extreme weather and polar-mid-latitude linkages. It will include a combination of polar weather and climate theory lectures with exercises on modelling and field meteorology techniques as well as soft skill training. Each of these components forms a crucial pillar of the prediction problem, and the motivation for combining these is to provide participants with a complete overview of the components required to understand and predict polar weather

The Polar Prediction School 2018 will be open to 30 early career researchers (focus on advanced graduate students, PhD students, and postdoctoral researchers) from around the world. An international set of instructors will be teaching the sessions. As during the first Polar Prediction School in 2016, classes will be held at the Abisko Scientific Research Station, in Sweden, where the instructional facilities are conveniently located in an environment well suited to Arctic observations.

More information and how to apply can be found on the Polar Prediction School 2018 website. Application deadline has been extended until 22 September 2017 at 23:59 GMT.

APECS Canada Logo webApplications are now open for the 2017-2018 APECS Canada Board!

APECS Canada is a diverse group of early career scientists who are part of the larger APECS network. We are involved in polar research, whether in the Northern or Southern hemisphere, and live or work in Canada. Our research runs the gamut – from ocean sciences to political sciences, from people, birds and whales to plants and permafrost…you name it, we’ve likely got it!

APECS Canada has a board formed of members from across Canada and we will be working over the coming months and years to create great resources for all of the early career polar researchers in Canada!

For more info please check out our new website: https://apecscanada.wixsite.com/ehpecs

And if you’d like to join our APECS Canada Board please submit applications here by September 15th: https://goo.gl/forms/xlDeyFvw9Cwoyqdm2

Looking forward to hearing from you soon! Please feel free to distribute the application link broadly!

Meagan Grabowski
APECS Canada Chair

APECSGermany LogoAPECS Germany invites you to our APECS Germany workshop on Wednesday, 20 September 2017, 4:00-6:00 p.m. in Erlangen in the run-up to the coordination workshop of the German Priority Programme for Antarctic Research from 20 to 22 September 2017 in Erlangen.

We want to seize the opportunity to introduce APECS Germany to you and hold a Panel Discussion on

Career paths and funding opportunities for postdocs

with both experienced researchers and people who started to work outside of the 'traditional scientific career path' after their PhD. There will be plenty of time for your questions and thoughts on the topic.

*** Please indicate your participation for planning purposes to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ***

The workshop will be held in English. However, especially during the panel discussion, questions in German are also very welcome.
Please feel free to contact us in advance if you have any questions concerning the workshop.
A more detailed programme will follow soon.

We are looking forward to meeting you in Erlangen!
Best wishes,
Stefanie Arndt and Tim Carlsen (APECS Germany Board Members)

APECS Webinar: Research Processes and Politics in the Peruvian Andes

25 September 2017 at 23:00 GMT

Presenter: Mark Carey (Professor of History and Environmental Studies, Robert D. Clark Honors College, University of Oregon)

Registration Link

This presentation will discuss nearly two-decades of research strategies and practices for glacier-related research in the Peruvian Andes, particularly the Cordillera Blanca. This mountain range is one of the world’s hardest hit by glacier-caused disasters, with more than 10,000 people dying from glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) and rock-ice landslides since the 1940s. But it is also the place where Peruvian engineers and scientists have done some of the most effective mitigation work to prevent GLOFs: they have studied, monitored, partially drained, and even dammed 35 dangerous glacial lakes over time. It thus served as an ideal site for my social science research on the history of climate change adaptation and human interactions with glaciers over 75 years. Yet doing the Cordillera Blanca research was never easy. Access to information, data, and research sites was often blocked. Local authorities and experts needed to personally approve (or not) many of my research practices. Institutions sometimes rejected my proposals or thwarted my progress. Collaborations emerged slowly. In short, my studies have required what I call “research diplomacy,” which involved extensive personal connections, collaborations, networking, and reciprocal interactions with a host of individuals, institutions, and stakeholders in Peru. This kind of research diplomacy is useful (and I would say essential) for researchers in any field, from glaciology and hydrology to history and human geography.

APECS Chile copyAPECS Chile will be organising a mentor panel on "Chilenos liderando en Antártica“ on 4 October 2017 at 19:00 at the Centro de Convenciones del Hotel Dreams del Estrecho in Punte Arenas, Chile.

APECS Chile aims to gather early careers and mentors into a familiar and closer communication through the long path to reach where they are now. We want to hear their ideas, past projects, failures and the importance of networking through all their career. As APECS Chile, we believe this could be an important opportunity to gather the most important actors in Antarctic science in our Country: INACH, Universidad de Magallanes, IDEAL Fondap, APECS Chile and ECRs.

For more information and to register contact the organiser Claudia Maturana at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

 

 

APECS South Africa, one of the newest APECS National Committees has published it’s first newsletter. You can find the PDF version here.

Enjoy reading it!

Panel ICASS IX 2017 2On 8th June 2017, APECS invited interested current and future APECS-members to join our career panel discussion on "Career opportunities in Arctic Social Sciences" during ICASS IX, the ninth International Congress on Arctic Social Sciences, in Umeå, Sweden. The event was co-organized by APECS International and APECS Sweden and attracted an audience of around 20 people. Our panelists were Gail Fondahl (University of Northern British Columbia), Anna-Lill Drugge (Centre for Sami Research, Umeå University), Mare Pit (German Arctic Office, Alfred Wegener Institute), and Björn Dahlbeck (Swedish Polar Research Secretariat). 

When the panelists shared their experiences in the first part of the session, their accounts offered a glimpse of the diverse paths that professional careers may take. Supposedly ‘messy’ career paths outnumbered the ‘standard career’, and it became clear that academia is by far not the ‘last stop’ for Arctic Social Scientists. Asked about a skill they would not put on their CV, one panelist revealed that some of your crucial career skill may come out where you least expect them: “I love to rinse the sewage drain in the kitchen. I like to take away the hinder and clear the way – and that fits, I work as a manager.”

(Panel organizers: Gerlis Fugmann, Gesche Blume-Werry, Corinna Röver, Marta Bystrowska)

Panel ICASS IX 2017 1

One of the immediate results of the Fourth International Polar Year (2007-2008) was an increase in the visibility of education and outreach activities across the polar research community. Not least was the founding of APECS. It is now 10 years since the last IPY and we would like to ascertain what impact involvement in APECS' education and outreach activities has had on your career as part of a wider effort documenting the legacy of IPY on education, outreach and engagement. We would like to encourage as many members (past and present) to fill in the survey, no matter what your level of involvement was.

The survey has now closed. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Polar Week logo2 01APECS International Polar Week Fall 2017 will be from September 18-24! Polar Week is a series of events happening globally, with the goal of promoting the science taking place in polar latitudes.

For the upcoming Polar Week we are specifically highlighting how we are living in a #PolarWorld, where issues happening in the poles affect everyone on the globe. To learn more about the #PolarWorld tune in to our online events throughout Polar Week:

We encourage APECS members and National Committees to organize their own activities and to submit details via the Polar Week website!

To find out more about the events and how to participate, please visit our Polar Week website. If you have any questions, please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

APECS is holding a #PolarWorld FrostByte competition, with winners announced during International Polar Week, from 18 - 24 September 2017! FrostBytes are short audio or video recordings used as a tool to help researchers easily share their latest findings with a broad audience. This year’s fall celebrations of the #PolarWorld and wider cryosphere will highlight how what happens in the poles affects the entire world as well as science, people living and working there, and international collaboration. We invite APECS members to send in short videos to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. no later than September 15, 2017. For more information, visit the competition website.

competitionfinal

 

 

In conjunction with Polar Week 2017, USAPECS is announcing the second annual Polar Film Fest 2017 from 18 - 22 September 2017.  This year's theme is #PolarWorld, so we're looking to showcase the best the planet has to offer in movies about the Arctic, Antarctic, and wider cryosphere - no matter what language they're in.

We're looking for film suggestions that fit any of the following themes:

1) #PolarWorld: Polar Issues are Global
2) Science in Action: Working in Extremes
3) People at the Poles: The Human Dimension
4) Polar Policy: Preparing for the Future
5) Icing on the Cake: Frozen Fun

Film eligibility and submission
We invite you to please submit your suggestions by August 25 through the Google Form we've set up. Films may be original or produced by someone else. To submit your own film, upload it to a video sharing site (i.e., YouTube or Vimeo) and submit the link, along with a description of the film and a note indicating that you made the film, on the submission form. Films produced by others must be available publicly online. Films that can be watched for free are preferred, but please do not submit links to illegal streaming websites.

In-person and virtual watch parties
Once the films have been selected and curated, organizers from US APECS will be putting together a schedule with virtual and in-person watch parties. If you're interested in organizing an event, please get in touch with Mia Bennett at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Spread the word!
Please share this email and the below graphic with your networks. The more submissions we have, the better.

For more information and to submit films, go to the Polar Film Fest 2017 page

Polar Film Fest 2017

“Addressing future Antarctic challenges from an Oceania perspective”

18th – 19th September 2017

Monash University, Melbourne (Australia)

 

APECS O logo.jpg

Global change now, more than ever before, is threatening society and biodiversity around the planet. The Antarctic region is no exception, and whilst largely considered to be pristine, and a “nature reserve, devoted to peace and science”, it is actually at risk from multiple pressures. The Antarctic Peninsula has experienced one of the most rapid temperature rises in the Southern Hemisphere, and managing invasive species has been labelled as the number one priority of the Antarctic Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP). Tourist numbers to the region continue to grow and each year more countries are interested in joining the Antarctic Treaty System and being involved with the governance of Antarctica. We are only beginning to understand what these changes mean for Antarctic science, biodiversity and society.

What can the Oceania region do to help address future Antarctic challenges and in what way can we contribute to perpetuate the aims of the Antarctic Treaty and the Protocol for Environmental Protection?

The 1st APECS Oceania symposium aims to bring together early career Antarctic researchers from across Oceania to address these questions and highlight what our region can contribute to tackling future Antarctic challenges.

This two days Symposium will include keynote presentations from prominent Antarctic Scientists, APECS Oceania Members and 2 x half day workshops.

Date:

The symposium will run on 18th – 19th of September as part of Polar Week celebrations worldwide.

Venue:

The symposium will be held in Australia with presentations from early career scientists and keynote speakers. For NZ speakers unable to attend in person – we can connect via video link to allow attendees to participate from across the Tasman Sea.

The venue for this event will be: Monash University, Melbourne, Australia

Abstract Submission:

Opening: A call for abstracts is now open

Closes: Abstract submission closes on the 30th of July 2017

Click link here for Abstract submission

Guidelines:

All abstracts will be written in English
Abstract must be limited to 300 words
Include your name and any other authors involved in this presentation
Include your institution and your additional author institutions
Include a short title which summarises your presentation
State which session you want your abstract to be submitted to
Registrations

Registration:

To attend the APECS Oceania Symposium are now open. To register click here.

Sponsors:

This event is sponsored by Monash University.

APECS is thrilled to announce our 2017 APECS International Mentorship Award recipients - Dr. Hugues Lantuit and Dr. Renuka Badhe! These awards were established as a meaningful way to recognize and honor the efforts of mentors within the international polar science community who have devoted significant time and energy towards building a supportive community for early career researchers (ECRs).

This year, we received several deserving nominations for both categories and it was difficult for our award committee to select the winners in both award categories:

HuguesDr. Hugues Lantuit (Alfred Wegener Institute, Germany) is the 2017 recipient in the APECS category, where APECS committees were encouraged to nominate a mentor who has made an outstanding contribution to the success of APECS. Ten years ago, Hugues was the co-founder of APECS, a network that supported since its formation over 7600 members during the early stages of their careers. With this, as well as with the foundation of the Permafrost Young Researchers Network (PYRN), he “provided ECRs with platforms to get connected with each other and to get deeply involved into the international polar research landscape”. Hugues has been an inspiration and bright example of passion for the polar sciences for many early career researchers and he provided solid foundations for future polar scientists to get actively engaged. Among others, through this position as the Executive Director of the International Permafrost Association (IPA) he helped to develop and maintain frameworks for the inclusion of ECRs at professional events, meetings, committees and working groups of which many APECS members have benefitted from over the years.

Hugues has been a great motivator and supporter for early career scientists. Since the foundation of APECS, he has been involved in many of our workshops and webinars, serving as a mentor for the participants and sharing his experience and advice; for example, how to navigate the world of polar acronyms or networking at conferences. Aided by his understanding that people will achieve more as a group than as individuals, he has supervised more than 20 PhD, Master’s, and Bachelor students. Nominators reiterated that “it was [Hugues] who infected [them] with the desire to learn more about the Polar regions” and provided the opportunity to succeed through fieldwork, speaking opportunities, and trusting them to take control of their academic careers.

Renuka BadheDr. Renuka Badhe (European Polar Board, Netherlands) is the 2017 recipient in the member category, where we encouraged APECS members to nominate someone who has been an outstanding personal mentor to them in their career. Dr. Badhe was nominated by several individuals who said that, “as far as mentors go, Renuka belongs in the ‘rockstar’ category.” Renuka has been been a strong supporter of several APECS national committees, and early career researchers and professionals from around the world have benefitted from her generous donation of time and sharing of her expertise. She is also a masterful creator of networks, not only amongst APECS members but the entire global polar community. Furthermore, not only is she a high-profile woman in polar science, but Renuka has also been open about the challenges she has faced throughout her career while remaining an outspoken advocate for members of underrepresented communities.

The nomination letters emphasized that she “never hesitates to provide support whether it is through her professional position or personal engagement”. Her “mentorship has been anything but passive. She has consistently gone out of her way to ensure that my voice is heard in professional settings as well as become a true friend - one of the few people I know that I can call upon at any hour, with any professional or academic concern, and she'll be there with a compassionate ear and thoughtful advice". The nominators also highlighted Renuka`s “talent for identifying someone’s research interests and priorities, and introducing them to leaders in the field, with a suggestion of how they may be able to mutually assist one another”. She is “a strong advocate for early career researchers, [who] helps to push our work to the forefront even when we might lack the confidence to do so”.

On behalf of all APECS members, we would like to sincerely thank Hugues and Renuka for everything that they have done as mentors for both our organization and so many of us as individuals. We are honored to present the 2017 APECS International Mentorship Award to them both as a small token of our enormous gratitude for their time, wisdom, and passion.

Would you like to recognize a mentor for their commitment? Nominations for the 2018 APECS International Mentorship Award will be announced early in 2018 on our website. You can learn more about this year’s nomination process through our archived page

One day ahead of the recent 2017 SCAR Biology Symposium, APECS organized an early career scientist workshop for conference participants (and anyone else interested). Lovely weather, sci-comm, fabulous guests, … read further for some impressions.

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The conference, which brought >300 Antarctic scientists from all over the world together, was scheduled to start on Monday. For this workshop, 37 people (+4 speakers) met already on Sunday morning on KU Leuven premises. The main workshop theme was “communicating with a non-scientific audience”. After getting organized, we jumped right in with José Xavier, scientist in Portugal and England, explaining what science communication is and why it is important. Siska Waelkens, working for the Faculty of Science of KU Leuven, then talked about the bridge that scientists need to build between themselves and others to facilitate mutual understanding. We continued with a coffee break (also very important for communication…). Stéphanie Brabant from France TV subsequently showed footage recorded during the recent Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition. She showed both good and less good examples of live interviews, outlining aspects that are critical to keep in mind when being interviewed as a scientist. Lastly, we switched topics with Grant Humphries (from http://blackbawks.net/) up next, talking about scientific data management – another crucial issue for basically any scientist.

listening1

Leuven spoiled us with perfect weather, so lunch was quickly relocated to the park just outside the building. In the afternoon we split up into two working groups: delving deeper into writing for non scientific audiences (for example school kids) and giving an interview with journalists. We briefly re-gathered, exchanged experiences and enjoyed another coffee break, before again splitting up for two parallel breakout sessions. This time one group worked with Grant through some examples of sharing code and/or data with github (an extremely useful tool, for those that don’t know it). In the other group we practised giving “lightning presentations” – in this case short two minute presentation without supporting slides. Not an easy task at all, so worthwhile practicing! After this long day, we met once more to briefly tell each other what we learned and saying our goodbyes (although many met shortly after again at the conference icebreaker). It was a great day, I’d say! Many thanks to our supporters (AntEco & SCADM, as well as LBEG as host), speakers, and of course also the participants!

listening

Communicating Across Borders: APECS Oceania Workshop

APECS Oceaniahosted a two hour workshop for early career researchers in Hobart on 4 July 2017, just prior to the 2017 SCAR Humanities and Social SciencesDepths and Surfaces Conference. Almost 40 early career researchers from all over the world took part in the event, with one third identifying themselves as scientists, one third identifying as social scientists, and one third as humanities scholars. All were united by their interest in communication, and in making connections with others outside their usual sphere.

In today’s research climate, communication is an important skill. Researchers need to be able to not only communicate with colleagues in the same area, but with those from very different backgrounds, and the wider public. A panel session in the first hour addressed the challenges associated with “communicating across borders" and noted that such borders may be disciplinary, geographic, or between areas such as science and policy. Panelists came from a range of backgrounds, and were very responsive to questions from the audience. The panel consisted of:

  • Dr Renuka Badhe (Executive Secretary - European Polar Board)
  • Mr Elias Barticevic (Chilean Antarctic Institute - INACH)
  • Dr Adrian Howkins (Environmental Historian - Colorado State University)
  • Dr Mel Fitzpatrick (Climate Scientist - E & O - Science Communication)
  • Dr Meredith Nash (Homeward Bound programme - UTAS)

The second half of the workshop involved breaking out into three groups to workshop themes that had been flagged as of interest when participants registered. Dr Daniela Liggett, Dr Cornelia Lüdecke and Dr Elizabeth Leane led discussions on “Fostering Interdisciplinary Projects,” discussing their own experiences and then helping workshop participants identify common ground, and providing strategies for planning a collaboration.

When it came to “Fellowships and Opportunities,” mentors provided advice on writing grant applications, from the perspectives of both successful applicants (Dr Rowan Trebilco and Dr Ursula Rack) and those who regularly review such applications (Dr Alan Hemmings and Dr Renuka Badhe). The guidelines for the COMNAP and SCAR Fellowships provided a useful guide, opening the floor for discussions about how to plan for such an application, and ensure it meets the criteria. As one workshop participant put it:

“I really enjoyed having three ''experts'' explaining the process of applying for funding. Personally, I have no experience in applying for such grants so it was great to have an examiner detailing what was expected that wasn't necessarily expressed in the instructions. The experts seemed genuinely keen to help us and the atmosphere, as well as the small size of the group, made it easy to participate. Despite being general, I still got concrete tips that I will for sure use the day I apply for a grant!”

Finally, those interested in “Science Communication” were in for a treat, thanks to the expert tutelage of Dr Mel Fitzpatrick and Stephen Curtain. The small group atmosphere lent itself well to in depth discussions, and left all participants with many elements to consider the next time they explain their research to others.

We thank the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP) for their support in providing catering for the event, the mentors for their time, and all those who took part.

This event was organised by Hanne Nielsen, Gabriela Roldan, and Helene Aflenzer, along with Sumi Jayaseelan, Cyril Jaksic, and Ephaphrus Mamabolo

 

APECS workshop panel 4 July

APECS Panel in full force, chaired by Gabriela Roldan

Break out session APECS workshop 4 July

Break out session on fostering interdisciplinary research

 Break out session on funding at APECS workshop 4 July

Break out session with tips on writing grant applications

 

ExCom PragAre you looking for a way to get or remain active in APECS and the APECS leadership?

We encourage YOU to consider applying for the APECS Council or the APECS Executive Committee for the 2017-2018 term starting on 1 October and help shape our organization over the next year!

The APECS Council is the larger of the two leadership committees of APECS. Its members work on projects, coordinate APECS activities, and govern the organization. No prior experience in APECS is necessary to join the Council, and we encourage all APECS members to consider applying. The APECS Executive Committee consists of five members, who are elected by the Council to manage the day-to-day decisions of the organization. Any APECS member can apply for the ExCom, but some prior experience with APECS or equivalent is generally recommended.

You can find out more information on how to apply to the:

For both opportunities, the application deadline is on 8 September 2017 at 23:59 GMT.

For questions, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

APECS 10 year logoYESS LogoIPCC LogoThe IPCC and Early Career Scientists Webinars

19 July 2017

Webinar 1: 7:00 – 8:30 UTC / GMT
(9:00 – 10:30 CEST, 15:00 – 16:30 CST, 17:00 – 18:30 AEST, 19:00 – 20:30 FJT)

and 

Webinar 2: 15:00 – 16:30 UTC / GMT
(8:00 – 9:30 PDT, 11:00 – 12:30 EDT, 12:00 – 13:30 ART, 17:00 – 18:30 CEST)

Want to know how you can get involved in the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as an Early Career Scientist?

The Young Earth System Scientists (YESS) community and the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) are organizing two webinars on 19 July 2017.

Join us online to hear representatives of the IPCC talk about their activities and the opportunities available for Early Career Scientists. The content in both webinars will be similar, but to accommodate as many time zones as possible we run the webinar twice.

The IPCC is currently in its Sixth Assessment (AR6) cycle, during which it will produce three Special Reports, a Methodology Report and the Sixth Assessment Report. These webinars will be an occasion to discuss the opportunities for Early Career Scientists to contribute to the work of the IPCC during this cycle. Moreover, the webinars will coincide with the opening of the first order draft of the Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C (SR15) for review comments. 

If you wish to know more about the IPCC activities and how to be involved in the AR6, save the date and register here:

Places are limited and only the 100 first to register will be able to attend.

What is the IPCC?

The IPCC is the UN body for assessing the science related to climate change. It was set up in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization and United Nations Environment Programme to provide policymakers with regular assessments of the scientific basis of climate change, its impacts and future risks, and options for adaptation and mitigation.

Since its inception the IPCC has produced five comprehensive Assessment Reports and several Special Reports on specific topics. IPCC has also produced Methodology Reports, which provide practical guidelines on the preparation of greenhouse gas inventories for the inventory reporting requirements of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). One of the many successes of the IPCC was receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 together with Al Gore "for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change".

These webinars are organised by YESS and APECS with the participation of IPCC.

 

Gruppenfoto German SCAR IASC Meeing 2017For the third time in a row, APECS received an invitation to select a representative among its members to be a guest at the annual meeting of the German National Committee SCAR/IASC (NK SCAR/IASC). The NK SCAR/IASC serves as the national body for the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) and the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), and it further plans and coordinates the activities of German university research in the field of polar sciences. The 26th iteration of the NK SCAR/IASC meeting was held at Schloss Wahn, located in the outskirts of the beautiful city of Cologne. The 2-day meeting was very well organized, thanks to Martin Melles and Eliza Stehr from the University of Cologne.

For this year’s meeting, however, the circumstances were a bit different from the previous two years, as July 2016 (just after last year’s meeting of the NK SCAR/IASC, attended by Heike Link as the former APECS representative) marked the official start of APECS Germany, the new German National Committee within the international APECS network. Hence, the current and still quite recently elected chair of APECS Germany, Andreas Preußer, took the opportunity to announce the formation of our National Committee on behalf of the current APECS Germany Board and the 176 German APECS members in total, as well as to give a short presentation on the first successful activities for young polar researchers in Germany that took place and/or were initiated in 2016/2017. Please check our website and facebook-page for more information on these events. Furthermore, a brief overview on international APECS activities over the last 12 months was given, with the most interesting news in this regard being the new location of the main seat of the APECS Directorate Office which moved from TromsØ (Norway) to Potsdam (Germany) in February 2017 and being hosted by the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) for the next 5 years.

Besides the 14 official members of the NK SCAR/IASC, currently being chaired by Günther Heinemann, 21 guests from various research institutions, funding agencies and federal ministries were attending the meeting - all occupying leading roles in the German polar research community. The list of affiliations included the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI), the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), the Federal Environment Agency (UBA), the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Marine Research, the German Research Foundation (DFG) and its Priority Program for Antarctic Research (SPP-1158), the German Association for Polar Research (DGP) and of course APECS. Major topics concerning German polar research focused on the “International Framework”, “Infrastructure and Expeditions” (this year with a special focus on MOSAiC – the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate), “National research planning and strategies” as well as more general SCAR and IASC matters from the respective SCAR and IASC international working groups.

 As almost every participant was invited to give a short report or statement on their respective contribution to these topics, the 2-day meeting was densely packed with interesting information. However, likewise to most scientific conferences there were several coffee-breaks available to serve as an extended stage to initiate discussions in a more relaxed atmosphere. 

In this context, it became clear that many attendees were quite happy to hear that APECS Germany had been officially founded and signalized willingness to support and collaborate in the future. As a first outcome, the coordination workshop of the Priority Program for Antarctic Research in September 2017 (APECS Polar week!) will likely set the framework for a 2nd APECS Germany workshop.

Overall, we are happy to see that the NK SCAR/IASC recognizes APECS (Germany) and the role of early career scientists (ECS) in general as an integral part of polar research in Germany. The invitation of an early career scientist to participate in their annual meetings can give valuable insights into national science activities and the translation of international science agreements and guidelines to a national level. Not less important – the NK SCAR/IASC is an ideal occasion to extend an ECS’s professional network by facilitating communication with experienced senior researchers, federal institutions and/or funding agencies.

If you are interested in learning more about APECS Germany and/or you want to actively participate in planning and organizing activities in Germany – get in touch with us! germany-board[at]apecs.is

For the occasion of the SCAR PAIS conference in Trieste (10 - 15 September 2017), APECS Italy is organizing a workshop on 11 September about the use of Social Media to effectively communicate science to the wider public.

Often, it seems, the ability to communicate our research is undervalued, or at least not given the importance it deserves. However, especially in a society in which “science culture” is not generally taken into account (just think of the popularity of falsehoods such as the “correlation” between vaccinations and Autism, “Stamina therapy”, or the idea that climate change is a hoax), the ability to render the results of our research comprehensible to the society at large is fundamental.

Involve, impassion, educate. These are the three objectives that every researcher should have in mind when concluding a project.

Today, thanks to the existence of social networks like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, this goal is much more within reach. The power of these instruments is in the hands of all of us, and this is especially evident when “hyped results” from “fake science” go viral. It is necessary then to reverse this trend: to do what we can to make “good science” go viral, and involve the members at large of these social media communities. How? The goal of the workshop that APECS Italy is organizing alongside the PAIS conference aims to address this “How?” by providing practical tools to participants in order to be able to successfully share their own research.

Practical Information and Registration:

When? September 11th – 6:00 PM
Where? Stazione Marittima – Molo Bersaglieri 3 – Trieste – Room: Vulcania1
Who? Guests and program TBD

For more information and to register, please visit the APECS Italy website

European Commission LogoApplicate logoThe EU Horizon 2020-funded APPLICATE project, in cooperation with the World Meteorological Organisation’s Polar Prediction Project (PPP) in occasion of the Year of Polar Prediction (YOPP), the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) and other partners are organising the second Polar Prediction School 2018 on weather and climate prediction in the polar regions from 17 - 27 April 2018 at Abisko Scientific Research Station in Sweden.

APECS 10 year logoYOPP LOGO beb4effb3cThis school, for early career scientists, will include a combination of polar weather and climate theory lectures with exercises on modelling and field meteorology techniques as well as soft skill training. Each of these components forms a crucial pillar of the prediction problem, and the motivation for combining these is to provide participants with a complete overview of the components required to understand and predict polar weather.

The Polar Prediction School 2018 will be open to 30 early career researchers (focus on advanced graduate students, PhD students, and postdoctoral researchers) from around the world. An international set of instructors will be teaching the sessions. As during the first Polar Prediction School in 2016, classes will be held at the Abisko Scientific Research Station, in Sweden, where the instructional facilities are conveniently located in an environment well suited to Arctic observations.

More information and how to apply can be found on the Polar Prediction School 2018 website. Application deadline is 15 September 2017.

Arctic Data Center ARCUS Webinar0617APECS Webinar: Arctic Data Center: Tools and Strategies for Archiving your Data
June 21, 2017 at 17:00 GMT

Presenter: Amber Budden, Jesse Goldstein and Chris Jones

Registration Link

The NSF Arctic Data Center plays a critical support role in archiving and curating the data and software generated by Arctic researchers from diverse disciplines. The Arctic community, comprising Earth science, ecology, archaeology, geography, anthropology, and other social science researchers, are supported through data curation services and domain agnostic tools and infrastructure, ensuring data are accessible in the most transparent and usable way possible. This interoperability across diverse disciplines within the Arctic community facilitates collaborative research and is complemented by interoperability between the Arctic Data Center infrastructure and other large scale cyberinfrastructure initiatives.

During this webinar we will provide a brief overview of the the Arctic Data Center; the history, infrastructure, and partnerships that support long-term preservation of the data and metadata. We will highlight the many features and services offered by the Arctic Data Center before stepping through some best practices for working with data and guidance on how to archive data to with the Arctic Data Center.

Career Panel ICASS2017Studying social sciences gives us all plenty of opportunities to use scientific knowledge and skills, not only for a career in academia, but also in governance, community development, planning and many other areas. Learn with us about opportunities and challenges in career choices for young Arctic social science researchers, both inside and outside academia!

The Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) will be organising a panel discussion on "Careers opportunities in Arctic Social Sciences" during the 9th International Congress on Arctic Social Sciences (ICASS) (8-12 June 2017, Umeå, Sweden), where you will have an opportunity to hear career experiences of our excellent panelists that we hope would be inspiring for your future career choices.

Join us on 8 June 2017 at 14:30 at Umeå University in room MC313.

Meet our panelists:

  • Mare Pit (German Arctic Office / AWI, Germany)
  • Anne-Lill Drugge (Centre for Sami Research (Cesam) - Vaartoe, Sweden)
  • Gail Fondahl (University of Northern British Columbia, Canada)
  • Katrin Stephen (IASS, Germany)

APECS Switzerland LogoThe APECS Swiss National Committee annual meting took place at the Alpine Museum in Bern on the 11th of May 2017.

Around 15 members, representing most Swiss universitites were present. In the afternoon, one person per university/research institute gave a small presentation on the different projects currently going on in their respective group. Afterwards, a discussion on future plans and activities of APECS CH took place.

The feedback from the members about this meeting was very positive and it was mentioned that having such information on a regular (annual) basis is useful.

After the meeting, most of us went for a beer :-)

AMAP Workshop2The Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) 2017 International Conference on Arctic Science: Bridging Knowledge to Action took place in Reston, Virginia, United States, from April 25-27. The conference brought together a diverse and international group of experts ranging from scientists to decision-makers to explore pathways for enhancing usability of scientific and other forms of knowledge to support policy and practice in the Arctic. The conference highlighted major AMAP assessments and the release of the latest AMAP assessment reports: Snow, Water, Ice and Permafrost in the Arctic (SWIPA) and Adaptation Actions for a Changing Arctic (AACA) regional reports.

Another major highlight was the April 24 pre-conference workshop on "Scientific Assessments: Process, Dissemination and Impact" organized by the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) and International Arctic Science Committee (IASC). This one-day workshop engaged researchers in a conversation on scientific assessments with an international group of scientists and communication experts in government and academia through interactive panels and presentations. Workshop outcomes also contributed to a discussion during plenary sessions on a call for action held on the last day of the conference.

Contributions from the APECS/IASC/AMAP workshop echoed major themes that emerged throughout the conference, with usability of scientific assessment for policy and decision support being most prominent. In particular, participants noted that the well-established usability challenge of balancing credibility, saliency, and legitimately of information for a wide range of stakeholders with diverse values and priorities is compounded in the Arctic by amplified system changes and limited monitoring and research capacity compared with what is generally found in the lower latitudes. Ways forward focused on methods for stakeholder engagement during the assessment process such as co-production of products to enhance usability while building capacity for process/product use such as joint producer-user partnerships and training opportunities. The need to span disciplinary and researcher-stakeholder boundaries and the role of institutions in designing and facilitating such interactions was a related consistent conference theme. The need for such "boundary organizations" to enhance assessment usability discussed in the early career workshop was the main recommended call for action promoted at the end of the conference.

For more information on the conference and early career workshop visit the full conference program and APECS/IASC/AMAP agenda.

AMAP workshop

Polar Science Communication Workshop: Aug. 12-14, Boulder, CO, USA
 
USAPECS scicomm workshop flyer

 

We would like to announce an opportunity for polar scientists of all career stages to obtain formal training in science communication strategies during an NSF- and NASA-funded workshop held in Boulder, CO, USA from August 12-14, 2017. The workshop will take place immediately prior to the International Glaciological Society (IGS) International Symposium on Polar Ice, Polar Climate, Polar Change at the University of Colorado Boulder. The workshop will include two days of oral communication training by the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science and one day of written communication training by Dr. Max Boykoff and his team from the University of Colorado Boulder.
 
The workshop is open to 32 polar scientists from all career stages and spanning all disciplines in the physical and social sciences. Workshop participants do not need to attend the IGS symposium in order to participate in the science communication workshop. Funding for domestic travel and lodging are available for ~19 early-career scientists.
 
Workshop applications and additional information can be found at http://usapecs.wixsite.com/usapecs/polar-scicom-workshop. Applications are due June 5th. Notification of acceptance, and early-career funding if applicable, will be made by July.
 
Please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have any questions regarding workshop details or the application process, and please let your colleagues know about this workshop!

Unbenannt.pngAPECS-France met in Paris during the last scientific days of the CNFRA (Comity for French Research in the Arctic and in the Antarctic) the 11th and 12th of May. This event represents the annual meeting for the French polar community.

A part of the board (Céline Clément-Chastel & Lydie Lescarmontier) as well as 3 active members (Anne-Mathilde Thierry, Françoise Amelineau & Emmanuelle Sultan) attended the conference and assisted the association in the record of new members and in answering questions.

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The 11th, Céline gave a talk about the functioning of the association, its missions, and the current projects. At the end of the scientific days, Lydie Lescarmontier animated a small workshop in communications, giving few rules to success in giving presentations, and organised a debate with general questions about mediation and a feedback about the two last days of talks.

This event also allowed the board and the active members to gather and discuss « in live! » about the current projects and the general functioning of the association: what is not working, and what could be improved? We also have to note the presence of our famous Kakemono APECS-France invited at every APECS-France event!

Communicating Across Borders

APECS Oceania will be hosting a two hour workshop for early career researchers, just prior to the 2017 SCAR Humanities and Social Sciences Depths and Surfaces Conference. All conference attendees and local researchers are welcome, but please do register for the event. We thank the Coucil of Managers of National Antarctic Programs for their support in providing catering for the event. Details are below.

In today’s research climate, communication is an important skill. Researchers need to be able to not only communicate with colleagues in the same area, but with those from very different backgrounds, and the wider public. This session addresses the challenges associated with “communicating across borders" - such borders may be disciplinary, geographic, or between areas such as science and policy. An invited panel of international and local mentors will present short talks about their experiences communicating with various audiences, followed by a panel discussion with questions from the floor:

  • Renuka Badhe (Executive Secretary of European Polar Board)
    • Focussing on connections between Arctic and Antarctic (both science and policy);
  • Elias Barticevic (Chilean Antarctic Institute - INACH)
    • Chilean Antarctic Institute: approaches to Education & Outreach in the community of Punta Arenas and beyond;
  • Adrian Howkins (Environmental Historian - Colorado State University)
    • How the Dry Valleys are understood in different ways (communicates with both scientists and tourists);
  • Mel Fitzpatrick (Climate Scientist – E & O - Science Communication)
    • Experience working in the field and top tips for communicating to varied audiences;
  • Meredith Nash (Homeward Bound programme – UTAS)
    • Intersectionality; borders and boundaries that often remain unseen in (Antarctic) research, Homeward Bound personal experience

The second half of the workshop involves practical activities related to writing effective project proposals and exploring ways to foster interdisciplinary approaches. A range of opportunities, including fellowships, for early career researchers will also be introduced. Mentors for "Science Communication" are Mel Fitzpatrick and Stephen Curtain; for "Fellowships and Opportunities" we have Ursula Rack, Rowan Trebilco and Alan Hemmings; and for "Interdisciplinary Collaboration" the mentors are Renuka Badhe, Daniela Liggett and Cornelia Lüdecke.

This workshop is open to all polar early career researchers. Delegates to the 2017 Depths and Surfaces Conference and local PhD candidates are both encouraged to attend. Please register for the workshop via this link

 

 

IMG 20170427 1650307

A question that many early career scientists ask themselves... We discussed this topic at the EGU GA during the Polar Science Career Panel, which was co-organized by the EGU Cryosphere ECS team and APECS on 27 April 2017.

Our five panellists, from different backgrounds and job fields, engaged in a lively discussion with over 50 session attendees. Questions ranged from “How and when did you know what you wanted to do”, to “How important is social media presence” and “What will be the next hot topic in the field.

One hot topic of debate was whether moving to different working groups, and with that to different countries, is a must? While most of our panellists pointed to the clear advantages, some words of caution were also voiced. Moving around comes at a cost not only regarding the personal life but also the professional networks. It is not easy to keep in touch when gone for a number of years, but as realization/acknowledgment is the first step, be sure to keep it in mind.

At the end we asked each panellist to come up with some final words of advice for ECSs, which were:

  • There is no right and wrong, ask other people and see what you like
  • Remember you can shape your own job
  • Take chances! Even if you are likely to fail, and think outside the box
  • Remember that you are a whole human being... not only a scientist, and use all your skills
  • And last but not least... come and work at Carbon Brief (thanks Robert McSweeney;))

IMG 20170427 1558518

We would again like to thank our five panellists, namely - Felicity Liggins (Climate Scientist and Outreach Program Manager from the Met Office, UK), Robert McSweeney (Science Writer for Carbon Brief), Lindsey Nicholson (SeniorPostDoc from the University of Innsbruck, Austria), Kerim Nisancioglu (Prof. of Earth Science, University of Bergen, Norway) and Wiebke Schubotz (Project Coordinator of HD(CP)² at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, Germany) and everybody who attended and participated in the lively discussion.

If you would like more details, you can read up on twitter @EGU_CR, search for the #CareerPanel.

... and maybe see you next year at EGU!

 

On Sunday 2 April around 50 early career researchers assembled in the Clarion Congress Hotel Prague for a one day workshop organised by APECS prior to the start of Arctic Science Summit Week. The day started with two panel discussions and after lunch, participants could attend two of three different breakout sessions. By the end of the day we had all learnt something new (did you know that there are flamingos in Siberia?!) and came away with new ideas and friends. Below are the take home messages from each of the sessions.

 

APECS workshop ASSW2017

APECS Webinar: The first and only ice core histories from the Kilimanjaro ice fields
May 24, 20-21 GMT
[Note time change]
 
By Lonnie G. Thompson
Distinguished University Professor, School of Earth Sciences and Senior Research Scientist, Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center, The Ohio State University
 
Abstract
A little history Ice core recovery in the tropics, getting started and lessons learned on the Quelccaya ice cap that would later be applied on getting the Kilimanjaro ice core paleoclimate program started.  I will explain the reasoning for selecting Kilimanjaro to do field work, first, by giving a short recount sampling shallow snow pits and shallow ice cores from Mt. Kenya, Africa 1978, which set the wheels in motion that would ultimately lead to the successful drilling of the ice fields of Kilimanjaro 22 years later.  Essentially no research had been conducted on Kilimanjaro for over 30 years before our journey to the mountain in 1999.  I plan to document how we went about setting up the necessary contacts to carry out the first shallow ice core recovery program on Kilimanjaro which would pave the way for the major ice core recovery program conducted in 2000. We conducted back to back research programs on Kilimanjaro in 1992 and 2000 and again in 2006. We have continued to obtain aerial and satellite photos of the shrinking ice fields since 2000 through 2017.
 

Register at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2804151956072155137

 

APECS OceaniaAPECS OCEANIA SYMPOSIUM
“Addressing future Antarctic challenges from an Oceania perspective”
Monash University, Melbourne Australia & University of Canterbury, Christchurch New Zealand
18th – 19th September 2017

Rapid global changes are challenging our perception of the world and threatening biodiversity around the planet. The Antarctic Region is no exception, and whilst largely considered to be pristine, and a “nature reserve, devoted to peace and science”, it is at risk from multiple pressures. The Antarctic Peninsula has experienced one of the most rapid temperature rises in the Southern Hemisphere, and managing invasive species to Antarctica has been labelled as the number one priority of the Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP). Tourist numbers to the region continue to grow and more countries are interested in joining the Antarctic Treaty System and being involved with the governance of Antarctica. We are only beginning to understand what these changes mean for Antarctic science, biodiversity and society.
From an Oceania perspective, how are we addressing these changes? In what way can we contribute to perpetuate the aims of the Antarctic Treaty and the Protocol for Environmental Protection to the Antarctic? The 1st APECS Oceania symposium aims to bring together early career Antarctic researchers from across Oceania to address these questions and to invoke for answers to the future Antarctic challenges.

Date:
The symposium will run on 18th – 19th of September as part of Polar Week celebrations worldwide.

Venues:
The symposium will be held in Australia and New Zealand simultaneously with presentations from early career scientists and keynote speakers from both countries. The venues will be connected via video link to allow attendees to participate in all sessions across the Tasman Sea.
The venues for this event are:

  • Australia: Monash University, Level 7 Monash University Conference Centre Collins Street, Melbourne.
  • New Zealand: University of Canterbury, Christchurch, NZ

Abstract Submission:
Opening: A call for abstracts is now open
Closes: Abstract submission closes on the 9th of June 2017
Click link here for Abstract submission

Guidelines:

  • All abstracts will be written in English
  • Abstract must be limited to 300 words
  • Include your name and any other authors involved in this presentation
  • Include your institution and your additional author institutions
  • Include a short title which summarises your presentation
  • State which session you want your abstract to be submitted to
  • State which country and time zone you will be presenting from, so that we can find a sensible time slot for your presentation

IPRN talk March 2017Indian Polar Research Network (IPRN) (APECS India) in collaboration with Department of Geology, University of Delhi organised a talk titled “What lies beneath the ice - Role of Geologists in Antarctic Sciences” on 24th March 2017 in Ram Lal Anand College, University of Delhi. This event was to mark the International Polar Week Spring 2017 celebration and followed this year’s theme of Polar week - People of the Poles: Human Use and Appreciation of Earth’s Polar Regions. The event was organised to introduce and popularize Antarctic sciences to the undergraduate geology students of Delhi University.

2 Prof. Pant explaining Why explore AntarcticaThe event commenced with an introduction of Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) and its national committee Indian Polar Research Network (IPRN) to the audience. I explained the significant findings about the melting of Antarctic ice sheet and subsequent predictions of sea level rise emphasizing the role Antarctica plays in regulating the global climate and oceanographic system. Prof. Naresh Pant, who has been working in Antarctic Geosciences from last 30 years, briefed the audience about the recently identified research priorities for Antarctic Earth Sciences. The introductory session brought out the key reasons for conserving and exploring Antarctica to the audience and initiated a dialogue.

3 Mayuri explaining her research workThe third component of the talk was to highlight the fields and disciplines through which geologists contribute to Antarctic Sciences. This was described by Ms. Mayuri Pandey who is a research scholar at Department of geology, University of Delhi and also an IPRN member. She has recently submitted her PhD in Antarctic sciences and has been a part of 36th Indian Expedition to Antarctica. Her work includes provenance studies of the Wilkes Land through IODP (U1359) sediments, paleoclimate studies through clay minerals and interpreting sub ice geology through different methods. She aptly explained different areas of geology in polar sciences that are: Glaciology, Climatology, marine sediments study and interpreting sub ice geology through indirect methods like geophysics and remote sensing with a glimpse of her research work as well. Study of micro-meteorites found in marginal marine sediments was also explained by her.

I concluded the talk with details of Indian Antarctic programme and the procedure to participate in it through the student participation scheme of National Centre for Antarctic & Ocean Research (ESSO-NCAOR), an Earth System Science Organisation under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) - Government of India. Career opportunities in polar geosciences and the various information portals like APECS Jobs portal were also highlighted for students interested in polar research. The talk was attended by about 80 students along with the faculties of the University of Delhi. The feedback by the young students was highly encouraging and we plan to organise similar kind of event regarding Arctic sciences as well.

APECS 10 year logoepb logo desktop 2015APECS has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the European Polar Board (EPB), recognising our common goals of engaging and supporting polar science through scientific activities, promotion of polar facilities, and education, outreach and communication. The EPB and APECS recognise the importance of fostering the next generation of researchers that will be faced with increasingly critical challenges due to the impacts of climate change on the polar regions and their global significance.

Gerlis Maaike2

The MoU was signed by EPB Chair, Maaike Vancauwenberghe, and APECS Executive Director, Gerlis Fugmann, during the EPB Spring 2017 Plenary Meeting in Prague.

The European Polar Board (EPB) is an independent organisation that focuses on major European strategic priorities in both the Arctic and the Antarctic regions. Current EPB membership includes research institutes, funding agencies, scientific academies and polar operators from across Europe.

The EPB envisions a Europe with a strong and cohesive polar research community and wherein decisions affecting or affected by the polar regions are informed by independent, accurate, and timely advice from the EPB.

The EPB has a mission to improve European coordination of Arctic and Antarctic research, by optimising the use of European polar research infrastructures. We promote multilateral collaborations between our Members and provide a single contact point for the global polar community. We advance the collective knowledge of polar issues, particularly in the context of European societal relevance.

The EPB and APECS look forward to years of further collaboration.

More information on EPB can be found at http://www.europeanpolarboard.org/.

Quantarctica promo slide


Making Antarctic Maps and Figures with Quantarctica

June 7, 2017

13:00 - 14:00 GMT


Description

One of the most time-consuming and stressful parts of any Antarctic research project is simply making a map. Whether it’s plotting your own data points, lines, or images; making the perfect “Figure 1” for your next paper, or replying to a collaborator who says “Just show me a map!,” it seems that quick and effective map-making is a skill that we take for granted.

However, finding good map data and tools for Earth’s most sparsely-populated and poorly-mapped continent can be exhausting. The Quantarctica project (http://quantarctica.npolar.no/) aims to solve these problems by providing a package of pre-prepared scientific and geographic datasets, combined with easy-to-use mapping software for the entire Antarctic community.

In this webinar, we'll take a quick tour of what's available for you in Quantarctica before learning how to import and analyze your own scientific data. Then we'll dive into the world of cartographic design and show you how to create a great-looking, publication-quality map of your study site.

Registration link

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8483520940369720067

EGU CryosphereAPECS 10 year logoThe EGU 2017 offers plentify for polar ECRs from panels to social events! Whether it’s your first big conference and you are not sure how to approach it or you just want to catch up with some ‘old’ friends and colleagues. We kick-off the polar-rich EGU week during the Pre-Icebreaker Cryo meet-up on Sunday (23.4.) and head to the Icebreaker together afterwards.

Not sure which path your career might take? Join the APECS-EGU Cryosphere Polar Science Career Panel on Thursday (27.04, Session SC66/CL6.05/CR6.14), where our five panellists will engage in discussions around experiences, career paths and choices.

And meet up on Cryo Night Out (jointly organiyed by EGU Cryosphere Division and APECS on Thursday (27.04.) for a social evening with your peers.

Look out for more polar news, sessions and events on the EGU Cryospheric Sciences Blog, Facebook and APECS website. 

Clic logo1

The Climate and Cryosphere (CliC) Scientific Steering Group of the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) met for its 13th session on February 17-18, 2017. The meeting was hosted at the Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, and took place in conjunction with the International Symposium on the Cryosphere in a hanging Climate held from February 13-17, 2017. More than twenty presentations were in the agenda, and twenty-seven participants from thirteen different countries attended the meeting (both at the location and participating remotely). The meeting was led by CliC Co-Chairs Gerhard Krinner and James Renwick.

CliC group pictureLawrence Hislop, CliC Director, welcomed the participants and highlighted the different topics of the meeting: among them were evaluation of current projects benchmarking), identification of potential duplication of CliC activities, an update of the current Science Plan and new initiatives, linkages to other organizations and research groups, etc. 

A number of oral sessions covered the wide range of CliC and WCRP activities from contributing to the 6th Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to CliC supported Coupled Model Intercomparison Projects.

A focus was also on the multidisciplinary WCRP Grand Challenges: melting ice and global consequences, climate sensitivity, carbon feedbacks in the climate system, weather and climate prediction, water availability, sea-level change and its coastal impacts. The participants critically-reviewed the 2016-2020 CliC Science Plan, which describes their overarching research needs and themes: terrestrial cryosphere; marine cryosphere; ice sheets, glaciers and sea level; global and regional prediction and projection of the cryosphere.

Suggestions on the Science Plan were welcomed and led to an exciting discussion between the delegates about our future in an ongoing climate change. The core questions span the entire diversity of the Earth’s cryosphere: How much carbon is available in permafrost ? Why are Arctic and Antarctic sea ice behaving differently ? What is the contribution of glaciers and ice sheets to changes in global sea level on decadal-to-centennial timescales ? How does the cryosphere interact with the climate ? The answers are at the heart of an ongoing research effort across the science community. The group concluded that the current and proposed activities still reflect CliC priorities and that further work needs to be done to answer these questions.

CliC meeting room

As the APECS representative Christian Wild, I updated the participants on the actions of the Association of Polar Early Carrer Scientists (APECS). He pointd out that young scientists are passionate to contribute knowledge within the cryospheric community, be it through collecting invalueable observations, international research collaborations or education and outreach products related to the polar regions. CliC should clarify how to include Early Career Scientists generally in their activities through leadership, membership, planning and funding possibilities. Additionally, he gathered information about upcoming conferences/workshops and other opportunities for early career scientists to become actively involved. His participation at the meeting was a great experience and as his PhD topic targets the interaction between ice shelves and the ocean, he particularly enjoyed the discussion about the stability of the Antarctic ice shelves given the increase in both oceanic and atmospheric temperatures.

From a personal perspective, he had the chance to liaise with world-eminent experts of climate research and had the opportunity for more informal discussions during the breaks. Christian was also responsible for taking minutes and contributed to the meeting report. The final report of the 13th meeting of the WCRP’s CliC project Scientific Steering Group is now available at the CliC webpage and can be found here: http://www.climate-cryosphere.org/news/clic-news/1558-clicssg13reportavailable.

USAPECS is organizing a "Tweetstorm" event to celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd. That day, polar scientists who use Twitter should tweet blurbs about why their research is important (with or without photos) using #EarthScienceIsCool.

Polar enthusiasts around the world are encouraged to contribute!

EarthScienceIsCool

APECS is hosting a webinar titled Snow, Ice, Rivers, and Earthquakes: Himalayan Research and Life in Nepal, presented by Dr. Joseph Shea (University of Saskatchewan) on April 25, 2017 at 9:00 AM MDT (15:00 GMT).

Summary: From 2012-2016 Joe spent four years as a Research Scientist based in Kathmandu, Nepal, working in the "Third Pole". This talk will broadly cover the Himalayan research program that he contributed to, which includes high mountain hydrological and meteorological monitoring, UAVs, glacier modelling, and a major earthquake. Joe will also try to provide some insights into taking up positions in foreign countries, working and living as an expatriate/emigrant, and deviating from the traditional academic path.

Please register here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3109116899014571779.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

  Himallia2.png

ASSW2017iasc webDuring the recent Arctic Science Summit Week (31 March - 7 April, Prague, Czech Republic) there were two evening poster sessions where early career researchers had the opportunity to showcase their work and impress a team of judges.  The well-deserved prizes were awarded on the final day at the closing ceremony. Prizes were awarded for each of the IASC working groups in addition to a 'cross-cutting' prize. The competition was jointly organised by the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) and APECS and coordinated by Ruth Hindshaw. We would like to thank all the judges who contributed their time to judge the posters and of course to all the presenters!

Winners:

Atmopshere: Elena Kharyutkina "Tendencies in Current Climate Changes and Atmospheric Circulation Variability in the Arctic Region of West Siberia"
Cryosphere: Erlend Knudsen "Observational Evidence for Predictive Skills from Arctic Summer Sea Ice Extent"
Cross-Cutting: Diana Mastracci "“Hacking” Traditional Knowledge Based Solutions to Climate Change. The NASA “Sea-Ice” App Challenge"
Marine: Alex Thornton "Using Pacific Walrus Teeth to Study Patterns of Change in Alaska Food Web Dynamics"
Terrestrial: Anna Bobrik "Carbon Efflux and Soil Carbon Storage: Transect from Taiga to Tundra of Western Siberia
Social & Human: Yana Korneeva "The model of psychological safety of oil and gas shift workers in the Arctic"

The overall winner was Alex Thornton.

Congratulations to all!

2017 ASSW poster prize

Caption: Left - Alex Thornton presenting his winning poster. Right: IASC Vice President Larry Hinzman and APECS President Alice Bradley present Alex Thornton and Erlend Knudsen with their awards.

The US National Committee of the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (USAPECS) is organizing a "Tweetstorm" event to celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd. The basic gist of the event is that polar scientists who use Twitter should tweet blurbs about why their research is important (with or without photos) on Earth Day using #EarthScienceIsCool.

We're hoping to get good enough participation to trend on Twitter so that there's a lot of exposure for the polar tweets. I think this is a great opportunity to increase awareness of the importance of polar research and I encourage everyone to participate.

Please circulate the Earth Day Tweetstorm flyer at the USAPECS website to anyone you think may be interested in the event! I hope to see your tweets on the 22nd!

APECS International Online Conference 2017 Prizes announced

The much anticipated third annual conference kick-started Polar Week on the 20th of March 2017. 44 spekaers presented over the course of 18 hours, providing many ways of thinking of the polar regions in novel ways. This year’s theme was: “Outside the Box: encouraging alternative solutions for undertaking and communicating polar research.” As a new generation of polar researchers stepping up to the plate, we must embrace new and innovative polar challenges. 

APECS congratulates the three prize winners, all of whom have won funds towards future conference travel: 

  • Arctic: Maciej Mańko, Katarzyna Walczyńska (session 1): 'On-board Citizen Science! How Tourist Can Aid Marine Biodiversity Monitoring in Svalbard?'
  • Antarctic: Hernan Sala: (session 4): 'Why is it Hard to Communicate the Future of the Antarctic Ice Sheet?'
  • Outside the box: Nuno Pereira (session 2); 'ViRAL: Virtual Reality Antarctica Laboratory'

Thanks to the talented key note speakers Jane Francis (BAS) - Session 1 - and John Walsh (Fairbanks) - Session 4.

We are also grateful to all the presenters and volunteers who made the conference possible.

For links to the conference recordings, and to view all abstracts of the 2017 Online Conference, please see http://www.apecs.is/events/past-event-highlights/event-highlights-2017/apecs-online-conference-2017.html

 

APECS 10 year logoNominations are now accepted for the APECS International Mentorship Award 2017!

This year there will be two awards, which have been created to acknowledge the time and energy that mentors dedicate to early career researchers each year, and their efforts in building a supportive community.

APECS International Mentorship Award 2017 Categories:

  • “Member category”: APECS members are encouraged to nominate a mentor who has been an outstanding mentor to them during their career.
  • “APECS category”: APECS members, committees (including National Committees) and project groups are encouraged to nominate a mentor who has made an outstanding contribution to their APECS committees, activities or the organisation as a whole

The nomination process is open until 28 May 2017. More information about the award and nomination instruction you can find on the APECS website. Only complete nomination packages are accepted. 

INTERACT Logoapplicate logoUiT Logo eng posAPECS 10 year logoWe are announcing an exciting opportunity to work as Project Manager with APECS and UiT The Arctic University of Norway (UiT)!

The Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT The Arctic University of Norway in cooperation with the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) announces a vacant position for a Project Manager. The successful candidate will work on managing the UiT tasks focused primarily on training and outreach activities that complement APECS activities within the recently funded Horizon 2020 EU projects APPLICATE (Advanced Prediction in Polar regions and beyond: Modelling, observing system design and LInkages associated with ArctiC ClimATE change) and INTERACT (International Network for Terrestrial Research and Monitoring in the Arctic). The tasks will include, but are not limited to, organizing a Summer School, the development of an Online Course, and other online training resources for APPLICATE as well as developing a fieldwork planning handbook and a practical field guide for INTERACT. The candidate will support and work with a group of volunteers as part of the project tasks. As part of the distributed APECS International Directorate Office, the candidate will also at times contribute to other APECS activities as needed.

The opportunity is a temporary full-time position until 30 April 2019 in the Research Department of The Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics. The period of appointment may be extended. The Project Manager will be located and employed at UiT in Tromsø, Norway. Additionally, the project manager will hold the title of “APECS Project Officer” within the APECS International Directorate Office. APECS and UiT will collaborate on UiT tasks in the APPLICATE and INTERACT projects. The APECS Executive Director will supervise the candidate remotely from the APECS International Directorate office location at the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research in Potsdam, Germany. 

The application deadline is 5 May 2017. The detailed position announcement and more information on how to apply can be found here: https://www.jobbnorge.no/en/available-jobs/job/137134/project-manager-for-uit-and-apecs

 

logo SB2017 LargeJust one day ahead of the upcoming SCAR Biology Symposium 2017 in Leuven, Belgium, APECS is organizing an Early-Career Workshop under the overarching theme of "Communicating with a non-scientific audience - or: how to explain your research to your grandparents?". Most will agree that communication is key in promoting science and education, but what are characteristics of good communication? We want to tackle this from different perspectives (not only scientific that is) and plan insights given by seniors and hands-on practice. The program is still developing, but make sure to sign up early as it's first-come-first-serve!

Time: 9 July 2017, 9:30 - 16:30
Location: KU Leuven, Kolenmuseum, room KOL 0.04, Charles Deberiotstraat 32, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium

The workshop is free of charge, but please do register before 12 May 2017! For more information about the workshop and how to register, please visit the APECS website.

APECS Switzerland is organizing a one-day symposium on polar research, the “Swiss Polar Day” that will take place in Zürich on September 7th 2017. The symposium will take place in anticipation of the International Polar Week in September and be hosted by the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL.

The symposium will provide a broad overview on all Polar research topics taking place universities/ institutions in Switzerland. Representatives of Swiss universities or research institution will present their university's’ activities in Polar research, inform about research platforms and future plans in Polar research, such as planned expeditions or projects.

The first (largest) part of the day is planned around presentation sessions open for the larger interested public. The second part of the day is reserved for a round table and networking event of the representatives of the universities/ institutes.

We invite you all to invite you all to participate in the presentation sessions of the Swiss Polar Day in September 2017 in Zürich. We also like to encourage you to extend the invitation to your colleagues in Switzerland.

A detailed program and a link for the registration will be available soon!

Thank you for all the great submissions to the APECS International Polar Week Photo Contest 2017! After all the votes are in, we are happy to announce the three winners:

1st Prize in the "PolarPeople in action" category: Stefano Ambroso (Institut de ciencies del mar (CSIC), Spain

This is an expression of the hard work that Polarstern crew does daily on-board. The scientific team want to thank all of them because their work is essential for our investigation. The photo was taken on board of the german icebreaker Polarstern in the Weddell Sea during the expedition ANT XXIX/9 in January 2014.

Stefano Ambroso copy

 

1st Prize in the "PolarPeople & wilflife" category: Gabriela Roldan (Gateway Antarctica, University of Canterbury, New Zealand)

'A tune for Adelia', the sound of a violin in the cold silence of Antarctica was enigmatic to the Adelie penguin. January 2015

A tune for Adelia GabrielaRoldan copy

 

1st Prize in the "PolarPeople at home" category: Elizabeth Erickson (University of California, Santa Barbara, United States)

Enjoying a snack break and rest after cutting ice blocks to build the kitchen walls. Antarctic home life. Ross Sea Ice Shelf, Antarctica, 1 November 2016

2 PolarPeople ElizabethErickson copy

amap logoiasc webAPECS 10 year logoThe Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) and the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) will be organizing a workshop on “Scientific Assessments: Process, Dissemination and Impact” at the upcoming International Conference on Arctic Science: Bringing Knowledge to Action in Reston, Virginia, United States on 24 April 2017.

There is an urgent, recognized need to bridge the gap between science and policy to enhance the use of scientific knowledge as a basis for decision-making. Scientific assessments are principal mechanisms for harnessing scientific information to inform policy- and decision-making. A scientific assessment is, however, far more than just a final report or deliverable, it is the entire multi-year process, within which expert knowledge is gathered, evaluated, interpreted - before it is communicated to decision-makers and other audiences.

Participants will have a chance to learn more about scientific assessments, their do’s and don’ts, best practices in translating and communicating science and knowledge into action, and how individual scientists can make their voice heard. Workshop outcomes will contribute with their views to the discussions on the last day of the conference.

The workshop is open to all participants of the International Conference on Arctic Science: Bringing Knowledge to Action.

Registration deadline is on 15 April 2017. To register, please fill out the online form here.

Early career researchers have the opportunity to apply for partial travel support provided by IASC. Application deadline for travel support is 5 April 2017.

For a draft schedule and more information, please visit the APECS website. 

For questions please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Polar Week logo2 01The APECS International Polar Week Photo Contest Spring 2017 has received 60 submissions! And now it’s time for YOU to vote for the best photos in three different categories:

  • PolarPeople in action
  • PolarPeople at home
  • Polar People & wildlife

How to vote?
Go to the photo contest website and look up the photo numbersand the names of the photographers of the photos that you like best in the three categories. And then submit your vote in the polls below:

You can vote for one photo per category.

Voting deadline is Tuesday 28 March 2017 at 21:00 GMT. The photographers of the best photo in each category will win 100 Euros towards travel to a conference of their choice. The winners will be announced after the voting deadline.

APECS is organizing the International Polar Week from March 20-26, 2017. Polar Week is a series of international events with the goal of promoting the science that takes place in polar latitudes, and educating the public about all things polar. The theme of this year's Polar Week is “People of the Poles: Human Use and Appreciation of Earth’s Polar Regions.” On the spring equinox we are hosting an online panel discussion to discuss the nuances, challenges, and successes of working in collaboration with Indigenous people and the role of Traditional Knowledge in northern research.

APECS Polar Week Panel Discussion: Working in Collaboration with Indigenous People and the Role of Traditional Knowledge in Northern Research

Details: Tuesday, March 21, 16:00 - 18:00 GMT

Current Panelists:

  • Dr. David Atkinson, professor at Ryerson University who works closely with the community of Baker Lake, Nunavut.
  • Kaare Erickson, Community Liason and Nagruk Harcharek, Science General Manager from Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation in Barrow, Alaska
  • Vicki Sahanatien, Arctic Ecologist, Iqaluit, NU, Canada

To register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4881513150268143617

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

APECS ran its first online town hall meeting today, with two sessions timed to be accessible to APECS members around the world. The meeting covered some highlights of current activities, including the upcoming online conference and polar week, a recap of the last Antarctica Day. Several ways for APECS members to get more involved were highlighted, including upcoming APECS workshops and webinars, the soon-to-be-announced Mentor awards, and a number of opportunities to volunteer with APECS. Finally, a few areas of growth for APECS were showcased, including ongoing work on Alpine Cryosphere and Third Pole resources within APECS, two new National Committees, and the World Summit planned for 2018. As always, it was stressed that APECS is a volunteer-based organization and that any ideas and/or interested members are welcome. There were a total of approximately 50 participants in the two sessions.

The slides from the Town Hall are available here. 

 

 

iasc webAPECS 10 year logoASSW2017logoEarly-Career Workshop at Arctic Science Summit Week, Prague: “Inter-disciplinary coordination and multi-stakeholder cooperation through the notion of ‘boundary objects’”

Time: Thursday 6.4.2017, First Part: 14.-15.30, Second Part: 16-17.30
Place: The Virgo Room

This early-career workshop introduces one specific way to approach inter-disciplinary coordination and multi-stakeholder cooperation in the Arctic. It consists of two parts. The first part is a round table-session with talks by three early-career and three senior-scientists about their experiences in multi-disciplinary or multi-stakeholder communication between participants from different social worlds. The second part is a workshop-session where early-career scientists exercise communicating their own work, interests and goals to different audiences by using the insights of the notion of ‘boundary objects’ from Science Technology Studies.

Participants who register with Dr. Justiina Dahl (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) by 30.03.2017 will be sent a workshop information package upon registration. Registration is, however, not mandatory and pop-ins are welcome.

More information

 

arcus logo 75APECS has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS), recognizing our shared interest in raising the profile of polar research and fostering early career researchers in the field. The MoU was signed by Dr. Robert Rich, the Director of ARCUS, and Dr. Gerlis Fugmann, the Executive Director of APECS.

The Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS) was formed in 1988 to identify and bring together the distributed human and facilities resources of the Arctic research community—to create a synergy for the Arctic in which each resource, when combined with others, can result in a strength that enables the community to rise to the many challenges facing the Arctic. ARCUS’s vision is to establish strong and productive linkages among international Arctic researchers, educators, communities, and other stakeholders that promote discovery and understanding of the Arctic and inform sound decisions related to the Arctic. ARCUS members join in a common purpose of advancing knowledge of the Arctic through science, technology, indigenous knowledge, and other forms of knowing; promoting the application of this knowledge to circumpolar Arctic problems; and addressing in concert those questions that require the collaborative skills and resources of scientists, engineers, indigenous knowledge holders, and others throughout the world.

APECS and ARCUS look forward to years of further collaboration.

APECS 10 year logoYou are invited to the APECS Online Town Hall meeting, a webinar-based meeting open to APECS members and the public. There will be updates on APECS news and activities, calls for volunteers for projects that could use some additional help, and APECS leaders on the call to answer questions.

We're going to run two meetings so that there is one available during normal waking hours for APECS members around the world. Session 1 will be 09:00 GMT and session 2 will be 20:00 GMT (4:00pm EST). The two sessions will cover the same content.

Register for session 1 or Register for session 2 

APECS 10 year logoComnap logoSCAR logo white backgroundSpanish Language Webinar: Writing for Success! Preparing winning fellowship applications

Preparing a successful fellowship application is a skill. Often, lack of success with applications is not due to a poor research idea but comes down to the inability to express clearly and confidently, in writing, your research to someone else. Everyone’s writing skills can be improved and be made more effective. This mentoring activity is designed to help early career persons with developing their fellowship proposal writing skills. It is particularly meant for young researchers in countries with a small or just developing Antarctic research community that may not have adequate mentoring in their home institutions.

The need for such mentoring arose after review of the many hundreds of SCAR and COMNAP Fellowship applications received over the past several years. Funding is limited and so reviewers often need to make difficult choices. Success or failure often depends on whether the proposal is written clearly and efficiency.

After the success of the first training webinar held in 2016 (recording available here https://vimeo.com/165109392), SCAR, COMNAP and APECS will be partnering again to hold a similar training webinar, but this time in Spanish . Writing about research can be difficult, writing in your second (or third) language poses yet another set of challenges. This webinar hopes to provide additional tips and tricks for writing applications in English for Spanish speakers.

Join us for a webinar on our fellowships and tips for successful applications on 15 March 2017 at 13:00 GMT

Speakers/Panel participants will be:

  • Jéronimo López-Martínez (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid) (Past President of SCAR 2012-2016)
  • Irene Schloss (Instituto Antártico Argentino)
  • José Retamales (Instituto Antártico Chileno )
  • Carlota Escutia (Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra, University de Granada )
  • Gabriela Roldan (Gateway Antarctica, University of Canterbury)
  • Pablo Wainschenker (Antarctic Treaty Secretariat)
  • Luis R. Pertierra (Universidad Rey Juan Carlos)

Register for the webinar here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7208702077454125059

Background

The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) initiated the SCAR Fellowship Programme in 2002. The aim was to encourage the active involvement of early career scientists in Antarctic scientific research and to build new connections and further strengthen international capacity and cooperation in Antarctic research. Since the initiation of the programme, 48 SCAR Fellowships have been awarded.

In 2011, the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP) launched the COMNAP Antarctic Research Fellowship Scheme, offering one fellowship per year for an early career person in order to carry out research within a COMNAP National Antarctic Program. To date, there have been 10 COMNAP Antarctic Fellowships awarded. In addition, there have been four joint SCAR-COMNAP Fellowships awarded since 2012. This year, the COMNAP Antarctic Fellowships will change their focus, from purely research-based fellowships to a broader opportunity based on a list of projects of direct relevance to National Antarctic Programs.

The Fellowships supports the scientific goals of SCAR and the goal of COMNAP to develop and promote best practice in managing the support to Antarctic science. The Fellowships enable early career researchers to join a project team from another country, opening up new opportunities and often creating partnerships that last many years and over many Antarctic research seasons.

This years fellowships will be opened on 1 March with an application deadline of 1 July 2017.

For more information visit http://www.scar.org/awards/fellowships

Link to the PDF announcement


Seminario web en español: Escribe para tener éxito! Cómo preparar solicitudes ganadoras para las becas de investigación de SCAR y COMNAP

Preparar una solicitud adecuada para una beca de investigación requiere cierta habilidad. Frecuentemente, la falta de éxito en las solicitudes no se debe a la baja calidad de la idea para la propuesta de investigación sino, a la falta de habilidad para expresarla por escrito claramente y con confianza. La destreza para escribir solicitudes puede ser mejorada, con el fin de que estas sean más efectivas. Esta tutoría está diseñada para ayudar a quienes se encuentren en una etapa inicial de su carrera de investigadores y quieran desarrollar aptitudes para escribir propuestas para becas de investigación. En particular, está dedicada a jóvenes investigadores de países con una comunidad científica relativamente pequeña o en proceso de desarrollo, en la cual la disponibilidad de mentores es limitada o inexistente en las instituciones a las que pertenecen.

La conveniencia de una orientación adecuada se pone de manifiesto a raíz de la revisión de las centenares de aplicaciones recibidas a lo largo de los últimos años para las becas de SCAR y COMNAP. Como los fondos son limitados, con frecuencia los revisores tienen que tomar decisiones difíciles. El éxito o el fracaso dependen, en muchos casos, de que las propuestas hayan sido escritas con claridad y eficacia.

Tras el éxito del primer seminario web que se realizó en 2016 (archivo con la grabación disponible en https://vimeo.com/165109392), SCAR, COMNAP y APECS se han unido nuevamente para ofrecer un seminario similar, que en esta ocasión será en español. Escribir sobre una investigación a realizar puede resultar difícil, y hacerlo en una segunda (o tercera) lengua plantea desafíos adicionales. Este seminario tiene como objetivo proporcionar consejos y sugerencias a hispano-hablantes para escribir aplicaciones en inglés.

Participa en el Seminario web sobre las becas de investigación de SCAR y COMNAP y averigua como elaborar solicitudes exitosas: 15 de Marzo de 2017 a las 13:00 GMT

Los presentadores serán:

  • Jerónimo López-Martínez (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Ex presidente del SCAR, 2012-2016)
  • Irene Schloss (Instituto Antártico Argentino)
  • José Retamales (Instituto Antártico Chileno)
  • Carlota Escutia (Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra, Universidad de Granada)
  • Gabriela Roldán (Gateway Antarctica, Universidad de Canterbury)
  • Pablo Wainschenker (Secretaria del Tratado Antártico)
  • Luis R. Pertierra (Universidad Rey Juan Carlos)

Regístrate en el Seminario web aqui: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7208702077454125059

Antecedentes

El Comité Científico para la Investigación en la Antártida (SCAR) inicio su programa de becas SCAR en el año 2002. El objetivo fue fomentar la participación activa de investigadores en una etapa inicial de su carrera en investigaciones científicas antárticas, ayudar a construir nuevas relaciones y a reforzar la capacidad y la cooperación internacional en las investigaciones antárticas. Desde el inicio de este programa se han seleccionado 48 becarios SCAR.

En el año 2011, el Consejo de Administradores de Programas Nacionales Antárticos (COMNAP) lanzó su programa de becas COMNAP, ofreciendo una beca por año para una persona en el inicio de su carrera profesional para llevar a cabo un proyecto de investigación dentro de los Programas Nacional Antárticos pertenecientes al COMNAP. Hasta la fecha, se han otorgado 10 Becas Antárticas COMNAP. Además, desde el año 2012 se han otorgado 4 becas conjuntas SCAR-COMNAP. Este año, la beca COMNAP cambiará el enfoque, de becarios basados únicamente en investigaciones abiertas a que sean sobre una lista de proyectos de relevancia directa para los Programas Nacionales Antárticos.

El programa de becas encaja con los objetivos científicos del SCAR y con el objetivo del COMNAP de desarrollar y promover las mejores prácticas en el apoyo de la ciencia antártica. Las becas permiten que investigadores que se encuentran en el inicio de su carrera puedan unirse al proyecto de un equipo de otro país, abriendo así nuevas oportunidades y, en muchos casos, creando conexiones que pueden durar mucho tiempo.

Este año, el plazo para la solicitud de las becas de investigación se abrirá el 1 de Marzo y la fecha de vencimiento es el 1 de Julio de 2017.

Para más información visitar http://www.scar.org/awards/fellowships

Listado de proyectos para aplicar a la Beca de Investigación de COMNAP 2017

Link to the PDF announcement

 

IPRN (APECS India)’s fourth issue of its quarterly newsletter Polar Bytes Vol 2(2) has been published. In this newsletter, we bring to you the warm memories of Antarctica by a budding glaciologist, weather conditions in the southern ocean explained by a meteorologist, a special section on Biodiversity in Third Pole where two mammalogists share their experiences, news about polar regions, upcoming opportunities and much more.

Outside the box logoAPECS International Online Conference 2017: Outside the Box: Encouraging alternative solutions for understanding and communicating polar research, think outside the box!

Conference Date: 20 March 2017 (07:30 GMT to 00:30 GMT of the following day)

Event Format: Online conference (webinar)

Registration is now open for audience members to participate in the APECS International Online Conference 2017 "Outside the Box - Encouraging Alternative Solutions for Undertaking and Communicating Polar Research" on 20 March 2017 (07:30 GMT to 00:30 GMT of the following day). It is completely free to attend from the comfort of your home!

How to register? Please register separately for each session of the conference you wish to attend. Once you register you will receive a unique attendance link for each of the sessions you registered for in your email inbox. Please use the attendance links to join the conference as an audience member on March 20. Please register as early as possible but no later than 30 minutes before the session starting time in order for you to receive your attendance link via email. Sessions are limited to 100 participants each.

Outside the Box: As a new generation of polar researchers stepping up to the plate, we must embrace new and innovative polar challenges. Our ability to successfully address such challenges and steer the polar world in a positive direction has far-reaching local, regional, and global consequences. We should not be afraid to venture Outside the Box of the ideas that previous generations of polar researchers have left us in order to overcome the severity of polar challenges we face.

What to Expect: Presenters will address this topic in relation to a wide range of research, including Atmosphere and Climate, Biology, Cultural, Education, Science Communication, Geology, Environmental, Cryosphere, History, Oceanography, Policy research. Audience engagement is encouraged, with time for questions at the end of each 10 minute presentation.

The detailed conference programme including all abstracts can be found on the APECS International Online Conference 2017 Website.

Polar Week logo2 01APECS International Polar Week Spring 2017 will be from March 20-26! Polar Week is a series of events happening globally, with the goal of promoting the science taking place in polar latitudes. Through social media interactions to an online conference and photo contest, we hope to educate the public about all things Arctic and Antarctic.

The theme for this Polar Week is People of the Poles: Human Use and Appreciation of Earth’s Polar Regions. Many people live or find a “Sense of Place” in both the Arctic and Antarctic, from residents to researchers to artists or even tourists. That’s why we are highlighting humans as well as their activities and impacts on the poles. Information on all Polar Week activities and events you can find on our Polar Week website

Here are some ways how you can get involved!

APECS International Online Conference 2017

Attend the APECS Online Conference 2017! More information about the conference and how to register as audience member, will be released shortly. 

Photo Contest (with Prizes!)

We are organising a photo competition, #PolarPeople, where everyone will be able to vote for the best photo in three different categories 1- #PolarPeople in Action; 2- #PolarPelople at Home; 3- #PolarPeople & Wildlife. The deadline for submission will be the 20th of March, midnight Alaska time (GMT-9). Voting vote will take place during the Polar Week and the photo getting the most votes in each category will be the winner of €100 towards relevant conference travel costs! Find out more about the photo contest and all rules and regulations to participate on our website

Twitter campaign

To honor this year’s theme, we are asking all members to post their own polar stories using the #PolarPeople hashtag. We hope people will share short stories about their research or experience as polar researchers and to hear what makes them #PolarPeople. They can be funny stories about field or lab work, interesting facts about your research project, or simply why you love the polar regions.

We’d love to feature you as one of our #PolarPeople! Feel free to Tweet randomly throughout the week, but we encourage you to sign up here

Reddit AMA

APECS will be hosting an Ask Me Anything (“AMA”) on the Reddit forum /r/Science. We are seeking 4-5 APECS members to answer questions from the public about polar science and research on Saturday March 25 from 11 am-2pm EST. While the theme is “People of the Poles: Human Use and Appreciation of Earth’s Polar Regions,” we are sure to get wide range of questions. Please let Liz Ceperley (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) know by March 13 if you are interested in participating.

Member and National Committee Events

We encourage APECS National Committees and members to organize their own activities and to submit details via the Polar Week website. We would love to include your event in our advertising! 

Thanks for helping us make Polar Week an awesome event! Please e-mail the March Polar Week lead, Jean Holloway at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., with any questions.

APECS is celebrating its 10th Anniversary! Since its inception during the International Polar Year 2007-2008, APECS has been widely recognized as one of the legacies of the IPY continuing to provide networking, training and career development opportunities for early career researchers as well as promoting education and outreach as integral components of polar research.

This year, as part of the 10th anniversary celebrations of our flourishing organization, we invited members to design an APECS logo featuring this milestone, with the winning logo to be used on all official items authored during 2017. Out of the many submissions received, we proudly present the winner logo by Stephanie Bates, a research technician at the University of Bristol (United Kingdom) specialising in isotope biogeochemistry:

APECS 10 year logo

For her winning contribution, Stephanie received a travel award to a conference of her choice. Congratulations Stephanie! And many thanks to all those who participated.

The organizers of the SCAR Biology Symposium 2017 are providing the opportunity for APECS members to be early career co-conveners of the two sessions in subtheme 5 (Societal impact of Antarctic biological science) of the conference along with conveners from other groups. The two sessions are:

  • S25: Education and Outreach
  • S26: Assessing, understanding and predicting Antarctic ecosystem services

As early career co-convener, you would help the other conveners to review and approve the abstracts, help to develop the program for the session, and convene the session on-site during the symposium.

If you are planning on going to the symposium and interested in this opportunity, please fill out this form

As the abstract reviews will be starting very soon, the deadline for the early career co-convener applications is Friday 3 March 2017 (23:00 Central Europe Time).

Pic 1 Devsamridhi introducing her research in Antarctica copyA panel discussion titled “Shape the future of Polar Geosciences” was organised by Indian Polar Research Network (APECS-India) in association with Department of Geology, University of Delhi on 28th January 2017 on the special occasion of Golden Jubilee Celebrations of the department. The event was held to introduce polar geosciences to the undergraduate students and enhance knowledge of the postgraduate students. This panel discussion aimed at creating awareness among the students regarding the career opportunities in polar geosciences, the priorities of the polar research and their significance in the contributions to humanity.

The panel was chaired by eminent polar geologist Dr. Anil Joshi along with, Dr. Siddharth Swaroop(Himalayan glaciologist) and Mr. H. C. Khanduri(Himalayan projects expert). Dr. Anil Joshi, now retired, served as the Deputy Director General of Polar Division, Geological Survey of India. He participated in the initial years of Indian Antarctic Expeditions in 80s and led geological research in Antarctica later. Dr. Siddharth Swaroop, a celebrated glaciologist, has retired as the Deputy Director General of Glaciology Division, Geological Survey of India after working extensively in Himalayan glaciers for decades. Mr. H. C. Khanduri is a greatly admired engineering geologist associated with colossal Himalayan projects like Tehri Dam project and has a comprehensive experience of about 30 years in geotechnical research in Indian region of Himalayas.

Pic 2 Dr. Anil Joshi sharing his experiences copyThe event was initiated with the introduction of APECS and IPRN by Prof. N. C. Pant followed by presentations by research scholars of the department who are working in the Polar Regions. I introduced Antarctica and Arctic to the audience with a glimpse into my research in Antarctica. Abul Aamir Khan, also an IPRN member, introduced Himalaya and its importance as the third pole and conferred a talk on his research at Gangotri glacier, Himalaya. This was followed by a talk by Debojyoti Basuroy who focused on the adventures and eccentricity of working in Polar Regions by sharing his lively experiences of working in high altitude Himalayas and his research study on the Sutlej river reorganisation.

A special session on Geosciences in Himalayas was organized with a view to promote Himalayas as a third Pole and to highlight the fragility of the Himalayan social-ecological system. The Hindu Kush-Himalayan region, known as the third pole, stores more snow and ice than anywhere else in the world outside the Polar Regions and forms a daunting global ecological buffer. The third pole region is sensitive to climate change and directly or indirectly affects millions of people (about one fifth of the world's population). The session highlighted some recent studies suggesting a greater vulnerability of the cryospheric environment to rapid warming and climate change. However, there are many unanswered questions and their potential implications which indeed, should be the priorities of the future research work focused in Himalayas.

Pic 3 copyThe panel discussion was attended by about 100 students along with the distinguished alumni and the faculty of the department. The panel discussion was followed by an open forum Polar Quiz for the students. This was the very first time when students of department of geology, Delhi University were introduced to polar geosciences at a broad platform. This event provided them an opportunity to hear and interact with renowned polar scientists as well as early career polar researchers and get to learn about their personal experiences of working in extreme and pristine polar conditions. The response of the students was overwhelming with requests to add few more topics in our next events. Students expressed their desire to know about ways to get involved in polar studies and participate in Indian expeditions to poles. They requested to emphasize more on the various interdisciplinary research programs in Polar Sciences. Overall, this event was highly appreciated by the audience and was a successful icebreaker activity to plan up future APECS's events in University of Delhi.

PYRN DACH 2017The yearly meeting of the German-speaking PYRN community was held during the 9th AK Permafrost meeting, 9-11 February 2017 in Einsiedeln, Switzerland. The meeting and workshop was generously supported by the Swiss Snow, Ice and Permafrost Society (SIP), the Association for Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) and the Permafrost Young Researchers Network (PYRN).

A short presentation of recent and planned activities within PYRN and APECS was followed by a half-day workshop on “Scientific Poster Presentation Skills” lead by Dr. Janneke van Woerden (University of Zurich). We learnt what makes a good and effective poster - and what not – and how to create a poster which is attractive, easy to read and invites for discussions. By discussing poster examples the participants reflected on lessons learnt and got feedback on their own posters.

In line with the theme of the workshop, PYRN-DACH and APECS organized a poster award for the first time during an AK Permafrost meeting. We`re happy to announce that we awarded two posters with a prize of a swiss knife engraved with the conference name to:

George Tanski (AWI Potsdam): Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) stocks in Arctic ground ice and its contribution to OC carbon fluxes into the Arctic Ocean

Matthias Meyer (ETH Zurich): Interactive Visualization of Big (Matterhorn) Data

The 9th AK Permafrost Meeting attracted about 60 participants with at least 30 PYRN members. The general program can be found here.

Josefine Lenz (Germany), Ingo Hartmeyer (Austria) and Samuel Weber (Switzerland)

Joel McAlister, Environment and Natural Resource Technology Senior Instructor at Aurora College, won the 2016 APECS Canada-ArcticNet Student Association Mentor Award.

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Photo by Aurora College

Joel was nominated by both peers and students. When the Mentor Award Committee hosted its conference call in early November, it was a challenge to determine the 2016 winner – all nominations were tremendous! Out of nine highly qualified candidates, Joel was distinguished based largely on his deep connections to community – he is certainly greatly invested in the community of Aurora College and the larger Inuvik region!

Joel had close to two dozen letters of support from past and current students, all of whom identified his unwavering commitment to supporting and engendering his student’s learning process. Of note is Joel’s continued work in ensuring that traditional Indigenous ways of knowing guide the endeavours of western science researchers across Inuvialuit and Gwitch’in territories. Joel practices his mentorship under the guidance of the community, and his humility and respect for other knowledges is commendable. Congratulations, Joel!

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Photo by Mike Sudoma

At the 2016 ArcticNet ASM banquet in Winnipeg, Joel accepted his award. Award Committee members Kate Snow, Jen Lalonde, and Rudy Riedlsperger were on hand to introduce the winner to the hundreds of scientists, academics, and researchers present. One of Joel’s prior students and current colleague and friend, Sarah Beattie, participated in creating a slide show and video about the great things Joel has been involved in. Look here for the video.

We would like to send a HUGE thank you to all of those who helped contribute to Joel’s win, as well as all of those who worked hard to ensure that the other eight mentors had been nominated. Thank you!!

A new Call for Nominations for the 2017 Mentor Award will be circulated in April, 2017.

For the 2016 Awards Committee,

Marney Paradis

Chair, 2016 APECS Canada-ASA Award Committee

During the annual Arctic Frontiers 2017 conference in Tromsø (Norway), APECS and the Nordnorsk Vitensenter Tromsø (Science Centre of Northern Norway) organized a unique event for schools to learn about Arctic science. Over the course of three days, 13-18 year old students from a number of schools attended diverse presentations by early career scientists from all over the world.

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Photo: The Nordnorsk Vitensenter at the University of Tromsø was the place chosen for the Science for Schools event (Photo by Sara Aparício). On the right, from top to bottom some of this year’s early career presenting scientists: Dennis Fink, Karley Campbell, Jennifer King and Peter Leopold (Photos by Mar Fernández-Méndez).

This year, students also presented posters of their independent research projects that they had been working on for months leading up to the event. This was a highlight of the Science for Schools event as despite their young age, many of the students had created very high quality posters. Their level of understanding of complex problems such as pollution of the ocean by chemicals and plastics, the potential impacts of climate warming on the country’s fishing industry, and ecosystem response to environmental change was impressive. Furthermore, students associated these concerns with their lifestyles and often had ideas about potential avenues for positive change and this gave us all hope that there is a brighter future ahead.

Here are some of the impressions of the early career scientists that participated in this outreach event.

  • Karley Campbell (PhD candidate on sea ice biology at the University of Manitoba, Canada): “It was an opportunity to share my love of science, teach students about important topics such as climate change and engage with youth who live in the North. It was refreshing to see creativity applied to common scientific ideas in student posters through catchy titles, innovative research projects and interesting poster designs.
  • Alexey Pavlov (Postdoc on ocean optics at the Norwegian Polar Institute): “I am glad to see that education of youth is one of the priorities at the Arctic Frontiers conference. I am always happy to share my knowledge and experience with school kids, it’s always fun and rewarding. I have done it for the past two years, and will do it again in the future.
  • Jennifer King (Postdoc on sea ice physics at the Norwegian Polar Institute): “It’s always a pleasure to get out of the office and share our science with different audiences. I was blown away by how engaged the students were with the topic and how much effort they had put into their preparations for it.
  • Ioanna Merkouriadi (Postdoc on snow physics at the Norwegian Polar Institute): “I was definitely impressed by the students’ engagement and their overall level, in both science and English language skills. I also very much enjoyed interacting with them and I would definitely do this again in the future.
  • Hanna Kauko (PhD candidate on sea ice bio-optics at the Norwegian Polar Institute): “It was great to be involved and get to interact with school youth – I was impressed about the quality of the posters, and happy about their interest for polar environmental issues.
  • Sara Aparício (Trainee on earth observation data analyst at the European Space Agency): “I have been part of the Arctic Frontiers’ Science for School event for three years now, and each year I never fail to get even more impressed. This year was the most difficult to find the winning poster. Overall, the content and poster structure had a great level of quality, and I must say that I found the themes quite interesting. The students showed interest on their research, and you could tell during the poster presentation, that they had conducted further research to deepen their knowledge on the topic. In addition, their English is amazing and a good asset for their future, in case they pursue a scientific career. Hats off also for their teachers who are also behind the great success of Science for Schools.
  • Dennis Fink (CEO of the science communication company Mediomix): “The Arctic Frontiers 2017 conference was the first time that I joined a "Science for Schools" project and that I had the opportunity to share my passion of science communications with school kids of different age. When I presented my work on marine bacteria they got really interested in the topic and engaged with me. But what really impressed me were the conversations I had with the kids during their poster presentations. All of them managed to prepare not only comprehensive posters but they were also able to stand in front of it and share what they've learned with the audience. Many of them showed real passion, some even more than I've seen from "real" scientists when they present their work on conferences. I had many good conversations and also learned myself things I didn't know before (e.g. about the tourism on Svalbard). It was a great event and I hope that those kids will keep their passion for science and one day, become scientists themselves.

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Photo: Upper two photos show the students presenting their posters to the early career judges (Photos by Mar Fernández-Méndez). The lower photo shows the poster award presentation (Photo by Dennis Fink).

This year’s overall poster winner titled An Ocean of Problems from the science class of Kongsbakken School, discussed an experiment that they had performed about the effects of ocean acidification on mussels. The judges agree that the highlight of this poster, in addition to the clear layout and informative text, was the enthusiastic discussion about why their experiment hadn’t worked. This level of critical thinking is impressive and represents good training for those choosing to become scientists in the future! We can now be sure that at least they have acquired skills in communication and the utilization of the scientific method that will help them in whichever career path they choose. We look forward to next years challenges.

See you next year!
Mar Fernández-Méndez and the APECS-Arctic Frontiers team

Two of the early career researchers, Megan O'Sadnick (Research Scientist at Norut Narvik) and Mar Fernández-Méndez (Postdoctoral researcher at the Norwegian Polar Institute) had the opportunity during the Arctic Frontiers 2017 Science for Politics event, organized by the Science Centre of Northern Norway (Nordnorsk Vitensenter Tromsø) in cooperation with Arctic Frontiers and APECS to speak with students from Tromsø who are interested in becoming politicians about the interaction between science and politics.

We discussed topics such as the possibility of oil spills in the ice-covered Arctic Ocean and the importance of an appropriate interaction between politicians and scientists. A much-needed discussion in our current world political situation. The young politicians learned that even things that are apparently not related to climate change, such as piracy in the waters of Somalia, are actually triggered by depletion of fish stock populations in those seas. They also took good note on the advices to double check facts posted on social networks before sharing them further, and to surround themselves by people who base their statements on peer-reviewed knowledge. We hope that when these students make it into politics, whether it be with the Norwegian government or elsewhere, they will draw upon some of the things they learned from this event. After all, they are the ones who might transform the future into a better place.

 Mar Fernández-Méndez and the APECS-Arctic Frontiers team

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Photo: Young politicians with early career scientists Megan and Mar at the end of their presentations (Photo by Hanne Sofie Roaldsen).

During the Arctic Frontiers 2017 Conference in Tromsø Norway, APECS organized a panel discussion on 25 January about different career paths in Arctic science, inside and outside academia. The panelists represented various career possibilities: Bodil Bluhm is a professor at UiT The Arctic University of Norway; Katrin Bluhm works as a coordinator of the science part of Arctic Frontiers at Akvaplan-niva; Lawrence Hislop works with science management in Climate and Cryosphere project (CliC); and Dennis Fink facilitates science communication through his company Mediomix. Following introductions, the audience posed questions, and the experiences, choices, and random encounters that led to these positions were discussed.

Some take-home-messages from the panel include:

  • Be persistent! Don’t give up with your goal, but be determined e.g. in seeking contact with future employers.
  • Manage your online presence well (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter..etc).
  • Build yourself a diverse toolbox (e.g. software skills, various work experience) and be active also outside the direct study path.

The panel recording can be accessed here or in the APECS webinar archive to give many more early-career researchers the opportunity to benefit from it.

Mar Fernández-Méndez and the APECS-Arctic Frontiers team

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Photo: Expand your frontiers career path panel organized by APECS. (Photos by Mar Fernández-Méndez).

The Oceans Future reception during Arctic Frontiers 2017 in Tromsø Norway was held at the Scandic Ishavshotel on 26th of January 2017 after an intense poster session with vivid discussions. Thanks to the voluntary help of 20 judges, the 50 posters presented by early career scientists were evaluated to determine the ‘Nansen award’ winners for each topical part as well as one overall winner. Part I was about Bridging physical and biological processes; Part II was about Pushing back the Frontiers: New approaches, new technologies, and new insights; Part III about Future Fisheries, and Part IV about Managing risks in policymaking and the law. Part III and IV were merged into one category. It was a tough decision with tight scoring due to the high quality of the posters that were presented. Award winners were acknowledged with a diploma and a voucher to attend the next Arctic Frontiers conference during the awards ceremony, which was presented by Hanna Kauko and Mar Fernández-Méndez and the charismatic presence of Prof. Jan-Marcin Weslawski (IOPAS, Poland). At the end of the evening, Gerlis Fugmann (APECS Executive Director) arrived at the venue directly from a meeting in Iceland to join the celebration of the prizes.

Winners of the 2017 Nansen Awards were:

  • Overall winner: Katalin Blix (UiT Arctic University of Norway) for the poster “Monitoring primary productivity through Chlorophyll-a content estimation in the Arctic.”
  • Winner Part I: Oliver Müller (University of Bergen, Norway) for the poster “How permafrost organic matter input in an Arctic fjord alters the bacterial community structure.”
  • Winner Part II: Sarah Holmes (University of Exeter, UK) for the poster “Using annually resolved bivalve records and biogeochemical models to understand and predict climate impacts on coastal oceans.”
  • Winner Part III/IV: Laura Wheeland (Center for Fisheries and Ecosystem Research, Newfoundland, Canada) for the poster “Inshore fisheries resources, biogeography and oceanography: Insight from sampling aboard platforms of opportunity in the Canadian Arctic.”

See you next year,
Mar Fernández-Méndez and the APECS-Arctic Frontiers team

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Photo: In the upper left photo you can see the winners of the third edition of the Nansen Poster Awards. Below you can see some of the APECS members, including our director, who made these events possible. From left to right: Mar Fernández-Méndez, Hanna Kauko, Alexey Pavlov, Karley Campbell and Gerlis Fugmann. (Photos by Marcel Sieben)

APECS is organizing a FREE career development workshop on Sunday 2 April 2017 at the Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) 2017 in Prague (Czech Republic).

Topics covered by the workshop include:

  • working for international science-policy organisations
  • collaborating with indigenous people
  • obtaining funding
  • education and outreach

For more details and the registrations form, go to the workshop website.

Registration deadline is 17 February 2017.

For questions, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Outside the box logoDeadline for abstract submission extended until 31 January 2017!!

The Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) cordially invites you to submit an abstract for our 3rd APECS International Online Conference 2017 which will kick-start Polar Week on the 20th of March 2017. This year’s theme is “Outside the Box: Encouraging alternative solutions for undertaking and communicating polar research.” We encourage abstracts for punchy 10 minute PowerPoint presentations consistent with this theme.

Please visit the conference website to learn more about the conference and submit your abstract by the 31st of January 2017 at 22:00 GMT. We will notify you with regards to the success of your abstract prior to the 15 of February 2017.

Please note that this is an online conference that you can enjoy from the comfort of your home or office. Please direct any questions you have to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

APECS Italy Antarctica Day2016The Italian Association of Polar Early carrier Scientist, (APECS Italy) in collaboration with the Ca’ Foscariri University of Venice has organized the Antarctic Day 2016 with the contribution other organizations and associations. In particular an important support has arrived from the PNRA (Programma Nazionale di Ricerca in Antartide – Italian National program for Antarctic research), CNR (Consiglio nazionale delle ricerche – National Research Council) and the Accademia Nazionale delle scienze detta dei XL. The second edition of the Antarctic day, the first one was in 2015, had the aim to introduce to students from secondary school as well as to the student of the Ca foscari University of Venice the Antarctic continent. A total of 7 researchers have been invited to present their research experiences in Antarctica as well describe the role of the Antarctic continent from a geopolitics and environmental point of view. A particular attention was give to the Antarctic treaty and all the typology of research conducted. Considering the importance of the polar area in the global climate and earth system we decided to extend the celebration also to the Arctic, in particular the Svalbard Archipelago. Three researcher have been invited to talk about the research conducted in the Svalbard as well introduce this magnificent archipelago with its unique fauna and flora. In total almost 200 students were present at the outreach seminar, almost 150 from secondary school and fifty from Ca foscari University of Venice. The Antarctic day seminar was divided in two section, the first section about Antarctica, from 9.00 am to 11.00 am and the Arctic section from 11.40 to 13.00. During the break, a show and tell session has been organized. The show and tell had the aim to show the material (includes clothes) and instrument used for the research in Antarctica. The Students had the opportunity to “touch with their hands” the equipment used at the poles and fill their curiosity about poles.

APECS Italy Antarctica Day 2016 2During the Antarctic day 2016, APECS Italy has announce the release of their new website (www.apecsitaly.it). The website has the aim to work as platform for all the polar early carereer scientist where everyone can share their polar experience as well as their research topics.

Apecs Italy would like to thanks all the peoples help in the organization and the speaker during the Antarctic day. The list of the peoples involved is include below:

ORGANIZATION

  • Andrea Spolaor (Apecs National coordinator, Ca Foscari University of Venice)
  • Francois Burgais (Ca Foscari University of Venice – APECS Italy member)
  • Andrea Gambaro (Ca Foscari University of Venice)
  • Warren R.L. Cairns (IDPA-CNR)
  • Rossano Piazza (Ca Foscari University of Venice)

SPEAKER

  • Prof. Carlo Barbante (Ca Foscari University of Venice, CNR-IDPA)
  • Dr. Michela Segnana (Ca Foscari University of Venice)
  • Dr. Elena Barbaro (Ca Foscari University of Venice - APECS Italy member)
  • Dr. Warren Cairns (CNR-IDPA)
  • Dr. Marco Vecchiato (Ca Foscari University of Venice - APECS Italy member)
  • Dr. Roberto Sparapani (CNR)
  • Dr. Luisa Poto (CNR-IDPA)
  • Dr. Roberta Zangrando (CNR-IDPA)
  • Dr. Jacopo Gabrieli (CNR-IDPA - APECS Italy member)

SHOW AND TELL

  • Massimiliano Vardè (IDPA-CNR)
  • Villoslada Hidalgo Maria Del Carmen (Ca Foscari University of Venice)
  • Elena Gregoris (IDPA-CNR)
  • Sarah Padoan (Ca Foscari University of Venice)
  • Giuliano Dreossi (Ca Foscari University of Venice)

AGU APECS Panel 2016At the American Geophysical Union last month, APECS and AGU continued the tradition of cosponsoring the Cryosphere Careers Panel. The panel, which included a mix of both academic and non-academic scientists, was comprised of Dr. Åsa Rennermalm, Dr. Bob Rich, Dr. Twila Moon, and Dr. Sophie Nowicki.

From the academic side, Dr. Rennermalm is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography at Rutgers University. Dr. Moon is a Lecturer at Bristol Glaciology Centre, University of Bristol. Dr. Moon has broad experience applying to jobs in both the U.S. and the U.K., where she recently moved and started a tenure-track position.

From outside academia, representing someone who has pursued what he calls a "non-traditional science career," Dr. Rich is Executive Director of the U.S. Arctic Research Consortium (ARCUS). While pursuing his PhD in Chemistry at UC Berkeley, he realized that he didn't want to be in a lab all day but he really wanted to keep working with scientists on a deep level. As a result, he sought out a career path that would help improve people's lives on a wholesale level using science. In May 2015, he began working at ARCUS as Executive Director, where he is responsible for a staff of 14 people, including scientists, project managers, administrative support, and technology experts.

Finally, Dr. Nowicki is a research scientist and deputy lab chief at the Cryospheric Sciences Laboratory at NASA Goddard. In other words, she's a civil servant doing science for the US government.

Applying for the next step

As the target audience largely included early-career scientists looking to make a jump from one stage to the next, the discussion centered on "applying for the next step." What follows is a summary of the questions, most of which came from students and postdocs in the audience, and the panelists.

Belgium Netherlands Photo Comp2016

APECS Belgium along with APECS Netherlands organized an Antarctic Photo competition to celebrate Antarctica Day on December 1st 2016.

In total, 132 photos from 32 different photographers were submitted for the contest and displayed on Facebook to let the public vote for their favorite pictures.

The overall winner, Bartek Jerzak, received 101 likes for his shot “Gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua) in the vicinity of the H. Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station”.

In addition to the public prize, the national committees selected a few other pictures that, in their opinion, deserved to be highlighted in one way or another. Check out all the winning pictures including some “special awards” here. Currently, we plan to display large prints of the winning pictures during the upcoming SCAR Biology Symposium to be held in Leuven, Belgium in July 2017. If you would like to acquire one of these amazing pictures, that’s your chance!

We believe the photo competition was a great success. It showcased the beauty of Antarctica and engaged many scientists as well as non-scientists on social media, thereby also promoting the work APECS international in general and APECS BE/NL in particular.

APECS Sweden new logo 2016As part of Polarforum, the annual conference for Swedish polar research, APECS Sweden had a whole afternoon of sessions for early career researchers on 23 November 2016 at the Maritme Museum in Stockholm.

We started with a panel discussion about careers in and outside of academia after a "polar" degree. Our speakers were Veijo Pohjola from the University of Uppsala and Karen Assmann from the University of Gothenburg, both academics; Åsa Lindgren from the Swedish Polar Secretariat who also works as a polar guide; and Sandrine Testaz who is responsible for scientific coordination and communication at the French embassy in Sweden.

Ulf Jonsell from the Swedish Polar Secretariat then gave an overview of upcoming calls and expeditions that students and early career researchers can apply to.

After a well needed coffee break (which actually was a poster session), we received some valuable polar safety training from Henrik Tornberg (how to plan your fieldwork, what to pack, life saving piece of kit...). In particular, we all want a harness and a bevvy bag now!

Finally, we reported on APECS Sweden's activities for 2016 and elected the 2017 Executive Secretary, Céline Heuzé from the University of Gothenburg.

Have you been wondering what your career alternatives are besides staying in academia? Are you passionate about Arctic science and you would appreciate some inspiration about how to proceed with your career? During the Arctic Frontiers "White Space - Blue Future" 2017 Conference in Tromsø Norway (22 - 27 January 2017), the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) and Arctic Frontiers Young will give you the opportunity to hear the experiences of professionals with scientific backgrounds that chose different career paths inside or outside of academia. Get involved, ask questions and get ideas for your own career path!

Join us on 25 January 2017at 14:00at UiT The Arctic University of Norway in room E0101

This years panelists include:

  • Prof. Dr. Bodil Bluhm from the University of Tromsø
  • Dr. Katrin Bluhm from Akvaplaniva
  • Lawrence Hislop from Climate and Cryosphere project (CliC )
  • Dr. Dennis Fink from Mediomix

2016 Seasons Greetings first slideDear APECS members, supporters and friends,

APECS had again a very successful year in 2016 and we wanted to thank all of our members, mentors, sponsors and partners for helping us shape the future of polar research!

Enjoy some of our best moments of 2016 in our APECS Season’s Greetings video.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to all of you! We are looking forward to a fantastic 2017!

Best wishes,

Alice Bradley, APECS President 2016-2017
Gerlis Fugmann, APECS Executive Director
on behalf of the APECS Leadership

The Antarctica Day 2016 was held by the APECS Swiss National Committee on the 1st and 2nd of December. One early career scientist organized an event at the WSL institute in Zurich and another one in a primary school in Neuchâtel.

Antarctica Day @ WSL:

WSL is a federal research institute and 300 people are working there. On the 1st of December, two presentations were organized for the whole WSL. The first presentation was made by Konrad Steffen on the effect of climate change in Antarctica and future politic action by Switzerland in Polar regions. The second talk was held by Julia Schmale, from the Paul Scherrer Institute about her project on the oncoming Antarctica Circumpolar Expedition. The topic was related to atmospheric components in the Southern hemisphere.

In total, over 60 people took part of this event which is surprising as very few polar scientists are working in this institute. This showed the overall interest from many people for Antarctica and we had a very good feedback.

Antarctica Day 2016 SwitzerlandAntarctica Day in a primary school:

Four classes of a primary school took part of the Antarctica day. In the morning, a power point resuming the climate, geography, history and fauna was presented by the professors. The power point was prepared by the APECS members beforehand.

In the afternoon, an APECS member came and could answer all remaining questions about the continent, as well as present the scientific work done down south.

The questions were on very different topics and lasted over two hours. The APECS member also brought with her a “working suit” used by the scientists to work in very cold conditions. The students could try it on and realized how warm and heavy it is.

The week preceding the Antarctica day, the children had the exercise to draw an Antarctica flag. These flags are already on their way to Antarctica, with an APECS mentor (Julia Schmale) that will make a circumpolar expedition around Antarctica. She will display the drawings on the ship.

This Antarctica Day was a real success in school and the children showed a lot of interest and curiosity about this continent. The feedback from the professors and parents was very positive!

 

rsessionIndian Polar Research Network (APECS-India) collaborated with Wildlife Institute of India-ENVIS centre on Wildlife & Protected Areas to celebrate the Antarctica Day by hosting ICECAPS 2016 (Improving Communication Effectiveness and Capacity Addition in Polar Science), a science communication workshop for early career researchers and graduate students. The workshop was attended by about 50 masters and PhD students from biology, geology, and environmental science disciplines. The theme of the workshop was providing orientation to the young minds towards a successful career in Polar Science and to equip them with key communication skills. Sessions on Climate change and Protected Area network in Himalayas, Trans-boundary biodiversity conservation and Antarctic treaty system with a focus on Madrid protocol were conducted to utilize this platform for outreach activities. These sessions also underlined the challenges faced by biodiversity conservation efforts in the Polar Regions and the need for sustained scientific data collection and publishing in achieving these goals.

First day into the workshop, the participants were introduced to the importance of communication in the day to day life of a researcher. The participants were given tips on writing emails to a potential research supervisor or an adviser, creating professional resumes and developing networking skills during professional gatherings. Participants were also exposed to effective presentation skills that would help them in getting noticed in a science conference. Interactive hands-on sessions on identifying appropriate funding agency, grant writing process and the process of developing a research proposal were conducted. Lastly, the participants were introduced to the document preparation system Latex for creating large documents with basic hands-on practice.

Amit talks about Himalayan plants on thennature trail icecapsDay two of the workshop was initiated with a field session on the plants of the Himalayan foothill campus of Wildlife Institute of India. Participants were taken around the nature trail to learn about the adaptive features of the plants and were also brought in close encounter with migratory and resident species of the campus. Later, an exhaustive session on the open source software R was conducted to initiate them into the world of ecological analysis. This session familiarized participants with basic working and simple statistical analyses with R. In the end, students were taught the concepts of effective sampling design, choosing variables in a study, determining the sample sizes, and experimental vs. mensurative approach.

Sixty percent of the applicants of the workshop were M.Sc. students, 27.5 % were PhD students while the rest were early career researchers with less than 5 years to complete their PhDs. Around 60% of the students were already working in the Polar Regions and the rest intending to do so in their future career. The toughest job in this workshop, with students from different disciplines and academic backgrounds, was to invoke the interest of participants to communicate. We played Polar Bingo in the beginning of the workshop to break the ice between the students and generate an interest in the workshop topics. Our team of resource persons also interacted continuously with them between the sessions. Feedback from the participants was encouraging as almost 93% termed it “very useful” for their research career. Participants responded to include popular science writing in the future workshops while giving A-rating to sessions on R program, Grant writing and improving presentation skills.

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iasc webThe International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) and the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), have the pleasure to announce the start of the fourth edition of the IASC Fellowship Program. During the selection process, managed by IASC in close cooperation with APECS, five successful early career scientists were chosen from 101 applicants. The reviewers were impressed by the record amount and excellent quality of the applications.

The IASC Fellows 2017-2018 are:

  • Thomas Armitage, Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling, University College London, UK / NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, USA (Marine Working Group)
  • Alevtina Evgrafova, University of Bern, Switzerland (Terrestrial Working Group)
  • Manisha Ganeshan, Universities Space Research Association, USA (Atmosphere Working Group)
  • Violetta Gassiy, Kuban State University, Russian Federation (Social and Human Working Group)
  • Shridhar Jawak, National Centre For Antarctic & Ocean Research, Earth System Science Organization (ESSO), Ministry of Earth Sciences, Govt. of India, India (Cryosphere Working Group)

More information about the IASC Fellowship Program can be found here

APECS Netherland Belgium Symposium2016In the fall of 2016 the national APECS committees of the Netherlands and Belgium joined efforts in organizing a shared symposium. Organizers of the symposium were Ariadna Szszybelski and Douwe Maat from the APECS NL board and Henrik Christiansen and Igor Stelmach Pessi from the APECS BE board. The symposium was held on the 2nd of November in the headquarters of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO), and was financed by this same organisation. Douwe and Igor kicked-off the symposium with a welcome and a shared presentation on the different ways in which APECS can be beneficial to early career polar researchers. During the day two invited speakers climbed on stage. The first invited speaker was Kees Rade, the Dutch Arctic Ambassador, who informed us about the Dutch Polar Strategy until 2020. He explained which Dutch ministries are involved in polar politics and on which pillars this is based: sustainability, economy, research and geopolitics. This was followed by an interesting discussion on the interface of science and politics. The second speaker was Joseph Nolan from the European Polar Board (EPB), who explained what the EPB does and how scientists can benefit from it. This talk was followed by a discussion on what EPB can do for early career scientists. Possibly the EPB can be a platform for exchange of early career scientists amongst different institutes and universities, but at the moment there are no concrete ways yet.

Over the day, 8 APECS members, being Andrea Cabrera, Henrik Christiansen, Sebastiaan Koppelle, Eveline Pinseel, Hans Slagter and Stef Bokhorst, presented their scientific work on very different topics, such as the demography of Arctic marine mammals, evolutionary history of polar diatoms and iron in the Arctic Ocean. In addition, Heather Mariash, current APECS ExCom member, informed the public about Polar Educators International and her own role in APECS. Esther Kokmeijer, an artist and APECS Netherlands board member, showed different ways in which art can be used as a form of communicating science, without toning down on either art or science. We were pleased with the special attendance of three high school students, and hopefully APECS members to be: Maarten Burggraaff, Mees van Rhijn and Menno Hosper. All three students have been to the Arctic for their final exam projects and Mees gave a talk about his work on the color of polar bear fur. The last session of the meeting was by Ariadna and Henrik, who explained in which ways APECS members can contribute to APECS as an organization or to APECS’ aims, such as education and outreach, and in which ways peoples contributions would benefit them.

A total of 27 people attended in a nice mix of different scientific career stages from high school student to postdoc. A short questionnaire for feedback and suggestions was send around. In general the responses were very positive. The symposium was experienced as a good mix between scientific talks, politics and discussion. Although some people had to travel quite far, the location and venue were also well-accepted. Some suggestions for improvement were for instance an evening program with more time for discussion and networking, a more general part of the meeting in which APECS topics such as planning of new events can be discussed, and more information on the Dutch and Belgian polar research programs. All in all, also the organizers of the Dutch and Belgian national committees were very pleased with the attendance of the meeting and the quality of the talks. For the near future both committees are looking forward to more of these fruitful collaborations or contributions to each others activities. The talks of the organizers, pictures of the symposium and more information on the program is available on the Dutch and Belgian national committee websites: apecsnl.wordpress.com and apecsbelgium.wordpress.com.

 

Outside the box logoThe Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) cordially invites you to submit an abstract for our 3rd APECS International Online Conference 2017 which will kick-start Polar Week on the 20th of March 2017. This year’s theme is “Outside the Box: Encouraging alternative solutions for undertaking and communicating polar research.” We encourage abstracts for punchy 10 minute PowerPoint presentations consistent with this theme.

Please visit the conference website to learn more about the conference and submit your abstract by the 20th of January 2017 at 22:00 GMT. We will notify you with regards to the success of your abstract prior to the 3rd of February 2017 at 22:00 GMT.

Please note that this is an online conference that you can enjoy from the comfort of your home or office. Please direct any questions you have to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

IMG 4589APECS Canada Logo webTo have a local ECR presence at the Haines Junction Mountain Festival, we had Marney Paradis (APECS Canada), Ellorie McKnight (previously APECS Council), and myself (APECS Canada) organize and host an APECS booth in the atrium of the Haines Junction Convention Centre. We had APECS promotional materials (posters, brochures) available, researcher updates from three different research groups that work in the Kluane region, a slideshow of research photos, and a button-making activity. The buttons were a big hit with adults and kids alike leaving a booth with a hand drawn button, photo of local plants or animals, or a small section of a local map! It was great to share more about APECS with Mountain Fest attendees and grow our northern Canadian presence. Thanks to APECS for helping us with promotional materials, Team Shrub at University of Edinburgh for the photos, Dr. Gwenn Flowers at SFU for photos/research handout, Ellorie for the help and research updates, and Marney for the help and the amazing button art activity! Looking forward to more outreach events in Canada's northern territories, stay tuned!

APECS will be organizing a career development workshop on the 2nd April 2017 at the Arctic Science Summit Week 2017 in Prague (Czech Republic). Details of the workshop, as well as the link to pre-registration (required for the workshop) is available on the APECS website.

The workshop is free of charge for workshop participants (registration for the business meetings of ASSW is not required to attend the APECS workshop).

Registration deadline is 17 February 2017.

For questions, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

APECS Panel Tromso 2016During the IGS Nordic Branch Meeting in Tromsø on the 27th of October, APECS Council member Vikram Goel organized an APECS Panel on Balancing work and personal life. It was an open discussion with questions and comments from the attending audience. The event was organized during the lunch break on the second day of the meeting. The panelists included -

  • Dr Alun Hubbard
  • Dr Miriam Jackson
  • Dr Ioanna Merkeraudi

It started with the panelists briefly sharing their career path, along with the developments in their personal life. The three panelists had taken different paths and made very different choices to reach their current stages. This made the discussion all the more interesting, and provided alternate viewpoints to the audience. The discussion touched many sub topics including - setting priorities in work/personal life, working in a different country, work politics and approaches to managing stress.

Some of the key take away points from the discussion are -

  • Different people have different priorities and needs. The work/life balance hence should be tailored to you, rather than following somebody else's path or rules. As most things you get better at it with experience. Also, one should re access their priorities/needs, periodically as they change with time.
  • You cannot say yes to everyone. Some things might pay off in long terms. Investing time in students is usually rewarding.
  • Get a lot of post-doc experience while you can and make most out of the freedom. Such position are well payed and there are not many side tasks.
  • Not get too involved in work politics. Learn to say no.
  • Think strategically about your future. Plan in advance.
  • Research is a flexible job. It provides much more freedom compared to other options. However, we should not get too flexible and let work take over your personal life.
  • Job market is very competitive. However, when in position to decide, pick your supervisor and work institute/country wisely. Consider other factors beyond research like compatibility with supervisor (investigate his nature), language, work-culture and society. Factors that are important to you. Give higher preference to working in Scandinavia over US/UK!
  • Join unions to keep track of your rights in terms of employment and you are aware what to expect from the employer. Specially when you are in a new country.
  • Communicate our personal stuff with our colleagues and don't shy from asking for help.
  • If you don't ask, you don't get.
  • Get rid of rules. Do not need to follow a specific trajectory, find what fits for yourself.
  • We have a tendency to stress on things, which are not that important. Sometimes we associate much more value to things than they actually deserve.
  • Life/death balance. Stay safe in the field. An extra risky kilometer to get that extra measurement may not be worth it.

APECs Portugal Workshop2016 2 copyThe VII Workshop of Career Development of APECS Portugal took place on October 26th in Lisbon, under theme “POLAR QUESTS – Policymaking: Science strikes back”. This year the aim of the workshop focused on policymaking and science in the polar regions.

The morning session focused on talks regarding science and policy in Arctic and the Antarctic regions, by José Xavier (British Antarctic Survey) and João Canário (Arctic), after a broader approach to both regions by Renuka Badhe (European Polar Board). The after session starter with tips and hints from Ariel Brunner (Birdlife International), followed by practical exercise and a... jedi jam session! Renuka Badhe from European Polar Board Renuka is presenting the work of European Polar Board work in merging science, communities and policymakers... and gave the amazing example of "Aliens in Antarctica" as a successful case of how policymaking and science cooperated together.

APECS Portugal Workshop1 copyJose Carlos Caetano Xavier unfolding the progresses in policy and science collaboration since the early beginning of explorations in #Antarctica. Great explanations of the background that lead to the creation of the Antarctic Treaty.

João Canario our "bi" polar scientist is explaining how did he engaged with both polar regions, and his important role at one of the major International Arctic Science Committee IASC 

APECS Portugal Workshop 2016 3 copyJoão Canário and Jose Carlos Caetano Xavier showing how two similar regions are yet so different in terms of policymaking, geopolitics and how science can operate there. Both regions have different approaches, different political organizations and scientific committees - yet both demand a thigh collaboration and public engagement!

Ariel Brunner from Birdlife International and currently based in Brussels, gave valuable tips and lifehacks solutions in regards to communicate science for policymakers. The participants engaged afterwards in a small debate.

After the speech from Ariel Brunner and using his tips, we went for a Practical exercice! Our participants were trying to convince our "policymakers" - brought exclusively by José Carlos Caetano Xavier and Renuka Badhe excelent - and funny roleplaying, on how they science is meaningful and should be funded.

European Commission LogoHorizon2020 LogoINTERACT LogoThe International Network for Terrestrial Research and Monitoring in the Arctic (INTERACT) and the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) are seeking an early career researcher (minimum postdoc level) for an INTERACT Transnational Access Evaluation Board member for 2017-2018.

INTERACT is a consortium of 47 partner institutions in Europe, Russia and North-America, funded 2016-2020 by the EU H2020 as well as further 31 observer institutions. The network currently consists of 78 terrestrial research stations, 43 of which offer Transnational Access.

INTERACT seeks to build capacity for research and monitoring in the European Arctic and beyond, and is offering research groups Transnational Access to conduct research free of charge at 43 terrestrial research stations located in the Arctic, northern alpine and forest areas in Europe, Russia, US and Canada. The sites represent a variety of glacier, mountain, tundra, boreal forest, peatland and freshwater ecosystems, providing opportunities for researchers from natural sciences to human dimension.

The applications for Transnational Access (both physical and remote access) undergo a scientific evaluation made by a Transnational Access Evaluation Board (TA Board) that consists of six experts external to INTERACT and six representatives of stations in particular geographical regions. INTERACT is now seeking for an external early-career expert to join the TA Board. Applicants should be early career researchers (up to 5 years since PhD, excluding career breaks) who already have completed their PhD (minimum post-doc level). A specialization in geosciences (paleo-ecology, geomorphology etc.) is preferred, but specialists on other fields of research with an Arctic or northern focus are also welcome to apply.

The tasks of a TA Board member include participation in the scientific evaluation of the submitted Transnational Access applications and attendance at the related TA Board meetings, both held annually (with a possibility for 1-2 additional, specified, TA calls). TA Board members do not receive financial compensation for their membership, but the travel and accommodation costs to the meetings, as well as daily allowance, are reimbursed by INTERACT. An early career scientist participating on the INTERACT TA Board will benefit from working with distinguished scientists at an international level, from gaining valuable experience and insight of the evaluation process for future expert positions, and becoming aware of new projects and contacts.

If you are a post-doctoral researcher working on one of the themes mentioned above and are interested in this great opportunity to join the INTERACT Transnational Access Evaluation Board, please e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. including your statement of interest noting your research interests and experience (no more than one side of A4) and your CV (no more than two pages of A4) in a single PDF-file by 4 December 2016. The position of a TA Board Member sought now is for a two-year period in 2017-2018, with an option for additional two years. The applicants will be notified about the decision by mid-December 2016.

For more information about the position, please contact Dr. Ruth Vingerhagen (outgoing APECS representative on the INTERACT Transnational Access Evaluation Board) (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or Dr Hannele Savela, INTERACT Transnational Access Coordinator, hannele.savela(at)oulu.fi.

AntarcticaDayLogoThe Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), together with Our Spaces - Foundation for the Good Governance of International Spaces, Polar Educators International, PolarTREC , the International Polar Foundation, Gateway Antarctica, the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operations, the UK Polar Network and the British Antarctic Survey are once again proud to support Antarctica Day commemorations on 1 December 2016. This event was created to celebrate the spirit of international peace and scientific cooperation that signified the signing of the Antarctic Treaty in 1959.

Antarctica Day 2016 is an international effort to share knowledge about Antarctica. APECS is proud to take part, helping to inspire a new generation of polar researchers. The day is for everyone, so take some time to celebrate with your co-workers, family and friends!

This year will see many events and classroom activities take place, centered around Antarctic science and exploration. Who goes there? What happens in Antarctica? And why is Antarctica important to the planet as whole? We look forward to having these discussions all over the globe.

Are you planning to organise something for Antarctica Day? See all of what is happening at the APECS Antarctica Day website, and add your event to the list of activities for Antarctica Day 2016.

To include your support for Antarctica Day 2016 you can also insert your information in our map.

Join Antarctica Day on Facebook.

Happy Antarctica Day 2016 from APECS!

Title page Annual Report 2015 2016APECS has released its Annual Report 2015-2016 for the period of October 2015 to September 2016! Read about:

  • the APECS leadership and National Committees in 2015-2016
  • APECS event highlights
  • reports about APECS projects, webinars and other online activities and publications
  • and much more!

The full report can be accessed here or in our APECS publications database. We hope you enjoy reading it!

A special thank you goes to the Research Council of Norway, the UiT The Arctic University of Norway and the Norwegian Polar Institute for supporting and hosting the APECS International Directorate in Tromsø!

Thank you also to the many dedicated members and mentors who volunteered their time over the past year to help us achieve continued success in shaping the future of polar research!

APECS GER VSavaglia 013 2"Don't give up" is Mirko Scheinert's final message to Germany's polar early career scientists, when it comes to proposal writing.

September 14th 2016 marks the day when Germany's National Committee of the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS Germany) organized their first workshop in Rostock.

Held prior to the annual coordination workshop by the German Priority Research Program on Antarctic research, 19 participants joined the workshop - most of whom were new to APECS. They benefited from five mentors in polar research giving their secrets on how to increase chances for their proposals to be a success. During the panel discussion, Sonja Berg (University of Cologne), Mirko Scheinert (Technische Universität Dresden), Inna Sokolova (University of Rostock), Charlotte Havermans (University of Bremen) and Florian Leese (University of Duisburg-Essen) answered questions on how to receive feedback, how to approach colleagues or simply advised to celebrate a success when it happens!

What APECS Germany will be up to in the coming year was introduced by Caroline Coch and Heike Link representing the APECS Germany Board. Overall, the first APECS Germany workshop was a successful kick-off for further initiatives coming from Germany's polar early career scientists.

 

apecs logo webWe are celebrating ***APECS 10th anniversary*** in 2017!

In order to spread the good news and to emphasize the achievements of our organization, we would like to use a special APECS anniversary logo during the coming months. We would like to invite all members to design and create an APECS logo which features the 10th anniversary in 2017!

Send us a logo in .jpg, .tif or .bmp-format until 14 November 2016 to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.! The APECS Executive Committee will vote for the best logo, which will be used on APECS materials and the website over the next year. The winner will also receive a 200 Euro travel award to a conference of their choice within the next year.

The APECS logo in various formats is available on the APECS website. The orange colour is (RGB 241, 106, 34) and the Blue is (RGB 0, 77, 140), and the font used for the text is Optima Bold.

For questions, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Finland Japan Workshop 2016 1APECS Japan and Finland welcomed early career polar researchers in Helsinki on October 17th 2016 for a workshop on sharing research projects, career advice and future connections. The meeting kicked off with presentations from four Japanese early career scientists about their current research projects. The Japanese guests came from Hokkaido and Tohoku University and their research topics covered terrestrial, marine and social sciences. In the second and third session, early career researchers from several departments at the University of Helsinki (UoH) talked about their research also covering many interesting areas. The audience included other staff and students from UoH who always had some interesting questions following the talks.

In the afternoon, Associate Professor Marius Jonassen from the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) talked about his research projects in meteorology and led over to sharing his own experiences transitioning from his PhD into the position of Associate Professor at UNIS. After hearing about career opportunities on Svalbard, Yasushi Fukamachi and Matti Leppäranta continued talking about inspiring research projects and sharing useful career advice. The focus was on the importance of gathering international experiences and creating networks with other researchers. Our workshop was just the right opportunity for that!
After that, Eero Rinne concluded the career session by some inspiring words about “surviving the European academia”. The informal talk brought up many comments and questions from young researchers about their thoughts on succeeding as a young scientist.

Lastly, the participants of the event discussed possibilities for continuing the connection in the future. Among these were research exchange visits and future workshops together.

Overall, the meeting was a success and we received positive feedback from the audience.

Finland Japan Workshop 2016 2

uk polar network logoAt the Challenger Society for Marine Science conference in September 2016, the UK Polar Network ran a workshop for early career scientists on making and presenting good scientific posters. The event was attended by over 50 people and we had a panel including Dr. Yvonne Firing (National Oceanography Centre Southampton) and Dr. Sian Henley (Univ. of Edinburgh). The workshop began with a few hints on what makes a good poster; attractive, clear visible title, easily readable without large amounts of text, clear diagrams and not overcomplicated. We then showcased some examples of winning posters. Sian Henley bravely slipped her poster into the session for anonymous criticism. It became clear during this that while there are many different opinions on what makes a “great” poster, there was aspects which people didn’t like. It is important to consider the type of conference you are at (Is your poster up all week?) and your audience. The UK Polar Network also provided two poster examples, one which was obviously “bad” and the other which was an improved version of the same (fake) research about moving polar bears to the Antarctic to cope with a declining sea ice environment and loss of food. You can see both of these examples below, hopefully which one is bad and improved is obvious to you.

Before our panel discussion we went through a few other ideas for making a great poster, some of these are:

  • Keep text to <800 words
  • Have handouts available (also if you print your poster on A4 you should be able to read it)
  • Avoid dark backgrounds and consider colour blindness!
  • Use other media tools, if you have a video think about having a tablet

There were also some good tips for presenting a poster, a few unique suggestions also:

  • Keep hands out of pockets and don’t chew gum
  • Talk to your audience, not to the poster (it doesn’t care)
  • Keep sweets or chocolates with you, it will draw people in
  • Make a t shirt advertising your poster, or even put your most interesting figure on it
  • Don’t wear sunglasses inside, people will assume you are hungover, high or both

During the panel discussion a lively debate occurred on the consumption of alcohol during poster sessions. Some were in favour, some were not, however everyone agreed that over-consumption was bad, and you shouldn’t be slurring and spilling drink on your poster (or worse your audience)! Overall, the event went well with plenty of discussion and participation from the audience. We hope that people take away some of the hints and tips provided, and we look forward to seeing some excellent posters at the next Challenger Conference! For further information please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Read the summary also on the UKPN website. 

The Scientific Committee of Antarctic Research Expert Group on Birds and Marine Mammals (EG-BAMM) is tasked with the role of providing expert scientific advice on issues relating to birds and mammals, as well as helping to facilitate and coordinate research in the Southern Ocean. During the recent 2016 SCAR Open Science meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (August 2016) members gathered for the annual EG-BAMM meeting and the new APECS representative to the group, Jaimie Cleeland, attended the meeting. Here some of the exciting EG-BAMM projects discussed:

1. Antarctic Biodiversity
The Antarctic Biodiversity Portal is an electronic biodiversity infrastructure that houses biological data on Southern Ocean and Antarctic species. The portal; an official SCAR product, brings together large and small biodiversity datasets from both marine and terrestrial realms, with the aim of producing an open source digital biogeographic atlas. Scientists are encouraged to contribute to the portal to expand the register of Antarctic species.

2. Satellites, drones and wildlife monitoring
The primary role of the SCAR Action Group on Remote Sensing is to develop Antarctic-wide approaches to monitoring bird and marine mammal populations. The group, in collaboration with EG-BAMM, is aiming to develop a set of operating guidelines for the use of AUVs around Antarctic birds and marine mammals to avoid disturbance. This group is actively supporting Early Career Scientists working in this area by providing travel funding to attend the SCAR Biology Symposium in Leuven, Belgium, 2017. More information can be found here.

3. Wildlife health in Antarctica
The Health Working Group, led by Dr Andres Barbosa operates within EG-BAMM and focuses the influence of climate change on disease emergence and spread in Antarctic wildlife. Filling research gaps in Antarctic wildlife health is a priority for the group, who have identified that knowledge of disease in Antarctic marine mammals is currently lacking. Consequently, they are seeking marine mammal experts to collaborate with EG-BAMM. The group is presently working to document the emergence of a new feather loss disease in Antarctic penguins. A summary of Antarctic Wildlife Diseases can be found here.

4. Areas of Ecological Significance for Antarctic and Southern Ocean Birds and Marine Mammals
The Retrospective Analysis of Antarctic Tracking Data (RAATD) is one of the largest initiatives run by EG-BAMM. It aims to bring together ecologists, statisticians and data managers to produce circumpolar habitat maps for Southern Ocean marine predators and identify areas of ecological significance. Currently, over two million locations from penguin, seabird, seal and whale tracking data have been contributed to the project. The future of the RAATD program is looking good after securing a French-based grant to host two workshops a year for the next two and a half years.

EG-BAMM works closely with APECS to support early career scientists. You can find out more about EG-BAMM and its initiatives here.

The new APECS council term has started, and we're seeking additional people to help with a new project group that is working on improving APECS' resources for early career researchers interested in Alpine and mid-latitude cryosphere environments. This includes research in the "Third Pole" region and other mountain regions.

An increasing number of APECS members do not work on the polar regions but rather in mid-latitude cryosphere and high-altitude environments. This project group will assess existing APECS resources and see where we as an organization can improve the resources for non-polar researchers. The group will also come up with ideas to address some of these gaps (e.g., webinars, articles, etc) and start implementing them.

If you are interested in contributing to this project, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we'll put you in touch with the group.

EUPolarNet logo2The EU PolarNet was recently established as an umbrella organization for European polar research expertise and infrastructure. On 27th September a Town Hall Event was held at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences in Brussels to engage important stakeholders and discuss European polar research priorities for the coming years. APECS had the chance to participate and did so in person of Igor S. Pessi and Henrik Christiansen.

Now, many may think policy meetings are rather dry events. While this can hold true for some cases, it certainly didn’t for the EU PolarNet Town Hall. Here’s a brief and personal report of some highlights:

After registration you’re told to “just turn right after the dinosaurs”. So, briefly inspecting giant creatures that didn’t make it through extreme climate change related to a giant asteroid, and then further on to discussions of present day climate change (for which we can’t blame an asteroid). Kristina Bär and Nicole Biebow provided excellent organization and after a warm welcome by Nicole and an amazing video with greetings from various polar researchers from the field (both Arctic and Antarctic) compiled by Kristina, the first talks and discussions began. The theme of the morning was “The 1.5° C climate target – What does the European society need from polar research?”. Amongst others, Jannie Staffansson held an extremely impressive, emotional plea for renewable energy and for inclusion of indigenous people in Arctic research. Their knowledge can be invaluable and they should not just be used as ‘data source’, but actively engaged. Peter Gibbs from BBC followed suit with his experiences of documenting Antarctic research in action. A must-see for anyone interested in science communication (see link below).

In the afternoon discussions revolved around “European priorities for polar research”. Jane Francis, director of British Antarctic Survey, started explaining what international collaboration can achieve and emphasized repeatedly that it’s in fact largely the future of younger generations that is at stake. Therefore, young people should play a dominant role in shaping future polar research and may come up with important new ideas. Obviously, APECS couldn’t agree more and it’s also up to us to make our voice heard. During the discussions for the conference statement Tom Armstrong, CEO of Madison River Group and long time expert on global change in the White House, critically reminded everyone that 1.5° C may be a noble goal, but scientists should know that it’s not a very realistic goal, especially in a world that has already breached the 400 ppm CO2 barrier this year. Climate change particularly in polar regions leaves four choices: adapt, mitigate, intervene, or doing nothing. The latter is usually by far the worst. The mission of EU PolarNet to coordinate and strengthen polar research is hence extremely important given the challenges, but also opportunities of climate change.

This really is but a very short excerpt, many more relevant talks can be seen in the recordings of the event here. A protocol and a conference statement will be published soon as well. Watch out for that!

APECS Balkan Meeting 4 KopieThe first APECS Balkan Meeting was held from 1 - 2 October 2016 in Kardjali, Bulgaria. The forum was attended by representatives of APECS Bulgaria, APECS Turkey, APECS Romania (via Skype), APECS International (via Skype), Bulgarian Antarctic Institute, Istanbul Technical University Polar Research Center, National Polar Research Center of Sofia University, Committee for Foreign Affairs – National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria and Municipality of Kardjali.

The event was officially opened by the Mayor of Kardjali, the Director of Bulgarian Antarctic Institute (BAI), the Head of the Istanbul Technical University Polar Research Center (ITU PolReC) and the Deputy-Chairman of The Committee for Foreign Affairs in the Bulgarian Parliament.

APECS Balkan Meeting 6 KopieThe panelists shared their professional experience and scientific results from various research projects and fields in Antarctica and Southern Ocean. General information on the activities of APECS Bulgaria and APECS Turkey was presented to audiences and scientists. APECS Romania and the International Secretariat also participated via video conference line. Best practices and experience were shared between the Bulgarian and the Turkish polar programs, including different educational activities, social awareness on the polar issues, work with students and media. Special attention was paid on the legal aspects of the Antarctic cooperation and the legal framework of the human activities on the Southern Continent.

During the workshop was signed Memorandum of Understanding regarding the academic and scientific cooperation between Bulgarian Antarctic Institute and Istanbul Technical University Polar Research Center. Exchange of scientists was arranged between the Bulgarian and the Turkish programs. Accordingly, it was agreed that 2 early-career scientists from Turkey will work in Bulgarian Antarctic Base during the 2016-2017 Antarctic season.

The results from the first APECS Balkan Meeting was presented in an Information Paprer at XXX Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting in Beijing, submitted by Bulgaria and Turkey.

APECS Balkan Meeting 1 Kopie

PFFlogo

During Polar Weeks, which are week-long polar events held around the solar equinoxes, APECS members get creative about sharing science with their communities and the broader public. These events are often informal and meant to highlight the most fascinating aspects of polar science and the broader themes that make the subject globally relevant. This year, the USAPECS Board piloted a Virtual Polar Film Fest to harness the power of inspiring and exciting educational videos that are already available online and repackaged them for Polar Week in September 2016.

Video nominations were crowd-sourced from the polar research community. We received more than 100 submissions (already posted on Vimeo and YouTube) of both amateur and professional videos of varying lengths, some of which covered serious topics and others that were more light-hearted (e.g., “Happy Feet”). Videos were reviewed and organized into four themes, each of which was highlighted on a day of the Film Fest: Frozen Worlds, Partly Frozen Mostly Cute, Climate & Connections, and People at the Poles.

During Polar Week, APECS members hosted in-person and virtual watch parties where groups gathered to watch selected videos and/or playlists and discuss what they were watching with APECS experts. In-person watch parties were held in Boulder (CO), Fairbanks (AK), Orono (ME), Whitehorse (YT), Potsdam (DE), and Cambridge (UK). Virtual watch parties were hosted by Alice Bradley, Mia Bennett, Morgan Seag, and David Schutt on Twitter using the #PolarFilmFest hashtag. Playlists were also widely disseminated to APECS members, APECS partners (including Polar-ICE), and over social media.

Overall, Polar Film Fest videos racked up over 24,000 views, contributing an average of 8% to the total views on the films featured on the playlists. There were 184 tweets using the #PolarFilmFest during the week, with participants from around the world contributing. We hope to run the Virtual Polar Film Fest again, creating new playlists, including more languages besides English, and working with partners to host more exciting events that bring together the arts and sciences!

The 2016 Virtual Polar Film Fest was organized by Allen Pope, Alice Bradley, Ariel Morrison, David Schutt, Olivia Lee, and Alex Thornton with further help from the USAPECS Board and APECS members. If you would like to get involved in future events like this one, please This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

image001The Finnish-Japanese early career arctic scientists (ECASs) workshop is organized by the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) Finland and APECS Japan. It aims to shed lights on career planning and international collaboration for ECASs in Japan and Finland.

Register here

(We kindly ask you to register on the doodle poll to be able to get the name badge from the reception and enter the venue. This is also necessary for the preparation of coffee and refreshments. We also encourage you to bring your own posters for a casual poster session.)

You are cordially invited for the joined Netherlands/ Belgium APECS symposium 2016, which will take place on November 2 in the NWO 'Java building' in Den Haag. This is one day before, and at the same location, as the NWO ALWNPP meeting: 'the importance and challenges of long-term polar research studies'.

There is plenty of room in the program (see attachment) for talks and posters by APECS members. We hope to be able to give everyone a change to talk and we aim for 15 minute talks, but this will depend on the total number of abstract submissions. When preparing your poster/ talk and thus the abstracts, please take into account that we're an interdisciplinary organisation with members from all fields of research, so please introduce the topic of your research clearly and avoid to much jargon.

You can register for the symposium (latest on Friday October 14) by mailing us (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.):
- Your name
- Position/ affiliation/ Field of Research
- Special dietary needs
- Your wish to give a talk or poster presentation

Abstract submission deadline: Friday October 21. Please, keep your abstract clear and not too long (max. 300 words).

Kind regards,

Douwe Maat
(on behalf of the Dutch and Belgian national APECS committees)

CAFF Board Group Photo 2016The Arctic Council working group Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF), hosted a board meeting September 6-8 2016 in Longyearbyen, Svalbard. An APECS council member, Karolina Paquin was invited to attend as a representative. The meeting brought together 38 delegates from member states, permanent participants, observer states and expert organisations. Delegates came from all the Arctic states, in addition to the much appreciated participation by South Korea and Japan in relation to the Arctic Migratory Bird Initiative (AMBI).

The status of ongoing projects and proposals for new projects were reviewed with efficiency, with delegates being quite pleased avoiding the need for push ups to stay awake. Make sure to keep your eyes open for upcoming publications from the projects in the next year (www.caff.is)! The projects reviewed were: Arctic Invasive Species, Arctic Marine Biodiversity Report (SAMBR), Coastal Biodiversity Monitoring Project (CBMP), Arctic Freshwater Biodiversity Report (SAFBR), Arctic Terrestrial Biodiversity Report (START), Arctic SDI, Mainstreaming/Ecosystem Services, Protected Areas: Marine and Terrestrial, Arctic Marine Cooperation Task Force, Sea Ice Associated Biodiversity, Salmon Peoples of Arctic Rivers, Traditional Knowledge and Wisdom, Arctic Migratory Birds Initiative (AMBI), Arctic Biodiversity Data Service (ABDS), and the Nomadic Herders Project.

This was Karolina’s first board meeting of this caliber, and she was left with a strong impression of the professionalism, rigour and passion of the delegates. She spoke with some delegates and inquired about the initiatives taken by their organizations regarding engagement with youth and early career researchers. She can tip APECES members to:

  • potential youth engagement with Gilbert Castellanos from the Alaska Fish and Wildlife Service
  • UNEP WCMC has occasional internships based in Cambridge, and are actively looking for help from an enthusiastic early career scientist with a penchant for working with large datasets
  • The Nomadic Herders have engaged with indigenous youth by holding a workshop with 35 participants to teach them about local sustainability, indigenous knowledge, CAFF, biodiversity and conservation

Some interesting tools are in development, with expected releases in 2017:

  • ArticDEM, a 2m resolution digital elevation model of the circumpolar Arctic to be released in Norway in Spring 2017, public domain and free to use
  • Arctic Biodiversity Data Service, a database with free to use data
  • Webinars to communicate the content of the developing reports
  • Globio3, a model to assess environmental, climate and biodiversity change and fragmenting habitats, to be used by decision makers

The CAFF working group is a wonderful collection of experts from around the world, and show genuine interest in how APECS can become a partner in initiatives. We can look forward to working with them in the future, and their board meetings allow for young scientists to gain insight into the how working groups function.

 

APECS is excited to announce that another leadership term has begun on 1 October 2016!

apecs logo webAPECS Executive Committee 2016-2017:

APECS’ tenth Executive Committee (ExCom) is now in place and ready to continue to shape the polar world.

  • Alice Bradley (University of Colorado Boulder, United States)
  • Josefine Lenz (Alfred-Wegener Institute, Germany)
  • Hanne Nielsen (University of Tasmania, Australia)
  • Alex Thornton (University of Alaska Fairbanks, United States)
  • TJ Young (University of Cambridge/British Antarctic Survey, United Kingdom)

have been elected to form the ExCom, the main leadership body of APECS. Ruth Vingerhagen (United Kingdom), Heather Mariash (Canada), and Tristy Vick-Majors (Canada/United States) will serve as ex-officios and support the new ExCom over the coming year. And of course, Gerlis Fugmann, the APECS Executive Director will continue to support and foster the group from the International Directorate in Tromsø, Norway (and from February 2017 from our new location in Potsdam, Germany). More information on the APECS 2016-2017 Executive Committee can be found here.

Alice Bradley 2016APECS President 2016-2017:

With a new term, comes a new president, and this year Alice Bradley will be taking on this role. Alice is currently finishing her PhD research at the University of Colorado Boulder. She uses in situ and remote sensing observations of upper ocean heat and sea ice to study how the annual cycle of first-year ice growth in the Arctic is changing. She has been involved in APECS leadership for the past two years and is on the board of the US APECS committee.

 

APECS Council 2016-2017:

In 2016-2017 the APECS Council is made up of 49 very enthusiastic members from 24 countries: Sara Aparicio (Italy), Ted Bibby (USA), Gesche Blume-Werry (Sweden), Liz Bowman (USA), Julie Bull (Canada), Marta Bystrowska (Poland), Jilda Caccavo (Italy), Adam Campbell (New Zealand), Elizabeth Ceperley (USA), Henrik Christiansen (Belgium), Caroline Coch (Germany), Jennifer Cooper (USA), Adrian Dahood (United States), Meagan Dewar (Australia), Onur Sabri Durak (Turkey), Tamara Fletcher (USA), Friederike Gehrmann (Finland), Caroline Geisert (France), Vikram Goel (Norway), Claire Griffin (USA), Jean Holloway (Canada), Christopher Horvat (USA), Luis Huckstadt (USA), Bruno Ibañez (Peru), Lynn Kaluzienski (USA), Hanna Maria Kauko (Norway), Minkyoung Kim (South Korea), Nikita Kuprikov (Russia), Douwe Maat (Netherlands), Claudia Maturana (Chile), Bernabé Moreno (Peru), Swati Nagar (India), Karolina Paquin (Norway), Igor Stelmach Pessi (Belgium), José Queirós (Portugal), Pablo Rodríguez Ros (Spain), Gabriela Roldan (New Zealand), Vicki Sahanatien (Canada), Jose Séco (Portugal), Elisa Seyboth (Brazil), Evgeniia Sidorova (Canada/Russia), Merran Smith (Canada), Sara Strey (USA), Lorna Thurston (USA), Katya Uryupova (UK/Russia), Gary Wesche (USA), Scott Zolkos (Canada). Additionally, Yulia Zaika (Russia) remains on the Council in an ex-officio role. More information on the APECS 2016-2017 Council can be found here.

We once again thank the many APECS leaders that have come before us and have helped guide and foster many of those serving today! We look forward to another year with the projects that are currently underway, and continue to look for more ways that we can serve and help early career polar researchers around the world.

apecs logo webAWI WortBildmarke Farbe RGBThe Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) and the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research are pleased to announce that the APECS International Directorate will be hosted by AWI at its research centre in Potsdam, Germany for five years from February 2017. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between both this week. The staff of the APECS International Directorate at AWI will include the APECS Executive Director, Dr. Gerlis Fugmann, and Heike Midleja as new half-time APECS Administrative Assistant (currently Administrative Assistant for the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC)).

The APECS is an international and interdisciplinary organization for undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, early faculty members, educators and others with interests in the polar and alpine regions and the wider cryosphere. By providing networking and career development opportunities, APECS’ activities aim to: a) raise the profile of polar research; b) develop effective leaders in research, education and outreach; and c) stimulate interdisciplinary and international research collaborations. To achieve this, APECS works with many partners in the international polar research community and has, among others, close connections with IASC and the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) with whom it has had a Memorandum of Understanding since 2008.

The AWI is a well-recognized polar research institution with high international standing engaged in research both in the Arctic and Antarctic. It provides infrastructure for polar research to national and international researchers and is active in many international committees for polar research. AWI will provide a stimulating environment for APECS through a wide scientific network, international visitors, frequent workshops and summer schools, and APECS will provide improved linkages between AWI and the next generation of polar researchers.

APECS is very thankful for this opportunity and commitment by AWI and is looking forward to a fruitful collaboration in the coming years to continue to help shape the future of polar research!

The Past Antarctic Ice Sheet Dynamics (PAIS) Geoscience SCAR Research Programme, in cooperation with the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), would like to appoint an early career researcher to the PAIS steering committee on a rotating 2 year time frame, to contribute to the leadership and implementation of PAIS activities in general, but specifically to help improve the reach of PAIS science outcomes through outreach and communication by:

  • helping develop an informative and engaging website
  • increasing the use of social media to profile PAIS publications, events and activities
  • helping attract early career researchers and students to be involved in PAIS workshops, symposia and activities (e.g. videos, blogs, exhibitions, training schools)

Applicants should be early career researcher with a PhD, and a passion for Antarctic and Southern Ocean paleoclimate research and communication of its societal relevance. The position is a volunteer position without any funding attached to it.

If you are interested in applying, please send us the following by no later than 12 October 2016 to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

  • CV
  • Statement of Interest including:
    • Your research background and how it relates to the foci of PAIS
    • Why you would be interested in joining PAIS and how this position would be beneficial for your research career
    • Clear statement that you can commit to this position for the next two years

If you have questions, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Thank you to everyone who entered a figure into our Fall Polar Week figure competition

Voting has closed and we can now announce the results: congratulations to all!

1st place: Noémie Ross and the 'A Frozen Ground Cartoon' team

Ross Noemi

‘A Frozen-Ground Cartoon’ is a scientific outreach project presenting permafrost research conducted in the field with thematic comic strips. It is coordinated by a core group of Permafrost Young Researchers from Canada and Europe and is funded by the International Permafrost Association (IPA). This poster is realized by Noémie Ross, a professional young artist from Montréal, Canada. For more information click here.
'A Frozen-Ground Cartoon' Team: Project Leader: Frédéric Bouchard Collaborators: Bethany Deshpande, Michael Fritz, Julie Malenfant-Lepage, Alexandre Nieuwendam, Michel Paquette, Ashley Rudy, Matthias B. Siewert, Ylva Sjöberg, Audrey Veillette, Stefanie Weege, Jon Harbor

2nd place: Mathieu Casado, University of Paris, Saclay

Acquisition of the isotopic composition signal in Polar Region: first, during evaporation, the clouds are depleted in heavy isotopes by the cumulated effect of equilibrium fractionation at the phase transition and kinetic fractionation; second, the cloud isotopic composition is depleted at each precipitation events as the heavy isotopes are preferentially found in the condensed phase; finally, in remote polar region, due to the low amount of precipitation and it is necessary to take into account post-deposition processes in the isotopic budget of the snow.

3rd place: Ruth C. Heindel, Dartmouth College

RCH soilcrustfigure

Conceptual framework for understanding the role of biological soil crusts (biocrusts) in the West Greenland landscape. Starting in a high productivity stable state (shrub and graminoid tundra), wind disturbance can remove soil and vegetation, exposing loess and glacial till. After biocrust development, the role of the biocrust either as a permanent landscape cover or a successional facilitator determines whether the landscape remains in a low productivity stable state or returns to the initial high productivity state. Concept from Bowker et al., 2007.

iasc webapecs logo webThe International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), in cooperation with the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), invites Early Career Scientists (ECS) to apply for the IASC Fellowship Program 2017.

The IASC Fellowship Program is meant to engage ECS in the work of the IASC Working Groups (WGs): Atmosphere, Cryosphere, Marine, Social & Human and Terrestrial. Each year, one Fellow per WG is chosen. IASC Fellows are doctoral or postdoctoral researchers who actively participate in selected activities of the IASC WGs. They are expected to scientifically contribute but also to help organize specific activities and to coordinate the reporting to the IASC Secretariat. Thus, the Fellowship Program provides the opportunity for ECSs to become involved in leading-edge scientific activities at a circumarctic and international level, to build an international network or contacts and also to develop management skills.

The total duration of the IASC Fellowship Program is 1+2 years. In their first year, selected Fellows will receive travel support to attend two consecutive Arctic Science Summit Weeks (ASSWs) where the annual WG meetings are held. After the first year, Fellows have the opportunity to stay involved for up to 2 more years without dedicated funding support from IASC and the further involvement is individually decided by the WG Steering Group and the Fellows. Note: The travel support during the first fellowship year is the only financial remuneration for the fellows. Salary is not included during the fellowship.

For more information please see http://iasc.info/capacity-building/fellowship or contact the IASC Fellowship Coordinator Maja Lisowska (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or the APECS Executive Director Gerlis Fugmann (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

For this round of applications, interested ECSs have to fulfill the following criteria:

  • PhD student/candidate or postdoctoral researcher (up to 5 years past the PhD)
  • able to commit to participating in the activities of one of the IASC WGs for at least 12 months from March 2017 to April 2018.
  • able to attend the two upcoming ASSWs: 31 March - 7 April 2017 in Prague (Czech Republic) and 15 - 27 June 2018 in Davos (Switzerland, as part of the POLAR2018 conference)
  • located in an IASC member country (Austria, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark / Greenland, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, India, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Republic of Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, USA)
  • have a good command of English

How to apply:
If you are interested in this amazing opportunity then please fill out this application form (https://goo.gl/forms/E3tJoBMbIFqp5Oy72). If you have problems accessing or submitting the form, please contact the APECS Executive Director Gerlis Fugmann at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to receive a word version of the form.

Application deadline is Monday 14 November 2016 at 13 GMT (late applications will not be considered). Successful applicants will be notified before the end of the year.

Polar Week logo2 01

The APECS Polar Week Figure Competition 2016 received 10 submissions and now it is time for YOU to vote for your favourite!

Click here to view all the submissions and click hereto cast your vote.

Voting closes midnight 25th September (GMT) and the winners will be announced shortly after.

This Polar Week (Fall 2016), communication was in the spotlight for APECS Oceania. On Monday 19 September (1300 AEST), Indi Hodgson-Johnston from the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (Hobart) presented an introduction to "Social Media for Marine and Antarctic Scientists." Tune in to a recording of the talk to learn about the various social media platforms, how to use a hashtag, networking effectively online, and ways to promote your research. 

Social Media for Marine & Antarctic Scientists from APECS Webinars on Vimeo.

APECS Oceania’s Indi Hodgson-Johnston talked about:
  • The value of a social media presence 
  • Working out what you want to achieve from dipping your toe into social media
  • How to set up social media accounts (with an emphasis on Twitter)
  • How to promote your research sensibly (and avoid those trolls)
  • How much time does it take? 
  • How to find other scientists in your field
  • Etiquette, visualisation, professionalism etc. 
  • Honest reflections of several years working with companies, organisations and other researchers in social media
  • And so on… 
 
Why social media? 
 
Employers are increasingly demanding outreach and communication skills of their employees. A solid social media presence provides scientists and other researchers with precious contacts, networking and outreach opportunities that are beyond those found in traditional research institutions. But it’s a bit scary when you hear about trolling, multiple platforms etc, so that’s why we’re going to tell you all about how to set up accounts, what to say, what not to say, who to follow and so on. It’s aimed at a wide audience, from those wanting to start up an account, to those that want to refine their audiences. 

To view a recording of the presentation on the APECS vimeo channel, click here.


 

A full day APECS workshop was held in Malaysia on August 21, immediately prior to the 2016 SCAR Open Science Conference. This workshop attracted over 60 participants, with early career researchers from all over the globe attending.

Jose Xavier from the British Antarctic Survey opened the workshop, presenting on “Networking Skills: an important soft skill for a scientist?” Next, Renuka Badhe from the European Polar Board provided an introduction to “international Cooperation and Interdisciplinary Work.” Their advice about networking was soon put into practice, with an interactive icebreaker activity encouraging participants to mingle and meet each other during the coffee break.

Jose Xavier presenting at APECS workshop     Renuka Badhe presenting at APECS workshop

Jose Xavier and Renuka Badhe present at the APECS workshop - image: Bernabé Moreno

The second part of the morning was spent learning about some of the unique projects and products that were being launched or further developed at SCAR 2016. George Roth, from the Norwegian Polar Institute, provided an introduction to Quantarctica, a collection of Antarctic geographical datasets which works with the free, open-source software QGIS. He was followed by Anne le Brocq from the University of Exeter, who provided a preview of her new interactive computer game about ice sheets in Antarctica, called “Ice Flows.” The SCAR conference provided a unique opportunity for scientists and policy makers to meet face to face, and this fact was highlighted by Gabriela Roldan from the University of Canterbury. Gabriela introduced the Survey on Antarctic Science - Policy making engagement, and encouraged all APECS members present to take place in the survey in order to improve science-policy interactions in the future. Cornelia Lüdecke from the SCAR History Expert Group also spoke briefly, and encouraged APECS members to make the most of the SCAR conference by attending sessions outside of their immediate fields.

For many of those present, the workshop was their first APECS event. APECS Director Gerlis Fugmann presented an introduction to “The Association of Polar Early Career Scientists and how to get involved” in order to outline the many activities APECS is involved in. Hanne Nielsen from APECS Oceania and Alex Thornton from USAPECS then talked about their National Committee activities.

APECS workshop participants in Kuala Lumpur (SCAR 2016)

APECS workshop participants in Kuala Lumpur - image: Bernabé Moreno

Lunch was followed by a plenary discussion on Career Paths, with the mentors Louise Huffman, (Dartmouth College, United States), Renuka Badhe, (European Polar Board, Netherlands), Anne Le Brocq, (University of Exeter, UK), and - via skype from New Zealand - Victoria Metcalf (National Coordinator of the Participatory Science Platform, Office of the Prime Minister's Chief Science Adviser - New Zealand). The discussion, which was chaired by Jennifer Cooper,  provided an opportunity for those present to contemplate the range of career paths available post-PhD, including academia, industry, policy, and education.

The final session of the day involved two breakout sessions, one on ‘Writing Funding Applications,” and the other on “Sharpening communication skills.” David Walton, (British Antarctic Survey, United Kingdom), Pete Convey, (British Antarctic Survey, United Kingdom) and Daniela Liggett, (University of Canterbury, New Zealand) first identified common pitfalls in grant writing, and answered specific questions in smaller workshop-style groups. In the parallel session, Louise Huffman (Dartmouth College, United States), Michael Becker  (BBC Natural History Unit), Tim Naish, (University of Wellington, New Zealand), Jan Strugnell (La Trobe University, Australia) and Kenny Matsuoka (Norwegian Polar Institute, Norway) explored novel ways of communicating science to the wider public.

Many thanks to all of the mentors who helped to make the workshop a success, to Antarctic Science for providing lunch, and to the SCAR 2016 conference for providing a venue and coffee breaks. The workshop was organised by Hanne Nielsen. Alex Thornton, Bernabé Moreno, Jennifer Cooper, and Gerlis Fugmann.

Polar Week logo2 01International Polar Week is an opportunity for APECS and its members to promote Polar science. APECS uses this opportunity to plan and develop Polar science related activities alongside teachers, educators and those interested in polar education for the equinoxes of each year. The equinoxes in March and September are the only time when everywhere on earth the day length is 12 hours, a perfect opportunity to celebrate the poles on a global scale!

The International Polar Week Fall 2016 will be from 19 - 25 September 2016! We want to celebrate by focusing on the science being conducted in the Arctic and Antarctic. Please send us your planned activities so they can be added to the Polar Week Website by filling out this form. If you have problems accessing / sending the form, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. And don’t forget to send us a short article about your activities afterwards (with some pictures).

More information on International Polar Week Fall 2016 and how to participate can be found on the Polar Week page.

This year we have a number of events organised for you to take part in!

We look forward to celebrating Polar Week with you!

2016 Presentation Awards2

The SCAR Open Science Conference and Biennial Meetings 2016 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (20 - 30 August 2016) attracted nearly 1000 Antarctic researchers and managers from around the world. To acknowledge the outstanding presentations (oral and poster) given by the many early career researchers, the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) and the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) awarded prizes for the best oral and poster presentations by region and one each for the best overall.

The Award Organizing Committee (Heike Link, Johanna Grabow, Gerlis Fugmann and Jenny Baeseman) would like to especially thank the many conveners and conference participants that helped with the judging for those awards!!!

Congratulations to the recipients are listed below:

BEST OVERALL:

  • Best Overall Early Career Oral Presentation: Theresa King (University of South Florida, United States) - Mid-20th century intrusion of Circumpolar Deep Water on Ross Sea and Wilkes Land continental margins evidenced by stylaster-coral isotopic signals.
  • Best Overall Early Career Poster Presentation: Francyne Elias-Piera (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) - E-learning course on the Antarctic environment: An interdisciplinary and collaborative production

ASIAN Region:

  • 1st Place Early Career Oral Presentation: Wee Cheah (Academia Sinica, Taiwan) - The role of mixing and silicate in regulating phytoplankton community structure in the iron-limited Antarctic Polar Front
  • 2nd Place Early Career Oral Presentation: Abiramy Krishnan (University of Malaya, Malaysia) - Influence of temperature on amylase and cellulase activity from polar and tropical soil microfungi
  • Best Early Career Poster: Shridhar Jawak (National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research, India) - Empirical modelling of bathymetry of Antarctic lakes using high-resolution multispectral imagery

AFRICAN & MIDDLE EAST Region:

  • 1st Place Early Career Oral Presentation: Jean Loock (Stellenbosch University, South Africa) - The seasonal distribution and controls of bioactive trace elements cadmium and cobalt in the southern ocean, Atlantic sector.
  • 2nd Place Early Career Oral Presentation: Trevor McIntyre (University of Pretoria, South Africa) - Long-term niche fidelity in southern elephant seals: Do individuals display unique foraging strategies?
  • Best Early Career Poster: Ryan Cloete (Stellenbosch University, South Africa) - The distribution and controls of bioactive trace elements (Cu and Zn) in the Atlantic Sector of the Southern Ocean.

AUSTRALASIAN & OCEANIA Region:

  • 1st Place Early Career Oral Presentation: Taryn Noble (Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, Australia) - Testing the ice-ocean feedback mechanism: Reliable extraction of proxy data from surface sediments on the East Antarctic margin.
  • 2nd Place Early Career Oral Presentation: Hanne Nielsen (University of Tasmania, Australia) - Hoofprints in Antarctica: The significance of Byrd’s polar dairy.
  • Best Early Career Poster: Diana King (University of Wollongong, Australia) - Semi-automated Antarctic vegetation monitoring using digital photography

EUROPEAN & RUSSIAN Region:

  • 1st Place Early Career Oral Presentation: Muhammed Jeofry (Imperial College London, United Kingdom) - Geophysical investigations of the subglacial embayment in the Institute Ice Stream of West Antarctica
  • 2nd Place Early Career Oral Presentation: George Roth (Norwegian Polar Institute, Norway) - Quantarctica 3.0: A Cross-Platform, Full-Featured Open GIS for Antarctic Research
  • Best Early Career Poster: Rachel Downey (Senckenberg Natural History Museum and Research Institute, Germany) - Biogeographic review of carnivorous sponges in the Southern Ocean

NORTH AMERICAN Region:

  • 1st Place Early Career Oral Presentation: Cassandra Brooks (Stanford University, United States) - Competing values and political complexity in the Southern Ocean: CCAMLR and the challenge of marine protected areas
  • 2nd Place Early Career Oral Presentation: Michelle Shero (University of Alaska - Anchorage, United States) - Do Weddell seals “freeze” pregnancy? Intra-specific variation in gestation of a top Antarctic predator
  • Best Early Career Poster: Jade Lawrence (Louisiana State University, United States) - Subsurface hypersaline brine discharge from Taylor Glacier into Lake Bonney at depth

SOUTH AMERICAN Region:

  • 1st Place Early Career Oral Presentation: Camila Signori (University of São Paulo, Brazil) - Assessing the impact of climate change on microbial diversity across environmental gradients in the southern ocean
  • 2nd Place Early Career Oral Presentation: Claudio Rivas (Austral University of Chile, Chile) - Stress response in Chlorella sp. isolated from snow community in King George Island
  • Best Early Career Poster: Patricia Saez (University of Concepción, Chile) - Diffusive and biochemical limitations to photosynthesis in Antarctic plants from two populations in Antarctica

The Co-Chair of the Conference Sciencific Organizing Committee, Irene Schloss, presented recipients with a certificate and a copy of “Polar Science and Global Climate: An International Resource for Education and Outreach” at the Closing Ceremony hosted by Dato’ Dr. Mohd Azhar Bin Hj. Yahaya, Secretary General, Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation. Oral and poster presentations were judged in 3 categories: scientific content, quality of presentation and capacity to contribute with the research to the session and a broader context.

CONGRATULATIONS to all recipients and we hope to see you in two years at the POLAR 2018 Conference in Davos, Switzerland!

SCAR logo white backgroundDuring the biannual meeting and open science conference of the Scientific Committe on Antarctic Research (SCAR), the Standing Scientific Group of Life Sciences (SCAR SSG-LS) holds an open and closed meeting with its representatives. Established life scientists of currently 33 countries come together during this meeting to discuss their latest reports and advances.

At this year’s SCAR meeting and conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Jeff Bowman (Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, USA) and Henrik Christiansen (KU Leuven, Belgium) attended the meetings of SSG-LS on behalf of APECS. Yan Ropert-Coudert, the new chief officer, opened the first meeting, which took place mid-week of the conference and was well-attended by many spectators including early career scientists. Updates about the various expert groups (EGs) and action groups (AGs), as well as the two life science scientific research programs (AnT-ERA and AntEco) were presented. Many of the EGs and AGs and both AnT-ERA and AntEco continue to support early career scientist – they have for instance sponsored a number of early career scientists to attend this conference in Malaysia. To find out about such opportunities sign up for their e-mails lists (http://lists.scar.org/mailman/listinfo/antera and http://lists.scar.org/mailman/listinfo/anteco)! Besides proposing the continuation of some EG/AGs, the creation of a new AG, BEPSII(Biogeochemical exchange processes at sea ice interfaces) was proposed.

On Saturday the representatives gathered again for a closed meeting. Here, new initiatives, upcoming meetings (e.g. http://kuleuvencongres.be/scarbiology2017/) and highlights of national research programs were introduced. Budget discussions and votes took place as well. When discussing the new format of the life sciences meeting (having a first meeting mid-week), many noted the high attendance, which shows that there is an interest in this format. APECS strongly supports the idea of having an open, publicly advertised meeting embedded within the general conference program, as it may be a good opportunity for early career scientists to learn about the work of SSG-LS.

APECS Webinar: Understanding the ecological power of communication: Culture & nature tourism contexts

Presented by A/Prof Tema Milstein - University of New Mexico​

Scholars of environmental communication argue that “What we say is what we see” - communication shapes environmental perceptions, and perceptions shape environmental actions. This argument has broad implications at a time when our planet responds to a range of human actions, from the tremendously destructive and extractive to the potentially restorative and transformative. It has particular significance for those who study – and communicate about - the polar regions.

This talk will introduce an overview of the trans-disciplinary field of environmental communication, and introduce several core concepts and frameworks. A/Prof Milstein will use the lens of ecotourism and illustrative examples from her own work, including research on whale and dolphin tourism in North America and New Zealand, to explore an ecocultural way of understanding our current situation.

Tema Milstein worked as a journalist, editor, and current events talk show host before entering academia. She now examines the ways communication functions as a cultural force. Tema’s award-winning ethnographic and qualitative research includes examinations of cultural environmental meaning systems, ecotourism and endangered wildlife, climate crisis activism, culture jamming, and ecopedagogy. You can read her research at https://unm.academia.edu/TemaMilstein/ and join the conversation in her Ecocultural Communication Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/428111227269773/.

Do you enjoy converting complex research findings into simple, intuitive figures? Do you enjoy drawing cartoons about your science?

If so, then this is the competition for you!

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words and good graphics are a vital component of disseminating research. During the APECS International Polar Week Fall 2016, we will organise a figure competition, where everyone will be able to vote for the most eye-catching, informative and inspiring figures. We are looking for figures in the broadest sense of the word (infographics, cartoons, figures for journals etc.) which capture either the overall theme of your research or a particular finding in pictorial format.

If you want to participate by sending a figure, send it to the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we will upload it for you on our website. Entry in limited to one figure per person.

What to submit for each picture?

  • Name, affiliation and email address
  • Caption (if needed). If the figure is already published please send the source link.
  • Permission for APECS to use the picture on its website.

The deadline for submitting a picture will be the 18th September. You have to be an APECS member to participate. The vote will then take place during the polar week and the photo getting the most votes will be the winner!

And of course you can win something! 1st Prize (100 Euros); 2nd Prize (50 Euros) and 3rd Prize (25 Euros) towards the travel costs to a polar or cryosphere related conference or meeting of your choice.

You can find the photo submissions here.

We are looking forward admiring your figures.

Are you attending the SCAR Open Science Conference 2016 in Kuala Lumpur? Registration is still open for the one-day APECS career development workshop on 21 August. The workshop will be at the Renaissance Hotel Kuala Lumpur.

You can find all the information on how to register and the workshop program on the APECS website.

We are looking forward to seeing some of you there!

The Association of Early Career Scientists for the sea and the Poles (APECS-Brazil) and the Journal of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (JICZM) are preparing a thematic issue dedicated to the subject “Coasts, Oceans and the Cryosphere: Polar Science and the 25-years of the Madrid Protocol”.

The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty - the Madrid Protocol - reached 25 years in 2016. This is an opportunity for the scientific community to discuss polar science in broad areas according the context of this important document. We particularly encourage polar early career scientists to submit manuscripts to this issue.

The JICZM is an open access peer-reviewed international journal indexed in several international databases, including Scopus. The special issue will include research papers, review articles and case studies addressing all aspects related to polar science on past and present coasts, oceans and the wider cryosphere, including Earth, Life, Human and Physical Sciences. Where appropriate we encourage the inclusion of a short section relating the paper main subject with Madrid Protocol relevant aspects.

Submitted manuscripts must be in English, in order to reach the international audience of the polar community. Manuscripts will be peer reviewed and, if accepted by the Editorial board, published online in a formal specific journal issue. Each paper will have a DOI in order to increase visibility. The papers will be available in electronic, open access, version. This thematic issue is expected to be published in 2017.

Submission guidelines are available at http://www.aprh.pt/rgci/manuscripts-Subm.html.

Submission deadlines:
One–page expressions of interest: August 31, 2016.
Full article submissions: December 31, 2016

The editorial board warmly invites you to be part of this exciting thematic issue!

Guest editors:
Fernanda Quaglio, Juliana Assunção Ivar do Sul and Erli Schneider Costa (Brazil); Peter Convey and José Carlos Caetano Xavier (United Kingdom); Ceridwen Fraser (Australia).

Editors RGCI / JICZM:
João Alveirinho Dias, Ulisses Azeiteiro, Monica Costa, Tomasz Boski, Helenice Vital , Marcus Polette

DSC 0015UKPN ran a workshop for Early Career Researchers immediately prior to the 2016 Antarctic Science Conference (. The event and conference were held at the University of East Anglia on Norwich Research Park, UK. In total, 34 ECRs attended, including Masters students, PhD Researchers and Post Doctoral Researchers. The UKPN workshop comprised a number of sessions dedicated to outreach, career development and personal development. During the outreach session, we demonstrated experiments and educational puzzles and games, that participants could either take into schools or educational settings directly, or gain inspiriation from to produce more engaging outreach events in the future. The kit used in the demonstrations was loaned from the International Polar Foundation, who we also promoted for the resources they offer on outreach. Following this, we had a very interactive and engaging session on 'How to get the most out of conferences', which was followed immediately by a networking/ drinks reception, during which participants were able to practice their new skills. DSC 0020Having this session just before the main conference was also well received as this made it relevant and, according to feedback, helped participants get more out of the conference that they otherwise might have. The following morning, two more informative sessions were held. The first was on publishing and featured talks from a UEA professor and a leading publisher from the Nature Group. This session covered how to write your paper, how to select the journal to publish in, and how the review and publication process works. Finally, we had a talk from the Fieldwork and Logistics Team at British Antarctic Survey to inform ECRs about the potential for opportunities for fieldwork with BAS and how to link into using their logistics, both in the immediate and more longer-term future. As well as the drinks reception, the meeting also featured a dinner on the Monday night, which provided another opportunity to develop new personal and professional relationships and, ideally, lay the foundations for new collaborations in the future. The workshop was altogether a big success, with lots of positive feedback received from participants. Please find attached to this some photos of the event and the outreach session in particular, and the agenda for the day

PFFlogo

To celebrate Polar Week 2016, the USAPECS program is bringing together the best footage that the internet has to offer and showing off the Polar Regions to the world! Whether it is your own footage, something you found while surfing the web, or something a you've seen at the cinema, as long as it shares the Poles with the world, then it has a chance to be featured in the Polar Film Fest. From silly to serious, one minute to feature-length, and Arctic to Antarctic, we want to see it all!

All submissions should fit into one of four themes:
* Frozen Worlds: the Cryosphere
* Partly Frozen, Mostly Cute: Polar Biology & Ecology
* People at the Poles: The Human Dimension
* Climate & Connections

Please submit your Polar Film Fest suggestions by August 15th at the USAPECS website: http://usapecs.wix.com/usapecs#!polar-film-festival/usqor

Before Polar Week in September, we'll post curated playlists with your suggestions on each of these themes. During Polar Week, join us online at #PolarFilmFest or plan your own in-person watch party to enjoy some of the best films in polar science!

Got questions? Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Thanks to the generous support of several partners, APECS was able to give out travel awards for members to attend Antarctic-related conferences this summer and we want to announce the recipients of the awards:

Support from Antarctic Science Ltd., made it possible to give out partial travel awards for members to present Antarctic research at upcoming conferences, including the SCAR Open Science Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in August 2016. In total, we received 140 applications for this opportunity and were able to give out 13 travel awards. The recipients are:

  • Henrik Christiansen (Belgium)
  • Gemma Clucas (United Kingdom)
  • Minkyoung Kim (South Korea)
  • Gemma Kulk (Netherlands)
  • Heike Link (Germany)
  • Rabia Mathakutha (South Africa)
  • Bernabé Moreno (Peru)
  • Hanne Nielsen (Australia)
  • Benedict Reinardy (Norway)
  • Maria Gabriela Roldan (New Zealand)
  • Camila Signori (Brazil)
  • Roseline C. Thakur (India)
  • Alex Thornton (United States)

Support from ISMASS (Ice sheet mass balance and sea ice level), made it possible to give out 4 travel awards to attend the SCAR Open Science Conference 2016 and the ISMASS activities at the conference. We received 9 applications and the 4 recipients are:

  • Shridhar Jawak (India)
  • Theresa King (United States)
  • Bertie Miles (United Kingdom)
  • Dieter Tetzner (Chile)

Congratulations to all recipients!

Are you looking for a way to get or remain active in APECS and the APECS leadership? How about you apply for the APECS Council 2016-2017!

The 2016-2017 Council term is from 1 October 2016 till 30 September 2017. And we encourage YOU to consider applying and help us shape our organisation and the future of polar research!

Find out more information and how to apply on our Council page

Application deadline is on 9 September 2016 at 23:59 GMT if you want to join the 2016-2017 term from the beginning.

For more information on the Council contact the two current Council chairs Rachel Downey and Scott Zolkos via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

We will have elections again in September for a new APECS Executive Committee for the 2016-2017 term!

The purpose of this announcement is to encourage YOU to consider applying for the new APECS Executive Committee and help shape our organization over the next year!

Find out who can apply, the timeline, application process and what to submit for your application on the Executive Committee elections page

Application deadline is on 9 September 2016 at 23:59 GMT!

If you have any questions about what it means to be a member of the APECS Executive Committee, the application process or any other queries, please contact the elections coordinators at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Ruth Vingerhagen, Tristy Vick-Majors and Gerlis Fugmann
APECS ExCom election coordinators 2016

Слайд1"Arctic Snapshots connects researchers from different northern research stations so they can network, share ideas, and learn about each other’s research.” (E. McKnight, U. Alberta)

Arctic Snapshots is a series of online webinars between researchers in Arctic earth, biological, and social sciences at different field stations. The main objectives of Arctic Snapshots are: (i) for scientists to share the excitement of their research; (ii) to promote networking between researchers; (iii) for participants - particularly young scientists - to gain experience presenting their research.

We are pleased to invite you to participate in the Arctic Snapshots 2016 online session which will take place on July 14, 16:00 GMT. To register and join the session, please follow the link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7626959594512789252

This session will connect scientists from 3 locations in Canada and Russia: Churchill Northern Studies Centre (Churchill, Canada), Khibiny Educational and Scientific Station (Murmansk Region, Russia) and McGill Arctic Research Station (Axel Hieberg Island, Canada).

We will have interdisciplinary presentations and discussions across the Arctic Ocean. The session will be recorded and video will be available online at the APECS website.

If you have any questions, please send them to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

APECS Chile copyAPECS Chile is featured in the Chilean Antarctic Science Program's (INACH) English language newsletter ILAIA. Read the full article here (page 35)!

German SCAR IASC Meeting 2016APECS was invited to send a German representative as guest to the annual meeting of the German SCAR-IASC Committee. As the name already implies, the German SCAR-IASC National Committee (NK SCAR/IASC) is the official representative of German research in SCAR and in IASC. Once a year, the committee brings together the assigned (usually for 3 years) NK SCAR/IASC members and guests, established scientists from most research entities involved in polar research in Germany.

As chair, Günther Heinemann welcomed the participants on May 19 this year at the MARUM in Bremen. They could present updates of their organizations and had time to discuss during breaks along the well-organized 2-day meeting. On behalf of the currently 131 APECS members based in Germany, Heike Link presented APECS activities since summer 2015 with a focus on events involving German members. The presentation also stimulated a discussion about how and why a national APECS group could be initiated in Germany, but the interest and implementation has to come from Germany’s polar early career scientists themselves. An APECS Germany committee would certainly facilitate communication between the NK SCAR/IASC and early career scientists.

The more than 30 other statements or short presentations included information on their polar activities from the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Marine Research, the German Research Foundation (DFG) and its Priority Program for Antarctic Research (1158), the German Association for Polar Research (DGP), APECS, and, of course, the different SCAR and IASC working groups. For APECS it was encouraging to hear from AnT-ERA’s chief officer and German representative, Julian Gutt, that they invest 55% of their budget in early career scientists. Volker Rachold, IASC Executive Secretary, emphasized the value of early career IASC fellows - including the Germans Allison Fong and Josefine Lenz - in their different groups. Having a regular APECS representative at the NK SCAR/IASC will not only allow young researchers to learn about the various polar research activities in Germany, but it will also improve the communication between early career and established polar researchers in Germany.

Interested in helping create an APECS Germany National Committee? Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Faculty of Earth Sciences UMCSSCAR logo white backgroundCPS logo enAPECS Polska logoDuring the XXXVI Polar Symposium in Lublin, Poland, APECS Poland held a workshop for young researchers dedicated to interdisciplinary cooperation in polar science, entitled: “What really matters is not ‘How to do it?’ but ‘With whom?”, with kind support of the Centre for Polar Studies, University of Silesia; the Polish Polar Consortium; and the Scientific Committee of Antarctic Research (SCAR).

The workshop, held on 8 June 2016, gathered around 30 participants representing a vast range of disciplines, institutions and career stages, and consisted of two parts. The first one, led by dr. Bartłomiej Luks (Institute of Geophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences) and dr. Michał Łuszczuk (Faculty of Political Science, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin) focused on interdisciplinary collaboration in science. The second part, led by dr. Agnieszka Skorupa (Institute of Psychology, University of Silesia in Katowice), aimed at examining the role of psychological mechanisms during polar expeditions.

The workshop was meant to be a hands-on experience. Thus, apart from talks and presentations, the participants were involved in group tasks so that they practiced
interdisciplinary thinking and team work during breakout sessions. We even experienced an emergency landing on the Moon!

After the workshop, the participants attended the SCAR information session which was dedicated mainly to the on Tinker-Muse Prize for Science and Policy in Antarctica, SCAR Fellowship Programme and other SCAR awards and recognition activities.

The workshop, which was the first APECS Poland event after a long break, turned out to be very successful, both, as a learning opportunity and a platform to meet and get to know new colleagues. We received positive feedback after the event, accompanied by specific ideas for next initiatives.

We are deeply grateful to the organizers of the XXXVI Polar Symposium, especially the Faculty of Earth Sciences and Spacial Management, University of Maria Curie-Skłodowska, Lublin and all the partner institutions which made this event possible. We also thank our mentors for their time and dedication. Last but not least: many, many thanks to the participants!

APECS Polar Workshop 2016

US APECS Webinar - Writing for Media and the General Public

with Jeff Richardson,public information officer at the University of Alaska Fairbanks

June 21, 2016 at 12:00 AK/4PM EDT

Register here.

Organizer: Lauren Frisch

Description: Jeff Richardson has experience working in local media and as the public information officer for the University of Alaska Fairbanks. His webinar will give some tips about finding the story in your research, and other strategies to consider when writing for the media and general audiences.

From the archives:

ISMASS, SCAR and APECS are happy to announce the availability of 3 travel fellowships to attend the 2016 SCAR Open Science Conference in Kuala Lumpur. The funding is provided by ISMASS (Ice sheet mass balance and sea level), a joint expert group of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) and the WCRP Climate and Cryosphere Project (CliC).

ISMASS will be organizing two activities during the conference that the recipients are required to attend and provide a short report afterwards to the ISMASS Steering Committee:

  • session S06 “Glaciers and ice sheet mass balance”
  • mini symposium 4 “The Antarctic Ice Sheet from Past 2 Future”

Criteria for application:

  • early career researcher
  • presenting an oral presentation or poster at the 2016 SCAR OSC
  • scientific background related to the work of ISMASS

Funding amounts are designed to cover the partial costs of attending the conference and will be limited depending on your country of residence to no more than:

  • 1500 USD (Asia, Australia, New Zealand)
  • 1600 USD (Europe and Africa)
  • 2000 USD (North and South America)

If you fit the criteria, you can apply by filling out this application form http://goo.gl/forms/plCYGqfIIAUyNbBW2 . Application deadline is 18 June 2016.

For questions please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. at any time.

The Art and Science of Blogging

with Mia Bennett, Cryopolitics blogger

June 9 at 11:00 Pacific / 14:00 EDT

Register here.

Organizer: Mia Bennett

Description: For over seven years, Mia Bennett has written a blog on all things Arctic. Drawing on her experience blogging for the Foreign Policy Association and now the independently-run Cryopolitics, she'll talk about the art and science of blogging and how you can use it to improve your communication, research, and impact.

From the archives:

APECS International Online Conference: Polar Science: Through New Eyes

Conference Date: 18 May 2016 (08:50 GMT to 21:20 GMT)
Event Format: Online conference (webinar)

 The APECS Online Conference 2016,entitled “Polar Science: Through New Eyes,” took place on 18 May 2016 (08:50 GMT to 21:20 GMT)! 

The conference was a great success, with over 100 audience members registered, and a full day of presentations about polar research. The presenters engaged in scientific dialogues, and represented multiple disciplines and backgrounds, providing new research perspectives in their field of research. We would like to thank all of our presenters and those who tuned in. Special thanks to José Xavier (Session 2) and Rasmus Gjedssø Bertelsen (Session 4) for their inspiring keynote presentations in the successful second year of our global APECS online conference series for early career scientists.

Prizes were awarded to Jesse Colangelo (McGill University, Canada) for his Arctic talk on the "Sluggish viral dynamics in Arctic hypersaline spring sediments" (Session 4) and Lavenia Ratnarajah from the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (University of Tasmania, Australia) for her Antarctic talk on "The biogeochemical role of Baleen whales in Southern Ocean nutrient cycling"(Session 1). The Antarctic prize is provided thanks to funding from Antarctic Science Ltd.  

With increased attention on the changing polar environment and the future challenges this will bring, the conference conveyed the broad range of new research currently being conducted internationally. Sessions covered a range of disciplines, including Oceanography, Biology, History, Policy, Education, Geology, Atmosphere, and Climate Research, and were split into five sessions, depending on presenter time zones.

Recordings of each of the sessions from the 2016 APECS Online conference are available below.

Conference Organizing Committee: Lorna Thurston, Rachel Downey and Hanne Nielsen

The detailed conference programme including all abstracts can be found here.

SCAR logo white backgroundAre you an early career researcher and your work is related to birds and marine mammals in the Antarctic? We are looking for a new APECS representative for the Expert Group on Birds and Marine Mammals (EG-BAMM) of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR).

The representative would be serving on the group for a minimum of two years. Your role would focus on participating in the work and discussions of EG-BAMM, as well as being a link between EG-BAMM and APECS (e.g. reporting on APECS activities of interest to EG-BAMM during EG-BAMM meetings; reporting on EG-BAMM activities of interest to APECS to APECS members and other early career researchers). In addition, the representative would ideally attend the meeting of the Expert Group at the 2016 SCAR OSC in Kuala Lumpur and other meetings as they arise. In return you would gain a valuable insight in coordinating research at an international level. This APECS representative is a volunteer position without any funding attached to it.

If you are interested in this position, please send us the following to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 6 June:

  • CV
  • Statement of Interest including:
    • Your research background and how it aligns with the foci of the Expert Group?
    • Why this position would be beneficial to your research career?
    • Clear statement that you can commit to this position for at least two years, including attending the 2016 SCAR OSC (and have your own funding sources to do so)

If you have questions, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Broadening Your Scientific Impact & Addressing NSF Funding Criteria with Polar-ICE

Carrie Ferraro, Polar-ICE

May 31 at 10:00 Pacific/1:00 Eastern

Register here

Organizer: Ellyn Enderlin

Description: Scientists are increasingly being asked to communicate the “broader impacts” of their work. Learn about the important points to include in your a BI statement that will satisfy NSF Criterion II and tips on selecting potential audiences, identifying appropriate collaborators, and developing activities that achieve broader impacts. We will explore a suite of new online resources for scientists aimed at helping you develop a BI statement and fulfill your interest in communicating your science. We will also explore the ways that you can partner with the Polar Interdisciplinary Coordinated Education (Polar-ICE) to fulfill your BI requirements.

Building Bridges & Designing Activities with Teachers

Morgan Seag, Manager of Bay Area Scientists in Schools

May 17 at 11:00 Pacific/2:00 Eastern

Register here

Organizer: Ellyn Enderlin

Description: Want to inspire the next generation? Webinar presenter Morgan Seag has trained hundreds of scientists to conduct engaging, interactive outreach lessons in elementary and middle schools. Join us to learn how to build bridges with teachers and design simple activities that leave an impact.

From the archives:

SeaIceLSciullo

APECS-Brazil is happy to share it's new newsletter (July-December 2015), which is the first edition to be made available in English as well as Portugeuse! The APECS-Brazil committee has been busy, so read the current newsletter on their website.

Do you have Arctic freshwater ecology and monitoring expertise? Do you live in or nearby Helsinki or would be able to fund a trip to Helsinki yourself? The Arctic Council’s Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna working group’s Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program (CBMP) is looking for one APECS member with Arctic freshwater ecology and monitoring experience to join them at their annual meeting to discuss the implementation of the Arctic Freshwater Biodiversity Monitoring Plan, June 13-15, 2016 in Helsinki, Finland.

This workshop will continue the process to develop the State of the Arctic Freshwater Biodiversity Report (SAFBR) and advance a work plan to further the coordination and delivery of Arctic freshwater biodiversity monitoring.

Involvement in this workshop presents an excellent opportunity to have your biodiversity monitoring efforts and knowledge contribute towards the Arctic Council’s efforts to facilitate more rapid detection, communication, and response to the significant biodiversity-related events affecting the circumpolar world.

The SAFBR report is a key deliverable from the implementation of the Arctic Freshwater Biodiversity Monitoring Plan, the second of four pan-Arctic biodiversity monitoring plans developed by the CBMP to improve the collective ability of national and sub-national research and monitoring networks, Arctic traditional knowledge holders, northern communities and scientists to detect, understand and report on long-term change in Arctic freshwater ecosystems and biodiversity.

Lunches will be provided at the meeting. Unfortunately there is no funding to support the candidate’s air travel or accommodation, but there is the potential for ground transportation (i.e., train) support.

If you are interested, please send a CV and a statement of interest letter including your research background and why you want to attend this meeting to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 20 May 2016. The successful candidate will be notified shortly after. Thank you!

APECS International Online Conference: Polar Science: Through New Eyes

Conference Date: 18 May 2016 (08:50 GMT to 21:20 GMT)
Event Format: Online conference (webinar)

 

Registration is now open for audience members to participate in our APECS Online Conference 2016 , “Polar Science: Through New Eyes,” scheduled for 18 May 2016 (08:50 GMT to 21:20 GMT)! It is completely free to attend!

How to register?You have to register separately for each session of the conference and you will then receive a unique attendance link for each of the sessions you are registered for in your inbox. Please register as early as possible but no later than 30 min before the session as the attendance link will be sent to you via email.

This conference will engage scientific dialogues between early career scientists from multiple disciplines and backgrounds on new research perspectives in their field of research. With increased attention on the changing polar environment and the future challenges this will bring, this conference aims to convey the broad range of new research currently being conducted internationally. Sessions cover a range of disciplines, including Oceanography, Biology, History, Policy, Education, Geology, Atmosphere, and Climate Research, and audience engagement is encouraged.

The detailed conference programme including all abstracts can be found on the APECS Online Conference 2016 website

apecs logo webAntarctic Science Logo copyThanks to support that APECS received from Antarctic Science Ltd., APECS is happy to announce the availability of travel funding for early career Antarctic researchers.

We will offer a limited number of partial awards to present Antarctic research at conferences through October 15, 2016, including the SCAR Open Science Conference in Kuala Lumpur in August 2016.

To apply, please fill out this online application form. Application deadline is on 6 May 2016 at 23:59 GMT. Late applications cannot be considered this time.

If you have questions, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . A word version of the form is available upon request if you have problems accessing the online form.

Are you attending the SCAR Open Science Conference 2016? The APECS workshop on 21 August is now open for registration. You can find more information on the workshop website.

APECS was invited to attend the European Polar Board’s (EPB) spring meeting in Stockholm, Sweden April 11-12, 2016. The EPB is an independent organization that coordinates European Arctic and Antarctic strategic science policy.  It’s focus areas are launching joint research programs, coordination of Polar research infrastructures, and advising on relevant policy issues.

Much of the first day's discussions were on the internal activities and management of the EPB. On the second day, discussions focused on EPB partnerships to leverage its activities. Discussions centered on strengthening current EPB partnerships. Heather Mariash represented APECS, highlighting the Call for Bids, the Strategic Plan, the online conference, and specific ways the EPB and APECS can work together on creating opportunities for early career researchers. Since the EPB works on integrating research into science policy at both poles, it will be an important partner organization for APECS. Both organizations see a benefit of working together, and we hope to have an official MoU signed soon. APECS will continue to collaborate with the EPB through joint activates and communications.

Other EPB partner organizations present were:  Anton Van de Putte representing data management from the Standing Committee on Antarctic Data Management(SCADM), the European Climate Research Alliance (ENCRA) presented by Tina Swierczynski, and Ulf Jonsell presented activities from Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks(SAON). 

APECS sweden

Congratulations to Denis Migulin, for his winning logo desgin of the APECS Swden logo contest. Denis is from the International Relations Office of the Russian State Hydrometeorological University.

Sweden's national committee received 16 excellent contributions. You can have a look at the close runners-up on their web page. Thank you to all the contributors. We appreciate the time and effort dedicated to creating the APECS logo designs. And of course, congratulations to the winner!

Call for abstracts: APECS International Online Conference

Conference Date: 18 May 2016, 08:00-23:00 GMT

Event Format: Online conference (webinar)

Abstract Submission Deadline: NOW April 25 2016

View schedule and sign up to join the audience HERE

Abstracts are now being accepted for the APECS International Online Conference, “Polar Sciences: Through New Eyes” which is scheduled to take place on 18 May 2016. Talks are maximum 12 minutes long, with 3 minutes for questions. This conference will encourage scientific dialogues between early career scientists from multiple disciplines and backgrounds, with presentations on new research perspectives from a range of research fields. With increased attention on the changing polar environment and the future challenges this will bring, this conference aims to convey the broad range of new research currently being conducted internationally.

Early career researchers are well placed to present new developments in their own fields through “new eyes,” while the conference provides an opportunity for those in the audience to gain exposure to a range of new techniques, methods, questions and themes. All polar researchers are invited to share their current research findings, but we particularly encourage the submission of abstracts by early career scientists, so they can gain invaluable experience presenting their research projects to the public. There will be a $300 prize given for best presentation at this conference which has been donated by APECS.

Session Themes

  • Biological – marine/freshwater/terrestrial
  • Geological/Environmental/terrestrial cryospheric environments
  • Atmospherics/Climatology
  • Oceanography/Sea-ice
  • Cultural/Historical/Policy/Education

To submit an abstract, fill in the form

Abstract submission guidelines:

  • All abstracts will be written in English.
  • State which session you want your abstract to be submitted to (refer to sessions available above)
  • Include a short title which summarises your presentation
  • Abstract must be limited to 300 words
  • Include your name and any other authors involved in this presentation
  • Include your institution and your additional author institutions
  • State which country and time zone you will be presenting from, so that we can find a sensible time slot for your presentation

Abstract must be lodged online or emailed to Rachel Downey (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) by 25 April 2016.

13055298 264969160510959 3600954944728774099 n

APECS members and young scientists from Russia in collaboration with the Arctic.ru website are launching a new outreach project. The project has been developed by Katya Uryupova (APECS Council) and Yulia Zaika (APECS ExCom). We aim to create a series of webinars about life and science in the Russian Arctic. What it's like to live and carry out investigations on ice? What kind of indicators of environmental changes can be detected on the remote Arctic islands of Russia?How the lifeunderneathsea ice of the White Sea looks like? And many more interesting questions and discussions. Webinars will be held in Russian, recordings will be translated into English, and then shared online.

 

Arctic.ru covers issues on the Arctic areas of Russia and other circumpolar states. The website provides up-to-date information, news, and analysis, as well as interviews and other multimedia content.

A very special THANKS to APECS for providing the teleconferencing platform for this amazing project.

The first webinar will be dedicated to the unique ice camp Barneo. Annually the camp opens in April and for a month it becomes the main scientific and touristic center in the Arctic. The webinar will be hosted by Kirill Kivva, a participant of the Barneo-2014 camp, researcher of the laboratory of climatic basis of bioproductivity of the All-russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO).

The live webinar will be held on April 23 2016, at 5 p.m. Moscow time(UTC+3). To attend the webinar, pre-registration is required:https://goo.gl/spKRgl.

You have an Arctic story about your life and research to share with us? Let us know and we will invite you for one of our webinars! You can reach us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. andThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

ASSW2016 biggroupAPECS hosted an Early Career Arctic Policy Workshop on Monday, March 14 during Arctic Science Summit Week in Fairbanks, Alaska. This half-day workshop began with a keynote presentation from Bradley Moran, dean of the University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences. Following, participants heard five short presentations addressing the global effort to use best-available science in the development of Arctic policy from our workshop’s mentors: Carolina Behe, Terry Chapin, Henry Huntington, Amy Lovecraft, and Peter Winsor. Following the talks, participants broke into smaller, mentor-led groups to discuss strategies for incorporating scientific knowledge into impactful Arctic policy. The workshop had great attendance, with 34 participants from a range of countries and different career stages.

ASSW2016 behegroupBradley Moran spoke to the group about some of his experiences working in the policy world, including an opportunity to share Fukushima radiation data with the White House during his time serving as the assistant director of ocean sciences in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Carolina Behe’s small group discussion focused on understanding indigenous knowledge, and the importance of creating policies and management plans that incorporate both indigenous knowledge and scientific data. Peter Winsor and Henry Huntington led a joint small group discussion. Their group talked about relevant community based science, the importance of communicating science, and how to get into private consulting work. Terry Chapin’s small group discussed the value of interdisciplinary work, and the difference between working as a specialist in an interdisciplinary group versus being a solo interdisciplinary researcher. Amy Lovecraft’s group discussed ways to translate our work and research into practice, and the value of personal marketing.

Presentation Titles:

  • Keynote: Bradley Moran, Perspectives on ocean science, policy and lesson learned
  • Henry Huntington, Research, observations and outreach, or the production of science vs. the consumption of science
  • Amy Lovecraft, Scenarios as social learning: Community-scale anticipation of healthy sustainable communities in Arctic Alaska
  • Carolina Behe, Indigenous knowledge and monitoring: Applying a food security lens and co-production of knowledge approach
  • Peter Winsor, Managing science projects across the world with a keen eye to industry and the private sector
  • Terry Chapin, Interdisciplinarity: When, if ever, is the right time to embrace it?

 

Meeting your Outreach Goals with Strategic Science Communication 
with Kristin Timm*
 
*Kristin Timm is the Science Communications Lead at the Scenarios Network for Alaska and Arctic Planning (SNAP) at the International Arctic Research Center (IARC) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

April 22

17:00 GMT 
Register Here
 
Organizer | Bernabé Moreno
 

Description | George Bernard Shaw once said that, “the single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” As science communicators, how can we tell if we have effectively communicated or whether our communication efforts have met our intended goals? The strategic science communication process is a more deliberate approach to communicating science, and this webinar will discuss how to identify your communication goals and purpose, potential audiences, available tools, and mechanisms for evaluation and assessment. Rather than taking an ad hoc approach to communicating science (and hoping for an intended outcome), the strategic communication process begins by reflecting on the value of the research and identifying who will be interested in or impacted by the results. This webinar is ideal for early career scientists who would like to see specific outcomes from their science communication activities, are interested in taking their science communication skills to the next level, or who are working closely with and sharing research results with specific stakeholder groups 

apecs logo webCOMNAP2016SCAR logo white backgroundJoin us for a webinar on our fellowships and tips for successful applications on
April 18th at 1900 UTC.

Preparing a successful fellowship application is a skill. Often, lack of success with applications is not due to a poor research idea but comes down to the inability to express clearly and confidently, in writing, your research to someone else. Everyone’s writing skills can be improved and be made more effective. This mentoring activity is designed to help early career persons with developing their fellowship proposal writing skills. It is particularly meant for young researchers in countries with a small or just developing Antarctic research community that may not have adequate mentoring in their home institutions.

To register:
URL: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2658660171491906562
Webinar ID: 100-249-219

Participants will receive an email with the log-in link for the session once they have registered.

Webinar Agenda:

Introduction to the SCAR/COMNAP Fellowships programme
Personal reflection by past Fellow on experience and impact of programme
Growth of programmes and current expectations
Assessment criteria for the programmes
What makes a successful application
Things to avoid
Q&A to panel for advice on proposal writing

Provisional speakers and panel members:

Prof Karin Lochte, Director, Alfred Wegener Institute, SCAR Vice President for CBET
Dr Michelle Rogan-Finnemore, Executive Secretary, COMNAP
Dr Mahlon (Chuck) Kennicutt II, ex-President of SCAR
Dr Kelly Kenison Falkner, Director, Division of Polar Programs, NSF
Prof Jane Francis, Director, British Antarctic Survey
Dr Renuka Badhe, Executive Secretary, European Polar Board, ex-SCAR Executive Officer
Dr Gerlis Fugmann, Executive Director, APECS
Dr David Walton, Editor, Antarctic Science
Prof Anna Wahlin, co-Chair SOOS
Dr Jenny Baeseman, SCAR Executive Director
Dr Eoghan Griffin, SCAR Executive Officer

For more details go to www.scar.org/2016 or read this detailed announcement text

We look forward to hearing from you on the webinar!

Eoghan Griffin, SCAR Executive Officer / Fellowship administrator

-on behalf of
Karin Lochte, SCAR Vice-President for Capacity Building
Michelle Rogan-Finnemore, COMNAP Executive Secretary
Jenny Baeseman, SCAR Executive Director
Gerlis Fugmann, APECS Executive Director

Data Visualization
with Rob Simmon
Data Visualization Engineer at Planet Labs
April 6th*
12:30pm Alaska / 1:30pm Pacific / 4:30 Eastern
Register here

Organizer: Allen Pope
Description: Creating scientific graphics can be difficult, so come learn some simple tips and tricks from a dataviz expert on composition, color, and design to transform your figures into effective, informative, and beautiful scientific visualizations with your own data! Rob will also focus on the importance of using and choosing the right colors in your figures.

From the archives:
Graphic Design 101 for Scientists: Tips for Improving Talks, Reports, Posters, and Figures. APECS webinar with Kristin Timm
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Tips for Successful Photography in the Polar Regions. APECS webinar with Chris Linder

*Note: The webinar time changed from 11:00AM Pacific to 1:30PM Pacific due to an unforeseen conflict for the speaker. If you already registered for the webinar, you should have received a notification of this change.

Also check out the APECS Past Webinar Database for more webinars. 

This webinar is part of the USAPECS webinar series on Science Communication

APECS Netherlands 2016On the 12th of March, 2016, APECS Netherlands joined the ‘Pool tot Pool’ day in the museum of Peoples in Leiden. This yearly event about mainly scientific research in the Arctic and Antarctic focuses on a general public. In total there were four lectures by speakers from the Netherlands and Belgium, with topics such as invertebrates on Antarctica and climate change effects on Svalbard. At the same time there was a group of high school students, which presented posters on their school projects about Svalbard. APECS Netherlands was represented by Ariadna Szczybelski and Douwe Maat, who gave ‘pitch presentations’ about APECS and their own research, and presented accompanying posters during the day. The event was joined by approximately 150 people and therefore a great success. For APECS Netherlands this was a great opportunity to explain people about APECS in general and about the work that is done by early career scientists in the polar regions. The event also led to making new contacts (high school teacher and students and indirectly to APECS Belgium members) which will be useful for APECS NL to expand its network and develop teaching and outreach activities.

Thank you for all the great submissions to the APECS International Polar Week Photo Contest 2016! After all the votes are in, we are happy to announce the three winners:

1st Prize: Adrian Dahood (George Mason University, United States)

Gentoo penguins porpoising, Antarctic Sound, Antarctica, January 14, 2013

Photo Contest 2016 Dahood Gentoos AntarcticSound January 14 2013

2nd Prize: Nathaniel B Dkhar (The Energy and Resources Institute, India)

Photo was take at East Rathong Glacier, West Sikkim District, Sikkim, India on 25th June 2013. We had gone to support a local government institution start their monitoring of the glacier. Unfortunately, the equipment required was not available with them and we got to know only once we reached the base camp. So the couple of us who had to climb up to 5100 masl had to use cotton rope for make shift "crampons". It helped to get some traction and the best part was we had to use our umbrellas as ice axes. It seems funny now but it wasn't then.

Photo Contest 2016 Nathaniel B Dkhar 1 small copy

3nd Prize: Francoise Amélineau (University of Montpellier, France)

October 2011, Dumont d'Urville Station, Antarctica
Curious Emperor penguins coming close to my robot fitted with acoustic devices to record their calls.

Photo Contest 2016 Francoise Amelineau photo1 small

Call for abstracts: APECS International Online Conference

  • Conference Date: 18 May 2016, 08:00-23:00 GMT
  • Event Format: Online conference (webinar)
  • Abstract Submission Deadline: 25 April 2016
  • Submit Abstracts HERE
  • View schedule and sign up to join the audience HERE

Abstracts are now being accepted for the APECS International Online Conference, “Polar Sciences: Through New Eyes” which is scheduled to take place on 18 May 2016. Talks are maximum 12 minutes long, with 3 minutes for questions. This conference will encourage scientific dialogues between early career scientist from multiple disciplines and backgrounds, with presentations on new research perspectives from a range of research fields. With increased attention on the changing polar environment and the future challenges this will bring, this conference aims to convey the broad range of new research currently being conducted internationally.

Early career researchers are well placed to present new developments in their own fields through “new eyes,” while the conference provides an opportunity for those in the audience to gain exposure to a range of new techniques, methods, questions and themes. All polar researchers are invited to share their current research findings, but we particularly encourage the submission of abstracts by early career scientists, so they can gain invaluable experience presenting their research projects to the public. There will be a $300 prize given for best presentation at this conference which has been donated by APECS.

Session Themes

  • Biological – marine/freshwater/terrestrial
  • Geological/Environmental/terrestrial cryospheric environments
  • Atmospherics/Climatology
  • Oceanography/Sea-ice
  • Cultural/Historical/Policy/Education

To submit an abstract, fill in the form at this link

Abstract submission guidelines:

  • All abstracts will be written in English.
  • State which session you want your abstract to be submitted to (refer to sessions available above)
  • Include a short title which summarises your presentation
  • Abstract must be limited to 300 words
  • Include your name and any other authors involved in this presentation
  • Include your institution and your additional author institutions
  • State which country and time zone you will be presenting from, so that we can find a sensible time slot for your presentation

Abstract must be lodged online or emailed to Rachel Downey (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) by 25 April 2016.

Selected speakers will be notified by email at the latest on 25 April 2016.

The APECS International Online Conference will be using GoToWebinar platform (so you can enjoy the conference behind your desk or from your couch!).

Call for abstracts: APECS International Online Conference

  • Conference Date: 18 May 2016, 08:00-23:00 GMT
  • Event Format: Online conference (webinar)
  • Abstract Submission Deadline: 25 April 2016
  • Submit Abstracts HERE
  • View schedule and sign up to join the audience HERE

Abstracts are now being accepted for the APECS International Online Conference, “Polar Sciences: Through New Eyes” which is scheduled to take place on 18 May 2016. Talks are maximum 12 minutes long, with 3 minutes for questions. This conference will encourage scientific dialogues between early career scientist from multiple disciplines and backgrounds, with presentations on new research perspectives from a range of research fields. With increased attention on the changing polar environment and the future challenges this will bring, this conference aims to convey the broad range of new research currently being conducted internationally.

Early career researchers are well placed to present new developments in their own fields through “new eyes,” while the conference provides an opportunity for those in the audience to gain exposure to a range of new techniques, methods, questions and themes. All polar researchers are invited to share their current research findings, but we particularly encourage the submission of abstracts by early career scientists, so they can gain invaluable experience presenting their research projects to the public. There will be a $300 prize given for best presentation at this conference which has been donated by APECS.

Session Themes

  • Biological – marine/freshwater/terrestrial
  • Geological/Environmental/terrestrial cryospheric environments
  • Atmospherics/Climatology
  • Oceanography/Sea-ice
  • Cultural/Historical/Policy/Education

To submit an abstract, fill in the form at this link

Abstract submission guidelines:

  • All abstracts will be written in English.
  • State which session you want your abstract to be submitted to (refer to sessions available above)
  • Include a short title which summarises your presentation
  • Abstract must be limited to 300 words
  • Include your name and any other authors involved in this presentation
  • Include your institution and your additional author institutions
  • State which country and time zone you will be presenting from, so that we can find a sensible time slot for your presentation

Abstract must be lodged online or emailed to Rachel Downey (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) by 25 April 2016.

Selected speakers will be notified by email at the latest on 25 April 2016.

The APECS International Online Conference will be using GoToWebinar platform (so you can enjoy the conference behind your desk or from your couch!).

APECS Oceania, the national committee for members in Australia and New Zealand, recently voted on a brand new logo:

apecs oc

The penguin represents the Antarctic research done by members in both countries - Hobart (Australia) and Christchurch (New Zealand) are both known as "Gateways" to the Antarctic. The stars - created out of stylised snowflakes as a nod to the APECS international logo - form the shape of the Southern Cross, a symbol that appears on the flags of both NZ and Australia, and one that situates the committee in the southern hemisphere. Our antipodean members are proud to have a new logo, and look forward to showcasing the work of APECS under this local branding for years to come.

The penguin and Southern Cross symbol features on the APECS Oceania Facebook Page, twitter account, and on ther website.

For more on the activities of APECS Oceania, see http://apecsoceania.com/

apecs brasil logo

The Brazilian national council of APECS is now renewed and gives welcome to the new Council members! The new members will develop their activities between 2016 and 2018 aiming to motivate young polar scientists to study several aspects related to the polar environments, to promote international networks, and to develop polar research, education and outreach activities – which are the APECS-Brazil trademarks!

Welcome:

President: Dr. Juliana Assunção Ivar do Sul
Vice President: Biol. Juliana Silva Souza
1. Secretariat: Adriana R. de Lira Pessoa
2. Secretariat: Ana Olivia de A. Reis
1. Treasurer: Claudineia Lizieri
2. Treasurer: Douglas Lindemann
1. Scientific Coord.: Fernanda Quaglio
2. Scientific Coord.: Adriano Lemos
1. E&O Coord.: Sandra Freiberger Affonso
2. E&O Coord.: Roberta Piuco

New functions in the APECS-Brazil council were created to this new stage. They aim to motivate and improve the talents we have within our members.

Welcome:

1. Project Development Coord.: Erli Schneider Costa
2. Project development Coord.: Gerusa Radichi
1. Postgraduate Actions Coord.: Silvia Dotta
2. Postgraduate Actions Coord.: Claudineia Lizieri
1. Fund-raising Coord.: Thiago Severo
2. Fund-raising Coord.: Sueli Mattos

Active member supporting:

Secretariat - Luiz Antonio da Costa
Scientific Coordination - Rodrigo Alves
E&O Coordination - Alessandra Zaini
Project Development Coordination - Hugo Mariz
Postgraduate Actions Coordination - Ailim Schwambach

We are with our eyes in the future but honoured with our past successes. We are preparing a special conference in 2016 in Brasília, the Brazilian capital. Several challenges certainly will be faced including the current economic crises and the Aedes aegypti epidemic but we are convinced that another successful event is coming!

The International Polar weeks will occur in May and September here in Brazil. Once more the Antarctic and the Arctic environments will go into our children’s classrooms!

Finally, we invited all the polar scientific community to submit their articles in the Journal of Integrated Coastal Zone Management, an international journal that will produce an especial number dedicated to the theme: “Coasts, Oceans and the Cryosphere: Polar Science and the 25-years of the Madrid Protocol”. Are you going to miss this opportunity?

 

APECS Mentor Award DAVE

APECS is proud to announce that the recipient of the inaugural APECS International Mentorship Award 2016 is David Carlson. The award was presented to him during the Arctic Observing Summit 2016 in Fairbanks, Alaska. The award was established to recognize and honor the efforts of our mentors within the international polar science community and acknowledge their time and energy in building a supportive community. There could not be a more deserving recipient of this award.

It was Dave’s support during the International Polar Year that was instrumental in the establishment of APECS and his mentorship over the years has helped APECS grow into the organization it is today.

We received an astounding number of letters nominating Dave for this award, describing Dave as a “mentor of historical proportions.” These letters also featured personal stories – how someone, after a chance meeting with Dave at a conference – gained a valuable and insightful mentor in research, outreach, and life.

Dave has again and again championed outreach and education as a critical part of scientific research. His dedication to making sure our work is shared with diverse audiences has certainly been a boon to the field as a whole. He inspired many polar researchers and generations to come to do education and outreach and to communicate their research about the Polar regions.

Dave also has a remarkable skill for bringing people together, and he has channeled that to creating opportunities around the world for early career scientists. His incredible dedication to mentoring both the APECS and individual early career researchers has opened an untold number of doors and shaped dozens of careers.

APECS would like to thank Dave for everything that he has done as a mentor for both our organization and for so many of us as individuals. The APECS International Mentorship Award is a small token of our enormous gratitude for Dave’s time, wisdom, and passion over the years.

David Carlson is currently the Director of the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP), where he facilitates analysis and prediction of Earth system variability and change with relevance, benefit and value to society. He is co-founder and co-Chief Editor, with H. Pfeiffenberger (Alfred Wegener Institute), of Earth System Science Data, an international data publication journal. Dave supported the establishment of APECS during his tenure as Director of the International Polar Year (IPY) International Programme Office, where he organised, managed, coordinated, represented and supported the international interdisciplinary science program. Previously he was the Director of the Atmospheric Technology Division at NCAR, Director of the Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere (TOGA) Coupled Ocean Atmosphere Response Experiment (COARE) International Project Office, and Associate Professor in the College of Oceanography at Oregon State University.

To watch the presentation of the APECS International Mentorship Award to Dave Carlson at AOS 2016 click here and scroll down to AOS Plenary Session (E) - 18 March - 8:45 am to 10:45 am. The award is presented 56 minutes into the video.

 

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The Journal of Integrated Coastal Management / Revista de Gestão Costeira Integrada (JICZM/RGCI) and the Association of Early Career Scientists for the Sea and the Poles (APECS-Brasil) are pleased to invite the Polar science community to publish their papers in a thematic special issue dedicated to “Coasts, Oceans and the Cryosphere: Polar Science and the 25-years of the Madrid Protocol”.

The Call for Papers regarding the Special issue we are coordinating in the Journal of Integrated Coastal Zone Management is now online!
It is available at http://www.aprh.pt/rgci/callforpapers_coc_eng.html

The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty, the Madrid Protocol, was created with the objectives of preventing the contamination of the Antarctic environment and to guarantee its preservation. Each Antarctic Treaty Signatory Party which conducts activities in Antarctica must plan their actions with the aim of minimizing adverse impacts on the Antarctic environment, and its dependent and associated ecosystems. The Madrid Protocol will celebrate 25 years in 2016 which represents an excellent opportunity to the APECS members and all research groups with interests in the polar regions and the wider cryosphere to publish their results in this international and open access Journal.

One–page article proposals must be submitted until July 29th, 2016.

Our plan is to receive research articles, review articles and case studies following the Journal’s format until December 31st, 2016. Submission guidelines is available at http://www.aprh.pt/rgci/submartigos.html.

The Journal of Integrated Coastal Management and the Association of Early Career Scientists for the Sea and the Poles look forward to receiving your submission for this exciting thematic issue!

2015 16 Excom

This year the annual APECS Excom meeting was held in Fairbanks, Alaska, immediately prior to the Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW). We had two very productive days of discussions and we were joined by Alex, one of the National Committee coordinators, for part of these.

The last few months have seen a number of changes as a result of the organizational review recommendations and the subsequent publication of our 5-year strategic plan. During the first part of the meeting we reviewed the changes to the council structure, which we implemented in autumn. Whilst we felt that the new project group structure was working well, we recognized the need for improved reporting so that experiences and advice can be passed on to future project group members. We also prioritized a number of documents, resources and pages on the website to be updated in the coming months.

The individual National Committees do a tremendous amount of work that is often not recognized outwith the local country. We discussed ways to improve the sharing of updates and experiences between NCs and develop ‘how to’ guides for organizing the most common types of NC events.

Other topics on the agenda included the budget and renewal of MoUs with a few of our partner organizations. As a final topic we noted that APECS will be 10 years old next year and so we discussed ways in which we could mark this momentous occasion. We plan to organize events at several conferences so keep an eye out for ways to get involved!

ASSW began straight after our meeting and this gave us an unrivalled opportunity to talk in-person to many of our Arctic-orientated partners, attend their meetings and spread the word about APECS.

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During International Polar Week APECS-Brazil together State University of Rio Grande do Sul (UERGS) launched the 1st National Challenge for creation of Apps (http://www.uergs.edu.br/index.php?action=noticias&cod=3657, in Portugues only). The main objective of the competition is the generation of Apps for sustainable development actions. The 1st Contest will be addressed to high school students supervised by their teachers just to schools in Brazil. To the next year we intent to do it in an international level.

This year APECS-Brazil will hold its International Polar Week in May to allow wider dissemination and the integration of more schools, teachers and students. The 1st National Challenge for Apps Creation - that is supported by CNPq - will start during our Polar Week. More information will be released soon!

USAPECS (the United States branch of the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists) is organizing a webinar series for Spring 2016 (April - June) focusing on how to best share your science, including sessions on:

Directed at early career researchers, webinars are open to those from any career stage.

Registration links are available on the US-APECS website, which will also be updated as details are finalized: http://usapecs.wix.com/usapecs#!webinars/cdv7

Updates will also be sent to the USAPECS email list. You can sign up for APECS here: http://www.apecs.is/get-involved/join-apecs

See you at the sessions this spring!
The USAPECS Board

The APECS Polar Week Photo Contest 2016 has received 57 submissions! You can see them all on our photo contest page

And now it's time for YOU to vote for the best! Look up the number of the photo and the name of the photographer for the photo you like best on our photo contest page. And then fill out the poll below. 

Voting will be open until 20 March 2016. We will announce the winners in the following week!

uk polar network logoUKPN has recently published its 2015-2016 newsletter.

UKPN has been invovled in several activities over the last few months including Polar Week, Antarctica Day 2015 and the ASE conference workshop in Birmingham. We are busy making plans for events at the Leeds Science Festival, Challenger Society Conference and UK Antarctic Science Conference.

You can read it here.

On 1 December APECS held another very successful Antarctica Day including talks, school visits and flags. To find out more about the range of activities which our National Committees were involved in please click here!

 

The Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) is launching an international call for bids to host the International Directorate Office for the organisation starting February 2017.

Expressions of interests from interested institutions/countries are being accepted until 30 April 2016. The deadline for full bids is 20 June 2016.

APECS is the preeminent international and interdisciplinary organization for early career researchers with interests in Polar and Alpine regions and the wider Cryosphere. With the current funding agreements for the APECS international directorate coming to a close on 31 January 2017, we are looking for a new host(s) and sponsor(s) starting February 2017.

The International Directorate is the secretariat of APECS serving as the main contact point for members and partners, coordinating the day-to-day management of the organisation, providing support for APECS activities, projects, and committees while also providing continuity and institutional memory. It currently includes one full-time position (Executive Director). Due to the enthusiasm of our growing community, and its accordant commitments, collaborations, number of projects, and organizational needs, additional funded positions (part-time or full-time) supporting the work of the secretariat are also sought located either at the main secretariat host or at other institutions.

Detailed information regarding the call for bids can be found at http://www.apecs.is/who-we-are/call-for-bids-2016.html. For questions please contact the APECS Executive Director Dr. Gerlis Fugmann at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or the APECS Executive Committee at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Clic logo1The 12th Session of the CliC Scientific Steering Group in Denmark was held 2-4 February, 2016, at University of Copenhagen, hosted by Center for Ice and Climate. More than 35 presentations were in the agenda, and participants were predominantly from Europe, but with contributions from the USA, Japan, Canada, China, New Zealand, Argentina and Australia (participating both at the location and remotely). The meeting was led by CliC SSG Chair Greg Fiato and hosted by the SSG member Dorthe-Dahl Jensen.

Dave Carlson, WCRP Director, opened the meeting and highlighted the topics of the meeting: among them were identification of gaps and duplications in work of CliC, research opportunities, future activities and projects, links to the other organizations/groups, etc.

CliC Meeting 2016 2There were a number of oral sessions covering the Climate and Cryosphere (CliC) Scientific Steering Group (SSG) and the World Climate Research Programme (WCPR) activities, connections and linkages between CliC and other projects, sea ice, permafrost/hydrology, regional/transdisciplinary issues, prediction and predictability, and modelling. A focus of the meeting was also on the WCRP Grand Science Challenges: clouds, circulation and climate sensitivity; melting ice and global consequences; climate extremes; regional sea-level change and coastal impacts; water availability. The delegates also had the opportunity to join the CliC minisympopsium held at the Niels Bohr Institute on Februady 4th, 2016, to discuss the state of the Arctic Cryosphere. It was mentioned that with the current sources there are more opportunities for the participants from developing countries and young scientists (international funding). Also, there was a suggestion to establish a special fund (travel) to support young scientists to join the upcoming cryospheric meetings.

CliC Meeting 2016 3As the APECS representative Ekaterina Uryupova updated information the SSG participants on the efforts of the Association of the Polar Career Scientists (APECS). She pointed out that young researchers are contributing a lot to the observations related to the Polar and Alpine Regions, and the wider cryosphere. The education and outreach is possible through research collaboration, training, and using digital platforms. Ekaterina provided the SSG participants with the APECS statistical data, and showed a range of outreach products that APECS is responsible for. She was also responsible for taking notes and compiling the meeting report. The detailed report of the 12th meeting of the WCRP's CliC project Scientific Steering Group is available at the CliC website now - http://www.climate-cryosphere.org/media-gallery/1580-2016-clicssg12-report. In addition, information about the upcoming projects/opportunities for early career researchers has been gathered at the meeting.

Strategic Plan Cover 1We are delighted to announce the publication of the APECS Strategic Plan for 2016-2020!

The plan sets out five key areas for APECS to concentrate on in the next five years in order to ensure that APECS continues to thrive and inspire:

  1. Capacity Building
  2. Cutting Edge of Information Assessment
  3. Outreach
  4. Establish a Structure to Grow Sustainably
  5. Improve Internal Functions

The plan is a result of discussions and consultations arising from the APECS Organizational Review (2015), APECS World Summit (2015), and a survey sent to the APECS National Committees and Leadership and we thank everyone who provided feedback as part of these processes. We also thank your Advisory Committee for their continued advice and input to the strategic plan.

We look forward to working with our members, National Committees, partners and sponsors to help us implement the Strategic Plan recommendations, and to continue shaping the future of polar research.

In the context of the COP21 that occured in December 2015 and on the idea of the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, the foundation Yves Rocher, under the aegis of the Foundation of France, created a special "Climate" award to its prize "Women of the Earth" 2016. On March 3rd 2016, the APECS-France association, led by a board of women, received in Paris this award for the organization of the French Polar Week, that sensitizes thousands of children about polar sciences.

This award is an amazing recognition for the energy and time given by all the young polar researchers, and a strong encouragement to pursue the educational initiatives : this endowment will allow APECS-France to organize its very first physical Polar Week event, in October 2016.

Congratulations to all !!

APECS France Yves Rocher Foundation Award

IASC SCAR thinktankAt the end of February I was invited to represent APECS at an ‘Arctic and Antarctic Think Tank’ in Potsdam, Germany. The event brought together the executive committees of the International Arctic Science Committee(IASC) and the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR). Over 1.5 days the two organizations updated each other on their current scientific and policy activities and discussed ways to strengthen their existing collaboration.

Both organizations have recently published summaries of important research questions at their respective poles (Horizon Scan and ICARP III) and a major goal of the meeting was how to combine these two documents in order to increase awareness of the importance of polar research amongst national funding agencies and the general public. It is all very well to outline research questions, but plans for how to implement them are also needed. COMNAP (Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs) is leading the Antarctic Roadmap Challenges (ARC) project which looks at how to implement the Horizon Scan research questions. An overarching theme is the development of technology e.g. remote sensing, memory capacity and durability. I really liked the way the ARC focused on common underlying needs rather than discipline specific issues, especially since it reminds researchers to look outside their discipline: the technology they are looking for may already be out there.

There was much interest in a new International Council for Science (ICSU) initiative called ‘Future Earth’. Future Earth aims to bring together diverse organizations with the common aim of promoting research for global sustainability. It currently does not have a strong polar or even climate focus and it was agreed that Future Earth should do more to engage with SCAR and IASC. What was interesting about this discussion was that it highlighted how important communication between organizations is in order to avoid unnecessary duplication of efforts. This is particularly important since many of these organizations are primarily run by volunteers on a limited budget.

Further discussions centered around plans for the joint SCAR-IASC conference (Polar 2018), promoting and archiving documents from the International Polar Year and increasing opportunities for early career researchers to be involved in the various working groups of each organization.

Attending this meeting gave me a fantastic insight into how these organizations function and work to influence research policy at a national and international level. It is certainly not an easy task to capture funders and the general public’s attention but actively working together and having a united Polar voice will undoubtedly help.

At the upcoming Arctic Summit Science Week (ASSW) in Fairbanks, Alaska (12 - 18 March 2016), APECS is organizing an Early Career Arctic Policy Workshop on Monday, March 14 from 9:00 - 12:30.

This half-day workshop will begin with a keynote and five short presentations addressing the global effort to use best-available science in the development of Arctic policy. Participants will then break into smaller, mentor-led groups to discuss strategies for incorporating scientific knowledge into impactful Arctic policy.

Mentors guiding the APECS break-out groups include:

  • Carolina Behe, Inuit Circumpolar Council-Alaska
  • Terry Chapin, University of Alaska Fairbanks Institute of Arctic Biology
  • Henry Huntington, the PEW Charitable Trusts
  • Amy Lovecraft, University of Alaska Fairbanks Political Science Department
  • Peter Winsor, University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences

For information about the workshop, please visit ASSW’s website. To register for this workshop or ask a question, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

If you are not registered for Arctic Summit Science Week, you can volunteer for portions of ASSW in order to attend other portions. For more information, email ASSW volunteer coordinator Nate Bauer at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit the volunteer website.

The poster session for the Arctic Frontiers conference was held on Thursday afternoon. Posters were divided into three different themes: Arctic Stewardship, Environmental Footprints and Technology Needs. The poster hall was filled with lively discussions but some posters were getting more detailed attention and these were the 40 posters being presented by early career scientists. A team of judges evaluated the posters and then had a long discussion in order to decide the winners. It was not an easy decision due to the high quality of all the posters but in the end we decided on an overall winner and three runner-ups. The awards were presented at the Science Conference dinner at the Scandic Ishavshotel by Mar Fernández Méndez, Ruth Vingerhagen, Gerlis Fugmann and Jenny Baeseman.

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Congratulations to:

Overall winner:

Daria Gritsenko – Ukraine and the Arctic – Apples and Oranges?.

Runner-up:

Melissa Brandner - Environmental Impact Assessment: It’s in the DNA!

Peter Leoplold - After 1000 years of absence... – The worlds northernmost blue mussels (Mytilus sp.) population is once again thriving during the time of a rapidly changing Arctic.

Ilya Stepanov - The Northern Sea Route Development: Economic and Political Implications

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This year our Science for schools event was slightly different to previous editions. The Arctic Frontiers conference takes place every year in Tromsø, setting the perfect scene for polar outreach. During two days, 130 kids from the 10th class (13-14 years old) of four different local schools attended the Science for Schools event organized by UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Polaria, the Fram Centre, the Science Centre of Northern Norway and APECS. These kids live here, in the Arctic, in the main city of northern Norway, so they are familiar with snow and ice. However, most of them have never been out on a research vessel in the Arctic Ocean, on top of a glacier or diving below sea-ice. Therefore, listening to the first hand experiences of polar research scientists that have been there was extremely interesting for them.

Researchers from different nationalities living in Tromsø and abroad shared their experiences with the kids and were happy to answer all their curious questions. The kids were surprised to discover during Anja Rösel’s talk that the average thickness of current Arctic sea-ice is around 1-2 meters. You could see concern in their faces when Magnus Svendsen Nerheim talked about micro plastics pollution in the ocean. Their eyes opened very wide when Christine Dybwad showed them all the beautiful creatures that thrive in icy waters. Some of them were even brave enough to stand up and try the survival suits that polar researchers use when working on sea-ice and to help Anja and Polona Itkin drilling fake sea-ice. All in all the kids learned a lot of new things about polar science and their interest in pursuing a science related career hopefully increased.

Indeed, after the talks and hands-on experiences, it was the kids turn to impress us by presenting the posters, which they had been working on for the last month. In a way, it was their first mini-poster session at a scientific conference, and we have to say that the level of the posters was amazingly good. Not to mention their impressive level of English (not their native language). Some of us acted as judges, evaluating the posters and asking the kids questions about the topic they had chosen to present. While doing this we also learned a lot about topics such as ocean acidification, plastic pollution in the Arctic, the possibilities of nuclear energy as a carbon-free energy source, the problems of whaling and fish farming or the effects of climate change in the Tromsø area. The kids had done their research well and all together, they covered a wide variety of scientific issues.

Although it was a hard decision, we chose three second prizes and one overall winner. The winning poster (Lotion in the Arctic Ocean) could have perfectly been hanging at a regular scientific conference, but I have rarely seen professional scientists so enthusiastic and well-prepared as the six girls that presented this poster. There is definitely a lesson to be learned for all of us, researchers: We shouldn’t loose our childish curiosity and our teenager excitement when presenting our work to others.

We want to thank all the speakers: Magnus Svendsen Nerheim, Ruth Vingerhagen, Calvin Shackleton, Anja Rösel, Polona Itkin, Alexey Pavlov, Mar Fernández Méndez, Sara Aparicio and Christine Dybwad for contributing to a successful Science for Schools event.

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Polar Week logo2 01APECS International Polar Week Spring 2016 is coming up soon (14 - 20 March 2016) and we have news on how to send us your polar week activties and how to participate in an exciting fieldwork photo competition.

Polar Week activties by you:

Are you planning an event for Polar Week? Please go to our Polar Week Activities table and add the information. All you have to do is click on the “add” button above the table, fill out the form and click “save”. After the event, please send us a 1 - 2 paragraph summary of the event and 1 - 2 pictures if you have any so we can show the rest of our members the amazing event you have organized! If you have any questions please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Polar Week Photo Competition:

Are you an amateur photographer or a photography enthusiast? Do you have nice photos from your fieldwork in the polar regions that you want to share with the community? If so, then this is the competition for you!

During the APECS International Polar Week Spring 2016, we will organise a fieldwork photo competition, where everyone will be able to vote for the prettiest, funniest, most interesting photo.

If you want to participate by sending a photo, send it to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we will upload it for you on our website. Every person participating can send up to two photos.

  • What to submit for each picture?
  • Name and email address of the photographer
  • Where and when the photo was taken? (e.g. Tromsø, Norway, February 2016)
  • Permission for APECS to use the picture on its website.

The deadline for submitting a picture will be the 13th of March. You have to be an APECS member to participate. The vote will then take place during the polar week and the photo getting the most votes will be the winner!

And of course you can win something! 1st Prize (150 Euros); 2nd Prize (100 Euros) and 3rd Prize (50 Euros). The funds can be used towards the travel costs to a polar or cryosphere related conference of your choice.

We are looking forward admiring your pictures!

IGS logoThe Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) and the International Glaciological Society (IGS) have recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU). Both APECS and IGS share the common goal of working internationally and have already been working together for quite some time.

The International Glaciological Society was founded in 1936 to provide a focus for individuals interested in practical and scientific aspects of snow and ice. The objects of the Society are enshrined in its Constitution and are: to stimulate interest in and encourage research into the scientific and technical problems of snow and ice in all countries; to facilitate and increase the flow of glaciological ideas and information; to publish the Journal of Glaciology, the Annals of Glaciology and ICE (the News Bulletin of the Society) and any other appropriate publications, such as books and monographs and finally to sponsor lectures, field meetings and symposia.

For more information please visit IGS website at http://www.igsoc.org/

We are looking forward to work closely together and continue our fruitful partnership!

 

YoungPoliticians2The Arctic is changing rapidly due to human-induced global warming. While (us) researchers have known that for the last three decades, no significant progress has been made globally to prevent further warming of the climate in general and the Arctic, in particular. Partly, this is due to the lack of knowledge of decision makers and the public. Climate change misinformation is partially caused by a deficient information transfer from researchers to society, and especially to the younger generations who are still open-minded and eager to change the world.

To improve the situation, this year, a special event for young politicians was organized by APECS during the Arctic Frontiers Conference in Tromsø, Norway. This conference has been a top venue for Arctic politics in the past years and therefore provided the perfect framework for a science-politics exchange. The “Young Politicians” are a group of enthusiastic high school kids from Northern Norway, who are interested in improving the communities in which they live through politics. During this one-day event, they learned about climate change and its impacts from the global to the local scale.

Mar Fernández-Méndez and Alexey Pavlov from the Norwegian Polar Institute and active members of APECS, got a chance to take part in this side event to give two lectures to the young politicians about climate change in the Arctic. Alexey gave an overview of the latest scientific findings regarding global climate change and the rapidly changing Arctic region, thus, setting up the stage for Mar who led a discussion with the kids about possible solutions to mitigate the worse consequences of global warming in the Arctic. The kids were incredibly engaged and keen to discuss all options to prevent temperature rises in the Arctic. They understood quickly that whatever happens in the Arctic, does not stay in the Arctic and will affect northern Norway as well as other parts of the planet. The discussion was very interactive and covered possible solutions form the local to the global scale. Even some controversial topics such as oil production in Norway, reducing meat consumption, and the use of geoengineering approaches to sequester carbon were addressed. It was definitely a thought-provoking discussion that triggered some new thoughts in the young politicians’ minds.

The experience was nice both for us, the researchers and the kids. We improved our communication skills by explaining our science to a non-scientific audience. We were delighted to confirm that the new generations of politicians are willing to make their decisions based on available knowledge and they have learned some things that will be useful for their future careers as politicians dealing with the Arctic. This gives us hope for a future in which creative solutions and efficient political agreements will manage to reduce human-caused climate change. Doing science, investigating the causes of and effects of climate change is not enough if society does not understand the implications of the scientific conclusions. We therefore encourage every researcher to engage in this kind of outreach activities so that we (researchers) can, step by step, educate future generations and thus provide them with the necessary tools to change the world to a better place.

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Lawrence Hislop and Sara Aparcio and Magnus Nerheim and Guerlis Fungman and Alexey Pavlov Photo by Nikolaus Gkika copyOn Wednesday 27 January 2016, APECS, in cooperation with the High North Academy (HNA), arranged a panel discussion dedicated to science communication during the Arctic Frontiers conference at the UiT The Arctic University of Norway.

The four speakers – all science communication advocates, shared their experiences and insights on communicating science from a broad and wide range of perspectives. Lawrence Hislop (CliC), having a large experience on image (video, photograph, etc) highlighted the importance of captivating the interest of the public through good and appealing aesthetics besides ensuring great content of information. The bits that he managed to show from his vast work proved his point of view. On the other hand, Magnus Svendsen Nerheim (University of Bergen), surely made it clear the importance of knowing your... “stuff”! – in an easy going and highly persuasive statement of the importance of having an “elevator pitch” clear and ready to be shared under ordinary life circumstances. Magnus emphasized by giving a fair example: himself!

The hot topic of the ongoing power of social media was brought into topic by Alexey Pavlov (Norwegian Polar Institute) who shared great tricks and tips to reach the general public through several types of social media and how to grow, ensure and enhance a well-established social account. He also surprised the participants with the brand new social media app Periscope, which has a promising future for sharing science online. Finally, Sara Aparício (APECS Portugal), shared her journey on communicating science to younger audiences: the challenges that come with early listeners and how to overcome them with methods and strategies to keep the audience engaged. She also reinforced her view of science communication as a duty towards future generations and how her method “PEA” (playing-engaging-adapting) actually helps on general public communication – regardless of age or backgrounds.

The session was followed with a very exciting discussion between the panel and the public regarding experiences in communicating science and new tools. One of the main topics focussed on the challenges faced by scientists on keeping up with their work and feeding the always-hungry social media along the way. A very tricky balance of time consumption and work productivity!

Science Communications Panel 1

CAFF LogoAttend the Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program’s Terrestrial Steering Group and Expert Networks’ Workshop: April 5-7, Uppsala, Sweden

Do you have Arctic terrestrial ecology and monitoring expertise? Do you live in or nearby Uppsala or would be able to fund a trip to Uppsala yourself? The Arctic Council’s Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna working group’s Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program (CBMP) is looking for one APECS member with Arctic terrestrial ecology and monitoring experience to join them at their annual meeting to discuss the implementation of the Arctic Terrestrial Biodiversity Monitoring Plan, April 5-7, 2016 in Uppsala, Sweden.

This workshop will kick-start the process to develop the State of the Arctic Terrestrial Biodiversity Report (START) and advance a work plan to further the coordination and delivery of Arctic terrestrial biodiversity monitoring.

Involvement in this workshop presents an excellent opportunity to have your biodiversity monitoring efforts and knowledge contribute towards the Arctic Council’s efforts to facilitate more rapid detection, communication, and response to the significant biodiversity-related events affecting the circumpolar world.

The START report is a key deliverable from the implementation of the Arctic Terrestrial Biodiversity Monitoring Plan, the third of four pan-Arctic biodiversity monitoring plans developed by the CBMP to improve the collective ability of national and sub-national research and monitoring networks, Arctic traditional knowledge holders, northern communities and scientists to detect, understand and report on long-term change in Arctic terrestrial ecosystems and biodiversity.

Lunches will be provided at the meeting. Unfortunately there is no funding to support the candidate’s air travel or accommodation, but there is the potential for ground transportation (i.e., train) support.

If you are interested, please send a CV and a statement of interest letter including your research background and why you want to attend this meeting to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 15 February 2016. The successful candidate will be notified shortly after. Thank you!

We are pleased to invite you to submit your abstract to the session4.6Gaining a better understanding and awareness of the Arctic through education and outreach which will be held during the UArctic Congress 2016 in Saint-Petersburg, 12-16 September.

The session will discuss different methods, approaches and visions of education and outreach tools for Arctic research communication; their role in increasing the understanding and awareness of the Arctic and in building the human capacity of the region. The session not only invites speakers to participate on site, but will also be set up as an online session through a teleconferencing platform which will allow participants to connect with education and outreach experts from other countries, including those participating in Antarctica education and outreach activities to learn lessons from the South Pole.

Conveners of the session:

Yulia Zaika, Lomonosov Moscow State University

Gerlis Fugmann, APECS / UiT The Arctic University of Norway

Andrian Vlakhov, European University at Saint Petersburg

Julie Bull, University of Toronto

Abstract submission deadline is 31st March.

To submit your abstract please follow the link: http://www.uarctic.org/news/2016/1/uarctic-congress-call-for-abstracts/

If you have any questions, please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

ASSW2016 logoAPECS is organising an Early Career Arctic Policy Workshop during 2016 Arctic Summit Science Week (ASSW) in Fairbanks, Alaska. The half-day workshop will be held on Monday, March 14, 2016, and begin with a keynote addressing the 6 over-arching Arctic Observing Summit (AOS) themes. Participants will then break into mentored, smaller groups to discuss one of these themes in relation to real-world problems, learning how to incorporate scientific knowledge into impactful Arctic policy.

For more information see the APECS website and the website of the ASSW. To register for the workshop please This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) in cooperation with the High North Academy (HNA) at the UiT The Arctic Universtiy of Norway are organizing a panel discussion on science communication as part of the Arctic Frontiers 2016 conference on Wednesday 27 January 2016 from 13:00 - 14:00 in room TEO 1.425. Four experts will join us to discuss the importance of science communication especially to non-scientific audiences, what tools can be used (e.g. social media, blogs, websites, reports) and what type of activities can be organized (e.g. public lectures, media interviews, educational activities with schools). The panelists will share some of their experiences as well as provide advice for effective science communication. Our panelists are:

  • Lawrence Hislop - Climate and Cryosphere (CliC) Project of the World Climate Research Programme
  • Magnus Svendsen Nerheim - University of Bergen
  • Alexey Pavlov - Norwegian Polar Institute
  • Sara Aparicio - APECS Portugal

The panel discussion is open to all participants from Arctic Frontiers 2016. Any UiT students or employees that are interested in attending but are not registered for Arctic Frontiers should contact Gerlis Fugmann This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. about attending.

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We are pleased to announce that three new APECS representatives have been selected to sit on the SCAR Standing Science Group on Life Sciences (SSG-LS) for a two year period: Fernanda Quaglio (Lead, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Brazil), Jeff Bowman (Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, USA) and Henrik Christiansen (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium). Congratulations!

The SCAR SSG-LS coordinates research on understanding the impact of past, current and predicted environmental change on biodiversity and the consequences for adaptation and function; determining the effects of cold, darkness, isolation and pathogens on the health and welfare of scientists and support staff in the Antarctic; and understanding the complexities of the Antarctic environment and predicting the consequences of change.

iasc webThe International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), together with the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), have the pleasure to announce the start of the third edition of the IASC Fellowship Program. During the selection process managed by the IASC in close cooperation with APECS, five successful early career scientists were chosen from over 77 applicants. The reviewers were impressed by the amount and extremely high quality of the applications.

The IASC Fellows 2016-2017 are:

  • Paul Zieger, Stockholm University, Sweden (Atmosphere WG)
  • Alek Petty, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center / University of Maryland, USA (Cryosphere WG)
  • Allison Fong, Alfred Wegener Institute, Germany (Marine WG)
  • Justiina Dahl, European University Institute, Italy (Social and Human WG)
  • Scott Zolkos, University of Alberta, Canada (Terrestrial WG)

More information about the IASC Fellowship Program can be found under http://iasc.info/capacity-building/fellowship

APECS AGU Careers Panel 91280x848On Wednesday, December 16, APECS and the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Cryosphere Focus Group held the annual APECS-AGU Cryosphere Career Panel. Five representatives of the polar community participated in the panel, sharing their views on work, school, and polar lifestyles with the approximately three dozen people in attendance. The panelists were selected to represent a broad spectrum of potential career pathways in polar science and outreach and included:

  • Dr. Larry Hinzman: Professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks
  • Dr. Vena Chu: UC President's Postdoctoral Research Fellow at UC Berkeley
  • Dr. Gifford Wong: Congressional Science Fellow, American Geosiences Institute
  • Kathy Young: field logistics coordinator for Polar Field Services
  • Helen Wiggins: Director of Programs for the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS)


The five panelists provided brief introductions before panel moderators Sara Strey and Laura Levy initiated the panel discussion. The questions asked to the panelists included:

  • What does your typical day look like?
  • What are some skills that you’ve found are helpful in your job but that you didn’t learn in school?
  • How did you first become interested in polar science and/or outreach?
  • Do you have any tips for navigating the funding environment?
  • As an undergraduate student, how do you build connectors with potential employers and transition into graduate school?
  • Reflecting back, would you do anything differently to manage your career?
  • What would you say to people on the fence about pursuing a polar career?
  • Do you see any new research or job opportunities on the horizon?
  • Is undergraduate research valuable for graduate school?
  • How do you find a non-academic job?
  • Is it better to develop a broad set of skills or really hone-in and refine your specialized skills (i.e., shallow and broad or narrow and deep)?

An integrated summary of the panelists responses can be found below.

The winding path to the poles

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Interestingly, hardly any of the panelists had come to working or studying the Arctic or Antarctic via a straight and narrow path. Chu worked in accounting before deciding to pursue graduate studies on the hydrology of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Her first time camping was in Greenland – demonstrating that one doesn’t need to be a hardcore outdoor enthusiast before ending up in one of the world’s most extreme environments. Wong worked as a helicopter technician in Antarctica before pursuing graduate studies at Dartmouth. Participating in a 40 day unsupported ski trip across Baffin Island sparked Young’s passion for the polar regions, while Wiggins decided to leave a PhD program and head for Alaska. “I’m not advocating driving across the country without a job prospect – but that’s kind of what happened,” she laughed.

All of the panelists concluded that gaining prior experience in unrelated fields put them in a better position to succeed once they finally decided upon polar careers. For instance, learning how to manage a project, gaining accounting experience, working with deadlines, developing skills in outdoor education, and doing improv all made the panelists well-equipped for polar work, outreach, and study. Chu also emphasized the importance of taking classes in statistics and programming as an undergraduate, since these skills can be applied to a wide array of scientific research.

Yet regardless of one’s background, people in the poles will likely be welcoming. “I think because of the interest in it, the Arctic is very open,” Chu expressed. “As someone without lots of background – not just a science background, but also a field background – working in the Arctic and with all of the logistics people, I see that they’re very open to young researchers, particularly young women. Seeing lots of my cohort out there is kind of amazing compared to other fields I’ve seen.” Part of the openness and the eagerness amongst people to collaborate may be due to the fact that in the Arctic, as Dr. Hinzman asserted, “there’s so much work to be done.”

Of course, there are a few key things you can do to make yourself stand out, especially as the Arctic grows more crowded. “Say hi, get to know people, and make yourself noticeable,” Wong suggested. He also encouraged demonstrating your value in a variety of ways. “Maybe you like to cook – Lord knows that in the field camp setting, food is how you keep morale up. And on the intellectual side, keep asking questions.”

The interdisciplinary Arctic

One member of the audience inquired whether, given the popularity of interdisciplinary research, it is better to pursue broad skills or push deeper into a narrow field. Dr. Hinzman responded, “Most of the opportunities are at the interface of disciplines. If you go strictly with biology or geology, it’s really hard. The greatest opportunities and easiest projects to get funded now are interdisciplinary.” He mentioned village relocation in Alaska as an example of an interdisciplinary problem. “This is a social science issue, but also a marine, economic, and permafrost issue, so there’s an opportunity for integrating all these different sciences together.”

Chu, however, added, “You need a little bit of depth just to show that you can do something. It’s nice to have a broad theme – for instance, I do Greenland Ice Sheet hydrology – but show that you have a skill, or interface between different skillsets, too.”

Wiggins, who is Director of Programs at ARCUS and is able to speak with authority on matters of funding, research, and the future of the field, confirmed Dr. Hinzman’s claim that the most polar funding is now found in interdisciplinary research. “There are lots of opportunities in Arctic now,” she said. “If you are a broad thinker or are interested in lots of things, communication or outreach, the Arctic is an excellent place to do that.”

The non-academic Arctic and Antarctic

Young, Wiggins, and Wong exemplified the ability to lead exciting polar careers outside of academia. Young used to manage field camps in the Dry Valleys in Antarctica, while Wiggins had a stint directing oil company trucks in Alaska. Wiggins, who moved to the 49th State on a whim and came across her current job listed in the newspaper, said, “I have found that there’s no category that says, ‘people who love science but are not sure they want to be in academia.’” She admitted, “It’s more work to find those jobs,” and suggested doing keyword searches, looking on Monster, state and federal job listings, and listservs that might be advertising such positions. Even for people who have received their graduate degrees but now realize that academia isn’t for them, there are still plenty of positions in the poles. Dr. Hinzman chimed in, “There are a lot of jobs out there that require academic jobs that aren’t in academia... For any professional position, it just takes time to find them. Realize that when you’re looking for jobs, start early, don’t get too discouraged.”

Passion for the poles...
One other trait many of the panelists shared was a love of their job. Whether it’s waking up every morning to the stunning polar landscapes or getting ready to fact-check the latest statements on climate change, each panelist spoke passionately about for their work. Young effused, “I think when you find a passion in a career that you have, that keeps you going and keeps you excited. Waking up on Monday morning and being ready to go because you just don’t know what’s going to happen next. If you find passion in your field, it will keep you going.”

...and the pub!
Afterwards, some of the panelists and attendees headed to a pub meet-up at The Chieftain. A couple of photos are below.

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***

On Twitter, USAPECS co-chair Alice Bradley live-tweeted the event at her account, @acb___. Check out the tweets to see more quotes from the event and stay tuned for a longer reference document we are planning to publish online with more of the information and guidance offered by our panelists.

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Helen, Vena, Gifford, Kathy, and Larry – thank you!

2015 APECS Seasons GreetingsAPECS had again a very successful year in 2015 and we wanted to thank all of our members, mentors, partners and sponsors for continuing to help us shape the future of polar research!

Enjoy some of our best moments of 2015 in our APECS Season's Greetings video.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to all of you! We are looking forward to a fantastic 2016!

Best wishes,

Ruth Vingerhagen, APECS President 2015-2016
Gerlis Fugmann, APECS Executive Director
on behalf of the APECS Leadership

apecs logo webInteract logo

The Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) and the International Network for Terrestrial Research and Monitoring in the Arctic (INTERACT) have recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU).

Both APECS and INTERACT share the common goal of working internationally and across disciplines to increase our understanding of cold regions and their connections to global systems. Both parties also recognize the importance of fostering the next generation of researchers that will be faced with increasingly critical challenges due to the impacts of climate change on these regions and their global significance.

Many APECS members have already benefited from INTERACT's Transnational Access program and the successful Arctic Snapshots program organized by APECS in summer 2015 allowed different INTERACT stations such as Abisko and Khibiny to share their research and experiences. Both parties very much look forward to working together to develop these and similar activities in the future, which will ensure that early career researchers have the opportunities available to them to research and network throughout the Arctic.

Dr. Chris Furgal, Associate Professor at Trent University (Peterborough, ON), won the APECS Canada-ArcticNet Student Association Mentor Award 2015.

The Mentor Award review committee received six nominations in September, which it assessed and ranked throughout the month of October. During two conference calls the committee reached a consensus-based decision.

Chris was nominated by his graduate students, while colleagues and community leaders provided a number of letters of support. His nomination stood out among the six excellent submissions, although the committee noted that all nominations were of excellent quality. You can learn more about Chris’s research here and about his Health Environment and Indigenous Communities Research Group here.

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Dr. Chris Furgal won the ehPECS-ASA Mentor Award 2015. Photo by Trent University.

Chris accepted the award during the ArcticNet ASM 2015 meeting banquet on Thursday, December 10th, 2015. Award Committee Chair Dr. Nikolaus Gantner (APECS Canada) and Rudy Riedlsperger (ArcticNet SA) introduced the awardee to the 700+ delegates.

During the ceremony, the inaugural winner of the award, Eric Loring (Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami) was spontaneously invited on stage to hand over the prize, a photo book filled with pictures and messages from the supporters of his nomination, on behalf of those closely working with Chris (see below).

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Rudy Riedlsperger (ASA) and Dr. Nikolaus Gantner (ehPECS) introduce the Mentor Award at the ArcticNet ASM 2015 in Vancouver, BC. Photo: Maéva Gauthier/ArcticNet.

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Dr. Chris Furgal (third from the right) and his team of nominators celebrate the 2015 APECS Canada-ASA Mentor Award on stage. Photo by Maéva Gauthier/ArcticNet.

We would like to thank all individuals and organizations who contributed to the six nominations for this 2015 award competition.

A new Call for Nominations for the 2016 Mentor Award will be circulated in early 2016. We are currently looking for 2-3 Award Committee members. Please visit here to find out more about the award and contact ehPECS or ArcticNet SA for more information.

For the 2015 Awards Committee,
Dr. Nikolaus Gantner
Chair, 2015 APECS Canada-ASA Awards Committee

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(Wednesday, Dec. 16, 6:00 - 7:00 pm | Marriott Marquis, Golden Gate C3)

Join us for a panel discussion by cryosphere experts! Our five panelists are at various stages of their careers both within and
outside of academia. Conversation will cover the opportunities and challenges faced by scientists and public and private sector employees who have made careers out of studying or working in the world's poles.

The floor will be open for the audience to engage in a moderated discussion on any and all aspects of careers in polar science and outreach, and it will also be live-tweeted. This event is sponsored by the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) and the AGU Cryosphere Focus Group.

Our confirmed panelists are:

Dr. Larry Hinzman, Interim Vice Chancellor for Research and Prof. of
Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Dr. Vena Chu, UC President's Postdoctoral Scholar, Dept. of Geography,
UC Berkeley
Dr. Gifford Wong, AAAS/AGI Congressional Science Fellow, American
Geosciences Institute
Helen Wiggins, Director of Programs, Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S.
Kathy Young, Greenland Field Equipment Manager, Polar Field Services

After the panel, we’ll head to The Chieftain Irish Pub and Restaurant (198 Fifth Street) for more discussion, networking, and *free
appetizers* from 7:30-9:00. Join us there even if you can’t make the panel.

 

We welcome attendees at *all career stages*!

SCAR logo white backgroundThe Standing Scientific Group on Life Sciences (SSG-LS) for SCAR (Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research) is looking for an APECS representative!

Your role would be to participate in the activities of the SSG-LS for two years. This will include promoting and communicating the work of the group and the associated research programmes (ANT-ERA and ANT-ECO) to APECS and other early career researchers. In addition you will be able to attend the SSG-LS meetings at the 2016 SCAR OSC (Kuala Lumpur, 20-30 August 2016), the 2017 SCAR Biology Symposium (Brussels, 3-9 July 2017) and the 2018 SCAR/IASC Conference (Davos, 15-27 June 2018). In return you would gain a valuable insight into coordinating research at an international level. This APECS representative position is a volunteer position without any funding attached to it.

If you are interested in this position please send the following to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 13 December:

  • CV
  • Statement of interest including:
    • How your research aligns with the foci of the SSG-LS
    • Clear statement that you can commit to this position for two years, including attending the SCAR OSC in 2016 (have your own funding to do so) and plan to attend the other two mentioned conferences.

This month APECS brings a new research feature Figure Friday with This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.aim to promote scientific communication between its members. This event provides the participants the ability to reach out to the thousands of APECS's followers and showcase their research. Every alternate Friday a scientific figure will be featured on APECS website and its social media channels, with a short text explaining the science behind and its significance. Most researchers are working on figures for their work, thus this event does not demand much extra effort from the participant as figures are already there. The event went live on the third Friday this month with our first figure.

Interested in participating?
Here are some guidelines.
Send us your entries at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

A “Young Researchers Workshop” will take place at the XI. International Conference on Permafrost (ICOP 2016) on 18 - 19 June 2016. This workshop is organized as a joint effort of PYRN (Permafrost Young Researchers Network), APECS (Association of Polar Early Career Scientists), the young researcher representatives of the USPA (United States Permafrost Association), and ADAPT (Arctic Development and Adaptation to Permafrost in Transition).

Details are available on:

The workshop aims at providing opportunities to young researchers to learn and build interdisciplinary knowledge:

• how to get published in scientific journals (professional trainer)

• practical methods and

• essential soft skills.

For detailed information on the Young Researchers Workshop program, please download the program on the conference and workshop website http://icop2016.org/index.php/young-researcher-activities/young-researchers-workshop).

The soft skills portion, presenting and sharing knowledge about the Arctic and Antarctic permafrost regions, will be a focus. To achieve this, the participants will enter into dialogue and exchange in thematic break-out sessions.

The application deadline for abstract submission as well as the application for the workshop: December 1, 2015.

The maximum number of participants is 150. If more applications are submitted, an evaluation of the applications will be done. To apply for the workshop, please use the suitable category in the conference registration system and please be prepared to provide the following there:

• A letter of motivation stating why you are interested in participating in the ICOP and the workshop (500 words)

• If you are part of a network (PYRN, IPA, APECS, USPA...), how are you involved? If you are not part of a network, are you interested to increase your activity e.g. for the future PYRN or APECS executive committee, council and/or national representation? (300 words)

Last week in Seattle, the Arctic Observing Open Science Meeting (AOOSM) convened for the first time in seven years. The meeting was organized by the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS), with meeting funded awarded by the National Science Foundation (NSF)’s Arctic Observing Network program. Approximately 200 scientists gathered to discuss research advances made by Arctic observing projects primarily funded by U.S. local, state, and federal agencies.

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Panel Discussion: “Achieving an Interagency Arctic Observing System.” Photo: Mia Bennett

The agencies themselves were well represented, too. A panel discussion on the first day brought together representatives from seven government agencies with Arctic science objectives including the Department of the Interior, Department of Energy, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and NSF, who all expressed a variety of motivations in studying the region. William Ambrose of NSF explained that his agency’s goal is to “understand the Arctic on a regional scale and its relationship to the global system during a period of rapid environmental change,” while Martin Jeffries of the Office of Naval Research stated, “Where the Navy sees open water, it sees a responsibility to operate.” The link between the two, as AOOSM demonstrated, is that operations in the Arctic need robust networks of observations in order to proceed in a well-informed manner.

The meeting’s many parallel sessions covered a wide range of topics including the terrestrial Arctic, maritime ecosystems, the fate of sea ice, community-based monitoring, and human dimensions. As two examples of the interdisciplinary nature of the talks as a whole, Ben Fitzhugh (University of Washington) examined how archaeological sites can serve as “distributed observation networks” of past Arctic and subarctic ecological conditions, while Alek Petty (NASA Goddard), an Early Career Travel Award Winner (see below), discussed how NASA Operation IceBridge data can be used to estimate sea ice topography.

One of the key features of AOOSM were the robust, hour-long discussions that followed each parallel session, centering on three key questions about the past and future of Arctic observing networks. Discussants reflected on the advances that have been already been made by these networks and on the future opportunities for enhanced collaboration and interagency observing system. The AOOSM Organizing Committee (full disclosure, of which I am a member) is considering publishing a special issue with articles reviewing these advances and opportunities in Arctic observing science so that they can reach a wider community.

A number of early career scientists participated in AOOSM, with six receiving Early Career Travel Awards. Applications were evaluated by the US Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (USAPECS) and sponsored by NSF and NASA. During the closing plenary, Hajo Eicken, Chair of the Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH, which also helped sponsor the meeting), stressed the importance of early career scientists’ participation in AOOSM, as it offers them an opportunity to extend their research networks and connect with some of the chief Arctic science funding agencies at a formative stage in their career.

The award winners were:

  • Jennifer Watts, Numerical Terradynamic Simulation Group, University of Montana.“Integrating Tower Eddy Covariance, Satellite Remote Sensing and Ecosystem Modeling to Identify Changes in Hydrology and Carbon Fluxes Across the Alaskan Arctic”
  • Elchin Jafarov, Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado.“Sustainable Permafrost Observing in Support of a Permafrost Forecasting System”
  • Anne Gaedeke, Water and Environmental Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks.“What Role do Glaciers Play in Subarctic Hydrology?”
  • Alice Bradley, University of Colorado.“Near-surface Temperature Gradients Detected by Microbuoys in the Arctic Ocean”
  • Victoria Herrmann, Scott Polar Research Center, University of Cambridge/The Arctic Institute, Washington D.C. “Frozen Assets: On the Evolution of Risk in Arctic Oil & Gas Development”*
  • Alek Petty, Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland.“Characterizing Arctic Sea Ice Topography Using High-resolution IceBridge Data”
  • Matthew Druckenmiller, Rutgers University and the National Snow and Ice Data Center, University of Colorado Boulder.“Sea Ice Matters: Science Communication through the SEARCH Sea Ice Action Team”

Congratulations!


The sun rises in Seattle with Mt. Rainier in the background the day after AOOSM wrapped up. Photo: Mia Bennett

COP21, the 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, will soon begin in Paris. The challenge is enormous: reach a universal climate agreement to limit human-induced climate change.

In this context, and despite the tragic recent attacks, many events are planned in Paris and everywhere in France to inform and increase awareness among citizens about climate issues. APECS-France will be in Paris to carry out its mandate of educating about polar research.

APECS-France will participate in the 11th Conference of Youth (COY11), three days of conferences and workshops dedicated to young people from November 26th to 28th. Activities organized and facilitated by APECS-France will include scientific talks, quizzes, and workshops to help people discover all the research led by young polar researchers and better understand the vital role of Polar Regions in the global climate system.

APECS-France will also participate to four round-table discussions about Arctic research during a 2-days event co-organized with Tara. Tara Expeditions is famous for the Tara schooner drift in the Arctic sea ice.

APECS-France will work with SCAR at the booth of the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative (ICCI) at the Nordic Pavilion of COP21 to represent APECS, to communicate about Polar Research and Polar Research Outreach.

“GAME OF FUNDINGS: A TALE OF SEEK AND F(O)UND” was the theme of the VI Workshop of Career Development of APECS Portugal. This year’s event took place at the very old and beautiful University of Évora, Portugal, and it was devoted to what is one of the main tasks in the life of many scientists: the search for funding!!

The morning was dedicated to traditional ways of get funding, and well as the national and international polar Institutions providing such kind of opportunities. Teresa Cabrita (Portuguese Polar Programme) and Huw Griffiths (British Antarctic Survey – attending by skype) lead us throught to the tricks and tips of funding opportunities, also providing valuable hints about the impact of human relations and career.

The afternoon focused on the less conventional but trendy methods of financing. Maria João Leão (Health Marathons/Maratonas da Saúde) and Pedro Pina (IST), introduced the participants to the exponential growth and success of fundraising and crowdfunding. Maria Leão, disclosed how involvement of society in science is currently booming, and Pedro Pina unveiled the “behind of scenes” of the great success on the 3D Antarctica project – a crowdfunding campaign to get a drone to study Antarctica.

APECS Portugal Workshop 2 2015

Polar Data Forum II WorkshopThe Canadian Polar Data Catalogue recently hosted a data management workshop for early career researchers on October 27, 2015, as part of the International Polar Data Forum II held in Waterloo, Canada. The workshop was co-organized by APECS and the Canadian ArcticNet Students’ Association, with additional support from the University of Waterloo. Gabrielle Alix, the data manager for the Polar Data Catalogue, led participants through a 3-hour crash course in sound principals of organizing data, creating metadata, and ensuring long-term preservation through careful documentation. After explaining the principles, participants were able to practice their new skills in a computer lab using their own datasets (or, for those who didn’t have data, on pre-arranged datasets that the Polar Data Catalogue provided). Gabrielle had given a shorter version of the workshop at the APECS World Summit in Bulgaria earlier this year, at which APECS members provided very useful feedback that was implemented for the recent longer workshop. The Polar Data Catalogue will also be sharing their knowledge regarding sound data management at a similar workshop during Student Day at the ArcticNet Annual Meeting in Vancouver, Canada this December.

Many of the students and early career researchers who participated in the workshop also had the chance to network with each other and mentors from the Polar sciences and data management fields the night before at an early career social night. The social was a great kick-off to the week, sparking many interesting conversations and creating a comfortable working environment that lasted for the remainder of the Polar Data Forum II. The Polar Data Forum II itself brought together more than one hundred researchers, northerners, policy makers, and data managers from around the world to discuss strategies for developing effective interdisciplinary stewardship of and access to Arctic and Antarctic data. There was a terrific showcase of current data management and open-access initiatives for the polar sciences, including those being created by and for various Inuit organizations. Major issues of discussion included long-term preservation, the development of international standards for sharing data between systems, and finding long-term funding for open-access databases and data rescue projects.

ICOP2016 workshop logoA “Young Researchers Workshop” will take place at the XI. International Conference on Permafrost (ICOP 2016). This workshop is organized as a joint effort of PYRN (Permafrost Young Researchers Network), APECS (Association of Polar Early Career Scientists), the young researcher representatives of the USPA (United States Permafrost Association), and ADAPT (Arctic Development and Adaptation to Permafrost in Transition).

The workshop aims at providing opportunities to young researchers to learn and build interdisciplinary knowledge:

  • how to get published in scientific journals (professional trainer)
  • practical methods and
  • essential soft skills.

For detailed information on the Young Researchers Workshop program, please download the program here.

The soft skills portion, presenting and sharing knowledge about the Arctic and Antarctic permafrost regions, will be a focus. To achieve this, the participants will enter into dialogue and exchange in thematic break-out sessions.

The application deadline for abstract submission as well as the application for the workshop: December 1, 2015.

The maximum number of participants is 150. If more applications are submitted, an evaluation of the applications will be done. To apply for the workshop, please use the suitable category in the conference registration system and please be prepared to provide the following there:

  • A letter of motivation stating why you are interested in participating in the ICOP and the workshop (500 words)
  • If you are part of a network (PYRN, IPA, APECS, USPA...), how are you involved? If you are not part of a network, are you interested to increase your activity e.g. for the future PYRN or APECS executive committee, council and/or national representation? (300 words)

Approval will be sent out until February 11, 2016 to successful applicants.

Link to the workshop page: http://icop2016.org/index.php/young-researcher-activities/young-researchers-workshop

Link to the workshop program: http://icop2016.org/images/pyrn/_Website_ICOP_2016_Young_Researcher_Workshop_Program.pdf

Mentorshipaward2016As early career scientists, we all benefit from the continuous support, encouragement and experience from senior researchers. Now it’s time to give something back and publicly honor their mentoring and guidance: we are launching the APECS International Mentorship Award!

APECS would like to recognize and honor the efforts of their mentors within the international polar science community. This award has been created to acknowledge the time and energy that mentors dedicate to early career researchers each year, and their efforts in building a supportive community.

Would you like to acknowledge the help of your mentor? Do you know a researcher who has significantly contributed to shaping the futures of early career scientists? Do you know a mentor that has helped with APECS activities? Nominate them for the APECS International Mentorship Award and make our community aware of the outstanding scientists that support the next generation of Polar researchers.

For more details please visit the APECS International Mentorship Award page on the APECS website or contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Nomination deadline is on 31 January 2016!

AntarcticaDayLogoThe Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), together with the Our Spaces - Foundation for the Good Governance of International Spaces, Polar Educators International, PolarTREC , the International Polar Foundation, Gateway Antarctica, the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operations, the UK Polar Network and the British Antarctic Survey are once again proud to support Antarctica Day commemorations. This event was created to celebrate the spirit of international peace and scientific cooperation that signified the signing of the Antarctic Treaty in 1959.

Antarctica Day 2015 is an international effort to share knowledge about Antarctica. APECS is proud to take part, helping to inspire a new generation of polar researchers. The day is for everyone, so take some time to celebrate with your co-workers, family and friends!

This year will see many events and classroom activities take place, centered around Antarctic science and exploration. Who goes there? What happens in Antarctica? And why is Antarctica important to the planet as whole? We look forward to having these discussions all over the globe.

Are you planning to organise something for Antarctica Day? Send your activities to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. so we can include them in our growing list of activities for Antarctica Day 2015

To include your support for Antarctica Day 2015 you can also insert your information in our map.

See all of what is happening on Antarctica Day 2015 on the APECS website

Join Antarctica Day on Facebook 

Happy Antarctica Day 2015 from APECS!

uk polar network logoUKAAP logo2On behalf of the UK Polar Network and the UK Arctic and Antarctic Partnership, we are looking into trying to improve support and address current issues for postdocs through this year within the UK research framework, and we'd like to see what the community thinks are the most pertinent questions and issues that are worth tackling.

If you have worked in the UK, plan to in the future, or work there now, please fill in a short questionnaire about how organisations like UKPN can better support postdocs in their research and life. Truly, this questionnaire is short! 5 questions are simply clicking boxes, and 2 questions needs a short paragraph--5 minutes max. You can answer this form anonymously, so please be as critical as need be!

The survey is open to anyone in the polar sciences community regardless of current stage of career: It's quite important that we get a variety of responses from as many people as possible. This will feed in to discussions in both UKPN and UKAAP, in which committee members are made up of early careers, senior lecturers and scientists, administrators, and funding agency (e.g. NERC, UKRC) representatives. So what you say will actually be heard by the relevant people that can actually make these changes.

We will keep this form open until the 18th November 2015, giving just under a month for you to fill in your responses.

Lastly, the link to the questionnaire: goo.gl/frJQ2D

uk polar network logoarctic circle 2015

Are you going to Arctic Circle 2015 and want to meet other APECS members? Dwayne (UKPN committee member) has reserved the Sisimiut meeting space at the Harpa Conference Centre from 17:00 to 19:00 on Sunday, 18 October. Please come and join him to find out more about UKPN (and APECS).

On Oct 6th and 7th, 2015 I attended the Northern Contaminants Program (NCP)fall Management Committee meeting representing APECS and to present the APECS Canada application for increasedpartnership with NCP. The purpose of the fall meeting each year is for the management committee to review the mid-year reports, identify any challenges or problem areas, and make an action plan to address an issues that arise. The NCP management committee is made up of representatives from northern territorial and regional governments, indigenous people’s organizations, partners from other federal departments with interests in northern contaminant research and the chairs of the regional contaminants committees (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Nunavik, and Nunatsiavut).

One of the recurring themes throughout the meeting was the desire for projects to develop communication plans and to increase the inclusion of traditional knowledge in research plans. The management committee also went through mid-year reviews of the projects and identified several that needed assistance in meeting their annual goals in these regards.

The NCP annual results workshop this year will be held in conjunction with the ArcticNet Annual Science Meeting in Vancouver, BC. The goal of this annual workshop is to have researchers, community members, and the wider NCP community to get together and discuss updates, results and future plans. The management committee discussed what the theme will be for the annual results workshop, how to better engage northern participants in the workshop, and tried to maximize the funds that will be available for travel for partners to attend the conference.

Lastly, I presented the NCP management committee with the proposal developed by a working group from the APECS Canada board in increase involvement of APECS members. Due to multiple applicants applying for a seat on the management committee it was determined that a more in-depth discussion beyond the meeting was needed to properly evaluate the applications. We hope to hear back from NCP in late November regarding APECS involvement.

apecs brasil logoAPECS-Brazil published its newsletter from January to June, that is available on www.apecsbrasil.com/informativo. Read the news and know how to take part in the contest for the logo of the "IV Symposium APECS-Brazil: legacy and perspectives of the Madrid Protocol" that will occur in 2016 at the University of Brasilia. The winner will be invited to attend the event, with the costs paid by APECS-Brazil.

CBMP wkspThe Arctic Freshwater Biodiversity Monitoring steering committee held a 3-day workshop in Sonnerupgaard, Denmark October 5-8th, 2015. This workshop provided the opportunity for the freshwater expert network to coordinate their efforts on an international level to ensure consistency in assessment and reporting efforts during the creation of the first national State of Arctic Freshwater Biodiversity Reports (SAFBR), due to be completed in 2017. The freshwater expert network consists of nearly 30 scientists from 8 countries representing most the circumpolar member states. The group has a large breadth of expertise, covering both river and lake ecology, from plankton, macrophysics, to invertebrates, through to fish. 

Screen shot 2015 10 14 at 10.26.39 AM

The large scope of expertise contributed to interesting discussions on topics such as: key environmental stressors, assessment questions, analytical approaches, incoporating Taditional Knowledge, and country- or regional- specific strengths in data collection. 

It was a productive meeting, and provided good insight into the complexities of building international monitoring programs. By the end of the workshop, we had a plan and timeline for moving forward with the freshwater State of the Arctic Report. Thank you to CAFF and the Freshwater Steering Committee for including an APECS member to the workshop.

For the first time in its history, the APECS Executive Committee decided that a critical review of the organization should be undertaken in order to develop a strategy for the development of the organization in the coming years. The ExCom appointed a committee to conduct this review, consisting of 8 people, both members and mentors of APECS.

The review consisted of informal interviews as well as a comprehensive survey of APECS members, mentors, and the wider polar community. The survey received over 200 responses from 29 different countries. After multiple virtual meetings, on the committee met in person alongside ASSW2015 in Toyama, Japan to discuss major results and outcomes of the survey and agree on recommendations for future strategic actions listed below.

Recommendations for APECS included:

  • Moving to a more project-based operational strategy
  • Consider new avenues of funding
  • Continuing to stimulate the interdisciplinary
  • Maintaining high standards of communication
  • Expanding the APECS membership
  • Focusing on core skill development and resource offerings
  • Making the APECS leadership more open and transparent
  • And considering future trends in polar research

To see more in-depth data from the survey, as well as the text of the survey itself, and more about the organization review process, please read the committee’s full report. APECS has already begun to implement recommendations from the committee (for example, in restructuring its Council). Continue to keep an eye out for more changes as APECS continues to innovate into the future. As always, if you have feedback for APECS, don’t hesitate to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.!

On the occasion of the International Polar Week observed the world over by Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), WII-ENVIS centre in collaboration with Indian Polar Research Network (APECSIndia) and Dolphin Institute of Biomedical and Natural Sciences organized a one-day event at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) on 24 September 2015. The event featured talks from scientists and researchers working in the Himalayan landscape and Antarctica. A photography workshop and bird and plant identification nature walk was also held as the side-events. The event was attended by around 80 graduate and post-graduate students from the Dolphin Institute, several researchers, faculty members and staff of the Wildlife Institute of India.

The event was initiated with a brief introduction of the organizers by IPRN members, Rupa and Gitanjali. Dr. Vinod B Mathur (Director, WII) inaugurated the event by providing a background on the research in the Polar Regions by WII and significance of these studies for the youth. The first presentation of the event was on Conservation Strategies for Himalayan Biodiversity by eminent botanist and alpine ecologist Dr. Gopal S Rawat (Senior Professor, WII). Dr Rawat introduced the diverse faunal and floral forms found in the Himalayas to the audience and issues affecting their conservation. He talked in depth about the ecosystem services provided by these species in the greater Himalayan region
stressing on the areas where research in needed. He extolled the youth to come forward as professional in the field to address issues such as alien invasive species and illegal trade.

The second talk of the day was by IPRN Vice-president Anant Pande (Senior Research Fellow, WII) titled Life in the Freezer on the varied life forms found in Antarctica including the humans. Anant explained about the challenges faced by scientists and support staff in Antarctica while working in extreme conditions. He talked about the variety of species diversity in the cold desert of Antarctica many of which are relatively unknown to the general public.

The last presentation of the day was an interactive workshop on Basics of Photography by Mr. Sougata Sadhukhan. Sougata introduced the basic concepts of capturing the best photographs using simple examples from daily life. He explained in detail the usage of aperture, framing and rules for making the best use of one’s equipment.

The participants of the event were taken on a nature walk in the serene campus of Wildlife Institute of India. The walk was led by Monika Kaushik (Ornithologist) and Amit Kumar (IPRN member, UGC Senior Research Fellow) for identification of birds and plants found in the Himalayan foothills respectively. Monika showed several species of birds to the participants while creating a checklist for future reference and explaining the importance of common species in our life. The participants were also exposed to developing skills and right equipment needed to identify birds. Amit displayed the common but relatively lesser known species of plants found in the region. He elucidated the distinguishing characters of medicinal herbs and grasses to the forestry students of the Dolphin Institute. The trail walk was enjoyed by all the participating students and researchers while also learning new skills in the field.

See some pictures from the event here.

iasc webapecs logo webThe International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), in cooperation with the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), invites Early Career Scientists (ECS) to apply for the IASC Fellowship Program 2016.

The IASC Fellowship Program is meant to engage ECS in the work of the IASC Working Groups (WGs): Atmosphere, Cryosphere, Marine, Social & Human and Terrestrial. Each year, one Fellow per WG is chosen. IASC Fellows are doctoral or postdoctoral researchers who actively participate in selected activities of the IASC WGs. They are expected to scientifically contribute but also to help organizing specific activities and to coordinate the reporting to the IASC Secretariat. Thus, the Fellowship Program provides the opportunity for ECSs to become involved in leading-edge scientific activities at a circumarctic and international level, to build an international network of contacts and also to develop management skills.

The total duration of the IASC Fellowship Program is 1+2 years. In their first year, selected Fellows will receive travel support to attend two consecutive Arctic Science Summit Weeks (ASSWs) where the annual WG meetings are held. After the first year, Fellows have the opportunity to stay involved for up to 2 more years without dedicated funding support from IASC and the further involvement is individually decided by the WG Steering Group and the Fellow. Note: The travel support during the first fellowship year is the only financial remuneration for the fellows. Salary is not included during the fellowship.

For more information please see http://iasc.info/home/iasc/iasc-fellowship-program or contact the IASC Fellowship Coordinator Maja Lisowska: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

For this round of applications, interested ECSs have to fulfill the following criteria:

  • PhD student/candidate or postdoctoral researcher (up to 5 years past the PhD)
  • able to commit to participating in the activities of one of the IASC WGs for at least 12 months from March 2016 to April 2017.
  • able to attend the two upcoming ASSWs: 12–18 March 2016 in Fairbanks (Alaska, USA) and 31 March -7 April 2017 in Prague (Czech Republic)
  • located in an IASC member country (Austria, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark / Greenland, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, India, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Republic of Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, USA)
  • have a very good command of English

How to apply:

If you are interested in this amazing opportunity then please send us:

  • A full CV
  • A statement of interest including:
    • your research background
    • why you are interested in becoming an IASC Fellow
    • which IASC WG you would like to join and why you are interested in that particular WG

Please send your application to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. no later than 12 GMT on 15 November 2015. Successful applicants will be notified before the end of the year.

Learn how to manage your data! The Polar Data Catalogue is hosting a FREE 3-hour data management workshop on Tuesday, October 27th at the University of Waterloo, Canada, in conjunction with APECS and the ArcticNet Students' Association. The workshop is geared specifically towards early career researchers and graduate students. Bring your own data if you have it, and learn hands-on lessons about: the principles of sound data management; how to access, use and contribute to free open-source databases; how to store your data for long-term preservation; open discussion about ethical data sharing practices. Participation in the workshop includes access to a pre-workshop social the night before, where participants will have the chance to network with each other and with internationally-recognized data managers and researchers in the polar sciences fields. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis and capped at 30 people. If interested, please contact Ashley Stasko (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) before October 9th.

ARCUS would like to encourage your participation in the 2015 Arctic Observing Open Science Meeting, Nov 17-19, Seattle, WA.

Travel awards are available to support early-career scientist participation. Limited funding is available for airfare, lodging, and per diem. An early career scientist is defined as one who is either a current student or within the first five years of completing their most recent degree (graduate or undergraduate) in study of the Arctic region.

Travel award applications, due 9 October 2015, are available here: http://www.arcus.org/search-program/meetings/2015/aoosm/travel-support

USAPECS and the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS) will review applications. Award announcements will be made by Thursday, 15 October 2015. The number of awards is dependent upon funding. Please contact Judy Fahnestock, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., with any questions.

A complete announcement for the meeting is below:

——————————————————

Organizers of the 2015 Arctic Observing Open Science Meeting announce a call for abstract submissions and registration.

The meeting will be held 17-19 November 2015 in Seattle, Washington.

The Arctic Observing Open Science Meeting will bring together individuals and teams involved in the collection, processing, analysis, and use of observations in the Arctic from academia, agencies, industry, and other organizations.

The goals of the Arctic Observing Open Science Meeting are to:

- Present and discuss scientific findings and advances resulting from Arctic observing projects;

- Discuss operational and technological achievements of observing programs funded through local, state, and federal agencies and private and non-profit organizations;

- Explore how well new observational achievements meet major science goals;

- Identify opportunities for collaboration to develop high-impact data synthesis products and papers; and

- Strengthen the goals, identity, and activities of an integrated Arctic Observing System.

Title page finalAPECS has released its annual report for the period of October 2014 to September 2015! It includes:

  • report about the APECS leadership and National Committees in 2014-2015
  • APECS event highlights
  • reports about APECS projects, webinars and other online activities and publications
  • and news from some of the APECS Sponsors and Partners

The full report can be accessed here or in our APECS publications database. We hope you enjoy reading it!

A special thank you goes to the Research Council of Norway, the UiT The Arctic University of Norway and the Norwegian Polar Institute for supporting and hosting the APECS International Directorate in Tromsø! Our success would not be possible without your support and commitment to APECS.

Thank you also to the many dedicated members and mentors who volunteered their time over the past year to help us achieve continued success in shaping the future of polar research! 

Our Spaces logo

Antarctica Day is rapidly approaching! It is held on 1 December as this was the day in 1959 when the Antarctic Treaty was ratified. 

Continuing in this spirit of international cooperation, APECS in conjunction with, UK Polar Network and Our Spaces, once again invites educators and their students from around the world to express their own knowledge, curiosity and amazement about this incredible frozen continent in the form of Antarctica Flags and Books and to offer the chance for students to see their flags displayed at research camps in Antarctica!

For more details and ideas for classroom activities please click here.

We would like to emphasise that submissions to us can only be up to 5 flags per school or classroom and need to be submitted by early November – if you would like to submit your flags to us, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. where she will provide you a Google Drive link on reply.

 

ELOKA2015 GroupPicThe ELOKA Workshop Sharing Knowledge: Traditions, Technologies and Taking Control of Our Future took place from September 22-24th 2015 in sunny Boulder, Colorado (USA). ELOKA is an US National Science Foundation funded project initiated during the IPY (2007/08), based at the National Snow and Ice Data Centre (NSIDC) at the University of Colorado at Boulder. This project has hosted a variety of workshops across North America since its inception, as it is in its Phase III and currently aiming for renewal (Phase IV) to continue to implement its objectives;

In Boulder, the Sharing Knowledge workshop organizers aimed to bring together project members and partners to discuss the status and progress of ELOKA initiatives, particularly to discuss challenges related to Indigenous Knowledge and Data Management. APECS was invited to participate at this ELOKA workshop and I was able to attend the meeting as a representative. My first impressions of the three day workshop were positive through and through, as attendees were highly diverse in their personal and professional backgrounds. The ~30 attendees (see group foto) of the workshop travelled to Boulder from as far as Finland, Nunavut (Canada), and as near as from local Native American tribal lands.

ELOKA NeverAlone 2015The workshop started with a Welcome Ceremony and prayer by Jerry Fillspipe of the Oglala Lakota tribe. The following three workshop days featured several short panel presentations, media demos, and workshop activities that facilitated cross-cultural exchange and conversation. Thanks to the small group of participants and the open format of the sessions, much discussion was possible on all topics presented. Focal points of the discussions were the use of various information and communications technologies (ICTs) and social media to document, preserve, share, and exchange Indigenous Knowledge (IK) in their communities and beyond. The first day crystalized challenges related to web-based data and how to make these accessible to a diversity of users (e.g., Elders, youth, public and/or scientists). The second day highlighted the pros and cons of new multimedia applications, such as short films, video games, and social media; the presentation of the video game ‘Never Alone’ (see demo scene below), which is design around Iñupiat culture, was a personal workshop highlight for me – who gets to play video games as part of an Arctic workshop? The diverse scales of issues were at the centre of the third day of the workshop – with presentations on exemplary local research projects on Indigenous Knowledge, to national programs and initiatives, to international efforts and challenges in data management. Of particular interest to APECS was a presentation by the Youth Arctic Coalition (YAC), as this coalition brings together the perspectives of Arctic Youth on issues relevant to the Arctic. I felt that APECS and YAC could work well together, as joint initiatives would include and reach both southern and northern youth’s perspectives. Near the end of the meeting, I was able to give a brief presentation on behalf of APECS membership (of ~5100) on related APECS working groups and activities and highlight recent publications by APECS Canada members (Tondu et al. 2014). At the end of the workshop, a summary document was created during a brain storming and reflection session highlighting the main topics and themes that were discussed during the workshop and can build a basis for future discussions. The workshop ended with Closing Ceremony and prayer by Jerry Fillspipe.

Looking ahead, the Second Polar Data Forum (PDF II, 27-29 October 2015) will be held in Waterloo, Ontario (Canada) and provides the next opportunity to present ideas from this workshop and ELOKA initiatives to an international audience. Moreover, there might be exciting opportunities for APECS members to further partner with ELOKA activities. The University of Colorado at Boulder was an excellent location for this workshop, and welcomed the international delegates who all seemed to be enjoying themselves in the vibrant college town (see below)!

ELOKA Boulder 2015 NGantner

 

apecs logo webAPECS is excited to announce that another leadership term has begun on 1 October 2015!

APECS Executive Committee 2015-2016:

APECS’ nineth Executive Committee (ExCom) is now in place and ready to continue to shape the polar world.

  • Alice Bradley (University of Colorado Boulder, United States)
  • Ruth Vingerhagen (Hindshaw) (University of St. Andrews, United Kingdom)
  • Heather Mariash (National Wildlife Research Centre, Canada)
  • Hanne Nielsen (University of Tasmania, Australia)
  • Tristy Vick-Majors (Montana State University, United States)

have been elected to form the ExCom, the main leadership body of APECS. Jean-Sébastien Moore (Canada) and Yulia Zaika (Russia) will serve as ex-officios and support the new ExCom over the coming year. And of course, Gerlis Fugmann, the APECS Executive Director will continue to support and foster the group from the Directorate office in Tromsø, Norway.

More information on the APECS 2015-2016 Executive Committee can be found here.

Ruth Hindshaw 2015 2APECS President 2015-2016:

With a new term, comes a new president, and this year Ruth Vingerhagen (Hindshaw) will be taking on this role. Ruth is currently a Marie Curie Fellow at the University of St. Andrews but will soon be moving to the University of Cambridge. She uses metal isotope tracers (Ca, Sr, Li) in stream water, together with the analysis of rock/sediment samples and laboratory experiments to understand biogeochemical processes in polar environments, in particular how chemical weathering is affected by glaciation. She has been involved in APECS leadership for the past two years and is a member of the UK Polar Network committee.

APECS Council 2015-2016:

In 2015-2016 the APECS Council is made up of 32 very enthusiastic members from 17 countries: Adam Campbell(New Zealand), Jennifer Cooper (USA), Kristina Creek (USA), Archana Dayal (India), Alena Dekhtyareva (Norway), Rachel Downey (Germany), Ivan Dubinenkov (Germany / Russia), Friederike Gehrmann (Finland), Vikram Goel (Norway), Gunnar Mar Gunnarsson (Iceland / UK), Svenja Halfter (Germany), Lara Hughes-Allen (USA), Ming Jing (China), Alia Khan (USA), Nikita Kuprikov (Russia), Elena Kuznetsova (Norway), Béatrice Laudet (France), Lydie Lescarmontier (France / Australia), Juliana Marson (Canada), Claudia Maturana (Chile), Ellorie McKnight (Canada), Mar Fernandez Mendez (Norway), Bernabé Moreno (Peru), Karolina Paquin (Norway), Sara Strey (USA), Paul Suprenand (USA), Zuzanna Swirad (UK), Alex Thornton (USA), Laura Thurston (USA), Anna Varfolomeeva (Russia/Hungary), Matthias Wietz (Germany), Scott Zolkos (Canada). Additionally, Allen Pope (USA), and Mariette Wheeler (South Africa) remain on the Council in ex-officio roles.

More information on the APECS 2015-2016 Council can be found here.

We once again thank the many APECS leaders that have come before us and have helped guide and foster many of those serving today! We look forward to another year with the projects that are currently underway, and continue to look for more ways that we can serve and help early career polar researchers around the world.

Arctic Snapshots Map 2015"Arctic Snapshots connects researchers from different northern research stations so they can network, share ideas, and learn about each other’s research.” (E. McKnight, U. Alberta)

This summer, APECS launched a new initiative: Arctic Snapshots. Arctic Snapshots is a series of online webinars between researchers in Arctic earth, biological, and social sciences at different field stations. The main objectives of Arctic Snapshots are: (i) for scientists to share the excitement of their research; (ii) to promote networking between researchers; (iii) for participants - particularly young scientists - to gain experience presenting their research.

In its first year, Arctic Snapshots engaged more than 30 participants from seven field stations across four countries. Participants had a diversity of scientific experience, ranging from graduate students to field assistants to professors. Despite various backgrounds and research foci, a common thread was participants’ enthusiasm for their research and for sharing it. This enthusiasm sparked questions, sharing of knowledge and ideas, and informal invitations to continue conversations and perhaps even visit other stations. This year, participating stations included (Fig. 1):

1. Abisko Scientific Research Station (Abisko, Sweden)
2. Arctic Station (Disko Island, Greenland/Denmark)
3. Churchill Northern Studies Centre (Churchill, Canada)
4. Khibiny Educational and Scientific Station (Murmansk Region, Russia)
5. Kluane Lake Research Station (Yukon Territory, Canada)
6. McGill Arctic Research Station (Axel Hieberg Island, Canada)
7. Western Arctic Research Centre (Inuvik, Canada)

A list of all the presentations is available here. The recordings will be made available in the APECS Webinar Database. 

What’s next for Arctic Snapshots? Plans are underway for Arctic Snapshots 2016. The format will remain the same: participants deliver a 5-minute presentation, aimed at facilitating critical thought and communication about the relevance of the their research. Presentations can include research methods, findings, or an introduction to the research. Arctic Snapshots 2016 will hopefully include more field stations across the Arctic, so stay tuned. If you are interested in participating, or would like your field station to be involved, please This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.!

Acknowledgements: Many thanks to Ellorie McKnight, Yulia Zaika, Erika Hille, Dr. Chris Omelon, Dr. Kirsten Christofferson, Keith Larson, and Sian Williams. Arctic Snapshots would not have been possible without their generosity in helping with logistics.

Polar Week logo2 01Join APECS this week in celebrating International Polar Week September 2015!

See what is happening during Polar Week September 2015 around the world! Are you looking for activities and ways to join us in this celebration? Visit our Polar Week website for some suggestions, events and information for Polar Week. We encourage all of our members and National Committees to participate!

Are you planning an event? Please send us an email with a short description of your event or activity to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. so that we can list it on our Polar Week website! After the event, please send us a short article and some pictures about how it went, so we can include it with all the other reports about Polar Week activities on our website and let our members worldwide know about the amazing activities you are doing.

Share your research this week by getting involved in our Social Media Campaign!

Check out and contribute to the APECS Polar Outreach Blog.

Sign up for #TweetYourThesis on Twitter on 24 September!

Happy Polar Week!

APECS-WWRP-Polar Prediction Project Webinar Series - Part 3: The Antarctic Automatic Weather Station Network: The Challenges and Rewards of Polar In Situ Surface Observations
Speaker: Matthew A. Lazzara (Antarctic Meteorological Research Centre, Space Science and Engineering Centre, University of Wisconsin-Madison / Department of Physical Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, Madison Area Technical College, United States)
22 September 2015. 10:00 am Central Daylight Time (US)
Webinar ID: 117-740-363

Registration URL: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6742084723877846785

Capturing continuous observations of weather and climate of the surface of the Antarctic continent has been a holy grail since the International Geophysical Year. The advent of a successful Automatic Weather Station (AWS) in the late 1970s and the establishment of the Antarctic Automatic Weather Station network have led to over 35 years of observing the Antarctic surface weather and climate. Advances in our understanding of polar meteorological processes are due to the observations made from the AWS network. Today, the network contributes to research activities across a wide variety of disciplines, and is used in weather forecasting as well as in the educational arena. In an era of limited funding, constrained logistics and the ever-constant challenges posed by a brief field season with, at times, impeding bad weather, the operations and maintenance of the AWS network is a significant effort. This presentation will outline the challenges and rewards of running a modern day polar in situ surface observation network. Topics outlined will include funding, logistics, operations, science research and educational outreach. Questions from the audience are encouraged.

The webinar will be recorded and archived afterwards in the APECS Past Webinar list http://www.apecs.is/career-resources/apecs-webinars/past-webinars.html

For more information about this Webinar, contact Jonny Day at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. On behalf of APECS, let me thank you for attending this Webinar.

SCAR 2016 LOGO NEWSCAR logo white backgroundThe Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) and APECS are looking for early career researchers to co-convene sessions at the SCAR Open Science Conference (OSC) 2016 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia!! This conference is scheduled for 23rd - 26th August 2016, with the theme of the conference being “Antarctica in the Global Earth System: From the Poles to the Tropics”.

Co-convener positions for early career researchers are available for all sessions at this conference. To view the sessions available at this conference, please click this link http://scar2016.com/?page_id=2848. As an early career co-convener, you would work together with the other conveners of your session to shape its program, review abstracts, select presentations and convene the session on site. You will gain excellent skills and experience in how to convene a successful international conference session.

To apply for an early career scientist co-convener position, please fill out no later than 5 September this form https://docs.google.com/a/apecs.is/forms/d/1Ks1YPXhN-bZq9iTMAXT3g8dIrTtWCQmP_xyqOulO9Qo/viewform .

If you have questions, please contact APECS at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

We hope to see many of you at the SCAR OSC 2016!

CAFF greenThe Freshwater Steering Group of the CAFF (Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna) - Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program (CBMP) and are looking for one early career researcher to attend their Inter-Freshwater Expert Network Workshop which will take place in Sonnerupgaard, Denmark, 5 - 8 October 2015.

Just over 30 freshwater experts from around the Arctic will meet to discuss the State of the Arctic Freshwater Biodiversity Report. The APECS representative will be most welcomed to share in the workshop discussions and shape the direction of the report and influence the work necessary to deliver the report. Furthermore, they will have excellent opportunity to network with some of the Arctic’s leading researchers in this field and meaningfully engage in the work of the CBMP.

Early career researchers interested in applying for this opportunity should have preferably expertise in freshwater algae (lake or river, benthic, or pelagic). But anyone with freshwater biodiversity monitoring expertise will also be considered.

While CAFF will pay for lunches, there is no travel support available unfortunately, so this opportunity is open to either someone locally, or someone who would have their own travel support to attend the meeting.

Applications should include your CV and a statement of interest with your research background and reason why you would like to attend this workshop. Please send your application as a PDF by no later than 11 September 2015 to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

If you have questions please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

APECS members are invited to participate in an IARPC (Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee) webinar to learn about the benefits of being a part of the IARPC Collaborations website. This special website tutorial will focus on effective use of the IARPC Collaborations website for early career scientists.

During the webinar you will learn how to:

· Join one or more of the 12 thematic research teams led by federal program managers
· Attend collaboration team meetings with informational research webinars
· Effectively post on the IARPC Collaborations website to contribute your research to reporting on the Arctic Research Plan
· Form interdisciplinary collaborations with Arctic scientists and stakeholders from Federal, State, academic, NGO, and industry organizations

Date: August 26, 2015 (through WebEx)
Time: 3 to 4 pm EDT

Attendance is limited and registration is required. Email IARPC Collaborations Web Manager Jessica Rohde to request attendance (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

What is IARPC Collaborations?
IARPC Collaborations is the structure created by the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC) to implement its 5-Year Research Plan. The structure is organized around 12 topical Collaboration Teams. The Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC), which consists of principals from 16 agencies, departments, and offices across the Federal government, is charged with enhancing both the scientific monitoring of and research on local, regional, and global environmental issues in the Arctic. In order to meet the Nation's economic, scientific, and environmental needs, IARPC envisions a prosperous, sustainable and healthy Arctic understood through research coordinated among Federal agencies and domestic and international collaborators. More information about IARPC and its charter can be found on IARPC page at the National Science and Technology Council website.

Polar WeeksInternational Polar Week is an opportunity for APECS and its members to promote Polar science. APECS uses this opportunity to plan and develop Polar science related activities alongside teachers, educators and those interested in polar education for the equinoxes of each year. The equinoxes in March and September are the only time when everywhere on earth the day length is 12 hours, a perfect opportunity to celebrate the poles on a global scale!

The International Polar Week Fall 2015 will be from 19 - 26 September 2015! We want to celebrate by focusing on the science being conducted in the Arctic and Antarctic. Please send us your planned activities so they can be added to the Polar Week Website. Please send the name of your event, the date and time, the location and a link to any relevant webpage to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. And don’t forget to send us a short article about your activities afterwards (with some pictures)!

More information on International Polar Week Fall 2015 and how to participate can be found here http://www.apecs.is/outreach/international-polar-week/upcoming-polar-week.html

We look forward to celebrating Polar Week with you!

iasc

APECS and the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) are pleased to be able to announce a fantastic opportunity for an APECS member to be part of the Scientific Steering Committee for the Science Symposium held during the 2017 Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) in Prague (1 – 7 April, 2017). The work of the committee will start in autumn 2015 so you will need to be able to commit to this position for at least the next 18 months. This is a volunteer position representing APECS on the committee without funding associated with it.

If you are interested then please send the following as a single pdf file to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 28 August 2015.

1) CV (max 2 pages)

2) Statement of interest including why you wish to be involved in this committee and a clear statement of commitment to the work of the committee over the next 18 months and attendance at ASSW 2017.

 

DSC02206An APECS panel discussion had been successfully organized (Saturday, 27.6.2015) at the IUGG held in Prague (CZ). Dr. Charles Fierz, Dr. Eleanor Frajka-Williams and Dr. Daniel Farinotti, as speaker provided, interested young scientist (~80 participants), exciting insights in their professional life as scientist. The speakers with different scientific background (glaciology and oceanography) described their experiences during their career within detail and a lot of excitement. An active discussion with the audience developed and covered a broad range of challenging questions, where speakers not always found a consensus, but described their opinions. Most questions touched on the scientific career and the personal development of young scientist to become an independent researcher. (How important are publications? How to apply for a positions? How to change the scientific field? How to raise funding?) Questions also covered topics about work-life balance and how to bring family and scientific career together. After 90 minutes of active discussions and interesting side stories this event came to an end, but discussion and networking continued in a pub close to venue until late. All attendees provided a general positive feedback and agreed that this was a great opportunity to discuss, network and a successful event in general.

Organizer: Martin Proksch, Saskia Gindraux, Erik Behrens and Gerlis Fugmann

DSC02196 IUGG 2015 audience

DSC02212

Since the creation of APECS during the last International Polar Year, more than 5100 people from 75 countries have registered as APECS members on our website. Until now, it was not easy to update profile details or cancel APECS membership using the website. To make managing the membership database more efficient, we are migrating to a new service. The old APECS mailing list will stop being used on 30 November 2015. We need you, as current or past APECS members, to choose one of the following options:

  • To remain an APECS member and continue to be subscribed to our mailing list, please update your profile on our new member registration system (it only takes 2 minutes!). Note: You MUST fill in this form to remain an APECS member. We will NOT automatically move our members over to this new system.
  • To cancel your APECS membership and unsubscribe from our mailing list, please go to our unsubscribe form 

You do not consider yourself “early career” anymore and / or are a mentor or partner of APECS and want to remain updated on APECS activities? You can choose to either register for full APECS membership or you can register as a mentor or partnerand select which types of announcements you wish to receive from APECS.

Many thanks for your collaboration in this process !

APECS Executive Committee and Council 2014-2015

Are you looking for a way to get active in APECS and the APECS leadership? How about you apply to the APECS Council!

The new Council term for 2015-2016 is starting on 1 October 2015 and we encourage YOU to consider applying for it and help us shape our organization and the future of polar research!

Do you want to find out more about what the APECS Council does? Check out http://www.apecs.is/who-we-are/leadership/council/about-the-council.html or go to http://www.apecs.is/who-we-are/leadership/council.html to find out more about our current Council members!

How do you apply for the APECS Council?
It’s easy! You only have to provide the following in one PDF:

  • current contact information and career level
  • brief bio (200 words)
  • present picture of yourself
  • name and email address of two references
  • Expression of Interest Letter (around 500 words) explaining the following:
    • why you are interested in APECS and sitting on the Council? This includes any ideas you have for projects or activities the organization could undertake, a desire to become more connected to the larger polar community, ways to improve APECS and the role of young researchers in polar research, general interest in the process of the organization, and many others.
    • Any major periods of extended absence, such as field work, long vacations, intense exam periods or any other long period of absence.
    • it is also quite helpful to know a little about your experiences (including previous APECS involvement - if any) and why you are interested in the Polar Regions.

A detailed description of the application procedure for the APECS Council can be found here http://www.apecs.is/who-we-are/leadership/council/about-the-council/132-how-to-join-the-apecs-council.html

Applications to the APECS Council can be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

If you want to start right away for the new term starting October 1, please make sure to send in your application before 7 September. Due to the transition period to the new 2015-2016 Executive Committee at the end of September and beginning of October, Council applications received after September 7th will not be processed until later in October.

If you think the Council sounds good but would like to be even more involved, Executive Committee nominations are also open until 7 September, 2015! More information on how to apply to the ExCom can be found here http://www.apecs.is/who-we-are/leadership/executive-committee/executive-committee-elections-2015-2016.html

If you have any questions about what it means to be a member of the APECS Council, the application process or any other queries, please send an email to the Council Chair Hanne Nielsen at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

APECS ExCom 2014 2015We will have elections again in September for a new APECS Executive Committee for the 2015-2016 term!

This is to encourage YOU to consider applying for the new APECS Executive Committee or nominating someone you think would do a great job of shaping our organization.

APECS is an internationally respected association and is recognized as one of the major legacies of the 4th International Polar Year. Our great members, particularly those of our past APECS Executive Committees and Councils have largely contributed to this through their excellent and hard work. To maintain this high level of success, and bring new vision and ideas to APECS, it is truly important for you to be active in this election.

Now YOU get the chance to influence the future of polar research!

What does the APECS Executive Committee do? Check out the APECS website at http://www.apecs.is/about-apecs/leadership/executive-commitee and http://www.apecs.is/who-we-are/leadership/executive-committee/about-the-executive-committee.html

Who can apply to the APECS Executive Committee?

Applicants must be members of APECS (http://www.apecs.is/get-involved/join-apecs.html) and should have a minimum of 4 months experience on the Council (current and/or past) or prior active involvement in one of the APECS National Committee leaderships. Other members interested in applying should talk to the Election Coordinators and Executive Director before applying, and can run with special permission of the Election Coordinators and Executive Director. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to contact them.

You have not been previously involved with APECS and want to gain some experience but don’t want to start at the Executive Committee level? We also encourage applications to the APECS Council, a great first step to get active and gain experience in the APECS leadership. An announcement about how to apply to the Council will follow next week and can also be found on our “Volunteers Needed“ page (http://www.apecs.is/get-involved/volunteers-needed.html)

What is the timeline for the election?

The 2015-2016 APECS Executive Committee elections is as follows:

27 July – 7 September 2015: Accepting nominations

8 – 9 September 2015: Preparation of the review and voting period

10 – 19 September 2015: Review of applications by APECS Council: current APECS Council members have the chance for a Question & Answer session both via email and during a conference call with the ExCom applicants. Important: Applicants have to be available for questions and the conference call during this time.

20 – 25 September 2015: Voting by the APECS Council members on the ExCom applicants

26 – 30 September 2015: Final vote count and review of votes, transition process

1 October 2015: official announcement of the 2015-2016 APECS Executive Committee and the 2015 – 2016 APECS President

How do you apply?

It’s easy!

Submit your application containing:

  • basic biographical information (name, institution, contact details, country of residence and origin),
  • a brief biosketch that gives us a better picture of who you are (e.g. research theme and interests, your hobbies, etc.),
  • a photo of yourself that we can use for the APECS website,
  • the names and contact details of two referees, and
  • a statement of interest detailing why you are interested in serving on the APECS Executive Committee and how you would like to contribute to APECS as a member of the APECS Executive Committee. Please also include any past involvement in organizing APECS activities, involvement in the APECS leadership or National Committee leadership, or other experiences that would make you a good candidate. An outline of what we are specifically hoping you address in your statement of interest and general information about the election procedure is available on the APECS website at http://www.apecs.is/who-we-are/leadership/executive-committee/about-the-executive-committee.html

Applications for the APECS Executive Committee will be accepted starting 27 July 2015 (if you are on fieldwork you can already send in your application earlier). Please email your application as one PDF to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Application deadline is 7 September 2015!

All information about the 2015-2016 Executive Committee elections are available here http://www.apecs.is/who-we-are/leadership/executive-committee/executive-committee-elections-2015-2016.html

If you have any questions about what it means to be a member of the APECS Executive Committee, the application process or any other queries, please send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Best wishes,

Jenn Provencher, Yulia Zaika, Jean-Sebastien Moore, Ivan Dubinenkov, Gerlis Fugmann
Executive Committee Elections Coordinators

The Association of Early Polar Career Scientists (APECS) held its first world summit in Sofia, Bulgaria, from June 6-8, 2015. 

Participants from around the worldSixty-six early career scientists and APECS members, representing 25 countries and 20 APECS National Committees (NCs) participated in the event. In addition, 12 senior scientists and professionals attended the summit (2 of them remotely), supporting APECS as mentors. The diversity of the summit participants was not only characterised by their origin but also academic field and profession. Yet, all participants had a sincere interest in the Polar Regions in common. The APECS World Summit was considered a bi-Polar event, equally committed to the Arctic and the Antarctic.

The programme of the summit constituted three full days and was structured into 4 workshops:

  1. Training workshop on Data Sharing and Open Science in Polar Research
  2. Workshop on The Future of Polar Research
  3. Workshop on Science Communication
  4. Workshop on The APECS Network and Future Directions

Workshops included presentations by invited mentors as well as the APECS leadership and NC representatives, breakout sessions, a panel discussion, and consultations and discussions within the plenary. The full program, including list of mentors, participants, and sponsors is at: http://www.apecs.is/events/upcoming-event-highlights/apecs-world-summit-2015.html.

In the evenings during the summit, several social events took place; an icebreaker reception on the night before the opening of the summit, an informal dinner with traditional Bulgarian dance performances, and the conference dinner. These events fostered interactions between participants. Mentors were also invited and joined the social events.

The summit was generally perceived as a great success. APECS is planning to continue convening world summits on a regular basis, every 2 to 5 years.

APECS President signing the Letter of Agreement with APECS India

Major outcomes of the Summit included: an understanding of the importance of open data, and how open science can be accomplished through the use of databases, data standardization, and data publications, a vision of the future directions of polar research, which includes increased understanding of the global impacts of what happens at both poles, and a focus on human interactions and warming in the Arctic and changes in the Southern Ocean and to ice in the Antarctic. In addition, Letters of Agreement were signed between APECS and National Committees from Canada, India, Switzerland, the United States, and Russia. Welcome to our new National Committees!

APECS World Summit Group Picture

ICCH2015 copyThe16th International Congress on Circumpolar Health arranged a pre-congress Summer School for advanced Masters and PhD students from the various Arctic countries.
The School took place from June 6 to June 8, 2015 in Finnish Oulu, and was designed to provide students with the tools to effectively work with northern communities within their research and also gain a greater understanding of current issues in the North. It included two courses, “Community Based Participatory Research Principles and Practices in the North”, and “Healthy populations in the Arctic” that used case studies, individual and group work, lectures, breakout sessions, and moderated panel discussion as teaching methods.

Ideas were exchanged not only during the intensive scientific sessions, but also at the vibrant social program. APECS Social Event was considered a success, where students enjoyed traditional Finnish sauna, the cost for which had been covered, courtesy of APECS. In connection to this, Julie Bull (Executive Director, Toronto Aboriginal Support Services Council) made the general Introduction of APECS and invited early-career researchers to take advantage of becoming APECS members.

ICCH2015 group copy

German SCAR IASC MeetingThe German National Committee (GNC) SCAR / IASC (www.scar-iasc.de) serves as a national correspondent for the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) and the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC). Further, the GNC SCAR / IASC plans and coordinates the activities of German university research in the field of polar sciences together with the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) and relevant federal institutions, which additionally provide the necessary logistics for university research.

This year’s annual meeting of the GNC SCAR / IASC was hosted by the the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg from the 28-29 May 2015. Both the location itself (Schloss Erlangen) as well as its surroundings provided perfect circumstances for this event.

More than 30 established researchers and attended the meeting, all occupying leading roles in the German polar research community. Representatives from the German Research Foundation (“Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft – DFG”), the Federal Environment Agency (“Umweltbundesamt – UBA”) and two Federal Ministries (“Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung - BMBF” and “Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz, Bau und Reaktorsicherheit - BMU”) complemented the group of participants. The meeting was led by GNC SCAR/IASC’s chair, Prof. Dr. Günther Heinemann (Environmental Meteorology, University of Trier). Prof. Dr. Matthias Braun (GNC SCAR/IASC Secretary, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg) and Dr. Sascha Willmes (GNC SCAR/IASC Executive Assistant) carried out all organizational matters.

It was the first time in the history of the GNC SCAR/IASC that a representative of APECS was invited to attend the annual meeting. Therefore, I had the opportunity to give a brief overview on past, current and planned (international) APECS activities and projects as well as possibilities to promote and establish APECS on a national level in Germany. Many attendees were quite open towards that topic and provided me with helpful comments and suggestions. A huge step forward will be the organization of an APECS events at the “International Polartagung 2015” in Munich (www.glaziologie.de/Polartagung/) which will take place in September 2015. Further future improvements to connect and inform young polar researchers in Germany include an enhanced cooperation with the German Society for Polar Research (“Deutsche Gesellschaft für Polarfoschung e.V. – DGP”) and the priority program for Antarctic Research (“SPP-1158 Antarktisforschung”).

Extensive reports on SCAR and IASC activities over the past year (including the SCAR delegates meeting in Auckland, meetings of the IASC working groups at the ASSW 2015 in Toyama and the ICARP III process) and reports on the German polar research infrastructure (RV Polarstern; POLAR 5 and 6 research aircrafts; Neumayer-, AWIPEV-, Gondwana- and Gars O’Higgins stations) were other main topics at the meeting.

Overall, the opportunity to attend this annual meeting gave me a good insight into planning and coordinating national science activities and the translation of international science-agreements and guidelines to a national level. At the same time, it also proved to be an excellent networking opportunity with senior scientists and staff from the German funding agencies. I am very grateful for the travel support provided by the German Research Foundation and I would also like to thank Gerlis Fugmann and Hueges Lantuit for the fantastic support to prepare for the meeting.

If you're interested in incorporating ice core analysis into ongoing or future research projects, then join our upcoming APECS ice core webinar series (details and webinar registration links below). The webinars will include the following topics: working the the US ice drilling program, using ice cores archived at NICL, and ice core processing techniques. Each webinar presentation will be ~30 minutes in length followed by a live question and answer period with the webinar presenter.

The webinars will be archived online on the APECS website later this summer under the Glaciology Research Area and in the past APECS Webinar list. Please email the webinar series organizer, Ellyn Enderlin (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), with any questions.

Thursday June 18th @ 12:00 EDT
Ice Core Webinar #1: Working with the US Ice Drilling Program
Presented by Dr. Mary Albert (Executive Director for IDPO)
Webinar ID: 114-406-971
Webinar Link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/608954986533373954

The Ice Drilling Program Office (IDPO) and Ice Drilling Design and Operations (IDDO) coordinate planning and provide ice drilling and ice coring support for NSF-funded ice core research. The webinar will include a quick overview of the IDPO-IDDO, including how IDPO-IDDO works with the science community for short and long-range (decadal) planning of science involving ice coring or drilling, and how IDPO-IDDO retrieves cores or create access holes in ice for U.S. scientists. Webinar participants will learn how they can tap into these resources if conducting ice core analyses on the Arctic and Antarctic ice sheets, glaciers, and/or seasonal ice in temperate regions. Information on IDPO-IDDO and their services can be found at: http://icedrill.org/.

Tuesday June 23rd @ 12:00 EDT
Ice Core Webinar #2: Using Ice Cores Archived at the US National Ice Core Laboratory (NICL)
Presented by Mark Twickler (Science Director for NICL)
Webinar ID: 145-067-619
Webinar Link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1507385728798496258

The U.S. National Ice Core Laboratory (NICL) is a National Science Foundation (NSF) facility for storing, curating, and studying meteoric ice cores recovered from the glaciated regions of the world. NICL is managed by the U.S. Geological Survey through an Inter-Agency Agreement. NICL provides scientists with the capability to conduct examinations and measurements on ice cores, and it preserves the integrity of these ice cores in a long-term repository for future investigations. This webinar will discuss the policies for accessing archived ice cores and use of the facility. To familiarize yourself with the facility, please visit: http://icecores.org.

Thursday June 25th @ 12:00 EDT
Ice Core Webinar #3: Overview of Laser Ablation and Traditional Ice Core Processing Techniques
Presented by Dr. Nicole Spaulding (University of Maine)
Webinar ID: 151-706-531
Webinar Link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5381167503592883458

This webinar will provide participants with an overview of traditional and emerging methods for the analysis of ice core chemistry. Traditional systems rely upon a heated metal disk or plate to melt the ice prior to analysis by ion chromatography or inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Emerging instrumentation, such as that utilized by the University of Maine Climate Change Institute’s W. M. Keck Laser Ice Facility, combines state of the art laser ablation sample introduction with ICP-MS analysis. The latter method offers greatly enhanced sample resolution thereby allowing the recovery of sub-annual signals from regions with very low accumulation rates, in highly compressed ice at great depths, and in regions of ascending flow (blue-ice exposures). We will also discuss the types of research questions each method is best suited to answer.

APECS will be organizing a panel discussion and social event on 27 June 2015 during the IUGG 2015 General Assembly in Prague.
„How to become a successful scientist“ is the topic of the APECS panel session. Well established researchers, in their scientific field, will provide insights about their scientific career and talk about their experiences on that path to become an independent scientist and being able to do the science they are passionate about. With this event, and speakers from different disciplines, we aim to provide early career scientists broad and valuable information about possible career paths, funding opportunities and the chance for discussion, to improve and develop their own scientific career. This event is open to every interest scientist and offers the possibility for networking, meeting new colleagues and discussing ideas and problems. After the panel discussion, we will have refreshments and time for discussion. Those of you interested in more networking and discussion can join us afterwards in a bar close to the convention centre.

icarp3 logoInternational Conference on Arctic Research Planning (ICARP) is a commitment that International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) made as a part of founding articles to periodically to identify the important Arctic scientific questions and issues and how they could be addressed through various implementation regimes in the future.

ICARP III is currently underway and this is process has been ongoing for the last 12 months. Between the formal launch of the ICARP III at the ASSW 2014 in Helsinki, Finland and the final conference at ASSW 2015 / ISAR-4 / ICARP III conference in Toyama, Japan, at the end of April 2015, there have been many, almost hundred meetings and side events led by the IASC working groups, IASC networks and action groups and ICARP III partner organizations and all of these are contributions to the ICARP III. There have been various types of events e.g. workshops, townhall meetings, writing team meetings, surveys and outreach and capacity building event, but all aiming to identify Arctic research priorities for the next decade, improve coordination of various Arctic research agendas, inform policy makers, people who live in or near the Arctic and the global community and build constructive relationships between producers and users of knowledge. All these activity summaries and reports can be found from the ICARP III webpage (icarp.iasc.info).

APECS has two projects that will contribute to the ICARP III process. To aid in assessing how past support has influenced early career Arctic researchers and potentially enhanced future opportunities, APECS, the Climate and Cryosphere Project (CliC) and IASC are working together to use IASC funding of early career researchers as a case study to assess the value of travel support for early career researchers. Results from this Where are they now? –project will give suggestions on how funds could be better used in the future and this will help form new standards for supporting the next generation of Arctic researchers. The APECS – ICARP III Survey: Arctic Early Career Researchers Support and Training Assessment assessed whether current funding, support, and training for early career researchers involved in Arctic research have helped foster their careers, in order to provide recommendations on how to better support them in the future. As ICARP III is very open process and it still welcomes contributions, this survey is still open and can be found http://www.apecs.is/research/apecs-projects/apecs-icarp-iii-survey-2015.html

ICARP III is currently in a process of synthesizing the outcomes of all these various activities. A snapshot of these outcomes as well as overarching themes of the discussions that took place in final conference at ASSW 2015 / ISAR-4 / ICARP III in Toyama at the end of April can be found from the conference statement. The statement can be found from conference webpage assw2015.org. During the next few months there will have open public process of determining the outcomes of the ICARP III and communicating these outcomes to the larger audience.

ISMASS (Ice sheet mass balance and sea level) is a joint expert group of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) and the WCRP Climate and Cryosphere Project (CliC) and have contacted APECS regarding two exciting opportunities for early career researchers.

1. Opportunity for one early career researcher to sit on the ISMASS Steering Committee for a period of 2-3 years. (Note: the successful candidate is supposed to attend the ISMASS workshop mentioned below).

2. Several travel fellowships for early career researchers to attend the ISMASS Workshop (16 August 2015) on the Marine Ice Sheet and Ice Shelf‐Ocean Model Intercomparison Projects (MISMIP+, ISOMIP+, MISOMIP1) and the subsequent International Glaciology Society (IGS) 2015 Meeting on Ice Sheet Dynamics in Cambridge, UK (16-21 August 2015). More information on the workshop can be found here: http://www.climate-cryosphere.org/activities/groups/ismass/meetings/mismips-cambridge#faqnoanchor

To apply please send the following to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 14 June 2015 as a single pdf file:

  • CV
  • Statement of interest including
    • if you are applying for a) only a travel fellowship, or b) for both, the ISMASS Steering Committee and a travel fellowship
    • Information about your current research and why you would want to attend the workshop and meeting.
  • A budget of expected costs for you to attend the workshop and meeting (including registration fees). Note: Funding amounts will be limited to 1000 Euros for Europeans and 1500 Euros for those from other continents.
  • If you are applying also for the ISMASS Steering Committee, you should also include a statement of interest including your motivation for sitting on this committee and a clear commitment to be involved in this committee for at least the coming 2 years.

APECS Workshop ASSW 2015It’s always a great pleasure to work in person with amazing people who share the same interest to the Polar Regions. In conjunction with the ASSW 2015 / ISAR-4 / ICARP III conference in Toyama, Japan, at the end of April 2015, APECS organized a workshop on "Goals of ICARP III – the future of Arctic research from the perspective of early career researchers". ICARP III aims to identify and coordinate the future direction of Arctic research. And as the early career researchers will be the ones shaping Arctic research in the future, it is important to invest in their training and provide providing opportunities and training and funding to prepare them for a successful career in Arctic research.

The beginning of the day with a talk on introduction to the ICARP III process by David Hik, former president of International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) and the chair of ICARP III, and talks on the results of the some of the ICARP III projects conducted by the Arctic in Rapid Transition initiative (ART) and the Permafrost Young Researchers Network (PYRN) as well as APECS was full of new information for most participants and gave the day a great start. Group discussion on goals for Arctic research and ICARP III from the perspective of early career researchers was interesting and inspirational, and opened up new ideas for recommendations on how to better support ECRs in the future. Early career scientists were particularly happy with the afternoon panel discussion: International Collaboration in Arctic Research. The major topics covered during the mentor panel were: How to initiate international collaborations? What are the main advantages of involving international collaborations? What are the main challenges when working in international collaborations especially for early career researchers? And what values are seen in international ECR networks, such as APECS and how to encourage graduate students to get involved in the activities of APECS or similar networks/initiatives? APECS has actively worked on career development internationally throughout its history, and it was great to see that also early career scientists in the panel were working with very strong international collaborations. Many thanks to the fantastic mentors and early career scientists who shared their experience and wisdom with us: Volker Rachold (International Arctic Science Committee, Germany), Gunhild (Ninis) Rosqvist (Stockholm University, Sweden), Yulia Zaika (Khibiny educational and scientific base of the Faculty of Geography M.V.Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia), David Scott (Canadian Polar Commission, Canada), Atsuko Sugimoto (Hokkaido University, Japan) and Sandra Juutilainen (University of Oulu, Finland).

The workshop was a great success with the auditorium full of young scientists as well as interested senior researchers. It was especially great to see so many Japanese early career scientists in the workshop and to discuss about starting up a APECS Japan national committee. Thank you for all the speakers and panelists as well as for the organizing committee for their great support. The day was a big success! We look forward in working with you again in future.

The APECS Canada – ASA Mentor Award is seeking nominations for 2015!

APECS Canada and the ArcticNet Student Association (ASA) recognize and honor the efforts of their mentors within the polar science community of Canada. This award has been created to acknowledge the time and energy that mentors dedicate to early career researchers each year, and their efforts in building a supportive community.

Do you know of a worthy mentor and wish to complete a nomination? The application procedure, guidelines, past recipients, media coverage, and all other relevant information is available here.  

Nominations are due September 18th 2015 (Midnight PDT).

This year’s third recipient of the award will be announced at the banquet of the ArcticNet ASM 2015 meeting in Vancouver, BC in December (http://www.arcticnet.ulaval.ca/).

Contact Nikolaus Gantner (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) for more information.

For the awards committee,

Dr. Nikolaus Gantner

-

APECS Canada-ASA Mentor Award Chair (2013-2015)

APECS PYRN EGU2015The Permafrost Young Research Network (PYRN) and the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) organized a short course entitled "The future of permafrost in a climatechanging world" on the 15th April in Vienna (Austria) during the European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly 2015. The course was hosted by the Soil System Sciences (SSS) division of the EGU and was open for Bachelor, Master, PhD students and postdocs. The purpose was to revise recent research that concerns permafrost in a changing climate: a) Equipping young researchers with a multidisciplinary understanding of the role of permafrost in the climate system; b) Strengthening international collaboration of early career researchers, and c) Enabling the participants to put their research into a larger context.

APECS PYRN EGU2015 2Approximately 100 young researchers attended the short course, showing an increase of attendance compared to the previous year, when 60 - 70 participants joined the event. It should be mentioned that the organizers Marc Oliva and Alexandre Trindade were awarded as the best organizers of a workshop organized within the SSS division in 2014. These goals were fulfilled through a series of presentations and discussions, interactions with peers and top level permafrost researchers, and reference materials prepared for the workshop.

10h30 Workshop introduction PYRN presentation (Elin Högström, Vienna University of Technology / PYRN / APECS Austria / PAGE21 Young Researcher)

10h37 APECS presentation (Elena Kuznetsova, Norwegian University of Science and Technology / PYRN / APECS)

10h45 Elements of polar climate and changes in the cryosphere (Neven Fuckar, Institut Català de Ciències del Clima, Barcelona, Senior Scientist)

11h00 Permafrost modelling during future scenarios (Sarah Chadburn, University of Exeter / PAGE21 Young Researcher)

11h15 Landscape dynamics in paraglacial environments (Marc Oliva, University of Lisbon / PYRN)

11h22 Postglacial landscape changes and cryogenic processes (Alexander Nieuwendam, University of Lisbon / PYRN)

11h30 Hazards and infrastructure (Ingo Hartmeyer, University of Innsbruck / PYRN)

APECS PYRN EGU2015 3APECS PYRN EGU2015 4

APECS PYRN EGU2015 5

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of PYRN and the 1st year anniversary of APECS Austria, a Social Event was held in the evening in a traditional Austrian tavern, next to
the vineyards in the outskirts of Vienna. All workshop participants were invited for a traditional buffet.

The financial support was kindly provided by the International Permafrost Association (IPA) and the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS).

APECS-WWRP-Polar Prediction Project Webinar Series - Part 2: Progress and Challenges in Predicting Arctic Sea Ice
Speakers: Cecilia Bitz (University of Washington, USA) and Julienne Stroeve (National Snow and Ice Data Centre/University of Colorado)
May 11, 18:00 CET
Webinar ID: 134-834-387

Registration URL: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/174329034268135426

This seminar is the second in the APECS-WWRP-Polar Prediction Project Webinar Series. The rapid reduction in Arctic sea ice has lead to increased human activity in the Arctic and a demand for forecasts of sea ice cover on seasonal timescales. Many APECS members will be keenly interested in recent developments and future directions of this important area of research, so Professors Cecilia Bitz and Julienne Stroeve have accepted an invitation to speak on this topic.

The webinar will be recorded and archived afterwards in the APECS Past Webinar list http://www.apecs.is/career-resources/apecs-webinars/past-webinars.html

APECS Webinar: "Tell me more!": Connecting with Lay Readers through Plain Language

May 6, 3:00pm GMT
Webinar ID: 120-287-379

Registration URL: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2236803940579207681

APECS online webinar is pleased to introduce the last webinar of the 2014-2015 series:"Tell me more!": Connecting with Lay Readers through Plain Language (Webinar on plain language).

  1. Would you like to share your research with popular audiences?
  2. Do you find it challenging to write lay summaries for grant applications?

This webinar should help you better respond to both of these situations: in it I outline the basic principles of plain language—simplicity, brevity, and clarity—and show you how to achieve them in writing. We will work with examples from your areas of expertise to illustrate how to apply these principles to scientific discourse. You should leave this webinar with a clear understanding of how to apply these principles to your own writing to communicate effectively with non-specialist readers.

If you would like to see worked examples from your own writing, please email a manuscript draft or publication to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and I will use some of your text in my illustrations.

Heather Graves is a professor at the university of Alberta working in the following areas: Rhetoric, writing studies, technical communication, business and professional communication. Her specialties are the rhetoric of science, writing studies in Canada, writing theory and pedagogy.

Webinars are interactive presentations and workshops, for which APECS uses the online conferencing program "GoToMeeting". This live presentation platform allows participants to hear the presentation, see the power points slides and interact via chat box with the presenter the entire time. Webinars allow people to connect and participant in high quality research and skill training discussions from the comfort of their desk!

How to participate? Register and reserve your spot: here https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2236803940579207681

For more information about this Webinar, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. On behalf of APECS, let me thank-you for attending this Webinar.

apecs logo webpyrn smallPermafrost Young Researchers Network (PYRN) together with the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) will be organizing a short course about "The future of permafrost in a climate-changing world" during the EGU 2015.

Wednesday, 15 Apr, 10:30–12:15 / Room B7
Conveners: Marc Oliva, Alexandre Nieuwendam , Elin Högström

The course is open for Bachelor, Master, PhD students and post-docs and the goals are: 1) to equip young researchers with a multidisciplinary understanding of the role of permafrost in the climate system; 2) to strengthen international collaboration of early career researchers; and 3) to enable the participants to put their research into a larger context.

The objective of the course is to revise recent research that concerns permafrost in a changing climate. Participants will learn about the effect of permafrost development and degradation in polar and mountain regions, and its impact on infrastructures and ecosystems under climate warming scenarios.

10h30: Introduction
10h45: Climate scenarios
11h00: Permafrost modelling during future scenarios
11h30: Landscape dynamics
11h45: Hazards and infrastructure
12h00: Discussion and closing remarks

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of PYRN and the 1st year anniversary of APECS Austria, a Social Event will be held in the evening in a Heuriger - a traditional Austrian tavern.
All workshop participants are invited for a traditional buffet. Beverages are self-payed.
Time: 20h00.
Location: "Zum Berger", Himmelstraße 19, A-1190 Wien. http://www.zumberger.at/

Getting there from the city center: 

  • alternative 1) tram nr 38 from "Schottentour" to the end station "Grinzing" 
  • alternative 2) subway U4 from "Schwedenplatz" to "Heiligenstadt", change to bus 38A and get of at "Grinzing".

We hope to see many of you there!

conference posterOn March 16th 2015, APECS held its first online international conference: New Perspectives in the Polar Sciences. This conference was attended by nearly 200 early career scientists and researchers, representing every continent. Excellent presentations were given by 18 researchers, ranging in topics from marine biology, and environmental pollution, to the education, culture and history of the polar latitudes. Guest speakers included Prof. Pete Convey from the British Antarctic Survey, UK, discussed new research on the evolution and adaptation of Antarctic terrestrial biota and the implications of this for future management and conservation; and Prof. John Smellie from the University of Leicester, UK, discussed new methodological applications of glaciovolcanism to reconstruct Antarctic Ice Sheet evolution.

Prizes were awarded for the three best presentations, with first prize awarded to Hanne Nielsen, University of Tasmania for her presentation on: Antarctica in Advertising: Media Representations of the South. Second prize was awarded to Jesica Goldsmit, Université du Québec à Rimouski for her presentation on: Forecasting the habitat suitability of high risk invasive species in the Canadian Arctic. Third prize was awarded to François Massonnet, Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium and Catalan Institute for Climate Sciences, Spain, for his presentation on: The Polar Regions: Ideal Test Beds for Data Assimilation.

In the coming weeks, recordings of all the presentations will be available on the APECS website for those who were unable to listen to the conference live. Click on this hyperlink: Book of Abstracts to download the Conference book of abstracts. Special thanks to conference organisers Louise Chavarie, Rachel Downey and Scott Zolkos; Gerlis Fugmann for supporting and promoting the conference worldwide; and amazing APECS Members for judging and co-ordinating presenters on the day.

IPY OSC Francisco Fernandoy 46APECS is organizing the APECS World Summit 2015 in Sofia, Bulgaria from 6 - 8 June 2015. Since its beginning during the International Polar Year (IPY), APECS has been growing significantly. Today, APECS's membership counts about 5000 early career scientists, mentor, early career professionals and educators with interest in the Polar Regions in over 80 countries. But APECS has also evolved institutionally with currently 26 National Committees across around the world. The APECS World Summit 2015 "The Future of Polar Research" is an initiative to bring representatives of the APECS National Committees and the APECS leadership together to discuss the future of polar research, APECS's experience in communicating science and new challenges APECS wants to tackle in the near future. Integrated in the summit are workshops covering three key topic:

  • polar data sharing and open science
  • scienc communication and education & outreach initiatives
  • the APECS network and its future directions

The venue for the APECS World Summit 2015 will be Sofia University.

We have a few spots left in the World Summit, so if you are interested in attending the event, please register as soon as possible http://www.apecs.is/events/upcoming-event-highlights/apecs-world-summit-2015/world-summit-registration.html. There is no registration fee for the summit. Unfortunately, all available travel funds have been already passed out to the already registered paricipants and so we can at this time only accept further applications from APECS member that have their own funding to attend the summit.

More information on the workshop program and everything else you need to know about the APECS World Summit can be found here http://www.apecs.is/events/upcoming-event-highlights/apecs-world-summit-2015.html

If you have questions please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

We hope to see some of you in Sofia!

Moscow, 10 March 2015

APECS Russia national committee has been established in 2008, and currently consists of members from different regions of Russia. This week, APECS Russia, officially named as Russian Youth Polar Initiative (RYPI), held a round table at the Faculty of Geography, Lomonosov Moscow State University bringing together APECS Russia members and mentors, students, early career and senior researchers interested and working in Polar regions. The greeting and endorsement letters to participants of the meeting and APECS Russia activities were sent from APECS International Directorate, International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), the International Network for Terrestrial Research and Monitoring in the Arctic (INTERACT) and number of existing APECS National Committees in other countries. Russian Youth Polar Initiative (RYPI) will further consolidate a community of polar researchers in Russia with a suit of activities aimed at a popularization of polar sciences among general public and at a career development of polar early career researchers. While many great examples of activities led by APECS International and various APECS National Committees exist, a special focus of Russian members will be made on adopting internationally successful projects taking into consideration rich traditions in polar research and exploration in Russia. Representatives from the Permafrost Young Researcher Network (PYRN) and European Geography Association for Students and Young Geographers (EGEA) also shared their experience with activities and projects on a national level in Russia. Concluding open discussion created a platform for developing new joint ideas on future activities. At the end of the meeting, a Letter of Agreement between APECS International and Russian Youth Polar Initiative (RYPI) was signed, thus recognizing  and endorsing Russian Youth Polar Initiative (RYPI) as a self-maintaining committee at the national level functioning within APECS.

APECS RusAPECS Rus2

To advance the presence of polar science within the broader scientific community and society at large, the APECS social media committee would like to invite you to participate in the first ever Polar Week Tweet Storm from March 21st -29th.

Starting on March 21st and continuing throughout the week, we are asking you to tweet polar-related posts and include the hashtag #PolarWeek.

Our APECS Twitter account has over 3000 followers. Imagine if for 1 week, half the people on that list tweeted 3 new posts and retweeted 5 others, all in one day. That's 12,000 tweets per day; over 100,000 for the week. It will cause people to notice.

The goal of our Tweet Storm is to share the importance of polar ecosystems with the world. By tweeting and retweeting together, we can reach a broader audience. It will also strengthen our own community and potentially open the door to new connections and collaborations. If you haven't joined Twitter yet, now is the perfect time to do so and get involved!

Some general guidelines about what we are trying to do:

- Starting March 21st, tweet polar related posts using the #PolarWeek hashtag.

- Aim to post a minimum of 3 tweets (or more) per day, so 27 for the week.

- Variety is the spice of life. You can post anything polar-related: thoughts, facts, ideas, pictures, quotes, links, you name it. Even promote your blog or research program. Just be sure to include #PolarWeek in somewhere in your post.

- You can repost the same tweet more than once. The audience at 1pm Tuesday is not the same as the audience at 3am Friday.

- Try to retweet at least 5 #PolarWeek tweets by other people per day. More or fewer is just fine too; the goal is to spread the polar week message.

We are stronger as a community than alone. Let's storm Twitter together and bring the poles to centre stage!

Remember to follow APECS and the social media team!
◦ @Polar_Research – APECS
◦ @jennifer_balmer– Jennifer Balmer
◦ @WideWhiteStage – Hanne Nielsen

And watch the #PolarWeek hashtag!

APECS and the manufacturer of extreme-weather outerwear, Canada Goose®, teamed up to highlight the work done by polar early career researchers and to keep them warm during the Where does your Goose take you? program.

A competition was organized in Spring 2014 where APECS and Canada Goose® were looking for APECS members doing field work in the Arctic or the Antarctic during 2014/15. In total APECS received 56 applicants for the 'Where does your goose take you' program. Each selected Where does your Goose take you? participant were given a Canada Goose® Expedition Jacket. The winners were:

  • Lydie Lescarmontie (Australia)
  • Marc Oliva (Spain)
  • Pierre Dutrieux (UK)
  • Pamela Wong (Canada)
  • Andrian Vlakhov (Russia)
  • Emily Stevenson (USA)

Their task was to write two blog entries throughout the year, highlighting their polar research (science program, field sites, travel, workshops, field courses etc.). Participants also worked with the project coordinators to select photos from all participants that will be used to highlight their research locations on an interactive map.

Join us in following these Arctic and Antarctic early career researchers!

The Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) started as part of the International Polar Year (IPY) efforts to involve early career researchers in international polar science. As we continue to grow, we want to make sure that we are meeting the needs of our members.

So it is time for APECS to do some self-reflection. We want to find out what the polar community values and how APECS can continue to be a positive and productive force. If you haven't been involved in APECS, we very much value your impartial opinion. If you have been involved in APECS, we want to understand what you use on our website, if you attend workshops, seminars and the other activities we organize together, and how these have benefited you.

For these purposes we kindly ask you to complete the surveyhttps://docs.google.com/a/apecs.is/forms/d/1a83gPkcBbvkM9Mie8xmyTEIv7GMSLx2248eFYeOb9vk/viewform . The survey will be open until 3 April 2015.

The survey should take ~15 minutes. Please be honest and complete with your answers as the APECS leadership will use these results to help shape how we can better address the needs of polar early career researchers. All survey results will remain anonymous and confidential, and they will only be used by APECS for this self-evaluation process.

If you are in a country in which you cannot access Google forms, you can request a Word document from This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. For more information about the review please visit the APECS website at http://www.apecs.is/who-we-are/organisational-review-2015.html.

Thank you for your time and help,

APECS Organizational Review Committee

2016 abisko ppfs2
We would like to call your attention to the WWRP/WCRP/Bolin Centre Polar Prediction School that will be held at the Abisko Field Station in Arctic Sweden from 5-15 April 2016 (next year) sponsored by WWRP, WCRP, and the Bolin Center.  The school is part of the WWRP Polar Prediction Project and the WCRP Polar Climate Predictability Initiative.
 
This course on Polar Prediction will provide training for 30 PhD and early career post-doctoral polar scientists, focusing on topics such as: polar mesoscale atmospheric processes; sea ice prediction, near term ensemble prediction, and seasonal-to-decadal climate variability and prediction in the polar regions. The program will combine lectures on key areas relevant for polar prediction and a number of field observation and modelling exercises to foster an interactive learning environment.
 
We are asking for people interested in this school to fill out the Expression of Interest form by 15 May. You can find the form here: http://www.climate- cryosphere.org/wcrp/pcpi/ meetings/abisko-pp-2016/ expression-of-interest
 
Limited travel support may be available, particularly for participants from developing countries.
 
For more information on the school, visit http://www.climate- cryosphere.org/wcrp/pcpi/ meetings/abisko-pp-2016. For any questions, contact Jonny Day at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

conference posterRegister now as an Audience Member to participate! 

New perspectives in the Polar Sciences

APECS International Online Conference
Conference Date: 16 March 2015 (09:00 GMT to 22:05 GMT)
Event Format: Online conference (webinar)

APECS webinar organizers announce registration for audience members to participate in our International Online Conference, “New Perspectives in the Polar Sciences,” which is scheduled for 16 March 2015 (09:00 GMT to 22:05 GMT):

Please register for New Perspectives in the Polar Sciences on Mar 16, 2015 9:00 AM GMT at: 

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/9104074290012167682

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Brought to you by GoToWebinar®
Webinars Made Easy®

This conference will engage scientific dialogues between early career scientists from multiple disciplines and backgrounds on new research perspectives in their field of research. With increased attention on the changing polar environment and the future challenges this will bring, this conference aims to convey the broad range of new research currently being conducted internationally. Guest speakers include Prof. Pete Convey from the British Antarctic Survey, UK, who will be discussing new research on the evolution and adaptation of Antarctic terrestrial biota and the implications of this for future management and conservation; and Prof. John Smellie from the University of Leicester, UK, will be discussing new methodological applications of glaciovolcanism that are able to better reconstruct the evolution of the Antarctic Ice Sheet, the largest ice mass in the world. The full conference programme is given below: 

The detailed conference programme including all abstracts can be downloaded here.

 

APECS Online International Conference

New Perspectives in the Polar Sciences

 

SESSION ONE

09:00-09:05 GMT: Session One Conference Introduction

SESSION: CULTURAL, POLICY, EDUCATION & HISTORY

09:05-09:20 GMT:Antarctica in Advertising: Media Representations of the South

Presenter: Hanne Nielsen,Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), University of Tasmania, Australia

SESSION: GEOLOGY, ENVIRONMENT & TERRESTRIAL CRYOSPHERE

09:20-09:35 GMT:Spatial and temporal variations of total mercury in Antarctic snow along the transect from Zhongshan Station to Dome A

Presenter: Chuanjin Li,State Key Lab of Cryospheric Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

09:35-09:50 GMT:GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) research on Livingston Island, Antarctica

Presenter: Asparuh Kamburov,University of Mining and Geology, Bulgaria

09:50-10:05 GMT:Persistent organic pollutants’ release from a glacier in the context of changing melt and snowfall

Presenter: Krystyna Koziol,Gdansk University of Technology, Poland

SESSION: OCEANOGRAPHY & SEA ICE

10:05-10:20 GMT:The Polar Regions: Ideal Test Beds for Data Assimilation

Presenter: François Massonnet, Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium and Catalan Institute for Climate Sciences, Spain

SESSION: TERRESTRIAL & MARINE BIOLOGY

10:20-10:35 GMT: Vegetation Extraction in Antarctica Using Remote Sensing

Presenter: Chayanika Devi,National Center For Antarctica And Ocean Research, Goa, India

10:35-10:50 GMT:Boreal Shrub Growth Response to Fertilization, Herbivory and Climate near Kluane Lake, Yukon

Presenter: Meagan Grabowski,University of British Columbia, Canada

10:50-11:05 GMT:Effects of iron and light co-limitation on Southern Ocean phytoplankton

Presenter: Raissa Philibert,Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa

11:05-11:20 GMT:Insights into trophic ecology of the Antarctic silverfish (Pleuragramma antarctica) in Antarctic coastal ecosystems

Presenter: Erica Carlig,ISMAR-CNR U.O.S. Genoa and University of Siena, Italy

SESSION: CULTURAL, POLICY, EDUCATION & HISTORY

11:20-11:35 GMT: Web conferences: interaction with Antarctic researchers from anywhere

Presenter: Adriana Keiko Nishida,Universidade Federal do ABC, Brazil, and Universidade Aberta do Brasil, Brazil

SESSION: GUEST SPEAKER

11:35-12:15 GMT:How do you mix biology and ice ages in the Antarctic?

Presenter: Prof. Pete Convey,British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK

12:15-12:20 GMT: CONCLUDING SESSION ONE & THANKING PRESENTERS

 

SESSION TWO

18:55-19:00 GMT: Session Two Conference Introduction

SESSION: GUEST SPEAKER

19:00-19:45 GMT:Volcanoes and reconstructing the Antarctic Ice Sheet – the myth of an irreversible step-change in thermal regime

Presenter: Prof. John Smellie,University of Leicester, Leicester, UK

SESSION: TERRESTRIAL & MARINE BIOLOGY

19:45-20:00 GMT:Walrus and bearded seals go with the floe

Presenter: Olivia Lee,University of Alaska, Fairbanks, USA

20:00-20:15 GMT:Ecology of arrow worms in the Arctic – are they really the “tigers of the plankton”?

Presenter: Jordan Grigor,Takuvik Joint International Laboratory, Université Laval (Canada) - CNRS (France) and Québec-Océan, Université Laval, Québec, Canada      

20:15-20:30 GMT:Spatial distribution of the macrobenthos at the Mackellar Inlet, King George Island: Explanations integrating the systematic and trophic grouping approaches

Presenter: Bernabé Moreno,Cientifica del Sur University, Lima, Peru

20:30-20:45 GMT:Automatic zooplankton species identification for the greater North Water Polynya region

Presenter: Moritz S. Schmid,Takuvik Joint International Laboratory, Université Laval (Canada) - CNRS (France) and Québec-Océan, Université Laval, Québec, Canada

20:45-21:00 GMT:Forecasting the habitat suitability of high risk invasive species in the Canadian Arctic

Presenter: Jesica Goldsmit,Université du Québec à Rimouski, Institut des sciences de la mer de Rimouski (UQAR/ISMER), Quebec, Canada

SESSION: CULTURAL, POLICY, EDUCATION & HISTORY

21:00-21:15 GMT:From Winds to Sea Ice: A Historical Perspective on Global Climate

Presenter: Julianne Yip,McGill University, Quebec, Canada

21:15-21:30 GMT:Brazilian initiative to psychological interventions in Antarctica

Presenter: Paola Barros-Delben,Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Brazil

21:30-21:45 GMT:Exploration of Utility and Expansion of Indigenous Knowledge within the Seasonal Ice Zone Observing Network (SIZONet) Local Observation Program Database: Pilot in Barrow, Alaska of the North Slope Borough

Presenter: Irene Holak,Antioch University New England, New Hampshire, USA

21:45-22:00 GMT:To the Extremes! A Teacher Research Experience Program in the Polar Regions

Presenter: Sarah Bartholow,Arctic Research Consortium of the US (ARCUS), Fairbanks,USA

22:00-22:05 GMT: CONCLUDING SESSION TWO & THANKING PRESENTERS

For more information and enquiries about the conference, please email Rachel Downey (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

apecs logo webicarp3 logoThe Third International Conference on Arctic Research Planning (ICARP III) lead by the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) is currently identifying the most important Arctic research needs for the next decade as well as providing a roadmap for Arctic research priorities and partnerships. As the next generation to shape the future of Arctic research, fostering and supporting early career researchers working on Arctic research issues and providing opportunities and training to prepare them for a successful career is of vital importance.

As part of ICARP III, the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) wants to assess whether current funding, support, and training for early career researchers involved in Arctic research have helped foster their careers, in order to provide recommendations on how to better support them in the future. Note: This project is looking at support and training opportunities offered in Arctic research in general and not particularly at those provided by APECS.

This survey asks you for your opinion on support and training opportunities available to you as an early career researcher and is looking for your input on how they could be enhanced in the future. Answers to these questions will be used for the purposes of this project and when published, no names will be used and your identity will be protected.

Results of the survey will be presented at the APECS Workshop on "Goals of the ICARP III – the future of Arctic research from the perspective of early career researchers", and to the ICARP III partners at the Arctic Science Summit Week 2015 in Toyama, Japan.

To access the survey visit the APECS website at: http://www.apecs.is/research/apecs-projects/apecs-icarp-iii-survey-2015.html

The survey will be open until 22 March 2015 and we encourage all of you involved in Arctic research to participate! If you have questions about the project, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

caff biennial group photoConservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) is a working group of the Arctic Council and the most recent board meeting was February 10-12th, 2015 in Whitehorse. As an APECS Canada Board Member based in Whitehorse I was able to attend the meeting. APECS had been invited to send representatives to various meetings of CAFF since 2011 and was very welcomed at this meeting.

This meeting was a CAFF Board meeting whose main purpose was to update the status, discuss and approve several initiatives and plans, as well as prepare for upcoming SAO and Ministerial meetings. Main presentations given were by the Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program (CBMP), the Action for Biodiversity implementation plan (2013-2020), and the Arctic Migratory Birds Initiative (AMBI). There was also an interesting presentation by a proposed project on Salmon Peoples of the Circumpolar that was very interesting.

The status of all the CBMP plans was very diverse in order to address marine, freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems. It was highlighted several times, especially by multiple PP’s, that it is important to connect these programs as these ecosystems are not isolated. Of special concern was linkages between freshwater and marine systems, especially migratory fish and birds.

Much of the meeting was spent approving the Actions for Arctic Biodiversity which stems from the Arctic Biodiversity Assessment Recommendations. At my request APECS is a partner in Action 15.2 “Increase engagement of early career scientists in the activities of CAFF to train the next generation of conservation leaders”. I think by being directly included as a partner in this item we will be able to integrate our existing resources towards CAFF’s goals.

The next CAFF event is the Terrestrial Working Group meeting in Ottawa where APECS will also be in attendance. I am thankful to APECS and CAFF for the opportunity to attend the meeting, I learned a great deal about circumpolar politics as well as some of the interesting projects such as the Circumboreal Vegetation Mapping. I was also lucky to host two of the delegates for a dog mushing tour the day after the meeting and share some Yukon sport and hospitality, so thanks to all those at the meeting for their interest!

APECS-WWRP-Polar Prediction Project Webinar Series - Part 1: Polar Weather Prediction
Speaker: Prof. Dr. Thomas Jung, AWI, Germany
2 March 2015 at 16 CET
Webinar ID: 120-183-315

The APECS webinar series is pleased to announce the new APECS-WWRP-Polar Prediction Project webinar series in Spring 2015.

The first webinar in this series on 2 March at 16 CET with the title "Polar Weather Prediction"will introduce Professor Dr. Thomas Jung, a polar meteorologist, who is leading international efforts to improve polar weather and climate prediction.

Increased economic, transportation and research activities in polar regions are leading to more demands for sustained and improved availability of predictive weather and climate information to support decision-making. It is argued, however, that partly as a result of a strong emphasis of previous international efforts on lower and middle latitudes, many gaps in weather, sub-seasonal and seasonal forecasting in polar regions hamper reliable decision making in the Arctic, Antarctic and beyond. Possible ways forward in advancing predictive capacity in polar regions will be outlined. Many APECS members will be keenly interested in recent developments and future directions of this important area of research, so Professor Thomas Jung accepted an invitation to speak on this topic.

Please note that we changed our procedures, we are not offering pre-registration anymore due to a new limit of 100 participants per webinar. Please connect with the webinar ID the day of the event at http://www.gotomeeting.com/online/webinar/join-webinar. The webinar ID will be 120-183-315

For more information about this Webinar, contact Jonny Day at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. On behalf of APECS, let me thank-you for attending this Webinar.

Polar Week logo2 01APECS is excited to celebrate polar science and discovery during the International Polar Week March 2015 from 21 to 29 March 2015. Are you looking for activities and ways to join us in this celebration? Visit our Polar Week website for some suggestions, events and information for Polar Week. We encourage all of our members and National Committees to participate!

Are you planning an event? Please send us an email with a short description of your event or activity to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. so that we can list it on our Polar Week website!

After the event, please send us a short article and some pictures about how it went, so we can include it with all the other reports about Polar Week activities on our website and let our members worldwide know about the amazing activities you are doing.

Happy Polar Week!!

Laura Kelvin and Francyne Elias Piera
On behalf of the APECS Education and Outreach committee

Did you know APECS has an active Twitter and Facebook following? As part of International Polar Week, taking place next month from 21 - 29 March 2015, the newly formed APECS Social Media committee is planning several activities to grow our online community of polar researchers. As part of these efforts, we are calling for early career scientists who would like to share their projects to get involved.

How can you get involved?

  • Follow APECS on Facebook and Twitter (@Polar_Research).
  • Share pictures of yourself or research team hard at work in the field or lab for us to post throughout during the week (via facebook, twitter, or direct to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for us to post).
  • Volunteer to write a short blog on your research and what it's like being a polar scientist for us to feature on the website.
  • Tweet about your polar week activities using hash tag #PolarWeek.

Sharing your research via Twitter and Facebook is a great way to expand the reach of your work and grow your connections with fellow researchers. By engaging in social media, not only will you expand your professional network, but you will help to promote (Ant)Arctic literacy in the general public and help to recruit the next generation of polar scientists.

We would love to feature early career scientists from a wide range of research disciplines throughout the week, so don't hesitate to get in touch and make the most of this opportunity!

If you are interested in contributing to the social media outreach efforts planned for International Polar Week, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. before March 15, 2015.

The beginning of 2015 has been very busy in our APECS International Directorate in Tromsø, Norway. We finalized our brand new APECS website together with our partner the Arctic Portal in Iceland and released it last week. Hopefully this will make it easier for all of our members and partners to find all the great resources APECS has to offer and take advantage of them.

ARCTIC FRONTIERS 2015The Arctic Frontiers 2015 Conference was in January in Tromsø, and APECS contributed with a number of events and activities. We held a very successful three-day Science for Schools Event together in partnership with Arctic Frontiers and the Science Centre of Northern Norway (Nordnorsk Vitensenteret). In addition, APECS organised a Science Communication and Media Training Workshop in cooperation with the High North Academy in Tromsø. Last but certainly not least, APECS helped organize the Arctic Frontiers Early Career Poster Awards, to recognise and reward the great science presented by the early career researchers attending Arctic Frontiers. Thank you for all the mentors, presenters, poster judges and members that helped during these events.

n ice2015 big.png 1407099079For the Norwegian highlight of this newsletter, I want to draw your attention to the Norwegian Young sea ICE cruise (N-ICE2015), led by our partner and sponsor the Norwegian Polar Institute. The RV Lance headed North from Tromsø to Svalbard in early January to start its 6-month cruise in the drift ice North of Svalbard. The primary objective of the project is "to understand the effects of the new thin, first year, sea ice regime in the Arctic on energy flux, ice dynamics and the ice associated ecosystem, the local and global climate. Secondary objectives: Understand how available ocean heat is mixed upwards towards the sea ice and to what extent it influences the sea ice energy budget. Understand the fate of solar radiation incident on the first-year sea ice in the region and how its fate is affected by properties of the atmosphere, snow, ice, and ocean. Quantification of the changing mass balance of Arctic sea ice and its snow cover. Model the dynamics of the drifting ice. Understand the ice associated ecosystem and model future changes. Effects on local and global weather systems."

You can read more about the project here http://www.npolar.no/n-ice2015 and follow their weekly blog or follow them on Instagram and Twitter with #NICE2015Arctic.

APECS will be organizing a workshop on "Goals of ICARP III – the future of Arctic research from the perspective of early career researchers" in Toyama, Japan in conjunction with the ASSW 2015 / ISAR-4 / ICARP III conference. The workshop is scheduled for Sunday, 26 April 2015.

The workshop aims to help early career researchers develop skills necessary for work and collaboration in the international and interdisciplinary area of polar research. It will also aim to identify the state of current knowledge and challenges associated with integrating Arctic systems and, most importantly, presenting novel ideas for future priorities of Arctic Research beyond its regional variability and across different research fields. The workshop will also look at the results of the some of the ICARP III projects conducted by APECS, the Arctic in Rapid Transition initiative (ART, http://www.iarc.uaf.edu/ART) and the Permafrost Young Researchers Network (PYRN, www.pyrn.org/) ).

The APECS workshop is the perfect way to start your international conference experience, as you will

  • get to know early career scientists from all over the world,
  • make first contact with senior scientists before the busy main conference starts,
  • learn What's new, Who's who, and what do all those acronyms stand for, in polar science.

A preliminary workshop agenda is available on the APECS website at http://www.apecs.is/events/upcoming-event-highlights/assw-2015.html

We promise some cool guest speakers.

If you want to attend the workshop, please fill out the workshop registration form at on the workshop website before 1 April 2015. http://www.apecs.is/events/upcoming-event-highlights/assw-2015.html

APECS collaborated with Arctic Frontiers and the High North Academy to hold a Science Communication and Media Training Workshop on 20 January 2015 at the Arctic Frontiers conference 2015 held in Tromsø, Norway. The workshop was open to attendees from Tromsø (including the UiT The Arctic University of Norway and the Norwegian Polar Instiute) as well as participants of the Arctic Frontiers conference. The four-hour workshop included a series of presenters to discuss how scientists can communicate their work more effectively to journalists and non-scientific audiences, as well as using the tools available in social media. This included the use of blogs, twitter and podcasts. It also introduced them to the work of journalists, how they find a good scientific story and how they condense the complicated scientific research into a language that is understandable to the general public.

APECS would like to thank all the workshop mentors for their participation and great advice: Katrin Leinweber (University of Konstanz, Germany), Tom Fries (Arctic Council Secretariat, Norway), Karoline Bælum (Svalbard Science Forum), Malin Avenius (Freelance Science Journalist, Sweden), Tom Yulsman (University of Colorado, USA) and Susan Moran (freelance print journalist and a host/producer of KGNU radio's science show, How On Earth , USA). We would also like to thank the participants for the excellent discussion that followed the presentations.

Arctic Frontiers APECS Workshop 2015

New APECS Website 2015APECS is proud to announce the launch of its new website! Thank you to our partner the Arctic Portal for working with us to develop and set up this new website and for continuing to host it. A special thank you also to the team from the APECS leadership and the APECS Canada Board that worked many, many hours over the last few weeks and months to help update and post our website content to the new website!

We have streamlined and updated the layout so that you can quickly find the information you are looking for. New features include:

• Searchable database of APECS webinars 
• Searchable database of virtual posters by APECS members 
Volunteers needed page
• Searchable events listings
• Social media feed

Please note that your login details remain unchanged and that login (top right corner) is now required to post new jobs, events and articles to the website. Make sure to let us know if you find any bugs or if you have suggestions on how to make it even better.

We hope that you enjoy exploring the new website!

Science for Schools2015 1Between January 20th and 22nd APECS, in cooperation with the Nordnorsk Vitensenter Tromsø and Arctic Frontiers promoted for the second time the Science for Schools event at Nordnorsk Vitensenter Tromsø, as a side event of the Arctic Frontiers 2015 conference. The goal? To instill the fascination towards science in high school students! Invited young scientists gave lectures to students from schools in Tromsø, sharing their experience and personal insight as scientists in polar fields. Coming from different countries, they explained the work they conduct and its relevance on a global scale. The students went on a journey through the reality of thawing permafrost, the mysterious northern lights, the cute algae growing under sea ice and the tiniest creatures habiting the oceans upon which every marine creature depends on (yes, you got it right... phytoplankton!).

Science for Schools 2015 2The students also held their very first scientific poster session. And like as in a real conference, the posters were assessed by (although not so scary) judges: the scientists themselves! The poster session impressed everyone, we must admit! Students surprised with their creative titles and an early awareness on environmental issues and climate related themes. They also delighted everyone with engaging communications on broad topics such as the iconic endangered polar bear; the always invasive salmon from fish farms or even sea pollution from the annoyingly persistent plastic... The winning posters stood out by scientific rigor, design and communication of it.

We hope the students got the perks of doing science in cool places and got enthusiastic on a future scientific career. Because they surely showed the potential of pursuing one.

 

poster awards for Mar smallThis year at the Arctic Frontiers Conference, APECS organized once more the Poster awards for early career scientists. However, this time there was something different.

The poster session took place on Thursday after lunch and both the early career scientists and the experienced scientists were shinning next to their posters willing to tell everyone about their research. The secret poster evaluation committee (SPEC), consisting of members of the Arctic Frontiers Scientific Committees and some early career researchers, infiltrated themselves in between them and started asking questions and looking with critical eyes towards the content, colors, the pictures, the graphs and everything else on the poster. Some of us were not so discrete and had our evaluation sheet on our hand and were giving grades as the presenter was speaking. Others discussed the content of the poster and spent quite a long time discussing with the poster presenter all the details of their work. All in all, we had 2-3 intense hours of judging the content, structure and performance of the more than 50 posters from all early career scientists attending the meeting.

Once the poster session was over and everyone returned to the Auditorium for the next session it was time for final decision making. And we can tell you, the posters were so good in general that it was really difficult to make a final decision. Based on the points given by the secret reviewers and the performance of the person presenting the poster, we picked a winner per science part and an overall winner.

Since we were in Tromsø and science is not less than cinema, we decided to give a significant name to the awards this year: The Nansen Awards!

The ceremony took place during the conference dinner on Thursday night at the Scandic Hotel. All scientists arrived, well dressed and also well wrapped up for the cold since we were at -10°C! The buffet offered several Norwegian specialties and our toastmaster, Lars Smedsrud, made us enjoy the exquisite wine and the food very much.

The Nansen Awards ceremony started during the dessert and it was a sweet end for the great dinner. Inga Beck and Mar Fernandez Mendez, in representation of APECS, conducted the ceremony. In addition, exactly like at the Oscars, we had a celebrity to hand in the awards to the lucky winners: Prof. Paul Wassmann from the UiT The Arctic University of Norway, a member of the Arctic Frontiers scientific committees and a long-term APECS mentor. The four, very surprised, winners received from his hands a wonderful book with a compilation of outreach activities for Polar Science and a voucher for free registration (overall winner) or one-day registrations (for winners of the 3 science parts) to attend one of the next editions of the Arctic Frontiers conference. And without further delay, the winners are..

  • Overall Winner: Andrian Vlakhov (European University at St. Petersburg) for “How to survive if you are outdated, environmentally unfriendly and unprofitable? Sustainability paths for Barentsburg”
  • Part I: Pär Jansson (UiT) for „Ocean floor methane seeps in the north western Svalbard“
  • Part II: Christian Katlein (AWI) for “Distribution of algal aggregates under summer sea ice in the Central Arctic”
  • Part III: Alia L. Khan (University of Colorado) for “Assessing mining impacts from dust and black carbon on Arctic snow in Svalbard, Norway”

From APECS we would like to congratulate again the four winners for their excellent work and we encourage early career scientists to participate in upcoming conferences showing what they are capable of. A special thank you especially to the members of the Arctic Frontiers Science Committees for helping to evaluate the posters and for the rest of the secret poster evaluation committee members for coordinating and presenting the awards!

Best wishes,
Mar, Inga and Gerlis

 

iasc webThe International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), together with the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), have the pleasure to announce the start of the second edition of the IASC Fellowship Program. Early 2015, during the selection process managed by the IASC in close cooperation with APECS, five successful early career scientists were chosen from over 96 applicants. The reviewers were impressed by the amount and extremely high quality of the applications.

The IASC Fellows 2015-2016 are:

- Jo Browse, University of Leeds, UK (Atmosphere WG)
- Robert Way, University of Ottawa, Canada (Cryosphere WG)
- Kristina Brown, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, USA (Marine WG)
- Adrian Vlakhov, European University at St. Petersburg, Russia (Social and Human WG)
- Josefine Lenz, University of Potsdam and Alfred Wegener Institute, Germany (Terrestrial WG)

The Fellows will actively participate in the activities of the WGs both scientifically and organizationally. They will have the opportunity to gain valuable insights into the workings of IASC and further develop their own skills and scientific network. The Fellows will receive travel support to attend the ASSW 2015 and 2016, and also travel funding to participate in selected workshops or other meetings of the WG they belong to.

More information about the IASC Fellowship Program can be found under http://iasc.info/home/iasc/iasc-fellowship-program

ExCom 1415inpersonRecently the APECS Executive Committee (ExCom) had an in person meeting of the 2014/2015 committee members. The meeting took place in Trondheim, Norway (29th of November - 1st of December). This was a great opportunity for five ExCom members, the APECS Director and one ex-officio member to finally meet together and discuss face-to-face the most relevant organizational questions and needs of APECS.

All current executive members were able to participate in this important meeting. Members found the time in their tight schedules to come to Trondheim from Norway, Russia, Germany, Canada, Scotland and United States. The seven young enthusiasts worked hard for three days and created a basis for the future of the APECS, including organization priorities, strategy, partnerships, current and prospective projects, future plans and budget.

The agenda of the meeting was intense and numerous topics were discussed: mainly it was devoted to the future of the organization, but the current issues were not left out as well. 
We prioritized activities of APECS, ExCom, council and national committees for 2014/15 term based on the needs of early career polar scientists. The key points for this year included conducting an organizational review of APECS with a subsequent 5 year strategic plan for the organization, APECS presence and role in international science and policy bodies and educational, career development, research and networking initiatives for early career scientists. In particular, we discussed ways of improving interaction between APECS and the National Committees including formalizing the relationships in Memorandums of Understanding (MoU). We aim to support, assist, advise and encourage our national committees in context of their successful activity and development. This point is of great relevance due to the "APECS world summit" which will take place in June 2015 in Bulgaria. The majority of the APECS projects are carried out in cooperation with other organizations and we recognise that strong partnerships lead to a healthy and prosperous organization, therefore we continue to look for ways to strengthen existing relationships and foster new ones.
The strategic plan was drafted but it will take its final form only after the organizational review. In the organizational review people with different background and level of expertise from inside and outside APECS will evaluate and consult the organization. The structure, effectiveness, goals and objectives, mechanisms and methods of organization will be evaluated.
Also, we carefully evaluated various ongoing APECS activities: what is good and effective and what requires support, adjustment or rethinking. Activities and priorities for the Council, sub-committees and our working groups were an important part of the discussion during the in person meeting.

As a result we enjoyed our meeting and had a good and productive time. Some of the ExCom members stayed in the Trondheim longer and joined the Arctic Biodiversity congress. We would like to thank the work of the previous ExCom and financial support from the APECS directorate. We highly appreciate the assistance of the Norwegian Environmental Agency and organizers of the Arctic Biodiversity Congress who helped us in the organization of in person meeting.

 

The late Dr. Éric Dewailly posthumously received the APECS Canada-ArcticNet Student Association Award 2014. The review committee (see members on this site) received six nominations in September, which it assessed and ranked throughout the month of October. During a conference call the committee reached a consensus-based decision.

Dr. Éric Dewailly, a professor at Laval University, was tragically killed in a rock slide on Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean in the summer of 2014. His nomination stood out from all six excellent submissions.

Three former trainees of Éric, Drs. Melanie Lemire, Mylene Riva and Michel Lucas accepted the award on his behalf during the ArcticChange2014 meeting banquet on Thursday, December 11th, 2014. Award Committee Chair Dr. Nikolaus Gantner (APECS Canada) and Rudy Riedlsperger (ArcticNet SA) introduced the awardee to the 1,000+ delegates.

During the moving ceremony, Melanie, Mylene, and Michel spontaneously invited all those on stage that were closely working with Éric, resulting in a full centre stage, further highlighting Éric’smentorship and contribution over several decades of Arctic research.

You can learn more about Éric’s life and accomplishments here.

We would like to thank all individuals and organizations who contributed to the six nominations for this 2014 award.

Nominations are now open for the 2015 mentor award. Please visit here to find out more.

-----

Media Coverage of the 2014 Award:

CBC News: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/dr-%C3%A9ric-dewailly-arctic-expert-honoured-at-conference-in-ottawa-1.2872751

Arctic Change 2014 (VIDEO): http://player.vimeo.com/video/114562701

Finding True North blog: http://findingtruenorth.ca/arctic-change-2014/

Note: we are happy to add links to stories about the 2014 Award here.

USAPESC new

The USAPECS national committee formed following an informal meeting of several APECS members and representatives held during the 2014 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting. The national committee serves as the uniting organization for several regional committees (i.e. Northeast, Northwest, Southwest, Mountain West) and was formed in order to better serve the members of APECS located in the United States. Outreach and in person events will still be organized at the local level, and the national committee will be better able to organize events at conferences nation-wide.

Although in its infancy, US APECS has already developed several goals to address member needs. In addition to developing an organizational framework and seeking out mentors, in the next year, US APECS would like to (1) organize an annual field safety school open to polar early career scientists that are unable to receive sufficient field safety training by other means and (2) host several webinars designed as introductory lectures for researchers outside the field so that science is more effectively communicated across disciplines. We look forward to growing over the course of 2015, and any ideas for projects or events are always welcome. 

If you're interested in getting involved, please get in touch with us atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
More information is available at our website, http://usapecs.wix.com/usapecs

New perspectives in the Polar Sciences

Call for abstracts

APECS International Online Conference
Conference Date: 16 March 2015
Event Format: Online conference (webinar)

Abstract Submission Deadline: 16 February 2015

APECS webinar organizers announce a call for abstracts for our International Online Conference, “New Perspectives in the Polar Sciences,” which is scheduled for 16 March 2015. This conference will engage scientific dialogues between early career scientist from multiple disciplines and backgrounds on new research perspectives in their field of research. With increased attention on the changing polar environment and the future challenges this will bring, this conference aims to convey the broad range of new research currently being conducted internationally. Therefore, we would like to draw attention to polar researchers of this opportunity to share their current research findings. We would particularly like abstracts submitted by early career scientists, in order that they gain invaluable experience presenting their research projects to the public. There will be a $300 prize given for best presentation at this conference which has been donated by APECS.

Session Themes

  1. Biological – marine/freshwater/terrestrial
  2. Geological/Environmental/terrestrial cryospheric environments
  3. Atmospherics/Climatology
  4. Oceanography/Sea-ice
  5. Cultural/Historical/Policy/Education
 
Abstract submission guidelines:

All abstracts will be written in English.

State which session you want your abstract to be submitted to (refer to sessions available above)

Include a short title which summarises your presentation

Abstract must be limited to 300 words

Include your name and any other authors involved in this presentation

Include your institution and your additional author institutions

State which country and time zone you will be presenting from, so that we can find a sensible time slot for your presentation

Abstract must be emailed to Rachel Downey (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) by 16 February 2015.


Selected speakers will be notified by email at the latest on 23 February 2015.


The APECS International Online Conference will be using GoToWebinar platform (so you can enjoy the conference behind your desk or from your couch!).

Event E-mail contacts: Rachel Downey: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; Scott Zolkos: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and Louise Chavarie: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

AGU APECS panel 2014

There are many exciting career opportunities and challenges faced by the next generation of early career polar scientists as they transition from their graduate studies to academic, government, or consulting jobs. This event was geared to provide professional career development advice and guidance for attendees at all stages of their career. A set of questions and answers were directed towards four panelists at various stages of their careers both inside and out of academia.

The panelists included (from left to right in the photo) Dr. Hedy Edmonds (NSF Arctic Natural Sciences Program Director), Dr. Lora Koenig (National Snow and Ice Data Center), Dr. Lonnie Thompson (Distinguished Professor at Ohio State University), and Dr. Christopher Polanshenski (Research Geophysicist at CRREL and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Engineering at Dartmouth College).

This event couldn't have been made possible without the generosity and partnership from the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) and the AGU Cryosphere Focus Group.

Post-panel discussion, the attendees had the opportunity to mingle, network, and ask follow-up questions at John Colins pub. We thank the AGU Cryosphere Focus Group for helping provide funds to purchase food and appetizers for the panel attendees. This enabled the panelists and panel attendees for continued discussion and a chance to catch-up with fellow colleagues in an informal setting.


Key Tips/Advice
1) Use your post doc as an opportunity to separate yourself from your adviser's research.
2) As a researcher/scientist, don't let writing papers for publication slip from your list of things to do. Learn how to properly manage and partition your time for research, advising, writing proposals, and so forth. It's easy to let deadlines (e.g., teaching, proposals) come before writing papers.
3) When getting your career started, don't be afraid to fail. When you're young, people in the field don't realize when you fail. This is important in order to succeed in your career further down the line, and will enable you to grow as a researcher and person.

Summarized Questions & Answers

Q: What are some important skills/experiences to have when getting started in your career?

A: Surround yourself with a mix of mentors – both younger and more seasoned scientists – from a variety of different backgrounds and training. It's unlikely that one mentor can teach you everything you need to know. Furthermore, understand what your time is worth as you begin to manage working on multiple projects simultaneously.

Q: How do you manage dealing with dual careers between you and your partner?

A: In the polar science field, we are fortunate enough that our research is predominately computer-based, making it easier for us to work from almost anywhere. This kind of flexibility isn't always available in other fields.

Q: Do you have any advice that you wish you had known at the beginning of your career?

A: Don't take criticism personally. In the end, those that provide criticism will likely provide more valuable feedback that will help you become a better scientist. Often times, the best feedback comes from program managers. Use them to provide insight on making your proposal more competitive. Don't hesitate to email and call the program manager. Furthermore, use your colleagues, especially if they are outside of your field-of-interest, to read your proposal. An outsider perspective can help you identify weaknesses and solidify what you're trying to convey that may otherwise have gone undetected.

Q: Do you have any advice for going from managing 1-2 research projects as a PhD, and then developing longer term research programs?

A: Try to manage many research projects, but keep them constrained generally to the same subject area. Otherwise, you will be trying to juggle too much. Put yourself in a good position where you can negotiate job offers, and have colleagues that will advocate your decisions as you navigate through your career path. In addition, try and be aware of your skills, and their broader applicability when building your funding profile. Always be mindful of what opportunities are available outside of your current position.

Q: What other funding avenues outside of NASA and NSF are there?

A: Other funding options include the Office of Naval Research, Army Research Office, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, Department of Energy, and Department of Defense. In addition, there are funding options from the industry sector (e.g., oil companies) as well as state and local agencies. More recently, researchers have also turned to private and crowdsource funding and special interest groups (e.g., Sierra Club and Nature Conservancy).

Q: Do you have any advice when attending conferences?

A: Try not to submit an abstract for a conference unless the work is already completed by the time the abstract submission is due. At the conference, try to only commit to 1-2 talks (e.g., at AGU), in order to leave you enough time to talk and network with colleagues. These meetings are a crucial time for making science happen! If you're giving a talk, construct your talk so that you have enough time to have the audience ask questions at the end. Lastly, practice giving your talk, as it doesn't come natural to all of us.

Q: Where do you see our field heading in the coming years?

A: An influx of new science questions, creative ideas, and tools (e.g., Unmanned Aircraft Systems) to answer these questions are expected. This is an exciting time to be in our field – given its relevancy and importance relating to climate change.

 

December 17th, 2014 from 6-7:30 pm
Moscone South Mezzanine Room 270, San Francisco, CA
Number of Attendees: 36

 

2013 2014 Annual Report TitleAPECS has released its annual report for the period of October 2013 to September 2014! It includes:

  • report about APECS in 2013-2014
  • news and event hightlights from 2013-2014
  • Norwegian highlights
  • reports about APECS projects, webinars and research features
  • education and outreach highlights
  • news from the APECS National Committees
  • and news from some of the APECS Sponsors and Partners

The full report can be access here or in our APECS publications database.

A special thank you goes to the Norwegian Research Council, the UiT The Arctic University of Norway and the Norwegian Polar Institute for supporting and hosting the APECS International Directorate in Tromsø! Our success would not be possible without your support and commitment to APECS.

Thank you also to the many dedicated members and mentors who volunteered their time over the past year to help us achieve continued success in shaping the future of polar research!

Slide Christmas Video 2014APECS had again a very successful year in 2014 and we wanted to thank all of our members, mentors, partners and sponsors for continuing to help us shape the future polar research!

Enjoy some of our best moments of 2014 in our APECS Season's Greetings video http://vimeo.com/115350232

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to all of you! We are looking forward to an amazing year in 2015!

Best wishes,

Jean-Sébastien Moore, APECS President 2014-2015
Gerlis Fugmann, APECS Executive Director
on behalf of the APECS Leadership

ICARP III steering group meeting Potsdam 2014ICARP III (3rd International Conference on Arctic Research Planning) is getting closer. It will be held in conjunction with the Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) and 25th anniversary of the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) in April 2015 in Japan.

ICARP III will provide a framework to identify Arctic science priorities for the next decade, to coordinate Arctic research agendas, and to inform policy makers, people who live in or near the Arctic and the global community who have growing concerns about the changing Arctic environment and its impact on the planet. In the start of ICARP III process, APECS was invited to contribute to the initiative and to participate in the planning process.

During the meeting on 11-12 November, held in Potsdam, Germany, representatives of the member institutions of the Steering Group discussed about the current status of the ICARP III events and activities of the various partners. The contribution of APECS include: (1) workshops and webinars aimed at informing early career researchers about ICARP III and the contributions of IASC and ICARP III partners, and (2) project "Where are they now?" which will work to follow up what has happened to the ECRs that have gotten support and funding from IASC during the IPY and beyond with the goal to find ways to further enhance the engagement of APECS and IASC in the support and training of ECRs.

The main focus of the meeting was on the ICARP III products and outcomes, including the dissemination strategy, considering the primary audiences. The Steering Group agreed that each ICARP III activity should be invited to contribute to an ICARP III conference statement, a high-level scientific paper and other ICARP IIII publications.

APECS will host a webinar entitled: The what, why, and how of high-impact publication in science" on 3 December 2014 at 16:00 GMT.

Publishing in high impact journals is often one of the ultimate goals for scientists. Even if the current impact factor measures are not of everybody's liking, it is no doubt that in the current academic settings itis easier to obtain the next grant, the next promotion or even the next job if your count with high impact publications in your CV. But what actually makes the difference between a "normal" scientific publication and a high impact one? In her lecture, Maria Luisa Avila will speak about her experience as science editor for a high impact journal, what makes a high impact publication (and what doesn't!), why aiming for high impact could be beneficial (an detrimental!) to science and how you can tailor your research and article writing to improve your chances of publishing in high impact journals.

To reserve your webinar seat, please register here. The webinar ID is 697971593.

Sponsor: GoToWebinar has been provided as an in-kind contribution from Bredbåndsfylket

APECS will host additional career development webinars and topical research webinars throughout the coming year. If you would like to learn more about APECS, the resources it offers, and upcoming APECS events, please visit the APECS website.

A couple of weeks ago, I was tidying up my room. And by that, I mean really tidying up - not just shovelling my clutter into the nearest cupboard (or under my bed). It was time for a real change: I had to get rid of all the mess.
Tidying up is not my favourite thing to do. However: once I got started, I found out that it was quite rewarding, in fact.

I found a long lost sock (with a purple polkadot pattern) and could finally unite it with its lonely partner. I found 10 euro's worth of cash. And, best of all, I found a book called 'Polar Science and Global Climate - An International Resource for Education and Outreach'. The book was published in the International Polar Year 2007-2008 and I'd got it at the IPY conference in Oslo in 2010. Since then, I hadn't really looked at it (which shows how often I tidy my room...)

As soon as I found the book, I abandoned my cleaning resolutions. The book was far too interesting, and contained a lot of easy, fun ways to introduce polar science concepts to the broad audience. The lesson 'Penguin Reunion', for example, lets 'participants play a group game to demonstrate how penguin parents and chicks are able to find their families in large, loud rookeries'. And in another lesson, 'students use ice samples and a coloured dye to investigate differences in the structure of sea ice and freshwater ice'.
What I liked about this book, is that it introduces lay people to polar science in an easy accessible way. And that is, in my opinion, also a very import mission for us as APECS members: inspire the broad audience.

To inspire other people, first you need to be inspired yourself. That's why, in my opinion, the APECS Netherlands gathering on the 4th of November was so very successful.

With approximately 30 people, we came together in the Arctic Centre in Groningen. In the morning, we had an interesting talk from Dr. Greg Poelzer, all the way from Canada - he is the Executive Chair of the University of Saskatchewan'sInternational Centre for Northern Governance and Development. In the afternoon, after a delicious lunch (thank you, Willem Barentsz Polar Institute!) we had very inspiring presentations by APECS members - the topics varying from long tailed skuas (traveling pole-to-pole) to the archaeology of Jan Mayen. In addition, Jorden Splinter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs gave a talk about his role as senior advisor Polar Affairs, and Dr. Annette Scheepstra, told us about the Willem Barentsz Polar Institute.

To conclude the day, Nyckle Swierstra, senior communication advisor of the University of Groningen, shared some tips and tricks to improve science presentations, focusing on the importance of telling a story - getting the message of your research across to the public by communicating in an enthusiastic, inspiring way. Together with film institute Sensu Science, he gave us a crash course in filmmaking. We had to design our own storyboard for a short polar film - a sort of FrostByte video.

All in all, the programme contained so many interesting views on polar science, that we had a lot to talk about during the informal party afterwards - so much, in fact, that I almost missed my train. The gathering of APECS Netherlands was full of interesting 'sparks', full of creativity. Meeting so many people who all share the love for the polar regions, creates a very inspiring atmosphere. A lot of new plans were made (among which writings a proceedings publication based on the presentations of APECS NL members), a lot of networking was done. I got home with so much energy, that I even managed to finish the tidying up of my room...

agu apecs 2013Join us for a panel discussion by experts in polar science and the cryosphere at the 2014 AGU annual meeting!

The discussion will address the exciting career opportunities and challenges faced by scientists who study frozen realms. The panel brings together scientists at various stages of their careers both within and outside of university settings, including Dr. Henrietta Edmonds (NSF Arctic Natural Science Program Director), Dr. Lonnie Thompson (Bryd Polar Research Center at The Ohio State University), Dr. Lora Koenig (Research Scientist National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), University of Colorado Boulder), and Dr. Chris Polashenski (Research Geophysicist at the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Lab (CRREL). The floor will be open for a moderated conversation on any aspect of careers in polar science that interests the audience.

This event is held in partnership between the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) and the AGU Cryosphere Focus Group, on Wednesday December 17th from 6-7:30 PM in Moscone South Mezzanine 270. After the panel, we will be continuing the evening of discussion and networking at the nearby pub John Colins (138 Minna Street) from 7:30-9:00. Join us there for free appetizers even if you can't make the panel. We welcome the attendance of those at all career stages!

You may find the event listing on the AGU website: http://fallmeeting.agu.org/2014/events/apecs-agu-cryosphere-career-panel-discussion-pub-meetup/

The APECS - Portugal has organized its 5th Edition Workshop of Career Development in Porto (Portugal). As in previous years, the workshop was allocated close to the 6th Portuguese Polar Science Conference in order to enhance the extension of this event within the Portuguese Polar community. The workshop theme for this year was "APECS Portugal: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow", and has such it was staged in three distinct parts.

During “Yesterday” we travelled back to the origins of APECS Portugal, and guided by our Today’s mentors (the past earlier career scientists and the founders of APECS Portugal) we learnt about the motivations behind the birth of APECS in Portugal, and realized the Yesterday’s goals achieved Today. “Today” was the place to discuss about the opportunities for young scientist provided by APECS Portugal and also by APECS International, and the outcomes from our educational projects held during polar weeks as well as the impacts of networking.

To discuss about Tomorrow we benefited from the presence of a panel of discussion with our guests to help establish our future goals and provided us with valuable tips towards a successful career development.

To contribute to the success and enrichment of this event, besides all the national speakers we were happy to have Dr. Gerlis Fugmann Executive Director of APECS International, Professor Holger Hintelmann from the Canadian Arctic Program and also three members of APECS Bulgaria - Iglika Trifonova, Denitsa Apostolova and Desislava Petkova-Peneva, (president and boards members of APECS Bulgaria, respectively), who provided a valuable insight of the Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow of their National Committee.

WorkshopAPECSpt2014

AntarcticaDayLogoAPECS, together with the Our Spaces - Foundation for the Good Governance of International Spaces, Polar Educators International, PolarTREC , the International Polar Foundation, Gateway Antarctica, the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO), eBIRD, the Sultan Mizan Antarctic Research Foundation and the British Antarctic Survey are once again proud to support Antarctica Day commemorations. This event was created to celebrate the spirit of international peace and scientific cooperation that signified the signing of the Antarctic Treaty in 1959.

Antarctica Day 2014 is an international effort to disseminate knowledge about Antarctica and APECS is proud to help inspire a new generation of polar researchers. The day is for everyone, so take some time to celebrate with your co-workers, family and friends!

This year several events and classroom activities are happening centered around Antarctic science and exploration. Are you planning to organise something for Antarctica Day? Send your activities to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. so we can include them in our growing list of activities for Antarctica Day 2014 http://www.apecs.is/en/outreach/antarctica-day/antarctica-day-20142

To include your support for Antarctica Day 2014 you can also insert your information in our map available at http://www.apecs.is/en/outreach/antarctica-day/antarctica-day-20142/6226-antarctica-day-2014-map.

Continuing in the spirit of international cooperation, APECS, in conjunction with Our Spaces and Polar Educators International, are once again encouraging educators and their students from around the world to express their own knowledge, curiosity and amazement about Antarctica in the form of Antarctica Flags and Books. To find out more information go to http://www.apecs.is/en/outreach/antarctica-day/antarctica-day-20142/antarctica-day-2014-flags-books

Join Antarctica Day on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/154649031246711/

Happy Antarctica Day 2014 from APECS!

Snow meeting 2014 1Three APECS members, Ludovic Brucker, Stine Højlund Pedersen, and Heather Mariash, were selected to participate in the workshop "Arctic Snow Cover Changes and their Consequences" held in Copenhagen on 16th and 17th of October, 2014. An event supported and hosted by IASC- INTERACT - CLiC- AMAP- GEO at the European Environmental Agency in Copenhagen. The two day workshop included updates on current monitoring programs along with breakout sessions to brainstorm key topics for future research, monitoring, methods for collecting observational data, data modeling, and ecological impacts of Arctic Snow cover. The results of this meeting are meant to prepare for the ICCARP III, which will determine Arctic science priorities for the next decade. ICARP III will be held in Tayama Japan, April 2015.

copenhagen MariashWe are grateful to IASC and event organizers for supporting the early career researchers to attend the small (< 35 people) workshop. It was a stimulating event! We had the privilege of contributing to the discussions, gained a wider understanding of the aspects of snow cover science in the circumpolar Arctic, and will contribute to a summary paper for the research recommendations and priority monitoring plans that were discussed during the meeting.

 

APECS Netherlands are holding their yearly open-science symposium at the Arctic Centre in Groningen on November 4. As always, there'll be plenty of time for our ECR's to showcase their work. We are also happy to welcome the following speakers: Dr Greg Poelzer from the University of Saskatchewan (supported by the Canadian Embassy in The Hague), Mr Jorden Splinter of the Netherlands Foreign Ministry, and Dr Annette Scheepstra, coordinator of the Willem Barentsz Polar Institute. Mr Nyckle Swierstra will host our workshop on short films ('FrostBytes') in polar science. If you happen to be in the Netherlands, what's your excuse for not attending?

APECS Portugal Polar Week September 2014The polar week in Portugal carried out between 28 September to 5 October 2014 (and bringing individual initiatives from the previous Polar Week) was entirely devoted to the mission of bringing polar science to the general public and in particular to the classroom. During these days, a total of 45245 students, 147 teachers and 13 scientists and educators from Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Chile, USA and UK came together and dedicated themselves to the polar regions, sharing knowledge, experiences and discussing emerging issues.

Coordinated by APECS Portugal and Polar Educators International, with the endorsement of the Portuguese Polar Program (PROPOLAR), developed numerous activities, including talks in schools and universities (total: 34 talks), skype conferences (6), talks in shopping centers (4), mini-courses (3) and study visits to Universities (1). In parallel there was also the photographic exhibition "Within the limits of science" who has been following the country's schools and shopping centers which has been a great success. It should be highlighted the collaboration between APECS Portugal and APECS Brazil with the participation of portuguese scientists in Brazil Polar Week, held a week before, during the II Workshop of Career Development and III APECS-Brazil Symposium.

These were intense days full of interest enabling students to new knowledge and experience and leading scientists to adjust their language and develop communication skills.

Discover more in facebook pages:
https://www.facebook.com/semanaspolarespt
https://www.facebook.com/apecs.portugal

 

APECS Brazil Workshop 2014The APECS-Brazil coordinated its third Symposium held in Arraial do Cabo, Rio de Janeiro, from 16 to 22 September 2014. The event was an ideal space to join early career, educators and seniors researches and we promoted five days knowledge exchange and integration among all attendees. The 2014 Symposium was dedicated mainly to scientific discussions between researches and educators, seniors and early carriers, who developed scientific or educational activities in Antarctica or in the Arctic, besides activities related to the marine environment. APECS-Brazil promoted opportunities for professional career development by talks (20) and short courses (19) to our audience. APECS-Brazil also promoted web cast of 4 talks during the event to schools and other public. The ECRs gave 11 oral and 12 poster presentations during the event. A great goal of APECS-Brazil symposium was include educators (20) from Basic Education to promote education and outreach activities as integral components of polar research and to stimulate future generations of polar researchers. We also organized a Picture context and a “Photograph Exhibition: Glimpses on a frozen continent” that will circulate around the country in Schools. The attendees (about 200 per day) were mainly undergraduate students, professional researchers, teachers (20) and military — especially the Brazilian Navy, which hosted the meeting in one of their facilities. We rely on presence by over 200 people during the event and about 2000 people via live streaming and APECS-Brazil additional activities in the website (during the preceding week in Canoas, Rio Grande do Sul, more then 40000 people, mainly students, took part in the activities of our XII International Polar Week). The recorded lectures was available in APECS-Brazil Facebook page. The abstract book is available on APECS-Brazil website (http://www.apecsbrasil.com/publica/).

 

APECS is pleased to announce the start of the 2014-2015 Webinar Series.

Webinars are interactive presentations and workshops, for which APECS uses the online conferencing program “GoToMeeting”. This live presentation platform allows participants to hear the presentation, see the power points slides and interact via chat box with the presenter the entire time. Webinars allow people to connect and participant in high quality research and skill training discussions from the comfort of their desk!

Each webinar will last approximately one hour and will be broadcast online. APECS looks forward to your participation.

The first webinar of this APECS webinar season is:

Building a personal/academic website
with Jean-Sébastien Moore (Université Laval, Canada)
Nov 3, 11:00 EST Time
Webinar ID:411988233

About this webinar: As early career scientists, we should all be concerned about advertising ourselves. One of the best ways of doing this is to build a website showcasing your work. I will first go over some of the numerous alternatives that exist for you to easily build and host a free website. I will then go into more details on the process of building the site with the tool that I myself prefer: Weebly. I will then share some thoughts on what I think is good design for a personal/academic website.

How to participate? Register and reserve your spot here https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/411988233

Sponsor:
GoToWebinar has been provided as an in-kind contribution from Bredbåndsfylket.

iasc webDo you want to be more involved in scientific activities at a circum-arctic and international level? If so then please consider applying to be an IASC Fellow!

The International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) in cooperation with APECS are introducing a new Fellowship Program that invites applications from early career researchers to be involved in the IASC Working Groups (WGs). The IASC Fellowship Program will be offered every year and each year one Fellow will be chosen for each of the five IASC WGs for a 12-month period.

Fellows will actively participate in the activities of the WG both scientifically and organizationally. You will have the opportunity to gain valuable insights into the workings of IASC and develop your own skills and scientific network. Each WG has an annual meeting at the Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) and each Fellow will receive funding to attend two of these meetings: one as an incoming Fellow and one as an outgoing Fellow. For more information click here.

For this round of applications, interested early career researchers have to fulfill the following criteria:

  • PhD student /candidate or postdoctoral researcher (up to 5 years past the PhD)
  • able to commit to participating in the activities of one of the IASC WGs for 12 months from April 2015 to April 2016.
  • able to attend the two upcoming ASSW meetings: ASSW 2015 in Toyama (Japan) from 23-30 April 2015, as well as the ASSW 2016 in Fairbanks (Alaska, USA) from 12-20 March 2016 (funding will be provided as part of the Fellowship Program)
  • located in an IASC member country (Austria, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark / Greenland, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, India, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Republic of Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, USA)
  • have a good command of English

How to apply:
If you are interested in this amazing opportunity then please send us:

  • A full CV
  • A statement of interest including:
    • your research background
    • why you are interested in becoming an IASC Fellow
    • which IASC WG you would like to join
    • why you are interested in that particular WG

Please send your application to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. no later than 12:00 GMT on 17 November 2014.

Applicants are also encouraged to submit an abstract to the ASSW 2015. Abstract submission deadline is on 10 November 2014.

The review of the applicants will be coordinated by APECS in close cooperation with the IASC Secretariat and the IASC WG Steering Groups.

Successful applicants will be notified in January at the latest.

Good luck!

It is our great pleasure to announce the APECS Council and Council subcommittee chairs for the 2014-15 term! Bios of all council members, including those who are serving as chairs of the various committees, can be viewed herehere.

This term the Council chairs will be Michael (Mika) Laiho and Hanne Nielsen and Hanne Nielsen. This is Michael’s second term as the council chair. He is half British, half Finnish, and is passionate about equality, and global environmental and social justice. Michael is based at Durham University, UK, and has a particular interest in political science and deconstructing the discourse on ‘Arctic space.’ Hanne is a PhD student at the University of Tasmania, working on cultural representations of Antarctica. She examines the narratives that have been told about Antarctica via both theatre and advertising. Hanne and Michael look forward to bringing researchers involved in both Polar Regions together to forge productive collaborations over the coming year.

The APECS Council also has three subcommittees: the Research Activities committee (RAC), the Membership Involvement committee (MIC) and the Education and Outreach committee (EOC). This term the RAC will be led by Rachel Downey and Alice Bradley. and Alice Bradley. Alice is based at the University of Colorado and is currently working in the Aerospace Engineering department, focusing on Remote Sensing, Earth and Space Sciences. Her research centers on in sea ice - ocean - atmosphere interactions in environments with partial sea ice cover using unmanned aircraft as a sensing platform. Rachel is based at Naturmuseum Senckenberg in Germany. She is a PhD student researching the ecological impacts of environmental change on sponge communities, specifically the biological impacts of the Larsen AB ice-shelf collapse in Antarctica, and has broad skills in Southern Ocean marine taxonomy. Alice and Rachel look forward to advancing the Research Activities committee over the coming year.

For the 2014/15 terms the MIC will be led by Silvia Lourenço and Elena Kuznetsovaand Elena Kuznetsova. Silvia is a Marine Biologist with a MSc in ecology, management and modeling of marine resources from the University Nova de Lisboa. She is in the final steps of defending her PhD thesis and currently holds a grant at the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere to study the effect of environmental factors in the life cycle of cephalopods. Elena is a postdoctoral researcher at the Road and Transport group of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, Norway. Her main topic is frost heaving with special application to roads in cold climate regions. Elena is also an IASC (International Arctic Science Committee) fellow in the Cryosphere Working Group (CWG) and a member of PYRN ExCom. Elena and Silvia take the lead on several exciting membership involvement projects, so if you would like to be involved, please get in touch.

Finally, the EOC will be chaired by Laura Kelvin and Francyne Elias-Piera and Francyne Elias-Piera. Laura is a PhD candidate at Western University in London, Ontario, Canada. Her research sees her take an archaeological ethnographic approach to explore how perceptions of the past and archaeological research vary within the Inuvialuit community of Sachs Harbour, NWT. As a result, she hopes to determine how archaeology can best complement Inuvialuit understandings of the past. Francyne has worked with the Brazilian Antarctic Program (PROANTAR) with Antarctic Macro fauna since 2000. She has taught science in both Elementary and Secondary Schools, and is currently in the final year of her PhD program at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Spain), where she works with trophic relationships using different biomarkers (Stable isotope, biochemical balance and fatty acids) and investigates how climate change affects these interactions. Laura and Francyne will take charge of Education and Outreach, bring in the polar region into the lives of many all over the world with the help of APECS members on several continents.


If you would like to know more about our new chairs, please check out their bios on the Council webpage. We have a diverse range of people represented this coming year: geographically, in terms of career stage, and in terms of experience with APECS. We look forward to the new energy and initiatives our 2014/15 council members and chairs have to offer!

Nikolaus Gantner at AMAP Meeting 3The 28th Working Group meeting of the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program under the Arctic Council took place in Whitehorse, Yukon September 15-18. Canada chairs the Arctic Council in 2013-2015, and is this hosting a variety of Working Group meetings across Canada’s North. In Whitehorse, the AMAP working group meeting was held in conjunction with a meeting of the Working Group on the Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME). The two groups held a joint session, which was attended by both group’s delegates. APECS was once again invited to participate and APECS member Nikolaus Gantner was able to attend the meeting as a representative. This is what he reported back from the meeting:

"Right off the bat, I can say that I was genuinely impressed by the high level of the meeting and its formal process. For example, heads of delegates refer to each other by the Country’s name, much like at a UN meeting. I myself was addressed as ‘APECS’.

Much of the first day of the AMAP meeting was spent agreeing on realistic deliverables derived from a series of policy recommendations made following the recently completed Persistent Organic Pollution (POPs) Assessment. This step is important, as it ensures knowledge generated during this recently completed assessment into actions that will make a difference for contamination with POPs in the Arctic regions. The POPs Assessment report triggered much debate. The very interesting prospect of the use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in the Arctic led to a lively discussion as well. Interesting from an APECS-perspective is the ‘Adaptation Actions for a Changing Arctic’ (AACA) project, which already provided some opportunities for direct involvement of APECS members.

Nikolaus Gantnter at AMAP Meeting 2 2Over the second and third day, recent progress and future efforts on the AMAP secretariat were detailed. Details of and contributions to the upcoming Arctic Biodiversity Congress (Trondheim, December 2014) and Arctic Change 2014 Meeting (Ottawa, December 2014) were also discussed. APECS will be present at both meetings and will be organizing social event, sessions and career panels at them. Much of the efforts to determining follow-up from this AMAP meeting and timelines thereof were driven by the nearing Task Force meetings and the Arctic Council meeting in Iqaluit in April of 2015. Canada will then hand the chairmanship to the United States for 2015-2017.

Near the end of the meeting, I was able to give a brief presentation behalf of APECS membership (of ~4800) on APECS outreach activities and highlight recent publications by APECS Canada members. The AMAP Secretariat and meeting Chair commended APECS on its outreach efforts, a compliment that I am happy to pass on to you all! Moreover, there might be exciting opportunities for APECS members to get involved in AMAP, so stay tuned! Whitehorse was an excellent location for this meeting, and welcomed the international delegates who all seemed to be enjoying themselves!"

We are pleased to announce two webinars motivated by the recent 2014 SCAR Open Science Conference and the upcoming Antarctica Day(1 December). Details of the first webinar are outlined below and details of the second webinar (to be held in November) will follow shortly.

In conjunction with this webinar series we have also launched a new Antarctic Social Sciences webpage. This page contains a basic introduction to Antarctic social sciences and links and abstracts for key book and journal articles. Video recordings of the webinars will be added once completed. If you have any additional resources or ideas for the webpage then please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.!

Live webinars will be hosted with the GoToWebinar platform and you can sign-up to attend the first webinar by clicking the link below:

Monday October 13th @ 9am NZDT (Sunday 12th October, 8pm GMT)
Webinar ID: 599899784
Webinar registration: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/599899784

Topics and speakers:

SCAR Social Sciences Expert Group by Daniela Liggett
Daniela Liggett is a lecturer at Gateway Antarctica (The University of Canterbury) and is currently the co-chair of the SCAR Social Sciences Action Group. She is particularly interested in qualitative research, which crosses different disciplines and challenges conventional research paradigms. Daniela’s research interests include environmental management and tourism regulation in extreme environments, tourism and development, as well as research into interdisciplinary methodologies and education in general. She will introduce the role of Social Sciences within SCAR and outline her own research interests.

Perspectives on Antarctic conservation: A common pool resource framework approach by Gabriela Gomez-Fell
‘The commons’ are at the core of many of the world's most pressing environmental issues, from climate change to biodiversity loss. Few places illustrate the complexities of a global commons better than Antarctica, where challenges such as ocean acidification, economic utilisation of natural resources and threats to its unique biodiversity imply a ‘tragedy’ in the making. My study utilises two contrasting common pool resource management frameworks to understand stakeholder perspectives on both the current and future state of Antarctic conservation.

Sponsors:
GoToWebinar has been provided as an in-kind contribution from Bredbåndsfylket.

apecs logo webAPECS is excited to announce that another leadership term has begun on 1 October 2014!

APECS Executive Committee 2014-2015:

APECS’ seventh Executive Committee (ExCom) is now in place and ready to continue to shape the polar world.

  • Ivan Dubinenkov (Alfred-Wegener Institute, Germany)
  • Ruth Hindshaw (University of St. Andrews, United Kingdom)
  • Heather Mariash (McGill University, Canada)
  • Jean-Sébastien Moore (Université Lavel, Canada)
  • Tristy Vick-Majors (Montana State University, United States)

have been elected to form the ExCom, the main leadership body of APECS. Jennifer Provencher (Canada) and Yulia Zaika (Russia) will serve as ex-officios and support the new ExCom over the coming year. And of course, Gerlis Fugmann, the APECS Executive Director will continue to support and foster the group from the directorate office in Tromsø, Norway.

More information on the APECS 2014-2015 Executive Committee can be found here.

JS MooreAPECS President 2014-2015:

With a new term, comes a new president, and this year Jean-Sébastien Moore will be taking on this role. Jean-Sébastien is a postdoc at Laval University in Québec City. He has been doing research in the Canadian Arctic since 2008 working on Arctic char, an important fish for the Inuit people. His current research integrates the use of genomic tools with acoustic telemetry to track the migrations of commercially exploited stocks of char. He has been involved with APECS for several years, first as a founding board member of APECS Canada, as an APECS Council member, and as an ExCom vice-president in 2013-2014.

APECS Council 2014-2015:

This year the APECS council is made up of 23 very enthusiastic members from 11 countries: Jennifer Balmer (USA), Erik Behrens (New Zealand), Roxanne Beltran (USA), Alice Bradley (USA), Archana Dayal (India), Rachel Downey (Germany), Francyne Elias Peira (Spain), Ellyn Enderlin (USA), Dave Grant (USA), Laura Elena Kelvin (Canada), Alia Khan (USA), Minkyoung Kim (South Korea), Elena Kuznetsova (Norway), Michael Laiho (UK), Sílvia Lourenco (Portugal), Adam Naito (USA), Hanne Nielsen (Australia), Daria Shapovalova (UK), Laura Fleming-Sharp (USA), Zuzanna Swirad (UK), Anna Varfolomeeva (Russia/Hungary), Amanda Winegardner (Canada), Scott Zolkos (Canada)

Additionally, Russell Fielding (USA), Christie Logvinova (USA / Russia), Allen Pope (USA), Kim Jochum (USA), Silje-Kristin Jensen (Norway), Tosca Ballerini (France), and Mariette Wheeler (South Africa) remain on the Council in ex-officio roles.

More information on the APECS 2014-2015 Council can be found here.

We once again thank the many APECS leaders that have come before us and have helped guide and foster many of those serving today! We look forward to another year with the projects that are currently underway, and continue to look for more ways that we can serve and help early career polar researchers around the world.

Hi APECS members,

The first snow has fallen here in Tromsø, so winter is definitely slowly but surely on its way in beautiful Northern Norway where our APECS Directorate is located. The last few months have been very busy in the APECS office and for our leadership and many volunteers. Some of the highlights I want to point out in my message this time are:

One of the highlights this summer was the 2014 SCAR Open Science Conference in Auckland, New Zealand in late August. APECS organised three very successful events together with partners: a Science Communications Workshop together with Polar Educators International(PEI), a networking cruise with the SCAR AntClim21 (Antarctic Climate Change in the 21st Century) as well as the Antarctic Environments Portal& APECS workshop. It was great to see so many of you there!

APECS has been busy working with some of our partners to create to more opportunities for early career researchers. I would like to point out the ongoing calls you find in the Feature News section to have early career co-coveners for the IACS Symposia during the 26th IUGG General Assembly as well as the opportunity for one early career researcher to join the Steering Committee of one of SCAR’s Scientific Research Programmes, the Astronomy and Astrophysics from Antarctica (AAA). APECS will continue to work with our partners on many more opportunities for our members over the next year, so keep an eye on our website and emails!

The APECS website is one of our most important platforms to provide information and resources to our members. We are currently working with our partner, the Arctic Portalin Iceland on creating a completely new website to display the content even better and help you find what APECS has to offer more easily. The new website will be launched in fall / winter 2014.

Last but not least: APECS is celebrating International Polar Week September 2014 at the moment and we want to encourage all of you to join us doing so! Some of our National Committees are very actively organising events around the world and any of you can do the same! Find our more information on Polar Week September 2014 here http://www.apecs.is/en/outreach/polar-week/polar-week-september-2014

Cheers

Gerlis

We have another great volunteer opportunity for one of you!

Astronomy and Astrophysics from Antarctica (AAA) is one of the Scientific Research Programmes of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), one of APECS long-term partner organisations. The objectives of Astronomy & Astrophysics from Antarctica are to coordinate astronomical activities in Antarctica in a way that ensures the best possible outcomes from international investment in Antarctic astronomy, and maximizes the opportunities for productive interaction with other disciplines. Their scope also includes astronomy from the Arctic, so someone with research interests in this area would also be eligible. For more information on SCAR AAA go to http://www.astronomy.scar.org/

We are looking for an early career researcher to join the Steering Committee of the SCAR AAA. Ideally this early career researcher would serve on the SCAR AAA Steering Committee until the end of 2016.

If you are interested in this opportunity and your research background would fit this group, please send a statement of interest, description of your research background and CV to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by no later than 1 October 2014.

If you have any questions please contactThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The International Association of Cryospheric Sciences (IACS) and the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) are looking for early career researchers to be co-conveners for several sessions of the IACS Symposia during the 26th IUGG (International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics) General Assembly 2015 that will take place from 22 June - 2 July 2015 in Prague, Czech Republic.

The sessions that need early career co-conveners are:

  • C01 GLIMS and the Randolph Glacier Inventory: where Do We Go from Here?
  • C04 Modelling of Mountain Glaciers, Past and Future
  • C06 Ice Sheet and Ocean Interactions on Multiple Scales
  • C07 Understanding Linkages between Different "Elements" of the High-Latitude Cryosphere
  • C11 Climate Downscaling for Modelling Glacier Mass Balance
  • C15 Cryosphere, Atmosphere and Climate: Evaluation of the Cryosphere in CMIP5 Models
  • C16 Cryosphere, Atmosphere and Climate: The Cryosphere and Polar Amplification of Climate
  • C17 Challenges in Cryospheric Sciences: Past, Present and Future

You can find a more detailed description of each of those sessions including the information who the main conveners will be here http://www.iugg2015prague.com/iacs-symposia.htm

To apply to be a session co-convener, please fill out this form https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1dNfpMOw_jh-syYLpCqsnnuHFSyO2dqqxeyk2FZbL0Go/viewform#start=invite no later than 28 September 2014.

APECS will be selecting the co-conveners from all applicants in cooperation with IACS and will inform the successful applicants in early October. If you have problems accessing this online form, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and I will be emailing you a Word version.

APECS and the Polar Educators International (PEI) organised a full day workshop on science communication in the rooms of the University of Auckland. The workshop was well attended with around 50 participants. Although early career scientists made up the majority of participants, some senior scientists and teachers joined in as well. Themes APECS and PEI had chosen to address in the workshop were purposely broad and diverse. In six different thematic sessions, the workshop aimed to works out, in an interactive manner, various ways how science can be communicated. After Sira Engelbertz welcomed everyone to the workshop, Gerlis Fugmann (APECS) and Sarah Bartholow (PEI) introduced the two host organisations. On behalf of PEI, Sarah Bartholow and Heidi Roop presented the Art of Communicating in the Classroom. Early career scientists Hanne Nielsen, Lorna Little and Kimberley Collins talked about The Power of Social Media and how to make use of podcasts, blogs or twitter. Lecturer Jenny Rock and her students Ellen Sima and Lydia McLean introduced Multiple Methods for Creative Communication. Artists and academics Megan Jenkinson and Ruth Watson shared their experience with the medium Photography and how it sometimes expresses more than words can. Dacia Herbulock and Peter Griffin from the Science Media Centre NZ gave an important lesson on Media 101: The Do’s and Don’ts When Interacting With the Media. Rhian Salmon and Anton Van de Putte addressed the aspect of In-Reach (as opposed to outreach) in terms of better information exchange within and across disciples. Overall, the workshop was very well perceived and a great success. This was also due to COMANP and Antarctica New Zealand, who sponsored the workshop as well to all volunteers including Tristy Vick-Majors, Meagan Dewar and Holly Winton.

The Antarctic Environments Portal – short: the Portal – is a promising project that aims to link Antarctic scientific research and knowledge with Antarctic policy-making through an online platform. Although a beta version this online platform of was already released earlier this year, the Portal is still under development. In this critical phase, the Portal-project team asked for feedback and ideas from early career scientists. For this purpose, Birgit Njåstad (Portal project manager) together with Sira Engelbertz (APECS) co-convened a workshop to discuss various issues around the Portal project. Ewan McIvor (CEP Chair) started off explaining why policy makers need access to scientific information, followed by Neil Gilbert’s brief introduction to the Portal. Core of the workshop, however, were the group discussions. Our five invited mentors – Neil Gilbert, Fraser Morgan, Steven Chown, Jose Xavier and David Walton – discussed each with small groups of 5-7 early career scientists following issues: technical design of the Portal, incentivising researchers to contribute to the Portal, how to ensure policy use, how to communicate complex science in a simple, yet comprehensive manner, and how to ensure an appropriate editing and review process. The workshop was perceived as a great success with a happy Portal project team about the information gained from the group discussion. 25 early career scientists and participants of the workshop received a NZ$ 50 scholarship each, which was kindly provided by the Norwegian government.

The IASC-INTERACT-CliC-AMAP GEO cross-disciplinary workshop on "Arctic snow cover changes and their consequences" will be in Copenhagen on the 16-17th of October this year. The organizers would like to invite 1 or 2 APECS members to join the meeting and to contribute to the work of the committee both during and after the event. Funding for travel is available and further details can be found here.

If you have the appropriate background and would like to apply for this opportunity. Please send us your CV and a brief statement of interest by Tuesday, September 23ndto This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

polar week logo 0APECS is excited to celebrate polar science and discovery during the International Polar Week September 2014 from 20 - 28 September 2014 and we encourage all of our members and National Committees to participate with events and activities! Please therefore distribute this email as much as possible within your National Committees!

Are you planning an event or activity? Please send us an email as soon as possible to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. including:
- title of the event / activity
- short description of the event / activity (1 - 2 paragraphs max)
- when and where the event / activity will take place

Do you have a suggestion for an activity that can be done during Polar Week and that you want to share with others? Also send us an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with a short description by 15 September.

Do you need suggestions on what you could do during Polar Week? We will be adding a list of suggested activities to the APECS International Polar Week 2014 website over the coming weeks to give you an inspiration on what you could organise. Please also look at the Polar Outreach Catalogue (http://www.apecs.is/en/outreach/polar-outreach-publications/polar-outreach-catalogue) which lists hundreds of outreach activities that happened during the International Polar Year 2007-2008 and which can also give you ideas on what to do.

All planned events / activities as well as activity suggestions will be added to the APECS International Polar Week September 2014 website: http://www.apecs.is/en/outreach/polar-week/polar-week-september-2014

What to do after International Polar Week September 2014? Please send us an article for our APECS News about your events and activities that you organised by no later than 15 October 2014. We will be adding those on the APECS website under APECS News and so showing all of our members what amazing activities have been organised as part of this upcoming Polar Week!

Thank you and we hope to hear from all of you!

The XXXVII Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) took place in Brasilia, Brazil, from April 28th and May 7th . It was attended by over 300 delegates from 41 countries. The Antarctic Treaty was signed on 1 December 1959 in Washington as a result of the International Geophysical Year (IGY) of 1957-58. The Treaty aims to ensure that Antarctica would be used for peaceful purposes only, international cooperation and freedom scientific investigation, and that scientific observations and results from Antarctica shall be exchanged and made freely available.

APECS-Brazil, supported by SECIRM through the Programa de Mentalidade Marítima (PROMAR), organized all over Brazil the I Scientific Journey: Brazil and the Antarctic Treaty, aiming to promote in Brazilian schools and community discussions related to the importance of the Antarctic for the planet. The previously registered schools received some materials from SECIRM / PROMAR and used them in classes. At least 20 activities were taken, including conferences, workshops, reading and creating texts, practical activities, from north to south of Brazil involving institutions from Rio de Janeiro (Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Escola Pedro II Campus Niterói, Campus São Cristóvão e Campus Tijuca, Colégio de Aplicação da UERJ); from São Paulo (May, 30, Colégio Mobile), from Rio Grande do Sul (Escola Estadual Érico Veríssimo, Caxias do Sul; Colégio Estadual Tereza Francescutti, Canoas, Fundação Escola Técnica Liberato Salzano Vieira da Cunha, Novo Hamburgo, Escola Estadual de Ensino Fundamental e Médio and Escola Municipal Sete de Setembro, Erval Grande, Instituto de Educação de Ivoti), from Paraná (Colégio Estadual Professor Júlio de Mesquita em Curitiba) and from Rondônia (Escola Profissionalizante Delta, Rolim de Moura; Escola Municipal Professora Lairce Santiago Maina, Pimenta Bueno and (in June, 05) in SENAC also from Pimenta Bueno). More than 60 professors, researchers and about 3000 students have participated in the activities.

Several information were posted on Facebook´s event page and at least 2000 additional people were informed about the scientific meeting and its discussions. These informations and pictures of all activities on Brazil are available in the webpage: https://www.facebook.com/events/543761875736485/.

Between January to June 2014 the Council has kept a number of its key activities rolling, which have included updating the mentorship databases, arranging monthly webinars and publishing research features, as well as organizing many exciting events for APECS members to network and develop their Polar research potential. Alongside these key areas many new developments are happening, such as a cool ‘Where are they now’ project (MIC), the website working group (RAC) and the Antarctica Day celebration (E+O) taking place this winter in cooperation with Polar Educators International (PEI) and Our Spaces. 

National Committee are also very active: the Czech Republic will host the Polar Ecology Conference this September, in Europe; Brazil launches an APECS workshop titled ‘Pole-to-Pole’ in September; North Americans will host the 12th International Polar Week in San Francisco; and the Indian Polar Research Network (IPRN) participates in strengthening Oceans Acidification research in Southern Asia by organizing a career panel during the second successive International Workshop on Oceans Acidification (IWOA).

As we now approach the final leg of this council term, we appreciate the effort from Council for successfully strengthening international ties, working group, and national committees. Now that summertime is upon us, it means Council communication is put on pause as many of us are in the field, or on vacation, or moving positions. We will reconvene again in September for an important Council call. For all those who are thinking of applying or renewing their Council roles next year the deadline for this is the 7th September 2014. Do not miss YOUR opportunity to be part of next year’s successful Council!

Great work everyone! Click for the full council term report summary.

Second Arctic in Rapid Transition (ART) Science Workshop 'Integrating spatial and temporal scales in the changing Arctic System: towards future research priorities'
21-24 October 2014
Brest, France

Deadline: Abstract submission and registration by 11 August 2014

Registration and Call for Abstracts for the Second Arctic in Rapid Transition (ART) Science Workshop 'Integrating spatial and temporal scales in the changing Arctic System: towards future research priorities' (ISTAS) under: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ekIJ10TWJhWO5evaJAL5JKrR4zicc0eEZ47lKueKLTw/viewform

The second International ART Science Workshop about "Integrating spatial and temporal scales in the changing Arctic System: towards future research priorities" (ISTAS) aims at discussing the integration of spatial and temporal scales to better understand the changing Arctic system as a whole, by including various Arctic research fields such as physical oceanography, sea-ice, biogeochemical cycles and ecosystems functioning, marine biodiversity, land-ocean interactions, ocean-atmosphere exchanges and ocean acidification, paleo-reconstruction and biological archives, and social sciences. During the workshop, in parallel sessions and discussion groups future Arctic research priorities from an early career perspective will be elaborated. Results of this workshop will feed into the larger ICARP III (3rd International Conference on Arctic Research Planning) meeting in Toyama, Japan in April 2015

This international workshop is open to any scientist who share a common interest in improving our understanding of ongoing and past changes in the Arctic and developing dialogues on interdisciplinary Arctic research approaches and future directions.

This international workshop is open to any scientist who share a common interest in improving our understanding of ongoing and past changes in the Arctic and developing dialogues on interdisciplinary Arctic research approaches and future directions.

The workshop is jointly organized by the Arctic in Rapid Transition initiative (ART), and official IASC network, the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) and the European Institute for Marine Studies (IUEM, France).

The Arctic in Rapid Transition (ART) Initiative is an integrative, international, interdisciplinary, Pan-arctic network to study the spatial and temporal changes of the Arctic Ocean. In order to better understand and forecast the impact of recent changes on the Arctic, ecosystems and biogeochemical features, variations in sea ice cover, ocean circulation and associated physical drivers are investigated over multiple timescales.

Limited funding will be available for early career scientists. More information on the preliminary agenda, venue, preliminary list of invited speakers can be found on our webpage. For questions you may contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Abstract submission and registration are open under https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ekIJ10TWJhWO5evaJAL5JKrR4zicc0eEZ47lKueKLTw/viewform

Are you looking for a way to get active in APECS and the APECS leadership? How about you apply to the APECS Council!

The new Council term for 2014-2015 is starting on 1 October 2014 and we encourage YOU to consider applying for it and help us shape our organization and the future of polar research!

Do you want to find out more about what the APECS Council does? Check out the webpage APECS Council for information on the current and previous Council members!

How do you apply for the APECS Council?
It's easy! You only have to provide the following in one PDF:

  • current contact information and career level
  • brief bio (200 words)
  • present picture of yourself
  • name and email address of two references
  • Expression of Interest Letter (around 500 words) explaining the following:
  1. why you are interested in APECS and sitting on the Council? This includes any ideas you have for projects or activities the organization could undertake, a desire to become more connected to the larger polar community, ways to improve APECS and the role of young researchers in polar research, general interest in the process of the organization, and many others.
  2. Any major periods of extended absence, such as field work, long vacations, intense exam periods or any other long period of absence.
  3. it is also quite helpful to know a little about your experiences (including previous APECS involvement - if any) and why you are interested in the Polar Regions.

A detailed description of the application procedure for the APECS Council can be found here index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=195:get-involved-in-the-apecs-council&catid=49:volunteers-needed&Itemid=357.

Applications to the APECS Council can be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

If you want to start right away for the new term starting October 1, please make sure to send in your application before 7 September. Due to the transition period to the new 2014-2015 Executive Committee at the end of September and beginning of October, Council applications received after September 7th will not be dealt with until later in October.

If you think the Council sounds good but would like to be even more involved, Executive Committee nominations are also open until 7 September, 2014! More information on how to apply to the ExCom can be found here index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=25&Itemid=332.

If you have any questions about what it means to be a member of the APECS Council, the application process or any other queries, please send an email to the Council Co-Chairs Heather Mariash and / or Mika Laiho at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

We will have elections again in September for a new APECS Executive Committee for the 2014-2015 term!

APECS is an internationally respected association and is recognized as one of the major legacies of the 4th International Polar Year. Our great members, particularly those of our past APECS Executive Committees and Councils have largely contributed to this through their excellent and hard work. To maintain this high level of success, and bring new vision and ideas to APECS, it is truly important for you to be active in this election.

Now YOU get the chance to influence the future of polar research and we want to encourage YOU to apply for the new APECS Executive Committee or nominate someone you think would do a great job of shaping our organisation!

Check out the APECS website at APECS Executive Committee for more information.

What is the timeline for the election?

The 2014-2015 APECS Executive Committee elections timeline is as follows:

28 July – 7 September 2014: Accepting nominations

8 – 9 September 2014: Preparation of review and voting period

10 – 21 September 2014: Review of applications by APECS Council: current APECS Council members have the chance for a Question & Answer session both via email and during a conference call with the ExCom applicants. Important: Applicants have to be available for questions and the conference call during this time.

22 – 26 September 2014: Voting by the APECS Council members on the ExCom applicants

27 – 30 September 2014: Final vote count and review of votes, transition process

1 October 2014: official announcement of the 2014-2015 APECS Executive Committee and the 2014 – 2015 APECS President

How do you apply?

It's easy!

1) Contact the election coordinators before submitting your application to discuss your plans and to find out more about the ExCom and how you could potentially contribute to it in the coming term. Just send a message to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

2) Submit your application containing:

  1. basic biographical information (name, institution, contact details, country of residence and origin),
  2. a brief biosketch that gives us a better picture of who you are (e.g. research theme and interests, your hobbies, etc.),
  3. a photo of yourself that we can use for the APECS website,
  4. the names and contact details of two referees, and
  5. a statement of interest detailing why you are interested in serving on the APECS Executive Committee and how you would like to contribute to APECS as a member of the APECS Executive Committee. Please also include any past involvement in organizing APECS activities, or other exeriences that would make you a good candidate. An outline of what we are specifically hoping you address in your statement of interest and general information about the election procedure is available on the APECS website at APECS Executive Committee.

Applications for the APECS Executive Committee will be accepted starting 28 July 2014 (if you are on fieldwork you can already send in your application earlier). Please email your application as one PDF to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Application deadline is 7 September 2014!

If you have any questions about what it means to be a member of the APECS Executive Committee, the application process or any other queries, please send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

APECS has been working again this year together with our partner Arctic Frontiers on creating opportunities for early career researchers at the upcoming Arctic Frontiers 2015 “Climate and Energy” conference in Tromsø from 18 - 23 January 2015. We are happy to announce our three representatives for the science committees for the conference:

Part 1: Arctic climate change - global implications

inga mayDr. Inga May (Alfred Wegener Institute, Germany): Inga studied physical Geography at the University of Munich. She rapidly realized her passion for the Polar Regions and hence started a PhD together with INRS in Quebec, Canada, about permafrost in the Arctic. During this time she was heavily involved in many International Permafrost Association (IPA), APECS and Permafrost Young Researcher Network (PYRN) activities. In 2011 she successfully finished her PhD and worked for 1 ½ a year as the Executive Director for the International Permafrost Association. She is now working as research assistant at the Alfred-Wegener Institution for Polar and Marine research and in the EU project Page21 dealing with the consequences of climate change in Arctic Regions.

 Part 2: Ecological winners and losers in future Arctic marine ecosystems

Mar Fernandez Mendez Mar Fernandez Mendez (Alfred Wegener Institute, Germany): Mar is a biologist by training who has always been fascinated by the ocean. After her masters in Marine Microbiology at the Max Planck Institute in Bremen she decided to specialize on the group of marine microorganisms responsible for carbon fixation: phytoplankton. Now she is at the end of her PhD at the Alfred Wegener Institute in Bremerhaven trying to understand the biological carbon cycle in the rapidly changing Arctic Ocean. Her aim in the long term is to be able to predict how primary production in the Arctic will change due to global warming.

  Part 3: The Arctic's role in the global energy supply and security

Coco Smits (Royal HaskoningDHV, The Netherlands): Coco is currently working as an environmental & social policy consultant for the international engineering consultancy firm Royal HaskoningDHV. She has a Masters degree in Environmental Policy from the Wageningen University in The Netherlands, during which she studied the governance of oil, gas and mining development in Greenland and the wider Arctic. She continued working in the field of Arctic resources next to other projects in the oil and gas sector when she started working for Royal HaskoningDHV. Her work is focussed on the interaction between societies and the environment, and she is interested in how developments in the Arctic fit in the global resource picture.

If you are planning on attending the Arctic Frontiers 2015 conference on "Climate and Energy", the call for abstracts is out at http://www.arcticfrontiers.com/2015-conference/science-section. Abstract submission deadline is 22 September 2014!

The Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) and APECS are happy to announce an exciting opportunity for early career researchers to get involved as contributing authors for the writing of the Bering / Beaufort / Chukchi regional report for the AMAP Adaptation Actions for a Changing Arctic – Part C (AACA-C) project! Applications deadline will be 23 June!!

  • Do you work on fisheries, mining or sustainable resources in the Bering / Beaufort / Chukchi Region?
  • Do you work on ocean acidification in the polar oceans?
  • Are you are climate or sea ice modeler in the Bering / Beaufort / Chukchi region?
  • Do you work on freshwater ecosystems and they might change under warming climatic conditions in the Bering / Beaufort / Chukchi Region?
  • Do you work indigenous and northern communities in Bering / Beaufort / Chukchi Region?
  • Or do you work on any other issues in the Bering / Beaufort / Chukchi region that are of concern with changing climatic conditions? Biological, physical, societal, all of the above?
  • Do you want to make sure that your work gets incorporated into the next Arctic Council's AMAP assessment examining how the Bering / Beaufort / Chukchi Region will change over the next 30 to 50 years, and what type of adaptation actions are needed?

If the answer is yes then you should apply to become involved the AMAP's Adaptation Actions for a Changing Arctic (AACA) assessment.

AMAP has initiated the project "Adaptation Actions for a Changing Arctic (AACA)" with the overarching goal to "enable more informed and responsive policy and decision-making related to adaptation action in a rapidly changing Arctic". Two sub-projects, AACA-A and B, have already been completed, the third (AACA-C) will report to the Arctic Council Ministerial Meeting in 2017. For more information go to http://www.amap.no/adaptation-actions-for-a-changing-arctic-part-c.

AMAP is currently looking for contributing authors to the various chapters of the report and asked APECS to nominate some early career researchers for this opportunity. Please note that nomination is not a guarantee that you will be selected to be a contributing author. The final selection will be made by the Coordinating Lead Authors and the Regional Implementation Team (RIT) of the project. For more info go to http://www.amap.no/documents/doc/aaca-nomination-letter-200214/1058.

If you are interested in being nominated for this opportunity as an early career contributing author, you should:

  • have a research focus in the Bering / Beaufort / Chukchi Region
  • have research experience in a field covered by the Bering / Beaufort / Chukchi Region
  • be at the PhD level or higher (PhD candidates will also be considered)
  • APECS will be collecting the applications from early career researchers that are interested in being a contributing author for the Bering / Beaufort / Chukchi regional report, we will review them to make sure they meet the necessary criteria and then will send the nominations to AMAP.

What information do we need from you?

  • some basic information: Name, affiliation, address, phone number, email, date of birth and any websites you might have that could be relevant to this project
  • educational background: all degrees (include institution and year)
  • professional background: positions held
  • research background: main field of expertise; years of experience; relevant past and ongoing projects publications (pick the 5 most recent publications relevant to this role)
  • statement of interest why you are interested in contributing and the type of contribution you would like to make (maximum ¼ page)
  • which chapter of the report you would like to contribute to
  • any funding issues and any possible conflicts of interest
  • your full CV including list of publications

Please send all of this by 23 June to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The APECS Research Activities Committee (RAC) is looking for volunteers to organise the Antarctic Social Science Research Feature.

The Research Feature is first and foremost a compilation exercise. You will be part of a group charged with the task of contacting other Antarctic social scientists within the global APECS community in search for relevant journal articles, journals, resources, mentors, etc. A compilation of these will in turn be presented on the APECS website.

In addition, you may want to take part in organising a webinar series and inviting prominent speakers in Antarctic social science to address our early-career researchers directly.

For more information or to raise your hand immediately, send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

SCAR Horizon Scan Group smallFour early career scientists participated in the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) Horizon Scan Retreat, held in Queenstown, New Zealand from April 20 to 23. Since the retreat was on invitation only, it was a great honour for the four of us to attend this event where several world's leading Antarctic scientists and policy-makers gathered. Fifty-five scientists from 24 countries convened for this Antarctic and Southern Ocean Horizon Scan initiative, with as aim to identify the most important scientific questions that should be addressed by Antarctic research over the next two decades. From over 800 questions, 80 questions were retained and developed during the three days of the retreat. All attendees actively participated in voting sessions and discussions. The four early career scientists present were: Charlotte Havermans (BE) working on Antarctic benthos and molecular methods and associated with APECS-Belgium, Erli S. Costa (BR) working on seabird ecology, council member of APECS and APECS-Brazil president, Polina Morozova (RU), PhD student in climate modelling and meteorology and Xichen Li (USA), student in atmosphere-ocean-sea-ice modelling. It is important to mention also the participation of Jenny Baeseman (NO), the founding Director of APECS and José Carlos Caetano Xavier (PT, UK), leader of APECS-Portugal, showing the importance of APECS in the training of leaders in polar science.

web apecsNP logo engelsk A4 copyAntarctic Environments PortalAPECS is proud to announce a new collaboration with the Antarctic Environments Portal (Portal) project. To kick off this collaboration, representatives from the Portal project team and APECS will jointly convene a workshop for Early Career Scientists (ECSs) at the upcoming SCAR Open Science Conference (OSC) in Auckland, New Zealand. This workshop is a great opportunity for ECSs to be involved in the development of a potentially significant tool to link Antarctic science and Antarctic policy. The workshop is open to 25 ECS applicants who will also receive a NZ$ 50 grant each as contribution towards their expenses. Funding for the workshop is kindly provided by the Norwegian Government.

Date: Thursday 28 August 2014

Time: 18:00 – 20:00

Location: Auckland Room 3, SkyCity Convention Centre, 88 Federal Street, Auckland, New Zealand

Focus Group: Early Career Scientists

Limit of Participants: 25

Cost: Free + catering will be provided

Apply by 30 June 2014 and join the workshop to not just learn more about the Portal but exchange your views with our five mentors from the Portal project team and Steering Committee:

− Birgit Njåstad, Norwegian Polar Institute, Norway

− Prof. Steven Chown, Monash University, Australia

− Dr. Neil Gilbert, Constantia Consulting, New Zealand

− Dr. Fraser Morgan, Landcare Research, New Zealand

− Prof. David Walton, British Antarctic Survey (Emeritus Fellow), United Kingdom

WHAT IS THE PORTAL?

The Portal (environments.aq) is a project to link the growing body of scientific research on Antarctica with the governance work of the Antarctic Treaty System, in particular through the Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP). The Portal is an online platform including summaries of the state of knowledge on CEP priority issues, the management of those issues and environmental pressures. Information in the Portal is based on peer-reviewed science and existing CEP materials. The content is intended to be non-technical and a-political. It is subject to a robust editorial process.

The current management of the Antarctic Environments Portal is provided by Antarctica New Zealand, the technical design and development is currently provided by Landcare Research New Zealand. Partner organisations are: SCAR, the Australian Antarctic Division, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, the Norwegian Polar Institute and the Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium. A steering group comprised of scientists, policy and technical experts and a SCAR representative provide leadership, oversight and expert guidance to the Project Manager.

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE PORTAL & APECS WORKSHOP?

The Portal is an exciting initiative at the interface of Antarctic science and policy. A beta or demonstration version of the Portal was recently demonstrated at the meeting of the Antarctic Treaty System's meeting of the Committee for Environmental Protection, and it was very well received The Portal is still under development and will be fully functional by June 2015. The objective of the Portal & APECS workshop is to seek the views of emerging science and policy leaders on the project and on making the Portal user-friendly. This feedback in the development phase will be instrumental to the project's success.

HOW TO APPLY FOR THE WORKSHOP AND SPONSORSHIP?

Interested ECSs can apply by sending an expression of interest including brief self-introduction and academic background as well as motivation to attend the workshop to Jana Newman (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). The application for the workshop will include the consideration for the NZ$ 50 grant for participants. No separate application for sponsorship is necessary. Deadline for applications is Monday 30 June 2014.

For any further questions and enquiries, please contact either Jana Newman (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or Sira Engelbertz (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

web apecspyrn small 2The "Permafrost Young Researchers Workshop" will be hosted in the context of the Fourth European Conference on Permafrost (EUCOP IV) in Évora, Portugal on 18 June 2014. This workshop is organized in a joint effort of PYRN (Permafrost Young Researchers Network)APECS (Association of Polar Early Career Scientists) and the young researcher representatives of the two projects PAGE21 (Changing Permafrost in the Arctic and its Global Effects in the 21st Century) and ADAPT (Arctic Development and Adaptation to Permafrost in Transition).

During this workshop an activity as part of the Third International Conference on Arctic Research Planning (ICARP III) is planned. ICARP III is a decadal event coordinated by the  International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) aiming at identifying Arctic science priorities for the next decade and it is of particular interest that early career researchers participate in this process.

What we need from you:

During the workshop we will work with identifying permafrost research questions for the next decade. These questions will be discussed and refined during the Permafrost Young Researchers Workshop at EUCOP4. You may submit your questions following the instructions in the link below. There, you can also find more information about ICARP III and how our activity feeds into this process. We invite all early career permafrost researchers, no matter if you are attending the workshop or not to participate in shaping this contribution to ICARP III!

Please, submit your question(s) before May 30th by following this link!

ARCTIC FRONTIERS Logo new 2013Here is a great opportunity for you to gain some leadership experience from the APECS partner - the Arctic Frontiers conference!

Arctic Frontiers 2015 will be held at the University of Tromsø, Norway from 18 - 23 January 2015. The theme of the conference is "Climate and Energy". Arctic Frontiers is a major Arctic forum that brings together science, industry and policy. As with previous years the policy section will run for the first two days (19 - 20 January) followed but three days of science section (21 - 23 January). The science section will have three parts:

Part 1: Climate change in the Arctic - global implications: The Arctic is subject to significant climate change. What are the major physical mechanics involved in Arctic climate change, how do we monitor them and how do we interpret them? What kinds of implications does the warming have in the Arctic, and on other parts of the globe?

Part 2: Ecological winners and losers in future Arctic marine ecosystems: A wide perspective on a suite of relevant ecological issues subjected to climate change will be illuminated. In particular attention will be drawn to the polar night ecology and how life cycle of organisms may change with an early ice melt and late freezing period. How will advection of warm Atlantic water change the production regime in the gateways to the Arctic Ocean? How will microbiology, of far less studied in the Arctic Ocean, react to warming, increased melting ice, more stratification and more light? How will the function of the marginal ice zone change as ice get thinner and withdraws earlier towards the North Pole?

Part 3: The Arctic's role in the global energy supply and security: The global demand of energy is increasing and at the same time the world is working to reduce the level of CO2 emissions. Fossil energy is expected to remain the dominating energy source and new resources are made available through shale oil and gas. At the same time a number of renewable energy sources are on the rise. What are the assumptions on the global energy mix of the future? The Arctic is rich in both carbon based and renewable sources of energy, some easy to produce and transport and some more challenging. The energy potential in the High North must compete for investments globally. What will the Arctic's role be in the future global energy supply and security picture?

We are very happy to announce that APECS has been asked to nominate for each of the three parts one early career researcher to join the scientific committees (3 early career researchers in total) for Arctic Frontiers 2015. No special travel funding can be provided by the Arctic Frontiers secretariat but the three early career researchers will receive free registration.

We encourage all early career researchers to apply for this opportunity - so feel free to pass this along to others you know. If you are interested to take this opportunity please send your CV and a Statement of Interest (including why you are interested in this opportunity, which part you would be interested in joining and why you fit scientifically within that part) to the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by May 19th, 2014. All applications will be considered by the APECS Director, members of the APECS Executive Committee and representatives of Arctic Frontiers.

Should you have any questions please contact Gerlis Fugmann at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. More about the Arctic Frontiers conference at http://arcticfrontiers.com/.

CHARSAPECS was happy to participate in the inaugural Canadian High Arctic Research Station (CHARS) management committee meeting at the end of April 2014 with Jennifer Provencher representing APECS Canada as the current chair of the APECS Canada board. The CHARS management committee consists of representatives from northern stakeholders including aboriginal groups, territorial governments, federal departments working in the north, industry, and APECS. The meeting laid out both the long term and short term (2014-2019) objectives for CHARS. Considerable discussion centered around these objectives with many groups feeling that the short term objectives need to be expanded in order to better reflect the priorities identified during the consultation process, specifically around healthy communities. Two task forces were set up by the committee to move projects along. One task force will be reviewing and approving the work plans for the coming year. A second task force has been established to outline the terms of reference and rules of procedure structures for the large management committee moving forward.  

 

During EGU 2014, APECS and PYRN hosted a fieldwork panel discussion. Our four invited speakers (Andreas Richter, John Connelly, Marc Oliva and Bryn Hubbard) each gave a short presentation full of tips, anecdotes and inspiration.

Thank you again to our speakers and audience!

The Arctic in Rapid Transition initiative (ART, http://www.iarc.uaf.edu/ART), an official IASC network (http://www.iasc.info), the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS, www.apecs.is), and the European Institute for Marine Studies (IUEM, France, http://www-iuem.univ-brest.fr) organize a joint workshop on “Integrating spatial and temporal scales in the changing Arctic System: towards future research priorities” (ISTAS workshop), October 21-24 2014 in Plouzané, France.

This international workshop aims at discussing the integration of spatial and temporal scales to better understand the changing Arctic system as a whole, by including various Arctic research fields: physical oceanography, sea-ice, biogeochemical cycles and ecosystems functioning, marine biodiversity, land-ocean interactions, ocean-atmosphere exchanges and ocean acidification, paleo-reconstruction and biological archives, and social sciences. Results of the workshop will feed into the ICARP III (3rd International Conference on Arctic Research Planning) meeting in Toyama, Japan in April 2015 (http://icarp.arcticportal.org/).

Abstract submission and registration will open soon. Limited funding will be available for early career scientists.

For questions please contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

For further information about the workshop go to: http://istas.sciencesconf.org/

APECS and Canada Goose are kicking off our partnership together by featuring six polar early career researchers from around the globe. In total APECS received 56 applicants for the ‘Where does your goose take you’ program. The three person selection committee had a tough job of reviewing all the great applications for the program.

Congratulations to Lydie Lescarmontie (Australia), Marc Oliva (Spain), Pierre Dutrieux (UK), Pamela Wong (Canada), Andrian Vlkakhov (Russia) and Emily Stevenson (USA)!

Join us in following these Arctic and Antarctic early career researchers! Keep an eye open in the coming months to learn more about what these APECS members are doing.

APECS Finland Sauna 2014 1 smallThe Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) took place in Helsinki from the 5-11th of April 2014. As part of that conference, APECS organized a workshop on 7 - 8 April on the interaction between scientist and indigenous people in the Arctic.

The APECS Finland National Committee organized a social event for workshop participants, mentors and other interested ASSW participants in the evening of the 7 April. And being in Finland...what else could it be than something related to Sauna. After the official ASSW welcome and reception in the City Hall of Helsinki, about 40 people went cross town to experience this nice side of Finland's culture.

APECS Finland Sauna 2014 2 smallAt nine in the evening the sauna was heated up and the music playing. The first people arrived and went pretty much directly in the sauna. Though a map was handed out, some other participants ended up on grave yard before finding the right way to our location. Some refreshments and snacks were served and a nice atmosphere quickly established.

Running around in a towel made it a bit unhandy to take a camera, but thanks to Alexey Maslakov we fortunately found some nice pictures to share. At about 1 a.m. most people had disappeared to their hotels to get some sleep for the next day of the conference.

APECS Finland wants to thank the ASSW and Geysire for supporting this event.

 

APECSNordenGroupThe APECS Norden Workshop in Helsinki, Finland was a success. From 7-8 April 2014, over 50 early career scientists, mentors and indigenous researchers gathered at the University of Helsinki and Finnish Meteorological Institute to be a part of the APECS Nordic Workshop, Connecting Early Career Researchers and Community Driven Research in the North”.

NORDEN Breakoutgroup 2014Over the course of two days, participants engaged with timely, thought provoking presentations by Gail Fondahl (UNBC, Canada), Heidi Eriksen (Utsjoki Health Center), Anna Afanasyeva (International Barents Secretariat), Arja Rautio (Thule Institute) and Roberto Delgado (USC/NSF), and offered valuable, insights during themed breakout sessions. Sessions topics including existing research policies, stakeholder interests, communication and successful collaboration led to honest, and challenging discussions about the real challenges and concerns that indigenous researchers and non-indigenous researchers face when conducting research in the Arctic. While most agreed, for example, that successful collaborations needed to involve community members in the research process, this was not always taking place.  One concern that was raised during the workshop was the scarce representation of Nordic indigenous people in the workshop itself. While every effort was made to advertise the workshop to all possible outlets, there was a higher representation of early career researchers in attendance. This and many other related questions were raised and thoroughly considered over the two days. Workshop participants were informed that the results of these discussions, in addition to the results from the APECS Norden Survey, and the webinars, will be compiled and drafted into a summary guide or report, translated and shared amongst the participants and the APECS network. Participants will be given an opportunity to comment on the draft prior to publication. Over the coming year, the APECS Norden project team expect to continue to disseminate the project at relevant conferences, workshops and meetings.

The APECS Norden project team extends a warm, sincere thanks to all the workshop participants and workshop speakers.

caffAPECS and CAFF (Conservation of the Arctic Flora and Fauna - www.caff.is) are looking for an early career researcher to take part in an upcoming CAFF project, the Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) for the Arctic Scoping Study. We are looking for an early career Arctic researcher who is interested in the fields of ecosystem services, natural capital, and socio-economic benefits of biodiversity. We are particularly looking for a researcher with a strong interest in Arctic governance in relation to ecosystem science. The first stage of the project is to help in the early stages of this study through attendance at a technical workshop in Reykjavik, May 13-14, 2014. CAFF will cover the costs for attendance at the meeting. The role of the APECS representative at the workshop would be to contribute to reviewing progress on the project and setting directions for further work. A secondary role in helping the project coordinator take notes during discussions. This is a workshop of 20 to 25 participants only.

Post workshop CAFF and the APECS representative will work together to determine your role following the workshop, and we would expect you to bring your ideas on this to the workshop. Potential involvement could include reviewing and synthesizing information on international, national or regional initiatives that could inform this scoping study, being a contributing author to the project report, synthesizing and analyzing the results of our web-based questionnaire, and/or undertaking to compile, analyze and report on a dataset or two (related to Arctic ecosystem services) as a case study. Further work on the project would need to be done over the late spring/summer period, as the first draft of the project report is due September 30, 2014.

Although no funds are available to pay for the time spent on the project you will receive the benefits of working with a diverse, keen, engaged group of professionals, and you will have an opportunity to contribute to a circumpolar project that is aimed at raising the profile of ecosystem services in all areas of decision-making. All contributions will be fully recognized in the final report, which will be tabled with Arctic Council.

If you are interested please send a CV, a one page summary of your work and how it fits with the projects overall themes to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by April 19th, 2014. As this project is multi-year we expect applicants to commit to the completion of this project. If you have any questions, you can send them to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

APECS Canada has a great few weeks blogging about polar science on the Science Borealis site. 

Check out the last polar feature written by Katriina O'Kane exploring the people who do polar research in northern Canada. 

Polar Week 6: Profiles from the Arctic – the making of a web documentary

As part of APECS Canada blogging for Polar Week 2014, Samantha Dalring writes about the importance and need of researchers to work with communities over on Science Borealis

Polar Week 5: Science and community – connecting the dots

It has been a while since our last newsletter as the APECS leadership recently decided to switch to a quarterly newsletter to be published in March, June, September and December. We hope that you enjoy this new format with updates from a lot of APECS activities that have happened in recent months, and announcements of new events being planned right now.

I especially want to highlight the APECS Nordic workshop "Connecting Early Career Researchers and Community-Driven Research in the North" that is organised next week (7 / 8 April) in Helsinki, Finland (http://www.apecs.is/research/apecs-norden/apecs-norden-workshop). This workshop is part of a larger APECS project funded in-part by the Nordic Council of Ministers on "Bridging Early Career Researchers and Indigenous Peoples in Nordic Countries" and will bring together 50 participants and 6 mentors from 12 countries. The workshop will focus on the following themes: "Guidelines / policies for working with indigenous groups", "Effective communication skills", "Successful collaboration efforts with indigenous groups" and "Broader Impacts - Communicating results and outreach". A special thank you goes to the additional support received from the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the United States, and the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat for providing additional travel funds that made is possible for so many early career researchers to attend the workshop.

For my Norwegian piece for this newsletter, I thought I'll highlight the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry (ICR) in Kautokeino (Norway). It was established in 2005 by the Norwegian Government "as a contribution to the unique international cooperation of circumpolar reindeer herding peoples." The centre "is to be a knowledge base for providing, exchanging and developing information and knowledge between different reindeer people, national authorities and research - and academic communities at the national and international levels". It aims to "contribute in maintaining and developing a sustainable reindeer husbandry in the north; strengthen the cooperation between reindeer herding peoples; document and take care of the traditional knowledge of reindeer herders and contribute to knowledge development; communicate knowledge about circumpolar reindeer husbandry" to their target groups which include "reindeer herders, national authorities, research, education and knowledge institutions, organisations and industrial interests." The ICR is also a member of the University of the Arctic. The Secretariat of the Association of World Reindeer Herders (WRH) is also hosted at the ICR. More information can be found on their website http://reindeerherding.org/about-us/

SCAR OSC 2014 logo small2The Antarctic Climate Change in the 21st Century (AntClim21) is focused on understanding how the Antarctic Climate will change over the 21st century. There will be a great opportunity for APECS members to mingle with the AntClim21 Steering Committee and other Antarctic climate experts on an evening cruise during the SCAR 2014 OSC on the Auckland Harbour on the Ocean Eagle. The Ocean Eagle (formally called ‘Chubasco’ & ‘American Eagle’) is a 72 foot Swath Ocean catamaran, designed and built in 1987 in the United States. She was originally built for the owner of a San Diego boat building company ‘Swath Ocean Systems’ as his own personal pleasure vessel. Seats are limited to 50, so ensure to purchase a ticket when completing your registration for the APECS workshop and SCAR Conference. The event is also open to students who register for APECS as new members upon signing up for the conference and cruise.

Date: Tuesday 26 August

Time: 6:30-8:30pm

Meeting point: 6:15pm Berth 14, Viaduct Harbour Basin, Downtown Auckland, in front of Snapdragon and Degree Bars, near the Maritime Museum.

Cost: $5 per person. Open to APECS members (New APECS members who register for APECS upon registering for the cruise are also invited). Limited at 50 attendees.

Dress: casual, bring a rain jacket

APECS Netherlands Polar Bear HugOn February 28, deeply red northern lights could be seen in the Dutch skies – at 53°N! I like to think they heralded the participation of APECS Netherlands in the International Polar Week of March 2014. We organized a poster session at the Pool tot Pool Day, a public event for polar enthusiasts held at the Ethnological Museum in Leiden. Louise Flaherty, Director of Inuit Languages and Culture at Nunavut Arctic College, was one of our valued poster judges. Her attendance had been made possible by the Canadian Embassy who, as part of Canada’s chairmanship of Arctic Council, promote Arctic knowledge in the Netherlands and support our APECS activities. The poster award went to Eugenie Stapert and her work of Dolgan languages.

In a discussion with APECS Netherlands, Mrs Flaherty felt inspired by our admission that as a non-polar nation, our early-career researchers can be very blueeyed with regards to indigenous peoples and may lack the necessary cultural competence for mutual knowledge transfer. She promptly highlighted Linda Tuhiwi Smith’s ‘Decolonizing methodologies: research and indigenous peoples’ as a key text her own students use and a good place to start for APECS members everywhere. Last but not least, the meeting provided APECS Netherlands with a whole host of ideas for our symposium later in the year. Also keep a look-out for our activities during the IPW in September!

On April 28th, we celebrate the foundation of APECS Austria, which is part of the international and interdisciplinary Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS).

When: Monday April, 28th 7 p.m.

Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology
NIG - Neues Institutsgebäude, 4th floor
Universitätsstr. 7
1010 Vienna

Opening talks:

  • Univ. Prof. Dr. Peter Schweitzer (Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology, Univ. of Vienna, Austrian Polar Research Institute)
  • Univ. Prof. Dr. Andreas Richter (Department of Department of Terrestrial Ecosystem Research, Univ. of Vienna, Austrian Polar Research Institute)
  • Mag. Sigrid Schiesser (Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology, Univ. of Vienna, APECS Austria)

The photo and poster exhibition "Fieldwork in the Arctic and Subarctic" shows the diversity of Arctic and Subarctic environments, and gives insights into daily lives of residents and researchers. The photographs of the exhibition illustrate the context of research in Polar regions beyond conventional formats of texts, tables and numbers.

The exhibition will be open on workdays from April 28th until May 16th.

We are looking forward to meeting you, APECS Austria

We had a productive council call on Monday March 24, 2014. We welcomed two new council members Laura Fergusson and Laura Kelvin, both joined the 2013-2014 Council this month. They bring their social science and communication expertise to the council. With many council members on the call we were able to hear updates from the 3 subcommittees (RAC; EOC; MIC), the website working group, exciting projects from the Polar Educators International (PEI), and what is coming through the pipeline to the Council from the Excom. Several different opportunities came up during the call, from helping with upcoming Research Features, revamping APECS promotional material, and the MIC is still looking for a new co-chair! Also the Council term reports summary is now available. At a glance see the full range of activities and initiatives that our council members have been busy with over the last quarter. This document also shows the upcoming events or conferences that our members are planning on attending. Its a good way to see if there are others are going to a conference that you are planning on attending and check if there is an opportunity to plan an associated APECS event!... it can be as simple as networking beers ;)

To learn more, you can read the full meeting minutes on the council update page.

CliC WMO 2014 2The annual Climate and Cryosphere Project (CliC) scientific steering group meeting was hosted by the WMO, Geneva from 17th – 20th February 2014. CliC sponsored APECS representative, Eleanor Darlington, to attend the meeting. She joined 23 established researchers who all play leading roles in cryospheric research. The meeting was led by CliC chair, Greg Flato (Environment Canada) and organised by Jenny Baesman (CliC Director).

The aim of the meeting was to review the current standing of cryospheric research and to highlight areas which need special focus, or inter-disciplinary collaboration. This was achieved by participation from many other organisations such as WCRP/Future Earth, SCAR and CLIVAR. The outcomes of the meeting include several workshops, to bring together researchers to collaborate on research areas such as the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, sea ice modelling and a snow inter-comparison project.

CliC WMO 2014

As the APECS representative I gave a short presentation on APECS activities over the last year, and what's planned for the coming year. I received many questions, especially regarding activities taking place a national level. CliC is a strong supporter of early career researchers, having contributed 200,000 Nkr to APECS, which has supported the travel of early career researchers to workshops and meetings. There were many proposals of events to support early career researchers, particularly in ice-sheet and climate modelling. An exciting project is emerging, which will see the creation of science co-ordination positions for early career researchers, to take a leading role in steering forward a targeted research activity. Opportunities such as these are invaluable for young scientists, and will stand them in good stead for their career development.

I was also taking the meeting notes and will help in compiling the meeting report. This responsibility has given me an insight to the administrative side of a science planning meeting.

This opportunity gave me not only an insight into planning and coordinating international science activities, but also proved to be a unique networking opportunity. I met and had discussions with researchers from six continents! Thank you APECS and CliC for offering me this opportunity, which I am sure will have prolonged benefits.

Looking for Video Recordings of our Winter Webinar Series?

Video recordings from the Winter webinar series on ice-ocean interactions are now posted on the APECS Vimeo website. Webinar topics included Sea Ice-Ocean InteractionsMarine-Terminating Glaciers, and Glacial Fjords.

If you would like to recommend additional content for the research feature webpage, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Do you work on ocean acidification in the polar regions?

The Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (AMAP) is currently preparing its second assessment on Arctic Ocean acidification. APECS has been asked to nominate an early-career researcher to participate in this process as an expert. This expert would also be invited to participate in a workshop on May 27-28 2014 in Gothenburg, Sweden where a draft extended outline for the assessment will be prepared.

Participation in this assessment provides a unique opportunity for an early-career researcher working on ocean acidification to influence policy and work with AMAP. This will be the second assessment undertaken by AMAP on acidification. The first assessment can be found here: Summary for Policy.

Although neither APECS nor AMAP have funding to send the selected candidate to the workshop or finance work / research that would have to be done by the candidate for the assessment, participation in the assessment without attending the workshop and on your own costs is still a great opportunity and completely possible.

If you are interested in participating as an expert in the assessment, please send us a full CV and a brief statement of interest (1/3 page max) stating your interest in participating in this process and explaining how your research background makes you a suitable expert on the topic by April 2nd, 2014. If you are able to attend the workshop portion of the assessment please indicate this, if you are unable to attend the workshop on your own expenses, this is not a problem, but should
be indicated.

Regards

The APECS ExCom

The fourth installment of APECS members bloggin for Polar Week on Science Borealis is now in.

Carol Devine write about what we have learned from studying magnets in Antarctica over the last 100 years.

Read Carol's article here! (http://blog.scienceborealis.ca/antarctica-early-explorers-terrestrial-magnetism-and-investigating-climate-change/)

The third installment of APECS members blogging on Science Borealis is now up!  You can read more about how polar seabirds are being used to study change in the polar regions here

Sucre shack ADAPTIn the snowy and picturesque city of Quebec, a multidisciplinary group of international researchers came together on March 12th to 15th for the Thermokarst and Aquatic Ecosystems Workshop (THAW).  Thermokarst lakes, formed by thawing of permafrost, are shallow polar oases that provide important habitat for a plethora of animal and waterfowl populations.  In recent years, these dynamic freshwater ecosystems have been subject to intensive hydrologic, biochemical and geomorphological investigation as researchers work to assess their vulnerability to climatic change. This inaugural workshop took place at the Centre d'Études Nordiques (CEN) at Laval University.
 
Several members of APECS attended the meeting, including APECS Canada board members Ann Balasubramaniam (University of Waterloo) and Daniel Lamhonwah (Queen’s University). 
 
“It was an enriching and rewarding experience,” comments Daniel. “There were about 100 attendees at the conference. It gave us the opportunity to network and discuss research strategies in a fairly intimate setting. This really helped to bridge research gaps and form new collaborations.”
 
“This was a timely next step in thermokarst lake research,” says Ann while reflecting on the week’s events. “The caliber and breadth of the talks and posters presented at the conference was excellent.  These exchanges allowed scientists the opportunity to share knowledge across disciplines and move their own research forward in a strategic way.” 
 
A major goal of this meeting was to provide a forum to house discussions that furthered the understanding of freshwater ecosystems in changing permafrost landscapes. Researchers from more than a dozen countries spanning the globe travelled to Quebec to share their expertise in a variety of natural and physical science disciplines – biology, chemistry, geomorphology, geology, hydrology, and modelling. Many international universities and organizations were represented at THAW, including ADAPT, CliC, PAGE21 and the Alfred Wagner Institute. 
 
“THAW has been a tremendously enjoyable success, drawing attention to the vital importance of freshwater systems on permafrost landscapes, and setting out the major priorities for research on this theme throughout the Polar Regions,” says Warwick Vincent of Laval University, and co-organizer of THAW. “Isabelle Laurion (co-organizer) and I are especially grateful to the high-energy participation by so many APECS members, and their superb networking across disciplines. In the final plenary of the workshop it was unanimously declared: Let’s keep this amazing THAW network active and ongoing!”  
 
Warwick and Isabelle would be delighted to hear from any APECS members who work on this topic and would like to join this network to keep up to date on publications, meetings, syntheses, methods, collaborative opportunities, etc.
 
THAW wasn’t without its share of local traditions. The final night in Quebec City was spent visiting a cabanes à sucre, (or sugar shack) courtesy of the International Permafrost Association (IPA) and organized by Frédéric Bouchard, scientific coordinator of ADAPT Early Career Researchers Association (AECRA). Attendees were entertained with maple syrup demonstrations and tastings, and served a traditional French-Canadian supper.
 
There is already talk of THAW 2015. We can’t wait to see what organizers will have in store for attendees. Vive la science!
 
 
Contact information: 
Warwick Vincent (THAW organizer): This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Isabelle Laurion (THAW organizer): This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Ann Balasubramaniam (APECS Canada): This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Daniel Lamhonwah (APECS Canada): This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Frédéric Bouchard (AECRA): This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
 

Check out how Arctic zooplankton will be affected by climate change on the guest post by APECS members Jordan Grigor and Moritz Schmid over on Science Borealis where APECS Canada has taken over for Polar Week!

http://blog.scienceborealis.ca/arctic-zooplankton-and-climate-change/

Happy Polar Week!

Twice a year APECS and its partners work together to host Polar Week to celebrate polar science and the people who work there. 

As part of the polar week events this March APECS Canada members have partnered with Science Borealis, a Canadian science blogging site, to help highlight polar science. Guests posts will be written by APECS members who will discuss the importance of polar science and highlight topics early career reserachers are working on in Canada. 

You can check out the first posts here - Polar Week 1: Why do science at the poles?

APECS is also present at non-polar events. On January 9th and 10th, Fernanda Quaglio from APECS Brazil attended the Seminar on Future Earth sponsored by the ICSU ROLAC (International Council for Science, Regional Office of Latin America and Caribbean) Meeting in Varadero, Cuba. ICSU is a non-governmental organization with a global membership of national scientific bodies and International Scientific Unions (www.icsu.org). Its main vision is to encourage international science for the benefit of society. The event was attended by members of the ICSU ROLAC, as well as other international representatives not yet associated with ICSU from 18 countries, including APECS-Brazil (see photos below).

The meeting addressed especially how to attract the associate institutions to develop scientific projects in the context of the ICSU program "Future Earth" (http://www.futureearth.info/). This is a decadal initiative of international research to study several scientific branches related to global environmental change and thus provide information on global sustainability for the next decades. The program involves any scientific field, such as medicine, humanities, chemistry, nutrition, ecology and conservation, engineering, physics, astronomy, paleontology, etc.

March, 1st 2014, Oliveira do Bairro, Portugal

APECS Portugal Workshop March 2014The role of the polar scientists in the classroom was the motto for the national workshop Education & Science organized by IMAR-CMA (University of Coimbra) and Education and Citizenship Institute. The earlier career researchers of APECS Portugal were present in the scientific and international network sessions. The earlier careers showed their work in several research areas and how those themes can be introduced in the classroom. The discussion, the networking and the sharing of experiences between the earlier careers and the teachers was intense and fruitful during all day. In the end of the day, two main ideas emerged. First of all, taking the scientists to the classroom and bringing the students to our laboratories increases effectively the interest of the younger generations in the scientific fields; And secondly, the introduction of scientific work to the classroom enhance greatly the critical sense in the students and all the school community.  

We are excited to announce that registration for the APECS Career Development Workshop is open! The 1-day workshop will be held on 21 May 2014, prior to the International Congress on Arctic Social Sciences VIII ( http://resweb.res.unbc.ca/icass2014/program.htm).

To register for the workshop, please go to ICASS Workshop VIII. All APECS members attending the conference are encouraged to register. Registration is free and will be open until 25 April 2014.

The workshop will bring together young scientists and senior scientists to participate in a series of plenary talks, breakout sessions, and discussions. The plenary talks will be focused on career issues such as how to manage your research project and how get your research funded and write a successful proposal. The breakout groups and discussions will highlight the urgent need to incorporate traditional knowledge into research and how to inform policy makers about your research. For more concrete outcomes from the Workshop, we will collect and circulate the summaries and notes of the Workshop to let participants and others who were not able to attend the event to better understand all the mentioned above issues. For more information about the plan for the day, please visit - ICASS VIII.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

One of APECS' central aims is to provide opportunities for career development and professional development to its members. With this in mind, two articles which may be of interest to APECS members are:

-Developing Scientists' "Soft Skills" (in Eos, the newsletter of APECS partner the American Geophysical Union)
-Self-taught soft skills (in Nature)

On 10 and 11 February 2014, a meeting of the extended Steering Group on a Long-Term Cooperative International Initiative took place in Paris. It was kindly hosted by the IOC of UNESCO in Paris, France. WMO supported travel of 4 participants in the meeting, including APECS representative Allen Pope. Other organizations represented included AMAP, IASC, IASSA, IHO, GRID-Arendal, UNESCO, ICSU/Future Earth, EPB, MRI, and more. The meeting was chaired by David Hik and the secretary was Vladimir Ryabinin.

The meeting reviewed polar interests and objectives of participating organizations and made a strong attempt to identify commonalities between them, in the process defining a concept document for an International Polar Partnership Initiative (IPPI). Please take a minute to look at the *draft* IPPI Concept Draft and send feedback on what you think back to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The IPPI group is currently consulting many people and organizations, and the draft will evolve with these discussions. APECS has been a part of the IPPI discussion since it began, and the IPPI is committed to making the voices of early career researchers of all polar disciplines heard now and into the future. Your comments will be heard and acted upon!

This is a good opportunity to also talk about being an APECS rep on a high-level committee like his one. My role was not only to present about APECS and what APECS does, but also use my early career perspective to feed in to discussions. As an early career scientist, I have just as many opinions as senior scientists on, for example, international and interdisciplinary research in a climate with reduced research funding. It is also my role to advocate for training and capacity building aspects to be integrated into any long-term polar initiative. After all, as the future is being planned, it is important to have the future in the room.

In addition, the group's secretary also gave me more responsibility and opportunity by appointing me to lead one of the breakout groups and put together the concept document draft! It was a bit daunting but also quite rewarding. Finally, I was able to connect with other committee members about ways they can work with APECS, as well as how we might collaborate on future research. The meeting was only two days, but it was an invaluable opportunity that I wouldn't have had without APECS.

If you're interested in being an APECS rep on committee like this one, get involved as soon as possible! Keep your eyes open for future opportunitites on the APECS email list, and also contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with questions about what you can do now and how APECS can help you shape the future of polar research.

During the webinar series, which was held in October–November 2013, we attempted to identify current research challenges from the perspective of early career scientists and indigenous peoples and define potential solutions to overcome the existing challenges to communication and other research issues.

You can watch videos and learn more about our presenters at the project's page - APECS Nordic Project or take a look at the APECS Video Gallery.

The UK Polar Network are pleased to announce that registration for the “Science and Society: do they have to be Poles apart?” workshop will be open until the 28th February 2014 (closing at 17:00)

Please take a look at the Workshop Webpage for updated details of the workshop (and a link to the registration form), which will run on the 22nd and 23rd of April at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton.

We encourage all members of APECS to apply, and to take this opportunity to gain valuable skills in public engagement and making your science accessible. Don’t forget, we’re offering travel grants of up to £250 for five undergraduate students, and there will be no cost for registration.

We look forward to receiving applications, and please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with any questions.

On behalf of the organising committee,

Laura Hobbs, President, UK Polar Network

amap logoThe Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) and APECS are happy to announce an exciting opportunity for early career researchers to get involved as contributing authors for the writing of the Barents regional report for the AMAP Adaptation Actions for a Changing Arctic – Part C (AACA-C) project!

AMAP has initiated the project "Adaptation Actions for a Changing Arctic (AACA)". The overarching goal of the AACA is to "enable more informed and responsive policy and decision-making related to adaptation action in a rapidly changing Arctic". Two sub-projects, AACA-A and B, have already been completed, the third (AACA-C) will report to the Arctic Council Ministerial Meeting in 2017. For more information go to http://www.amap.no/adaptation-actions-for-a-changing-arctic-part-c.

AMAP is currently looking for contributing authors to the various chapters of the report and asked APECS to nominate some early career researchers for this opportunity. Please note that nomination is not a guarantee that you will be selected to be a contributing author. The final selection will be made by the Coordinating Lead Authors and the Regional Implementation Team (RIT) of the project.

If you are interested in being nominated for this opportunity as an early career contributing author, you should:

  • have a research focus in the Barents Region
  • have research experience in a field covered by the Barents Regional Report
  • be at the PhD level or higher (PhD candidates will also be considered)

APECS will be collecting the applications from early career researchers that are interested in being a contributing author for the Barents regional report, we will review them to make sure they meet the necessary criteria and then will send the nominations to AMAP.

What information do we need from you?

  • some basic information: Name, affiliation, address, phone number, email, date of birth and any websites you might have that could be relevant to this project
  • educational background: all degrees (include institution and year)
  • professional background: positions held
  • research background: main field of expertise; years of experience; relevant past and ongoing projects
  • publications (pick the 5 most recent publications relevant to this role)
  • statement of interest why you are interested in contributing and the type of contribution you would like to make (maximum ¼ page)
  • which chapter of the report (see attachment) you would like to contribute to
  • any funding issues and any possible conflicts of interest
  • your full CV including list of publications

Please send all of this by 2 March to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Last week APECS-Brazil published the newsletter from the second semester of 2013. Check it out for everything that happened with members of APECS-Brazil, the events and what's being prepared for 2014 (in Portuguese only).

Click here to read!

ARCTIC FRONTIERS Logo new 2013For the Arctic Frontiers 2014 conference in Tromsø, Norway (19 – 26 January), four APECS members were selected to serve as early career researcher representatives on the Science Committees of the conference: Marney Paradis was member of the Live, Work, and Stay Healthy in the Arctic session, and her graduate studies on leadership within Indigenous education played a role in establishing strong professional connections with other session members. Dr. Frigga Kruse was chosen as member to the Health and Environment session, and her arctic archaeologicall knowledge base provided important historical context to the committee. Mia Bennett drew upon her familiarity with arctic geopolitics to assist in the abstract review and selection in the Shipping and Offshore committee. Piotr Graczyk assisted as member of the Arctic Search and Rescue committee, in which he utilized his studies of international relations and arctic cooperation in the selection criteria.

We would like to take this opportunity to extend our appreciation to the Arctic Frontiers and APECS committees. Serving as Science Committee members and as Early Career Research Representatives has been tremendously enriching and highly rewarding. Assisting in this process was a welcomed task, as it provided us all the opportunity to liaise with committee chairs and immerse ourselves into the world of international science management. Further, the auspicious role of helping shape the messages and delivery of the conference itself is a learned task that will doubtlessly benefit us in the future.

Serving as an APECS representative is a process we would recommend to all. Bridging early career polar researchers with established and highly knowledgeable arctic authorities is certainly a worthwhile objective, and is one in which the Arctic Frontiers Conference is known to provide. Networking, exchanging ideas, and strategizing developed into tangible plans of action. In other words, seemingly informal interactions transformed into professional international relationships. As APECS representatives, we have secured rapport amongst our circumpolar colleagues, and this is something that we are truly grateful for. Again, a huge thank you to both the Arctic Frontiers and the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists. You have helped us in many ways, and we have nothing but gratitude for this!

Marney Paradis, Frigga Kruse, Mia Bennett, Piotr Graczyk

APECS organized a small Science Communications and Media Training Workshop at the Young Scientist Forum activities for the Arctic Frontiers 2014 Conferences. The workshop happened on 19 January 2014 and brought together a small group of early career researchers attending the conference to learn about ways how to use social media (especially Twitter) for your science communication as well as tips and tricks on how to work with the media and how journalists find their science stories.

Mentors for the workshop were Tom Fries (Arctic Council Secretariat, Norway), Patricia Azinhaga (University of Coimbra, Portugal), Jose Xavier (University of Coimbra, Portugal), Bjørn Lindahl (Svenksa Dagbladet, Sweden), Malin Avenius (frilans, Sverige Radio), Tom Yulsman (Univrsity of Colorado, United States).

We want to thank the mentors for taking their time to join us for this event and providing advice to our participants and thank you also to the participants for a great and very interesting discussion.ArcticFrontiers Science Workshop2014 1

SCAR OSC 2014 logo small2In the scope of the upcoming 2014 SCAR Open Science Conference in August, APECS and the Polar Educators International(PEI) will be jointly running a full day workshop on Science Communication on Sunday 24 August at the University of Auckland in Auckland, New Zealand.

The workshop is for free and open to everyone - regardless whether you are attending the conference or not. However, the number of participants is limited to 60 people - first come, first serve.

You can register for the workshop either through the general conference registration (http://www.scar2014.com/registration/) or by filling out this online form.

More information is available at SCAR 2014. If you have further questions, please contact Sira Engelbertz (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Also don't forget that the abstract deadline for the SCAR Open Science Conference is Friday 14 February! To submit an abstract go to http://www.scar2014.com/call-for-abstracts/

We are looking forward to seeing you in Auckland!

APECS teamed up with Arctic Frontiers and the Nordnorsk Vitensenter (Science Centre of Northern Norway) during Arctic Frontiers 2014 to organise a "Arctic Frontiers Science for Schools" event. The goal of the event was to tell high school students from several schools in Tromsø about Arctic research and get them interested in a science career later on.

Two sessions were organised on 22 and 23 January 2014 in which early career researchers attending the Arctic Frontiers 2014 conference as well as early career researchers from University of Tromsø presented about their research. Thank you to: Karolina Paquin (University of Tromsø, Norway), Jean-Sébastien Moore (Université Laval, Canada), Frigga Kruse (University of Groningen, Netherlands), Yulia Zaika (M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia), Christie Logvinova (Clark University, United States), Pernilla Carlsson (AMAP, Norway), Jennifer Provencher (Carleton University, Canada) and Ida Helene (University of Tromsø, Norway) for some great presentations!

Besides the presentations, the Nordnorsk Vitensenter had also organised more activities regarding Arctic research for the students. A poster session was also organised by the high school students presenting about class projects. The posters were judged by three of the early career researchers attending the event (Jean-Sébastien Moore, Ida Helene and Gerlis Fugmann) and the winners received a prize and will be attending part of the science sessions during the Arctic Frontiers 2015 conference.

The event was a great success this year and plans are ongoing for a similar event for Arctic Frontiers 2015. A special thank you also to the organisers of the event Tove Marienborg (Nordnorsk Vitensenter) and her staff, Vibeke Tannvik (Arctic Frontiers) and Gerlis Fugmann (APECS).

Also check out the nice article published about the event by Irene Quaile (Deutsche Welle) http://blogs.dw.de/ice/?m=20140124 Science for Schools Arctic Frontiers 2014

The APECS Nordic Project is pleased to announce that the Early Career Researchers and Nordic Indigenous peoples survey is now available on the Survey webpage!The survey is now available in English, Sami, Finnish and Swedish languages. We welcome the input and responses of all early career researchers and indigenous peoples involved in northern research, and particularly those from Nordic countries. Results will be compiled and summarized and used to help assess the status of communication, research partnerships and challenges in Nordic regions. The survey will be available until March 15, 2014. Thank you for participating!

After completing the survey, visit the APECS Nordic Database and add yourself to the Nordic Network of researchers, indigeneous partners and community members interested in research collaborations. 

For more information on the APECS Nordic Project, visit the project webpage or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

APECS ARctic Frontiers 2014 poster sessionAnother year at the Arctic Frontiers Conference, and another great year of poster awards organized by APECS. The Arctic Frontiers Conference and APECS have teamed up for the last 4 years to recognize early career researchers for their efforts at the conference.

This year there were four fabulous winners. In Part 1 (Live, work and stay healthy in the Arctic) Morten Skandfer won for his poster titled “Improving the health protection of high Arctic Miners”. In Part 2 (Health and Environment in the Arctic) Ariadne Szczybelski won for her poster titled “Development of ARCtic Biological INDicators for the impact assessment of (new)human activities: the ARCIND project”. In Part 3 (Shipping and offshore in the Arctic) Caroline Coch won for her poster titled “Effects of cruise ship tourism on the remote island ofÍsafjörður, Iceland”. Each of the section winners received a one-day free registration pass for the 2015 Arctic Frontiers conference, Climate and Energy. The overall poster winner was Laila Arensatter Hopstock for her poster “Arctic hearts – seasonal variation in cardio-vascular disease risk factors in the Tromsø study 1979-2008”. The overall winner won a full complimentary registration for next year’s conference courtesy of the Arctic Frontiers Conference.

Thanks again to all those who submitted and presented posters at this year’s conference.  Additionally, a special thanks to all our poster judges, and we hope to see you all next year!

canada goose logoAPECS and the manufacturer of extreme-weather outerwear, Canada Goose®, are teaming up to highlight the work done by polar early career researchers and to keep them warm during the Where does your Goose take you? program. APECS and Canada Goose® are looking for APECS members who will be actively doing field work in the Arctic or the Antarctic during 2014/15. Early career researchers working in either polar region and in any discipline are encouraged to apply.

Each selected Where does your Goose take you? participant will be given a Canada Goose® Expedition Jacket. They will work with the project coordinators (from the APECS leadership) to write two blog entries throughout the year, highlighting their polar research (science program, field sites, travel, workshops, field courses etc.), which will be posted along with photographs from the field on the Canada Goose® and APECS websites as well as relevant social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc.). Participants will also work with the project coordinators to select photos from all participants that will be used to highlight their research locations on an interactive map.

To apply to be a Where does your Goose take you? participant or to ask questions about the program please contact Jennifer Provencher at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The deadline is March 31st. Applications must include:

- a description of your research (including purpose, methods, locations and projected field schedule for 2014-2015; maximum 2 pages)

- your CV

- images (no more than 6 please) that show your research program and field locations which highlight the type of work you do, the field location, etc. (hint: if you have not had a field season yet, the pictures can be taken by someone else in your group)

Science BorealisCalling all Canadian Science Bloggers!!! APECS Canada and Science Borealis are teaming up to feature Canadian polar science blogs during the upcoming Polar Week during March 2014.

Science Borealis is an inclusive digital science salon featuring Canadians blogging about a wide array of scientific disciplines. Science Borealis is a one-stop shop for the public, media, educators, and policy makers to source Canadian science information. Science Borealis is built on the principles of curiosity, engagement and collaboration. The Science Borealis community is open to science bloggers located in Canada – and Canadians located abroad – who share our commitment to respect, support and encourage science communication in Canada, and engage passionately and critically with science.

APECS Canada Logo webAnd during the upcoming APECS Polar Week Science Borealis is going Polar! We are looking for bloggers and contributors to write on polar subjects to be posted and highlighted on the Science Borealis site. So if you have a blog and are interested in contributing let us know. Or are thinking about starting one, this is a great time! Or if you simply want to do some one time contributions! Either way, science blogging is a great way to exercise those communication skills, contribute to the public discussion on science, and help broaden the people's knowledge about the polar regions.

If you are interested in contributing or getting involved please contact Jennifer Provencher ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) by March 1, 2014. All posts will be featured during the polar week in mid-March 2014.

Le français suit...

From the Did you know series:
Did you know that Iqaluit, Nunavut is one of the only places in North America where you can be sure to see a Northern Wheatear, a bird that can travel up to 290 kms a day?

The Northern Wheatear is a small songbird that overwinters in Africa each year, with some populations traveling from Africa to Canada via Europe and Greenland. Interestingly just around Iqaluit is one of the only places Wheatears have been recorded.

So, the next time you are walking around Iqaluit, look out for this global flyer.

http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/02/15/this-tiny-songbird-makes-a-non-stop-14500-km-migration-each-year-from-alaska-to-africa/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2101530/Tiny-bird-weighs-spoons-sugar-baffles-scientists-18-000-mile-return-migration-journeys.html

This "Did you know" note was prepared by Jennifer Provencher and translated by Loreleï Guéry.

------------------------------
Saviez-vous qu'Iqaluit au Nunavut est une des seules places en Amérique du Nord où vous pouvez être sûrs de voir le Traquet motteux, un oiseau capable de parcourir jusqu'à 290 km par jour?

Le Traquet motteux est un petit passereau insectivore qui hiverne en Afrique chaque année, avec certaines populations qui voyagent d'Afrique au Canada en passant par l'Europe et le Groenland. De façon intéressante, les alentours d'Iqaluit sont une des seules places où les Traquets Motteux peuvent être observés.

La prochaine fois que vous marcherez autour d'Iqaluit, partez à la recherche de ce volatil cosmopolite!

http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/02/15/this-tiny-songbird-makes-a-non-stop-14500-km-migration-each-year-from-alaska-to-africa/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2101530/Tiny-bird-weighs-spoons-sugar-baffles-scientists-18-000-mile-return-migration-journeys.html

Cette capsule "Saviez-vous" vous a été présentée parJennifer Provencher et traduit par Loreleï Guéry.

Le français suit...

From the APECS Canada Did you know series:

The largest lake entirely in Canada is Great Bear Lake (32 000 km2) in the Northwest Territories. Only 15 species of fish live there, this is a low number for an arctic aquatic system of this size...
However, an unusual intraspecific diversity in several species has been observed. One example is the four sympatric Lake Trout in shallow-water of Great Bear Lake coexist challenging the iconic diversity of Arctic char from Thingvallavatn Lake. Also, there is no better fishing in the world since Great Bear Lake hold world record for both Lake Trout (78.86 pounds) and Grayling.

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/en/article/great-bear-lake/

This "Did you know" note was prepared by Louise Chavarie

---------------------------------
Le plus grand lac qui est entièrement au Canada est le Grand lac de l'Ours (32 000 km2) au Territoires du Nord-Ouest. Seulement 15 espèces de poissons y résident, un nombre d'espèces plus faible que la norme d'un système aquatique arctique...

Cependant, une diversité intra-spécifique inhabituelle chez plusieurs espèces a été observée. Par exemple, le fait que quatre espèces sympatriques de truite grise en eaux peu-profondes coexistent ensemble conteste la diversité emblématique de l'omble de l'arctique du lac Thingvallavatn. En outre, c'est la meilleure pêche du monde, le Grand lac de l'Ours maintient le record mondial de truite grise (78,86 livres) et de l'ombre commun.


http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/fr/article/great-bear-lake/


Cette capsule "Saviez-vous" vous a été présentée par Louise Chavarie

APECS is excited for another great year of 2014 with lots of events, activities, resources and opportunities for all of you! As you can see, we are starting the new year with a great new newsletter design! I want to thank our two newsletter editors Anton Van De Putte and Adam Naito for their great work on it and for preparing the APECS newsletter every month!

Clic logo1For my January update, I thought I'll highlight one of our partners and sponsors located also here in Tromsø at the Fram Centre: the Climate and Cryosphere (CliC) project.

APECS and CliC have been working closely together over the last few years in providing opportunities for early career researchers to attend CliC meetings and of course for our joint FrostBytes project. We are also working on some exciting fellowship opportunities for our members through the CliC project, so keep an eye out for more information in the coming months!

CliC aims to improve understanding of the cryosphere and its interactions with the global climate system, and to enhance the ability to use parts of the cryosphere for detection of climate change. The "Climate and Cryosphere" project, a core project of the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP), encourages and promotes research into the cryosphere and its interactions as part of the global climate system. It seeks to focus attention on the most important issues, encourage communication between researchers with common interests in cryospheric and climate science, promote international co-operation, and highlight the importance of this field of science to policy makers, funding agencies, and the general public. CliC also publishes significant findings regarding the role of the cryosphere in climate, and recommends directions for future study. The International Project Office is hosted by the Norwegian Polar Institute and provides support for people interested in hosting workshops, planning international activities, and more. Learn about CliC's new targeted activities including the Arctic Freshwater Synthesis and more at www.climate-cryosphere.org.

2013 Sesasons Greetings CovverAPECS had again a very successful year in 2013 and we wanted to thank all of our members, mentors, partners and sponsors for continuing to help us shape the future polar research!

Enjoy some of our best moments of 2013 in our APECS Season's Greetings video http://vimeo.com/82453387

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to all of you! We are looking forward to an amazing year in 2014!

Best wishes,

Gerlis Fugmann, APECS Director
Christie Logvinova, APECS President 2013-2014
on behalf of the APECS Leadership

AGU 2013: Getting out in the Field as a Skill Workshop
December 11, 2013 from 3-5pm
Marriott Marquis Golden Gate A, San Francisco, CA, USA

Fieldwork is an essential component for many in the geosciences, and it provides opportunity for gaining skills in everything from temporal and spatial reasoning to organization, planning and preparation. There are many challenges associated with fieldwork, including physical, economical, managerial, and legal concerns.


This workshop provided a panel discussion on the challenges, benefits, and strategies to being successful at planning, leading, and completing fieldwork in a variety of settings. Panelists were Dr. Bob Hawley (Dartmouth College), Dr. Fiamma Straneo (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), Dr. Julie Brigham-Grette (University of Massachusetts Amherst), Allen O'Bannon (CH2MHILL Polar Services). The panelists began the workshop by providing background information on how they became involved in field campaigns and key tips for successful field campaigns (listed below). The panelists then answered questions from the audience: the questions and answers are summarized below.


This workshop was made possible through a partnership of the Earth Science Women's Network (ESWN) and AGU Education and was co-organized by the ESWN and Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS). We extend our thanks to the partner organizations and panelists: this event would not have been successful without your participation and support!


Key Tips
Dr. Bob Hawley:
1) Experience will lead you to even more field opportunities so take the opportunities you can get without over-selling yourself/exaggerating your current experience level.
2) Even if you initially take a secondary role, you will likely end-up leading a field campaign at some point because you will know what to do through past observational experiences.
3) Prepare in advance for a variety of scenarios and know what you are bringing, what you are trying to accomplish, and assign duties.
4) Be persistent. Keep applying or volunteering for opportunities and when they are given to you, don't be afraid to take them! Persistence, Preparation, and Planning are key!

Dr. Fiamma Straneo:
1) You'll make a lot of mistakes, and they may be costly, but you'll learn a lot from them and you'll get better at executing field research because of those mistakes.
2) Don't be afraid to try something new or different. You may not start as an expert but you'll develop the right skills and knowledge.
3) Have back-ups: redundancy in observations is key!
4) Talk to experts. Don't be afraid to ask for help.

Dr. Julie Brigham-Grette:
1) Doors of opportunity will open and you have to decide whether or not you should take the available opportunities.
2) You learn that sometimes you have to take risks in remote places but always have plans B, C, D... so that you don't have to take costly risks and endanger yourself.
3) Sometimes you need mental or physical help. Don't be afraid to ask for it.
4) Get advice, listen carefully, and don't be afraid to admit when you're wrong.

Allen O'Bannon:
1) Some skills can be self-taught but sometimes that may not be enough. Formal training can be incredibly valuable. Field safety courses will teach you a variety of skills but even participating in outdoor club adventures on a college campus can provide you with additional knowledge and skills.
2) Experience/practice can teach you a lot so get out there.

 

Questions & Answers (summarized from all panelists)
Q: How do you transition to leading field campaigns?
A: Ideally your advisor/supervisor should gradually increase your responsibilities so it's a natural transition. Sometimes you need to ask to take-on more responsibilities and step-up to fulfill them because your supervisor had past experiences where someone was not capable of leading fieldwork and they are unsure whether to give you more responsibilities.

Q: How do you convince funding agencies to give you money for fieldwork when remote sensing techniques are much more efficient and cheaper?
A: All remote sensing techniques need to be validated with field observations, so weave validation into the proposed project. Tiered mentoring, where you teach a graduate student then they teach an undergraduate student, can also serve as a broader impact in a proposal.

Q: How do you obtain more experience while you're in a break between undergraduate and graduate degree programs?
A: Networking is key! Researchers may need to hire a technician that has basic science skills or is looking for an intern to complete work on a project. Everyone values initiative so it doesn't hurt to ask about opportunities.

Q: How do you deal with a lack of confidence in someone on your field team?
A: Work on getting a sense for your teammates knowledge and skills before going in the field then incrementally build trust. Ultimately, you need to listen to your instincts and not let ego get in the way because 'no data point is worth your life'.

Q: What do you have to consider when planning fieldwork if you are bringing an inexperienced teammate?
A: Define responsibilities, expectations, and a work schedule for each teammate before going into the field so that you can be proactive and make sure everyone does their part. At each step, make sure you identify any potential problems and look for a way out because you don't want to get trapped in a situation for which you are not well prepared. Similarly, make sure your teammates know the risks and are comfortable telling you when they feel unsafe or unprepared. Also try to slowly build confidence in your teammates and let them know it's alright to take a break to add layers, get a drink of water, tend to a blister, etc. because otherwise these small problems can lead to much bigger issues. A good leader may sometimes need to lead by example, such as asking to stop and take a drink or eat a snack to show others that breaks are totally acceptable when necessary.

Q: How do you find good field assistants and how to you build their confidence?
A: If you can conduct interviews, present them with some worst-case scenarios in order to gauge their ability to handle difficult situations. Know what you need before trying to make any decisions on team members because you never want to be in the situation where you are the only person that can perform a specific task but you cannot complete it for some reason. Also, be sure that you pick people that are interested in the science, not just being outdoors because that will really help with motivation.

Q: Do you recommend survival training courses?
A: Yes! CH2MHILL Polar Services (CPS for short) offers survival courses that are really worth the initial financial investment. If you're going to Antarctica, you will be expected to complete the 'Happy Camper' course, which will provide you with some basic skills.

Q: How do you deal with gender inequality issues?
A: It doesn't hurt to ask to get the same opportunities as other teammates because sometimes bias is unconscious. If you still encounter problems or don't want to say anything while in the field, try your best to cope with the problems while in the field and present the issues after the field campaign. Be persistent and 'pleasantly' assertive and people will often realize your ideas are important and will eventually be more supportive. However, don't be afraid to admit your limits: you can get yourself into a dangerous situation if you are not physically capable but refuse to admit you need help.

Q: What do you do if you keep getting looked-over and you need some initial experience to get your foot in the door?
A: As the leader of a field campaign, you can include an inexperienced team member and give them some small/easy duties initially until they build the correct set of knowledge and skillscd needed for a more difficult role on the team. If the fieldwork will not be dangerous or life threatening, you can always find a simple task for someone that will give them the initial experience they need. Undergraduate students can also participate in a research experience for undergraduates (REU) program that will help develop basic field skills.

APECS cryo mentor panel picAGU 2013: Cryosphere Career Development Mentor Panel & Pub Networking Event
December 12, 2013 from 6-7pm
Moscone South Mezzanine room 270-274, San Francisco, CA

There are many challenges faced by early-career polar scientists as they transition from their graduate studies to private-sector, government, or academic jobs. This panel discussion addressed the exciting career opportunities and challenges faced by scientists who study various aspects of the Cryosphere through a question and answer session with four panelists at various stages of their careers both within and outside of academia.

The panelists included (from left to right in the photo) Dr. Jennifer Kay (National Center for Atmospheric Research), Lynn Yarmey (National Snow and Ice Data Center), Dr. Gwenn Flowers (Simon Fraser University), and Dr. Ryan Neely (National Center for Atmospheric Research).

This event was made possible through a partnership between the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) and the AGU Cryosphere Focus Group. We extend our thanks to the partner organizations and panelists: this event would not have been successful without your participation and support!

After the panel, the evening of discussion and networking was continued at the nearby John Colins pub. We thank the AGU Cryosphere Focus Group for providing pizza for the panel attendees during the pub networking event, which helped prolong the post-panel networking and provided the early-career panel attendees with an opportunity to interact with the panelists in a casual setting.

Key Tips/General Advice
1) Don't judge what you do and do not want to do for your career at the end of your PhD because you'll be exhausted and worn-out and you may need to take some time to recover. If you take time off, you can simply list years rather than months and years in your CV in order to fill the gap time.
2) At the end of your PhD and/or while appointed as a post doctoral researcher, apply for all the jobs that you would actually want, even if they may seem like a bit of a stretch because the employee may think of you for a job in the future.
3) Have something to say to each person that you meet with during an interview. It's totally acceptable to keep a 'cheat sheet' with talking points.

Questions & Answers (summarized)
Q: Did you consider working in the private sector/industry? Do you know of opportunities outside of academia?
A: The National Science Foundation hires consultants for polar field services that are engaged in the Arctic but are not necessarily carrying-out science. In general, IT and consulting companies will recruit people with transferrable skills (like remote sensing, programming, etc.) but may not otherwise have a background in the specific services that the company provides. If you have a background in instrument design, you can either start your own company or look for work at instrumentation corporations that value the scientific approach to problem solving.

Q: What about non-profit organizations? Do you know of anyone who works for one or of any organizations that are interested in polar scientists?
A: Although Arctic research needs to engage local communities, there are few non-profit organizations that fill that niche, leaving the door open for people interested in developing their own non-profit polar community outreach organization. Polar Bears International (http://www.polarbearsinternational.org/) works toward educating people about polar bears and climate change.

Q: How do you learn/develop data management and grant writing skills?
A: Seek mentorship from either your advisor or other successful scientists and ask to participate in writing a proposal (or part thereof). You want to gain proposal writing experience when it is low-stakes, meaning your job doesn't depend on the proposal getting funded. Reviewing other proposals can also be helpful so ask to review proposals written by your peers or volunteer to serve on a panel review for a funding agency. Data management skills can also be developed through training courses on data curation offered by university libraries or online tutorials.

Q: What is the current outlook on government funding?
A: There is a continued, growing interested in climate change and polar regions so funding opportunities will not totally disappear but you need to make the most out of the limited opportunities that are available. You can also apply to receive funding from private organizations that are invested in the environment and the impacts of climate change.

Q: How do you decide when to apply for a faculty position?
A: You should be confident that you will be able to conduct your own research, but if you really want a job, it doesn't hurt to apply for it even if you do not feel totally prepared because a forward-thinking place will give you extra time to develop (e.g., delay start time to complete a post doc appointment). It's important to keep in mind that the timing of job applications is different in the US (fall to winter) and Europe (spring) so make sure you are looking for opportunities at the right time.

Q: What goes into a job application in academia?
A: Put together research and teaching statements and your CV. Compile some publications that highlight your work. Ask if people that can serve as good referees can write you letters of recommendation and fill them in on the details of each job so they can tailor the letters accordingly. Write a cover letter for each job that is specifically tailored to that job (i.e., how you meet their qualifications and needs). If you have to submit publications, include why you think they are important to the scientific community. If applying to a job in Europe, you may be asked to write a personal statement asking you to evaluate yourself (tip: initially write it in the third-person then go back and change all references to yourself to 'I's).

Q: Can you give some insight on the tenure process?
A: If you have been working hard, get funding, mentor students, teach, etc., you have already been preparing yourself for success. In this case, a large amount of stress is self-imposed and you really shouldn't worry too much in advance.

Q: How do you balance your responsibilities at a current position while looking for another job?
A: Be sure to clarify expectations with your current supervisor because each supervisor will have a different opinion regarding whether you can work on application materials at work. If you ask your boss for a letter of recommendation, they will know you are applying, so it is best to define expectations in advance.

Q: How do you handle reference letters? How much information should you tell your referees about the job? How many referees should you have lined-up?
A: Ask for letters from potential referees well in advance of deadlines. Once a referee has an initial letter prepared for you, it doesn't take them much work to modify the letter for each job. When you ask for them to write a letter for a specific job, include a draft of your CV (at the least) and other application materials as you feel fit. Ask for letters from numerous referees that will all write you strong letters. If you start a new job, you don't necessarily have to get a letter from your current supervisor because they may not know you and your work well enough to write a strong letter. Try to get letters from referees at multiple institutes, however, the strength of the letter is paramount so don't select someone just to add diversity.

apecs logo webnorden logoThe APECS Nordic Workshop Committee is excited to announce that registration for the 2-day APECS workshop “Connecting Early Career Researchers and Community-driven Research in the North”, 7-8 April 2014 hosted at the 2014 Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) in Helsinki, Finland is now posted to the APECS Nordic Workshop webpage!

To register for the workshop, please to go the APECS Nordic Workshop Registration Form. We encourage registration of early career researchers, indigenous youth and elders, polar scientists and experts, particularly those working in Nordic countries. Registration is free and will be open until 15 February 2014!!

The workshop organizers have a limited amount of travel funding available for workshop participants provided by the generous support of several Travel Award Sponsors.  Please see the eligibility criteria and other important information on those Travel Awards. Eligible participants who meet the funding criteria are able to apply for funding through the APECS Nordic Workshop Registration Form. Application deadline for the travel funding is 19 January 2014!

Please note:The workshop organizers are applying for more travel funding to cover travel and accommodation costs of workshop participants. More sponsors will be added over the coming months. If you currently don’t meet the Travel Award criteria and still want to be put on a waiting list for Travel Awards as more become available, please also fill out the Travel Award application part of the Workshop registration by 19 January 2014!

Workshop Information

The APECS Workshop "Connecting Early Career Researchers and Community-Driven Research in the North" is part of the APECS Nordic Project "Bridging Polar Early Career Researchers and Indigenous Peoples in Nordic Countries" funded in part by the Nordic Council of Ministers (Norden). The workshop will bring together key stakeholders including mentors and experts and Early Career Researchers and Indigenous peoples, youth and local expert representatives among indigenous peoples, senior scientists, key representatives of international organizations and other media. Please visit the workshop website for a draft agenda and more information! Results from the workshop will be summarized and compiled into a report and translated into Norwegian, Swedish, Russian, Sami and Danish and made available on the APESC Nordic webpage.

Workshop participants are also encourage to attend parts of the Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) 2014 and the Arctic Observing Summit. Registration for both is available here 

We look forward to seeing you at the APECS Nordic Workshop!

Please visit the APECS Nordic Project website for more information and contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with questions. 

The inaugural APECS Canada - ArcticNet Student Assocation Award was awarded to Eric Loring from Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) during the ArcticNet Annual Science meeting banquet on Thrusday, December 12th, 2013. Jennifer Provencher, representing both APECS Canada and the ASA introduced the award to the crowd.

APECS ASA Award 2013 Winner small

Eric was presented his award by two long term APECS and ASA mentors (Lisa Loseto and Nikolaus Gantner) whom Eric has helped support, inspire and enable to work in polar science over the years. As a token of appreciation Eric was given a book that had been made from collected images and messges from students and colleagues he has worked with throughout his career.

APECS ASA Award 2013 Award small

Nomninations are now open for the 2014 mentor award. Please visit here to find out more.

APECS Canada had a very successful networking event at ArcticNet Annual Science Meeting in 2013. The event was held at the Economy Sho Shop in Halifax, just down the road from the conference centre. Mentors and mentees played polar bingo, and all finished cards were entered into a draw to win a prize. David Scott from the Canadian Polar Comission was called upon to help organisers JS Moore, Ann Balasubramaniam and Jennifer Provencher pull the winning cards.

Dave Scott helps out

Each winning card was given a prize! A chocoloate animal from the north pole!

prize winner

These prizes also showed how much work we still have to do in educating people about polar animals! A bear, a walrus and a penguin?

north pole animals

As a special treat the group was treated to some throat singing by Beckie Mearns and Kerri. Throat singing Inuit style was new to many in the crowd. The spontaneous performance ended with a group song that had everyone in the venue helping out. What a treat!

throat singing

A great night was had by all, and we hope to see again next year in Ottawa.

AntarcticaDayLogoOn 1 December, APECS helped Our Spaces - Foundation for the Good Governance of International Spaces, Polar Educators International, PolarTREC, the International Polar Foundation, Gateway Antarctica, the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators, eBIRD and the British Antarctic Survey to celebrate Antarctica Day 2013! There were lots of activities and events organised by our APECS Education and Outreach Committee, several APECS National Committees, and members from around the world! Watch out for their reports in the next few weeks on the news pages of the APECS website on how they celebrated Antarctica Day. If you want to find out more about how APECS contributed, go to our Antarctica Day page.

Since it was Antarctica Day this month, I thought I'll highlight a great resource that was developed by a long-term partner and sponsor of APECS, the Norwegian Polar Institute here in Tromsø, Norway:

quantarctica logoNPI logo engQuantarctica: A free GIS package for Antarctica

Quantarctica is a collection of Antarctic geographical datasets which works with the free, open-source software Quantum GIS. It currently includes geography, glaciology and geophysics data, and will expand with contributions from the research community. It is free for non-commercial use, such as research, education, and operation in Antarctica. Development on a public version started in 2012, and the first version was released in 2013.

So go check it out at www.quantarctica.org!

IMG 0652 LROn November 29th thirteen members of APECS Belgium gathered in the Belspo offices in Brussels to celebrate Antarctica Day. The morning started with all members introducing themselves to each other and to newcomers. The group, consisting of physicists, glaciologists, biologists, biogeochemists, a meteorologist and a few earth science professionals, was a good representation of the broad diversity in polar research disciplines Belgium is specialised in.

Morning presentations were held by Matthias Vraeghe and Sam De Ridder, who explained about the detection of neutrinos and cosmic rays by the IceCube neutrino observatory (http://icecube.wisc.edu/). Kristof Van Tricht presented his research on remote sensing of polar low elevation clouds in Greenland and Antarctica, and the morning session was closed by glaciologist Denis Callens, who gave us an overview of how ice fluxes in Dronning Maud Land are being investigated in the framework of global warming.

Additionally, two posters were presented, respectively dealing with paleoclimate and density calculations from ice cores (Morgane Phillippe), and Carbon and Nitrogen uptake rates in sea ice from East-Antarctic sites (Arnaud Laurent).

In the afternoon, past activities were evaluated in the context of ongoing and planned projects. Anton Van de Putte gave an extensive update about an exhibition that is planned in collaboration with the Belgian project “the New Belgica” (www.newbelgica.be), and final decisions were taken before the launch (http://apecs.is/news-feeds/apecs-news/6403-launch-of-a-story-contest-for-students-from-the-5th-and-6th-grade-in-belgium) of the Belspo-funded story contest for teachers and students. Finally, good progress was also made in the establishment of a legal framework for APECS in Belgium.

StoryContestBelgium

On December 1st, APECS Belgium and the Belgian Science Policy Office (Belspo) launced a story contest for students of the 5th and 6th grade. This is done to celebrate 'Antarctica Day', because on this day in 1959, the Antarctic Treaty was signed, dedicating the Antarctic continent to peacefull and scientific purposes only. 

The idea behind the story contest is that students pick one of the 22 pictures as inspiration (some picutres are shown here on the left) and then get creative and write a 2-3 pages long story. A jury composed of young scientists and the Antarctica programme manager from Belspo will pick the 10 best stories in Dutch and the 10 best stories in French and collect them in a book. All participating schools will receive a printed book and the winning schools will also get a visit from a polar scientist. 

Deadline is 14 February 2014!

 

 

 

Arctic Frontiers Logo new 2013apecs logo webThe Arctic Frontiers 2014 conferencewill be in Tromsø, Norway, from 19 - 24 January 2014 with the theme "Humans in the Arctic". APECS is again a partner of the conference this year and one of the main contributor to its Young Scientist Forum activities. We are planning several activities in cooperation with Arctic Frontiers during the week of the conference so those of you who are planning to attend Arctic Frontiers 2014 keep watching our Arctic Frontiers pageor go directly to the Young Scientist Forum. Here is what is planned so far:

a) Science Communication and Media Training Workshop on 19 January

Communicating science to a variety of audiences is an important skill all researchers have to learn. Whether you want to tweet about your current research project, give a talk to peers at a scientific conference, give an interview for the media or explaining your research to a school class, science communication is part of a researchers' everyday life. This workshop led by the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) in partnership with Arctic Frontiers and the University of Tromsø will introduce participants to learning how to effectively communicate their science focusing on two main parts:

  • Media Training: This part will introduce participants to insights on how to communicate their science to the media. It will also introduce them to the work of journalists, how they find a good scientific story and how they condense the complicated scientific research into a form that is understandable to the general public.
  • Using Social Media and Other Creative Ways to Communicate your Research: Using Twitter and other Social Media are fun and effective ways to communicate your research. In this part of the workshop we will be talking about how you can do this and what possibilities are out there.

Registration for the workshop is open and you can register at on our Arctic Frontiers page and through the conference registration system. Please note that participation is limited to 35 participants and so please register as soon as possible!

b) Networking Reception "Arctic Games"

APECS is again teaming up with the Fram Centre and Arctic Frontiers to organise an "Arctic Games" networking reception on 21 January at 19:00! You can register for the reception via the conference registration system. Attendence is included in most conference packages. We hope to see many of you there!

c) School Outreach Events on 22 and 23 January

APECS is organising together with the Science Centre of Northern Norway (Nordnorsk Vitensenter Tromsø) and Arctic Frontiers two outreach sessions for schools in Tromsø. 

d) Funding Panel on 24 January

Want to learn more about possibel sources for funding your research? APECS is organising a Funding Panel on 24 January from 13:00 - 15:00. Anyone is welcome to join us!

e) Poster Awards for Early Career Researchers 

APECS is also organising the poster awards for the conference! So keep in mind when you are presenting a poster, that all posters of early career researchers are eligible to win an award!

If you have questions about any of the above events and activities, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

We're looking forward to seeing some of you in Tromsø in January!

Interact logoOn the other side of the fence...

Earlier in the year I was given the amazing opportunity to sit on the INTERACT Transnational Access (TA) Board as an APECS representative.

Transnational Access is an EU (FP7) funded programme which enables researchers to get their travel and accommodation costs covered for visits to Arctic research stations and have free use of the station facilities for the duration of their stay. This allows groups to conduct fieldwork that might not otherwise have been able to afford it.

The job of the TA board is to make a scientific evaluation of all the applications and then make a list of projects recommended for TA. The research stations then decide which projects to fund based on the recommendations and practical considerations such as the number of beds free. I quickly realized that all the projects sounded very exciting and in an ideal world all would have been funded. Unfortunately INTERACT, like any funding body, has a limited amount of money. How to compare projects across such a wide variety of disciplines? How to compare projects written by a master's student versus a professor? Answer: by reading, grading, and then discussing them all. A lot of work, but it meant that the recommendations were based on a collective decision.

Now I have a much better appreciation of the tough job reviewers have when faced with lots of high-quality applications. Here are three things I will definitely be bearing in mind next time I write a funding application:
- Abstract: The most important sentences in the whole proposal. Needs to give the wider relevance and the specific aims of the project.
- Methods: Need to be sufficiently detailed to convince someone not in your field that it'll work.
- Do literature homework: one of the big issues was people not being aware of others' work.

Summer 2014 will be the last season of fieldwork funded through INTERACT, but plans are afoot for INTERACT II! Look out for it and apply!

APECS Canada Logo webAPECS Canada is happy to present a new series that we hope will entertain and intrigue you (not to mention educate you about polar science!). "Did you know" will be a series posted that shares interesting fun facts about polar research in Canada.

All "Did you know" notes will be sent out via the APECS Canada mailing list, as well as posted on the APECS Canada website.. 

"Did you know" facts is a member driven initiavitve, so if you would like to contribute in order to get your discipline featured or highlighted please contact Jennifer Provencher (jennifpro at gmail.com) or Ann Balasubramaniam (annbala at gmail.com).

CSPC LogoThis week APECS had the opportunity to take part in the Canadian Science Policy Conference. The Canadian Science Policy Conference (CSPC) brought together approximately 300 people, including researchers, students, science administrators, science policy analysts and elected officials from all three levels of government. Several themes permeated the conference workshops, panels and discussions.

 The most prevalent topic at the CPSC this year was the relationship between science and industry. Several panels focused on how science and industry need to be more integrated, both when it comes to training graduate students, and in fostering research together. What to do with ‘big data’ was a large and popular session that many people took part in. Large data sets and how to store them and keep them safe is a problem across disciplines and departments.

 Another theme that several sessions touched upon was science communication. Science within classrooms, and general science communication was discussed. The general consensus focused around the need for more communication on all levels to increase public science literacy and support for evidence based decision making. Several successful programs were highlighted, and a new Canadian network of science blogs (Science borealis; scienceborealis.ca) was unveiled during the meeting.

Both the state of the PhD (and the glut of post-docs) in Canada and how we can move towards more diversity within the realm of research were both allotted their own sessions, and were themes discussed throughout the conference. Most discussions within these two realms resulted in how high level policy changes may be needed to balance and manage 1) how academia prepares PhDs for a more broad set of jobs after completing their degree, and 2) how increased diversity in research is still very much needed, specifically in regards to women.

APECS Canada Logo webLastly, I had the opportunity to represent both APECS and the APECS Canada National Committee on a panel discussing “Is Canada able to meet its needs for research and innovation on northern issues, given that it does not have graduate programs situated in the three Canadian territories?” (http://www.cspc2013.ca/p20-canada-able-meet-its-needs-research-and-innovation-northern-issues-given-it-does-not-have). This session included representatives the Yukon Government, the Northwest Territories government, the Nunavut Arctic College, the Yukon College, ArcticNet, the Association of Universities of Northern Studies (ACUNS), and the Association of Polar Early Career Representatives (APECS). Our panel discussed the needs of early career researchers in the north, how these needs were being met, and how the creation of graduate programs in the north may help facilitate the development of skilled workers in the north that are in great demand.

 To learn more about the discussion, you can hear from of the panelists viewpoints here at the conference website (http://www.cspc2013.ca/).

Hi APECS members,

If you (like tens of thousands fellow geoscientists) are going to the AGU Fall Meeting coming up in just a few weeks, I wanted to bring to your attention a few things which might be or interest:

1) Polar Outreach Opportunity
2) Cryosphere Career Development Mentor Panel and Pub Meet-up
3) AGU Opportunities

1) Polar Outreach Opportunity
On Sunday, December 8 2013 (1:00-5:00 pm, Moscone South Rooms 103-104), as part of the AGU Exploration Station, APECS will be hosting a booth - a wonderful opportunity to engage in outreach to future polar scientists! Other polar science and education organizations will have booth right next to APECS', too!

How can you participate? You can volunteer some of your time (you don't have to stay the whole four hours!) at the booth to take questions from children and their families in our "Ask A Scientist" segment, show off your Arctic/Antarctic gear or instrumentation, share you fieldwork photos and stories, or demonstrate a simple experiment.

Can't make it to AGU or just to the booth? Feel free to send in your photos from the field to be displayed at the booth. Pictures of landscapes, animals, scientists in action, or instrumentation are all welcome and appreciated from either pole.

If you want to participate or have any questions, contact Sara Strey at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. All career stages welcome and no experience necessary. We looking forward to seeing you in San Francisco!

2) Cryosphere Career Development Mentor Panel and Pub Meet-up
Moscone South Mezzanine room 270-274, Thursday 12 December 1800h-1900h
Join us for a panel discussion by experts in polar science and the cryosphere!

The discussion will address the exciting career opportunities and challenges faced by scientists who study these frozen realms. The panel members are at various stages of their careers both within and outside of university settings. Dr. Jennifer Kay (NCAR), Dr. Gwenn Flowers (Simon Fraser University), Lynn Yarmey (NSIDC), Dr. Von Walden (University of Idaho) and a few others will provide their insight and experiences. The floor will be open for a moderated conversation on any aspect of careers in polar science that interests the audience. This event is held in partnership between the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) and the Cryosphere Focus Group of the American Geophysical Union.

After the panel, we will be continuing the evening of discussion, pizza, and networking at the nearby pub John Collins (138 Minna Street) from 1930h-2100h. Join us there even if you can't make the panel. We welcome the attendance of those at all career stages!

3) AGU Opportunities
There are a TON of great opportunities offered by AGU that you should look in to - don't be scared away by the onslaught of information! Student events, seminars, workshops, and more - do your research and it will make for a much better fall meeting.

One event you should check out (new this year) is an initiative called the Thriving Earth Exchange - they are doing a live session where communities and scientists interact to find geoscience solutions to real community problems: http://t.co/05zLw90cbw

skypeMaria Comandolli Lira School (Rondonia, Brazil) has been participating in the International Polar Weeks since September 2012. With APECs-Brazil and APECS-Spain, this School has been developing the project "The Amazon goes to the Arctic and Antarctica" idealized by Núbia Caramello (APECs-Brazil: Coordinator of Education and Outreach). As part of this project, teleconferences with researchers from Rio de Janeiro (APECs-Brazil), APECS Portugal and Spain have taken place, helping the kids understand the importance of local preservation. 

SBTIn 2013 (August 28 to September 1), the Second Symposium on Water Resources and the First International Polar Seminar in the Amazon held in Rondonia, had the participation of APECS Vice-secretary - Spain (Francyne Elias-Piera) and Secretary of APECs-Brazil ( Elaine Alves ), spreading APECS word also on radio and on TV.

A talk on the Exploitation of Natural Resources in Antarctica, including water, was given ​​for the diverse audience of the symposium (researchers , political leaders, children, farmers and people of the community). About 200 people took part every day during the 05 days of the event.

During the Polar Seminar, the President of APECs-Brazil (Erli S. Costa), members of APECS (Miriam Hebling Almeida ) and APECS Portugal researchers (Jose Xavier, João Canario and Sílvia Lourenço) also took part actively giving presentations via teleconference. The presentation themes were: "A brief history of APECS", "Life in a Polar Boat" and "How is a polar researcher born?", and were presented by APECS members.

The members of APECS-Spain and APECS-Brazil also talked about the activities of the association in FACIMED (Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Cacoal - Rondonia ) encouraging Biology, Chemistry and Environmental Management students to become young polar researchers.

Now, for Antarctica Day, about 3 schools in Rondonia will be taking part.

Trabalho 1trabalho 2

APECS Canada is pleased to announce its start of 2013-2014 Webinar Series. Each webinar will last approximately one hour and will be broadcast online using the GoToWebinar platform. APECS Canada looks forward to your participation!

A Data Sharing Model from the IASOA Consortium: The Scientist-Centered Approach

When: December 3,3:00 pm Est Time

Webinar registration link: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/533427889

Webinar ID: 533427889 + https://www2.gotomeeting.com/island/login.tmpl

What the Meta with other peoples’ Data?  If you have had problems finding the data you need or effectively using the data you find, this webinar is for you.  The International Arctic Systems for Observing the Atmosphere (IASOA) has listened closely to its science community to design an effective data access portal for flagship Arctic atmospheric observatories.  This portal uses a transparent place-based inventory of datasets from observatories around the Arctic, organized in terms our community understands.  We aim for the fewest clicks possible between our search engine and real data files.  Our approach to capturing dataset documentation (Metadata) is interoperable with relevant global archives and emphasizes non-duplication.  Even if you are not an atmospheric scientist, you will benefit from learning about this scientist-centered approach to effective dataset discovery and use.  Our system is constantly evolving.  Please join us and share your data searching pet peeves with us!

The APECS Nordic project, funded by Norden, is pleased to announce that the Nordic Database is now live! Found on the APECS Research page, the APECS Nordic Database is an online resource where researchers and northern indigenous community members and community researchers can search and connect with each other about Nordic research. Check out the database, add your name and research interests, search for local research partners or connect with others researching your topic or geographical region.

The APECS Webinar series is also now underway. Check out the 3 upcoming APECS Nordic Webinars on November 13, 20 and 27.  The first 3 webinars have been widely attended and well received by participants. Visit the APECS Nordic Webinars website for information on the upcoming schedule of speakers, and for the links to past webinar recordings. 

For more the latest information about the project, visit the project website. Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with any questions. 

This month I would like to highlight the upcoming Arctic Frontiers 2014 conference here in Tromsø, Norway, from 19 - 24 January 2014 with the theme "Humans in the Arctic". APECS is again a partner of the conference this year and one of the main contributor to its Young Scientist Forum activities. We are planning several activities in cooperation with Arctic Frontiers during the week of the conference so those of you who are planning to attend Arctic Frontiers 2014 keep watching our Arctic Frontiers page or go directly to the Young Scientist Forum. Here is what is planned so far:

  • a Science Communication and Media Training Workshop on 19 January
  • a fun Networking Reception "Arctic Games" organised together with the Fram Centre in Tromsø.
  • a "Finding Funding and Proposal Writing" Workshop on 24 January

Registration for the Science Communication and Media Training Workshop will start this week and space is limited. So make sure to sign up quickly if you want to attend. To register for the workshop please go to the APECS Arctic Frontierspage. All other events are open to anyone interested!

APECS is also organising the poster awards for the conference! So keep in mind when you are presenting a poster, that all posters of early career researchers are eligible to win an award!

For those of you needing financial support to attend the conference, Arctic Frontiers is offering a limited amount of funding to support the participation and accommodation for young researchers attending the conference. To apply for funding you need to have an abstract (oral or poster presentation) accepted at the conference. Applications should include you name, affiliation and a short CV and sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

I'm looking forward to seeing some of you here in January!

The coordinator of APECS Sweden, Ylva Sjöberg, got the amazing opportunity to go to the North Pole to participate in the Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch Relay. Each of the 8 arctic council states got the invite to send one representative for the relay. Sweden decided that they wanted to send an early career polar scientist and contacted Ylva. The expedition participants left Murmansk on the nuclear icebreaker 50 let Pobedy on October 15 and reached the North Pole on a record 91 hours later, as the first expedition to reach the pole during the polar night. Onboard were polar scientists from 6 different countries, 3 Olympic medalists and a lot of media to cover the journey. During the trip the participants presented their work on the arctic and Ylva worked to make sure that no one missed the important role that the next generation of polar scientists will play and the importance of supporting them.

The North Pole ice under the full moon and a slight snow fall was absolutely beautiful. The silence of the place stood in stark contrast to the running camera teams during the relay of the flame from the ship to the ice. Well on the ice Arthur Chiligarov, the last torch bearer in the relay, lit the flame at the pole while Ylva and the other torch bearers gathered around waiving their flags. The ceremony was meant to show the international cooperation that exist in the arctic and the sensitivity of the arctic environment.

Ylva at North Pole VV IMG 0205 3

Ylva receives the flame from Canadian Torch Bearer Steven Podborski. Photo: Valery Vasilevskiy

Ylva at North Pole VV IMG 9850 4

50 Let Pobedy parked at the North Pole for the Olympic Torch Relay. Photo: Valery Vasilevskiy

Ylva at North Pole YS DSC02280 5

Group photo of Torch Bearers. From left: Steve Podborski (Canada), Ylva Sjöberg (Sweden), Lassi Heininen (Finland), Jan-Gunnar Winther (Norway), Elena Kudryashova (Russia), Pat Pitney (USA), Steingrimur Jonsson (Iceland), Christian Marcussen (Denmark). Photo: Valery Vasilevskiy

AntarcticaDayLogoAPECS, together with the Our Spaces - Foundation for the Good Governance of International Spaces, Polar Educators International, PolarTREC, the International Polar Foundation, Gateway Antarctica, the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operations, eBIRD and the British Antarctic Survey are once again proud to support Antarctica Day commemorations. This event was created to celebrate the spirit of international peace and scientific cooperation that signified the signing of the Antarctic Treaty in 1959.

Antarctica Day 2013is an international effort to disseminate knowledge about Antarctica and APECS is proud to help inspire a new generation of polar researchers. The day is for everyone, so take some time to celebrate with your co-workers, family and friends!

This year several events and classroom activities are happening and centered around Antarctic science and exploration. To see a list of activities for Antarctica Day 2013.

To include your support for Antarctica Day 2013 you can also insert your information in our map.

Continuing in the spirit of international cooperation, APECS, in conjunction with Our Spaces and Polar Educators International, are once again encouraging educators and their students from around the world to express their own knowledge, curiosity and amazement about Antarctica in the form of Antarctica Flags and Books.

Happy Antarctica Day 2013 from APECS!

2nd BeNeLux 1After the first edition in Ghent, Belgium last year, the APECS BeNeLux (Belgium-Netherlands-Luxembourg) symposium is becoming a tradition. On October 31st, the 2nd edition took place in the Hague, Netherlands and was organized by our colleagues Frigga Krusse and Libby Jones.

The general impression of our Belgian delegation: what a success! The extremely varied programme was received well by the 40 participants. This symposium had it all: a diverse group of speakers, as not only scientists were represented but also a conservator of a museum, policy makers, a high school teacher and even a high school student. Presentations by (keynote) speakers were followed by pitch poster presentations, Frostbytes and workshops on outreach and polar policy. Sufficient time for networking was available during breaks, lunch with milk, as Dutch tradition prescribes and the reception after the symposium.

Several people who were present at this symposium also attended the Dutch National Polar Symposium on the next day in The Hague, as this was all perfectly timed.

After this successful second edition, we look forward to the third edition, in 2014 in Luxembourg.

  2nd BeNeLux 22nd BeNeLux 3

apecs portugal final31st October 2012

APECS Portugal organized its fourth annual workshop last week in the University of Algarve in Faro, Portugal. Dedicated to “How to be a Polar Scientist”, we had with us 13 Portuguese earlier career scientists, 3 APECS Portugal mentors and 4 international guests. During the day we discussed science, communication and opportunities to do research in the Arctic and in the Antarctic regions.  We counted with the presence and communications of Alexandre Nieuwendam, president of PYRN, Iglika Trifonova vice president of APECS and APECS Bulgaria, Ylva Sjöberg from APECS Sweden, Dr. Mark Mallory Canada Research Chair in Coastal Wetland Ecosystems of Acadia University, and Dr. Hans-Otto Pörtner researcher in the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Germany (AWI).   

With main focus of the workshop being dedicated to how to communicate polar science to the society we had two brilliant talks about how to make our message pass through visually with Bruno Cruz that is a graphic designer and taught us how to do good poster. And another talk presented by José Xavier that presented the Educational projects that are being conducted by the scientists of Portuguese Polar program and APECS Portugal.  

The APECS Portugal workshop was a very successful. During a full day program, the young scientists present in the room have the change to know about the work of each other, discuss, create networking bonds, learned ways of improve their communication skills and plane future research future steps. Once again the APECS Portugal workshop was a success.

APECS Portugal Workshop 2013

We are happy to announce the APECS Council and Council subcommittee chairs for the 2013-2014 term!

The Council will be led by Michael Laiho and Vincent Carrier. Michael is a graduate student at the University of Lapland (Finland) who is interested in the relevance of Arctic governance for the European Union's energy policy. Vincent is a graduate student working at both Laval University (Canada) and the University Centre in Svalbard (Norway). He's studying the biogeography of pico- and nanoeukaryotes in different water columns around Svalbard. Michael and Vincent both have considerable experience working with other polar organizations and we look forward to the ideas they will bring to the Council this term.

The APECS Council also has three subcommittees: the Research Activities committee (RAC), the Membership Involvement committee (MIC) and the Education and Outreach committee (EOC). This year the RAC will be led by Ruth Hindshaw and Laura Fleming-Sharp. Ruth is a Marie Curie Fellow at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland (UK) and is interested in constraining how chemical weathering is affected by glaciation. Laura is a research/program assistant at the Arctic Studies Center (USA) and is also currently the main project coordinator for the APECS Nordic research project "Bridging Early Career Researchers and Indigenous Peoples in Nordic Countries" funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers (Norden). Both Ruth and Laura are new to the Council this year and we look forward to the fresh perspectives they will bring to the RAC. For the second year in a row, the MIC will be led by Ines Tavernier. Ines is currently the coordinator of the UGent Marine Sciences Center of Excellence (Belgium) and has done a wonderful job over the past year of coordinating with the many national committees within APECS. This year the EOC will be under the direction of Kristen Shake and Erli Costa. Kristen is a graduate student at Clark University (USA) interested in Arctic marine policy and Erli is a postdoctoral researcher at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) who studies Antarctic seabirds. Erli and Kristen both have a passion for science education and outreach, and have many ideas for new initiatives for the EOC.

To find out more information about our great new team you can check out their bios on the Council webpage. We are looking forward to seeing what great things this Council will do with our new chairs this term!

Please join me in welcoming our new chairs!

The Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) is pleased to announce its Fall 2013 Career Development Webinar Series, highlighting a sample of the career opportunities available to graduates with degrees in the sciences. The speakers in this series represent a cross-section of the worlds of academia, government, and non-profit work. All have (or are nearing completion of) advanced degrees in the earth, physical, or biological sciences. Many have polar connections.

Each webinar will begin with a brief introduction by the speaker, who will give a broad overview of his/her own career path, the challenges and rewards, the day-to-day experience, and the reasons for choosing this particular focus. After this introduction, a period of discussion will begin, in which audience members can ask questions of the speaker. Each webinar will last approximately one hour and will be broadcast online using the GoToWebinar platform. APECS looks forward to your participation!

This week we will have two webinars in that series:

Wednesday, 6 Nov, 12:00 noon GMT
Presenter: David Scott, Executive Director, Canadian Polar Commission
Title: "Government Official"

Thursday, 7 November, 16:00 GMT
Presenter: Michael Kerwin, Associate Professor, University of Denver
Title: "Academic Teaching"

If you are unsure about your time zone, you can look of up alternate time zones at http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html

To attend the webinar
Each webinar will be conducted using the GoToWebinar platform. To attend a webinar you just need your computer or smartphone, and an internet connection. A headset or headphones and a built-in microphone are recommended, but not essential. We are not using webcams or telephones, so you do not need a web cam or telephone to participate.

To reserve your webinar seat in the "Government Official" webinar on 6 November go to: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/837557753

To reserve your webinar seat in the "Academic Teaching" webinar on 7 November go to: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/894487241

Upcoming webinars:
This is just the first of a series on webinars on this topic. To view a full list of upcoming webinars go to our current career development webinar listings.

Sponsors:
GoToWebinar has been provided as an in-kind contribution from Bredbåndsfylket.

For questions or more information please visit our Career Development Webinar page or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

WCRP GC 2013 bannerThe WCRP (World Climate Research Program) set forth a series of grand challenges to address highly specific and highly focused topics that are critical to improving our progress in understanding the climate system. One of these challenges was the “Cryosphere in a Changing Climate”. To move the discussion of this concept forward, a workshop was held in Tromsø, Norway on 16-18 October 2013. The Climate and the Cryosphere Program (CliC), through APECS, provided support for a few early career scientists to participate in this workshop.

IMG 5074 smallAs one of these ECR participants, I assisted in managing the webcast as well as sharing workshop content on Twitter. I participated in the glaciology breakout sessions, shared two posters of my research work, and created a Frostbyte (vimeo.com/allenpope/landsat8). My participation in both sharing my work as well as helping with a minor part of the online sharing of the meeting gave me the opportunity to develop many helpful skills.

Additionally, I benefitted from the networking opportunities that the workshop provided. I connected with new colleagues with whom I might work in the future both scientifically and organizationally, re-connected with senior colleagues within glaciology, and benefitted from conversations with other early career researchers from around the world. Much of the group discussions benefitted from a collegial and a collaborative atmosphere, and the workshop was an interesting opportunity to observe and learn from where it very clearly worked.

I am very much looking forward to participating in some of the action points suggested by the workshop. A workshop report as well as recorded talks from the workshop will be available shortly on climate-cryosphere.org. Be sure to watch out for future opportunities available from APECS and CliC. Thanks again to WCRP, CliC, and APECS for making this opportunity happen for me.

Allen Pope
about.me/allenpope
Photo courtesy of Rob Massom

APECS French polar week photoAbout 600 students in 18 different schools participated in the second French Polar Week, which was organised between September 30 and October 4 by the recently created French national committee. Seven webinars allowed students to learn about polar regions, with topics ranging from biology to geopolitics.

Teachers were also invited to participate in a science & art activity about the Antarctic Food web, where students learned about the different species of the ecosystem, about the links between these species, and about the things that might affect krill abundance such as harvesting strategies or climate change. The students' drawings were compiled to create an image of the Antarctic ecosystem. 

French-speaking APECS members interested in E&O activities are invited to contact APECS-France at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

We are pleased to invite you to participate in Antarctic glaciology webinar highlighting recent glaciological studies in Antarctica on 5 November 2013 at 16:00 GMT.

Presentations and speakers are:

Holocene glacial history of the Weddell Sea: the record in the ice rise
Neil Ross | Lecturer in Physical Geography, University of Newcastle, UK

Weakening contract between ice shelves and ice rises caused by fracture
Christopher Borstad | Post Doc, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, USA

Pine Island Glacier Ice Shelf: Bathymetry and Ice Thickness
Kiya Riverman | Penn State University, USA

Geologic control of Whillans Ice Stream grounding lines and the Crary Ice Rise, inferred from ground-based gravity measurements
Atsuhiro Muto | Penn State University, USA

This webinar is a follow up of the first International Workshop on Antarctic Ice Rises held in Tromsø late August this year, with support from the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), Climate and Cryosphere Project (CliC), Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), British Antarctic Survey and Norwegian Polar Institute’s Center for Ice, Climate and Ecosystems. Presentation video, slides, posters and Frostbytes are available on the workshop web-site: http://www.climate-cryosphere.org/meetings/past-meetings/ice-rises-2013

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PRACTICAL INFORMATION:

Date and Time: Tuesday, 5 November 2013 at 16:00 GMT (18:00 CET)

Check your time zones at:http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html

TO RESERVE A SPOT FOR THE WEBINAR

To reserve a spot in the webinar, please follow the link:https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/394912104

TO ATTEND THE WEBINAR

To attend a webinar a computer or smartphone and an internet connection are needed. A headset or headphones and a built-in microphone are recommended but not required. Webcams and telephones will not be used in the presentations and are not needed to participate.

GoToWebinar has been provided as an in-kind contribution from Bredbåndsfylket.

For questions, please email:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. orThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  

"Bridging the Gap: Indigenous, Social and Natural Science Perspectives on Research Relationships in Nordic Countries"

Wednesday, 23 October 2013 at 17 GMT
Presented by:
  • Gail Fondahl, President of the International Arctic Social Sciences Association, University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC), Canada
  • Gunhild Rosqvist, Tarfala Research Station, Stockholm University, Sweden
During the webinar we will also share indigenous perspectives about science communication followed by a discussion and Question and Answer session.
 
The webinar is intended to highlight the main communication challenges faced by natural scientists, as well as social scientists, in their community-based research efforts. As well, it seeks to highlight Indigenous perspectives on how to open a successful dialogue and begin to overcome challenges.
 
In this webinar, you will be introduced to the fundamental issues that can hinder cross-communication between social scientists, natural scientists and members of indigenous communities in Nordic regions. When communication is compromised, relevant knowledge and evidence from indigenous sources can be left out of scientific considerations, and the validity of findings can be compromised in turn. Climate change is a problem that impacts us all, so it is essential to start working together to find solutions we can share.
 
To reserve your webinar seat go to: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/189479544
 
Upcoming webinars: 
This is just the first of a series on webinars on this topic. To view a full list of upcoming webinars go to the Project's webpage.

The X International Polar Week and the I Workshop on Career Development occurred between 17 and 20 September 2013 at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro, and RJ, BRAZIL. There were two round tables, 5 lectures, 6 oral presentations and 14 short courses with an average of 12 participants per course.

foto abertura 2013

We rely on presence by over 100 people in the four-day event all together with 80 teachers and 6000 students that could virtually participated via live streaming. We also found that more than 7300 people have been reached by APECS-Brazil website (www.apecsbrasil.com) and fan-page on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/APECSBrasil) where we posted pictures of the activities performed during the event. It means that an average of 1,800 people per event day followed the information published by the website and Facebook, which was used as a mean support for dissemination the activities. We had over 20 schools throughout Brazil (from the Amazon to the Rio Grande do Sul) involved in these activities. The recorded lectures during the X SPI and I WDC will be edited and distributed to participating schools and for schools that did not access the virtual activities due to technical problems. The abstract book is available on http://www.apecsbrasil.com/news/lrxspi-iwdc/.

On the last day of the event the Association of Ocean and Pole Early Career Researchers and Educators (APECS-Brazil) was made official with the presentation of the Foundation Act and the Statute of the Association.

As additional products a lecture on the Graduate Program in Education, management and science divulgation was made by Ma Ines Tavernier from Belgium, two additional virtual lectures by prof. Dr Jose Xavier to schools in Rio Grande do Sul, five lectures in schools in São Paulo (Dr Jose Xavier, Dr Sandra Freiberger, Ma Francyne Piera) and a lecture attendance in school in Rio de Janeiro (Dr Jose Xavier, Dr. Schneider Erli Costa, Ma Elaine Alves). Dr Jose Xavier also presented two lectures during the Brazilian Symposium on Antarctic Research in São Paulo, Dr Fernanda Quaglio presented APECS-Brazil during this event. The work during the Polar Week activities in the Amazon has been presented by Ma Francyne Elias Piera. Because of all those information’s, all the objectives and proposals set out by the event were fully achieved.

APECS is proud to announce the launching of a research initiative funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers (Norden). The project, "Bridging Early Career Researchers and Indigenous Peoples in Nordic Countries" is a 14-month research project that will identify ways to enhance engagement between early career researchers (ECRs) and Indigenous peoples and Northern community members in Nordic regions

Leveraging the collaborative, education and outreach experience of APECS, this research initiative seeks to address research collaboration challenges for early career researchers and indigenous peoples, particularly in a context of increasing climate change across the Nordic Polar regions. As stated during the Indigenous Peoples' Global Summit on Climate Change in Anchorage (2009) "Indigenous Peoples have an important role to play in addressing climate change through their knowledge, experience and rights over land and development...however, this contribution has been largely ignored". This is often a result of the communication gap between researchers and Indigenous peoples. Better incorporation of this knowledge into Arctic research in Nordic countries as well as effective and meaningful communication between Indigenous and Northern residents with researchers is crucial.

There will be multiple ways for you to get involved in this project:

- join a webinar in our upcoming webinar series for the project featuring key Nordic researchers and Sami leaders starting on October 23

- take part in the online survey aimed at early career researchers and indigenous peoples in Nordic countries

- add your name to our database for early career researchers and indigenous people in Nordic countries to connect with each other

- join us for a 2-day workshop on at the Arctic Science Summit Week 2014 in Helsinki, Finland on 7 / 8 April 2014

- if you are living in the Nordic countries, join one of our APECS national committees and help working towards an APECS Nordic network

Stay tuned to the APECS website for updates and more information!

For the latest information on the project, visit the project website. Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with any questions.

Gerlis FugmannHello from beautiful and snowy Tromsø! As you know, October brought not only a change in the APECS Executive Committee and Council, but this year as well in the APECS International Directorate. Since 1 October, I have officially taken over the position of APECS Director and have been getting settled here at the Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economic at the University of Tromsø. I'm very excited to work with all of you in the coming years and hope to get to know many of you at various conferences and meetings. And if you come to Tromsø, make sure to visit our office! You can get a hold of me at any time at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have any questions or want to know how to get involved in APECS.

This month, I've decided to highlight once again the generous sponsors that make the APECS International Directorate Office and my new position possible:

  • The Research Council of Norway promotes basic and applied research and innovation in order to help meet research needs within society. It also works actively to encourage international research cooperation. Underlying all the Research Council's activities is the viewpoint that research expands the boundaries of what we know, understand and can achieve. Research adds cultural resonance to society and creates a viable framework for welfare, value creation and sustainable development, Through its efforts as an advisory body on research strategy issues, a research funding agency and initiator of meeting places and networks, the Research Council seeks to meet and constantly refine the objectives for Norwegian research policy. - http://www.forskningsradet.no
  • The University of Tromsø (UiT The Arctic University of Norway) is the northernmost university of the world. Research and studies offered at the university focus on Arctic and northern issues: marine science, biomedicine, telemedicine, physics, linguistics, multiculturalism and research related to the Saami and indigenous people. The university contributes to the national Norwegian diversity of basic scientific research and for some research areas it shall be among the best international actors. - http://uit.no
  • The Norwegian Polar Institute is Norway's central institution for scientific research, environmental monitoring and mapping of the polar regions. The Institute is the Norwegian authorities' consultant and supplier of knowledge, and contributes to the best possible administration of Norwegian polar areas. Through active participation in national and international bodies, the Norwegian Polar Institute is central when it comes to protecting national interests in matters of research and the environment. - http://www.npolar.no/en/

APECS is excited to announce that another leadership term has begun! APECS' sixth Executive Committee (ExCom) is now in place and ready to continue to shape the polar world. Russell Fielding (USA), Frigga Kruse (Netherlands), Jean- Sébastien Moore (Canada), Iglika Trifinova (Bulgaria) and Christie Wood (USA/Russia) have been elected to form the ExCom, the main leadership body of APECS. Jennifer Provencher (Canada), Penny Wagner (USA/Norway) and Yulia Zaika (Russia) will serve as ex-officios and support the new ExCom over the coming year. And of course, Gerlis Fugmann, the newly appointed APECS Director will continue to support and foster the group from the directorate office in Tromsø, Norway.

Christie WoodWith a new term, comes a new president, and this year Christie Wood will be taking on this role. Christie is a graduate student in the Graduate School of Geography at Clark University in the United States and works with Karen Frey in the Polar Science Research Lab. Her research focuses on understanding the impacts of sea ice decline in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas on the dynamics of dissolved organic matter, which plays an important role in the marine ecosystem as both a carbon source for the microbial food web and as an inhibitor of light. Her work is carried out through a combination of field measurements (as part of NASA's ICESCAPE mission), lab experiments, and satellite remote sensing observations. For the coming year Christie will be based out of Moscow, Russia and looks forward to helping develop APECS programs with the ExCom and Council.

This year the APECS Council is made up of 32 very enthusiastic members from 13 countries: Cristian Aldea (Chile), Elaine Alves dos Santos (Brazil), Sarah Bartholow (USA), Vincent Carrier (Canada/Norway), Eleanore Darlington (UK), Archana Dayal (India), Pedro Echevesta (Spain), Francyne Elias-Piera (Spain/Brazil), Ellyn Enderlin (USA), Laura Fleming-Sharp (USA/Canada), Ruth Hindshaw (UK), Patricia Johnston (Canada), Alia Khan (USA), Minkyoung Kim (Korea), Michael Laiho (Finland), Maja Lisowska (Poland), Silvia Lourenco (Portugal), Sanna Majaneva (Finland/Norway), Heather Mariash (Canada/Finland), Adam Naito (USA), Karolina Paquin (Norway), Hugo Romero (Chile/UK), Kristen Shake (USA), Sarah Strey (USA), Astrid Surmatz (Netherlands), Zuzanna Swirad (UK), Ines Tavernier (Belgium), Alexander Trindade Niewendam (Portugal), Tristy Vick-Majors (USA) and Bianca Zhang (Iceland). Additionally, Allen Pope (USA) and Mariette Wheeler (South Africa) also remain on the council in ex-officio roles.

We once again thank the many APECS leaders that have come before us and have helped guide and foster many of those serving today! We look forward to another year with the projects that are currently underway, and continue to look for more ways that we can serve and help early career polar researchers around the world.

Dear APECS members,

Annual Report 2012 2013Another busy year has passed in APECS! I would like to take this moment to highlight some of the amazing accomplishments APECS has had during the last term.

We saw our membership grow to include over 4200 members in 75+ countries! In addition, we are continuing to diversify with our increasing number of national committees where we are seeing how our members are reaping the benefits of regionally organized polar activities. Our members participated in several international conferences and meetings where we organized panels, workshops, social events, poster awards, and a variety of new webinars. We are also currently planning more events for the coming year at e.g. the International Glaciological Society meetings, ASSW 2014, AGU 2013, ICASS VIII, SCAR 2014, and many others. We also partnered with the Climate and Cryosphere Project (CliC) to continue our successful Frostbytes initiative developed out of the IPY conference in Montreal, 2012. APECS also initiated new partnerships and renewed its collaborations with all of our partners who have been instrumental to providing opportunities and support to our members.

One of the major changes for APECS this year included a transition in the APECS International Directorate. We have successfully secured funding for the next three years with the fantastic support of the University of Tromso, Norwegian Polar Institute, and the Research Council of Norway! With this new change we would like to welcome our new Director of APECS, Dr. Gerlis Fugmann. We would once again like to wish, Dr. Alexey Pavlov, the APECS Director 2012-2013 the best of luck in his new career and we are happy that he will continue to be part of APECS as a mentor.

All of these highlights can be found in the 2012-2013 APECS Annual Report summarized by the outgoing 2012-2013 APECS Executive Committee.

A special thank you goes to the University of Tromsø, the Norwegian Polar Institute and the Research Council of Norway for hosting and supporting the APECS International Directorate in Tromsø! Our success would not be possible without your support and commitment to APECS.

Thank you to the many talented and dedicated members and mentors who volunteered their time this year to help us achieve continued success in shaping the future of polar research!

Penelope Wagner, APECS 2012-2013 President
-- on behalf of the Executive Committee and Director

Dia1 optCharlotte Havermans has organized polar science education sessions for secondary school students in a Belgian school (Eerste graad Sint-Jan scholengroep, Diest) during the school year 2012-2013. The aim of her project AntARTica was to increase young students’ awareness of the importance of polar regions. During art classes, students worked every session on a different theme, which was being introduced using a PowerPoint presentation, with pictures and short movies. Students have been acquainted with several general notions about the Arctic and Antarctic, their marine life both in shallow waters and the deep sea, and the consequences of climate change. After each presentation, students created an artwork related to these themes such as graphic arts, paintings, clay and ‘papier-mâché’ works. Since these sessions were organized in the relaxed atmosphere peculiar to art classes, the students could use their creativity and develop their own ideas, which made them feel very enthusiastic and captivated by the magic of the poles. Their work has been presented at an international conference on Antarctic biology in Barcelona.

Dia2 opt

Another fruitful discussion took place during two discussion panels hosted by APECS on August 26th, during the International Workshop on Antarctic Ice Rises (http://www.climate-cryosphere.org/meetings/ice-rises-2013) in Tromsø, Norway.

Two sessions covered topics of education and outreach at schools, as well as science communication and interaction with media and policy makers. Six panelists had a broad range of expertise and represented different career stages – from postdocs to senior researchers, which stimulated a great discussion.

While as usual there were many general suggestions and tips for early career researchers, several pieces of advice can be particularly highlighted:

Communication with media/journalists
- Keep the message simple while be true to science
- In most cases, don’t worry about what you said during the interview as general public will mostly remember the fact that you were on TV/radio/newspaper etc.
- Try to talk to journalists before the actual interview. This helps to understand what to expect from the upcoming meeting
- Watch out for opportunities to join media training courses

Working with schools
- Contact relevant organizations: PolarTREC, PEI and APECS
- Bring tangible things and artifacts to classrooms – kids like that
- Show your passion and let kids know that polar researchers are real and normal people
- Use different approaches when talk to different age groups 
- Promote polar (earth) sciences as a field where kids could apply their math and physics skills

Science communication to general public
- Use opportunities to join science weeks
- Organize events on your own and together with partners such as APECS (E.g. Science Fairs) 
- Cooperation between Art and Science might be very fruitful!
- Try to use press offices at your institution to highlight recently published results

Communication with policy makers
- Normally, politicians are short-term goal driven, so it is difficult to send a message across regarding any long term measures or investments. Try your best if you are in a position to do that. As in other cases, keep message simple, be true to science and bring artifacts!

Also, check out 19April 2013 Special Issue in Science on Grand Challenges in Science Education athttp://www.sciencemag.org/site/special/education2013/. A number of good articles can be found there!

Both sessions had positive feedback from workshop participants. Even more positively was met a BBQ that followed the panels and primarily supported by APECS with a contribution from SCAR, the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research!  Many thanks to Justin Beckers and Anna Silyakova for helping with BBQ organization!

photo 1

 BBQ outside Fram Centre. Photo: Alexey Pavlov

Gerlis FugmannAPECS is happy to announce that Dr. Gerlis Fugmann will be starting as the new APECS Director on 1 October 2013!! As the sole full-time employee of APECS, Gerlis will be in charge of guiding the development and administration of the organization, along with overseeing and managing all APECS activities, finances and events, recruiting volunteers and members, and interacting with APECS members, mentors, advisors and supporters.

In the last two years, Gerlis had been working as a post-doctoral researcher at the International Centre for Northern Governance and Development (ICNGD) at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada. She completed her PhD in Geography in 2011 at the Department of Geography of the Justus-Liebig University Giessen in Germany. Her research focused on projects in the Canadian Arctic and Sub-Arctic as well as Northern Scandinavia, addressing questions of comparative economic development, entrepreneurship, tourism, resource development and Northern engagement and participation in innovation and the knowledge economy.

Gerlis has been very actively involved in the APECS leadership for several years, helping to shape and manage many of the projects, events and resources made available through APECS. She served as an Executive Committee member between 2009 - 2011 and since then has mentored and advised the Executive Committee in an ex-officio role. During the 2009 – 2010 term, Gerlis also served as the elected APECS President.

Gerlis is a strong advocate of early career scientist participation, recognizing the importance of networking, professional development, and extra-curricular training in the polar and cryosphere communities. We are very excited to have her lead the APECS Directorate in the next few years and are confident that she will be helping to shape the development of the organization into new heights. You can reach Gerlis any time at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

For more information visit the APECS International Directorate page.

Research Feature: June was Polar Food webs. The videos from the polar food webs webinar  are now avaliable in the APECS vimeo page. The entire webinar is divided in three videos, one for each talk.For assist for the first time or to watch again check the links:

APECS Webinar “Polar Food Webs” Video 1: Methodologies and recent findings in a climate change scenario, Dr. Hauke Flores https://vimeo.com/74048819

APECS Webinar “Polar Food Webs” Video 2: Southern Ocean food webs and the role of the pelagic ecosystem, Dr. Anton Van de Putte https://vimeo.com/74049500

APECS Webinar “Polar Food Webs” Video 3: Southern Ocean food webs from a top predators perspective, Dr.José Xavier  https://vimeo.com/74049816

Summer 2013 APECSAPECS-Bulgaria has passed successfully its first year with a lot of enthusiasm, plenty of outreach events and promising partnerships. Bulgarian National Committee started its work in the summer 2012 and in the next half a year prepared more than 20 events for the general audience and for the schools.

The Spring International Polar week in Bulgaria was delayed with some weeks because of the British Council's Science Festival in Sofia. There Antarctic and the Polar education were a key attraction and several members of APECS and Bulgarian Antarctic Institute attended science outreach events. During the Festival in May 2013 students from many schools could see from inside the tent of the 1st Bulgarian expedition (1987-1988) and feel like real Polar explorers. There were lectures, a digital photo exhibition and we are proud that Asparuh Kamburov - a Polar early career scientist was one of the finalists in the Fame Lab competition! A very good collaboration between APECS-Bulgaria, Bulgarian Antarctic Institute and British Council-Bulgaria!

Spring IPW 2013 Bulgaria 1During the spring 2013 the coordinator of APECS Bulgaria attended the International Workshop "Education Meet Science: Bringing Polar Research into classrooms" in Coimbra, Portugal and the Science Fair, organized by APECS Belgium as a side event to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) in Brussels, sharing experiences and exchanging ideas and contacts.

Summer 2013 activities of APECS Bulgaria include firstly talks and drawing contest for orphans and street children from the Socialand Youthcenter of Concordia Bulgaria Foundation. A large educational Antarctic photo exhibition dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the Bulgarian Antarctic expeditions was held at the end of July with a great success. It was created in cooperation with the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute and was exposed in the most popular place in the heart of Sofia town – on the "Lovers Bridge" close to the National Palace of Culture.

All these public engagement activities received wide media coverage and excellent feedback from the different publics. We strongly believe that science communication is very important for the successof Antarctic educational activities and we try to expand continuously our media relations.

Yulia ZaikaAPECS Vice-President Yulia Zaika has recently been elected to serve on the Council of the International Glaciological Society (IGS)! We are very excited for her and are sure she will help to develop more great opportunities for young scientists and a good connection with the IGS.

Yulia has been a long-term APECS member and has served on the APECS Executive Committee since 2011 and was elected APECS President for 2011-2012. She is a research assistant at the Khibiny education and scientific stationof the Faculty of Geography M.V.Lomonosov Moscow State University. Her research focuses on observations of climate data, snow cover and avalanches in the industrialized Russian Arctic regions. She is also involved in INTERACT (International Network for Terrestrial Research and Monitoring in the Arctic) as the Khibiny station representative.

Congratulations Yulia and good luck with this great opportunity!

We hope to draw your attention to the volunteer opportunities for the upcoming International symposium on sea ice in a changing environment, holding by International Glaciological Society (IGS) March 2014, in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. 

The 5-day symposium will include oral and poster presentations from 13 topics on current sea ice research.  IGS will also organize a public science day before the symposium. The science day will consist a variety of activities in hope to raise public awareness of polar and sea ice researches. Please refer to the symposium website for more details. (http://www.igsoc.org/symposia/2014/hobart/)

The symposium committee would like to offer early career researchers some great opportunities to get involved with symposium organization.

1). Discussion leaders for symposium sessions

2). Helper for the science day

3). General reception for the symposium

If you plan to participate in the symposium, please take a few minutes to complete a short survey (https://docs.google.com/a/udel.edu/forms/d/1wfTrM7VAsHN1LieuopfJmL3j7AjiHoxOMjNAMEt5jMA/edit) to let us know if you are interested to help and your availability. Please provide your comments before September 25th, 2013.   

From September 9 through to the 13, 2013, the Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS), at the University of Kansas, will host a symposium on radioglaciology with the International Glaciological Society (IGS). All symposium attendees and interested students are invited to attend an Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) meeting on Monday, September 9, 2013 at 5:30PM. The purpose of this APECS meeting is to provide an informational and investigative forum for young scientists, with an interest in glaciology, remote sensing, and remote sensing platforms, to discuss career information, employment strategies, and explore potential collaborations. Established career scientists and seasoned professionals are also encouraged to attend. CReSIS will distribute a participant list and a forum agenda before the symposium kicks off. If you are interested in participating, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. as soon as possible. Event details are as follows:

Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) Forum

Monday, September 9, 2013

5:30 PM

in the

“Big Twelve” Conference Room

Level 5

Kansas Memorial Union

1308 Jayhawk Blvd.

hosted by

CReSIS

at 

University of Kansas

in conjunction with

The International Glaciological Society’s (IGS) Symposium on Radioglaciology

 

pope mugHi APECS, and welcome to August! As you may be aware, APECS is currently in the process of hiring a new Director for the APECS International Directorate office in Tromsø, Norway, and there should be exciting news forthcoming on that front next month. Right now, though, I want to draw your attention to something else that makes APECS such a special organization: the leadership and training opportunities available to early career researchers through the APECS leadership.

It’s that time of year again, when you can put your name forward to help “shape the future of polar research.” Yes, that’s the APECS slogan, but it’s also really what happens as part of APECS. We are encouraging any and all interested APECS members to step up and play a role in determining, executing, and sustaining the APECS resources, events, and programs for the coming year as part of the Executive Committee (ExCom) and the Council. Don’t be fooled by the stodgy names – these are dynamic groups looking for enthusiastic people ready to really get involved, learn and work with peers, and make things happen. If you’re not sure where to begin – just ask us and we’ll help you to figure it out!

As always, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please don’t hesitate to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Until then, I’m looking forward to seeing your applications flowing in!

Allen Pope
Elections Coordinator, 2013-4
ExCom Ex-Officio, 2012-2013
Past President, 2010-2011

It's that time of year again - Elections for the 2013-2014 APECS Executive Committee will be held in September!

The purpose of this article is to encourage YOU (yes, you) to consider applying for the new APECS Executive Committee or nominating someone you think would do a great job of shaping our organization.

APECS is now an internationally respected association and is recognized as one of the major legacies of the 4th International Polar Year. Our great members, particularly those of our past APECS Executive Committees and Councils have largely contributed to this through their excellent and hard work. To maintain this high level of success, and bring new vision and ideas to APECS, it is truly important for you to be active in this election.

Now YOU get the chance to influence the future of polar research!

What does the APECS Executive Committee do? Check out the APECS website at http://www.apecs.is/who-we-are/leadership/executive-committee.html for more information.

How do you apply?
It's easy! You only have to provide

  • basic biographical information (name, institution, contact details, country of residence and origin),
  • a brief biosketch that gives us a better picture of who you are (e.g. research theme and interests, your hobbies, etc.),
  • a photo of yourself that we can use for the APECS website,
  • the names and contact details of two referees, and
  • a statement of interest detailing why you are interested in serving on the APECS Executive Committee; how you would like to contribute to APECS as a member of the APECS Executive Committee. Please also include any past involvement in organizing APECS activities, or other exeriences that would make you a good candidate. An outline of what we are specifically hoping you address in your statement of interest and general information about the election procedure is available on the APECS website at http://www.apecs.is/about-apecs/leadership/executive-commitee

What is the timeline for the election?
The 2013-2014 APECS Executive Committee elections follow a strict timeline.

18 July: Announcement of APECS Executive Committee Elections sent out

29 July – 8 September: Accepting nominations (if you are on fieldwork during this time you can send in your application earlier.)

9 – 20 September: Review of applications, current APECS Council members have the chance for a question and answer session both via email and through an online call with the APECS Executive Committee applicants. Applicants should be available for questions and conference call during this time.

21 – 26 September: APECS Executive Committee election: online voting by APECS Council Members

27 – 30 September: Final tally and review of votes, transition process

1 October: official announcement of 2013-2014 APECS Executive Committee

Applications for the APECS Executive Committee will be accepted starting 29 July 2013 (if you are on fieldwork you can send in your application earlier). Please email your application as one PDF to Election Coordinator Allen Pope (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). Applications will be processed soon after they are received. The final application deadline is 8 September 2013. There will be no extensions.

If you have any questions about what it means to be a member of the APECS Executive Committee, the application process or any other queries, please send an email to me or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.!

Please note that if you're interested in becoming more involved in APECS but the ExCom sounds like too much for now, nominations for the Council will be opening shortly, too.

Are you looking for a way to get active in APECS and the APECS leadership? How about you apply to the APECS Council!

The new Council term for 2013-2014 is starting on 1 October 2013 and we encourage YOU to consider applying for it and help us shape our organization and the future of polar research!

Do you want to find out more about what the APECS Council does? Check out for more info http://www.apecs.is/who-we-are/leadership/council/about-the-council.html or http://www.apecs.is/who-we-are/leadership/council.html!

How do you apply for the APECS Council?

It's easy! You only have to provide the following in one PDF:

  • Current contact information and career level
  • Brief bio (200 words)
  • Present picture of yourself
  • Name and email address of two references
  • Expression of Interest Letter (around 500 words) explaining the following:
    • A). why you are interested in APECS and sitting on the Council? This includes any ideas you have for projects or activities the organization could undertake, a desire to become more connected to the larger polar community, ways to improve APECS and the role of young researchers in polar research, general interest in the process of the organization, and many others.
    • B). Any major periods of extended absence, such as field work, long vacations, intense exam periods or any other long period of absence.
    • C). It is also quite helpful to know a little about your experiences (including previous APECS involvement - if any) and why you are interested in the Polar Regions.

A detailed description of the application procedure for the APECS Council can be found here.

Applications to the APECS Council can be sent to the Council Co-Chairs Sanna Majaneva (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)!

If you want to start right away for the new term starting October 1, please make sure to send in your application before 9 September. Due to the transition period to the new 2013-2014 Executive Committee at the end of September and beginning of October, Council applications received after September 9 will not be dealt with until later in October.

If you think the Council sounds good but would like to be even more involved, Executive Committee nominations are also open until 8 September, 2013!

If you have any questions about what it means to be a member of the APECS Council, the application process or any other queries, please send an email the Council Co-Chairs Sanna Majaneva (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) and / or Christie Wood (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)!

As many of you know, we have recently received funding for the APECS Directorate in Tromsø for the next 3,5 years. The University of Tromsø will continue to host the APECS International Directorate Office. However, starting from this summer it will become officially attached to the Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics (BFE Faculty). Before, APECS Directorate was formally a part of the University's administration.

BFE is one of the six faculties of the University of Tromsø, and is one of the most active with regards to Arctic and polar research.  With more than 300 employees, and more than 1000 students, the main focus areas of the Faculty are aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, climate, life in the Arctic, marine bio prospecting, fish health, business and macro economics, resources and environment, markets and management of marine resources industry. It has a unique mix of business and enterpreneurship environment, fundamental and applied research. And we expect that with this new place at the BFE Faculty APECS Directorate will be able to integrate to and cooperate more with a local polar and research community!

Read more about the BFE Faculty here.

uk polar network logoWe are pleased to announce the call for participation in the UKPN ‘Software and Polar Science Workshop’.  If you are a Polar Scientist who at any point during your research will use computer software, then this workshop will be great for you!  The one day event will run on the 17th September 2013 at the Scott Polar Research Institute (directly preceding the Arctic Science Conference (http://www.arctic.ac.uk/research/uk-arctic-science-conference-2013/).

With our workshop funders, the Software Sustainability Institute (www.software.ac.uk), we aim to provide useful guidance and practical assistance for Polar researchers who are in need of inspiration when it comes to dealing with plotting, analysing or sharing data.

Specifically we aim to:
•       Help you choose the right software for your project
•       Identify how to develop maintainable software
•       Give you ideas for visualisation of data
•       Show you available means of sharing your data so that it is useful for all!

At present confirmed speakers include the Software Sustainability Institute; and Dr. Jon Blower from the University of Reading. Further information, including the draft programme is available at http://polarnetwork.org/events-and-workshops/2013-software-and-polar-research-workshop/ Speakers and sessions will be added as they are confirmed.

There is no charge for the UKPN workshop and a lunch will be provided on the day.  Some funding is available to support travel to and accommodation in Cambridge.  All participants are expected to give a short (~2 minute) presentation on a piece of software that they use – if everyone donates one piece of useful knowledge from their experience, then each participant will walk away with lots of great ideas!

Once again, the UKPN is offering you a fantastic opportunity to gain useful skills, whilst also meeting up with some of your fellow Polar Scientists.  If you would like to take part, please go to http://polarnetwork.org/events-and-workshops/2013-software-and-polar-research-workshop/register/ to complete the registration form. Registration will be open until 15 July 2013.

Kind regards,

UKPN Software Workshop Team

TJ Young
Nick Toberg
Martin O’Leary
Johnny Ryan
Jen King
Laura Hobbs
Allen Pope
Aisling Dolan

APECS France logoThe French national committee of APECS was officialised on June 4th at the first symposium of the French Arctic Initiative organised at Collège de France in Paris.

As a first step, we are currently listing the French and French-speaking young polar scientists and educators, as well as potential mentors. 

In line with the international polar week of september, our first mission is to organize the next French polar week, which will happen between September 30 and October 4. The objective is to propose a large panel of thematic webinars about the polar regions for students from 5 to 18 years old. Schools are already registering for the event !

In addition, a workshop dedicated to early career polar scientists in France is in the planning stage for spring 2014...

For more information, you can contact us on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Anne-Mathilde & Pascaline, co-chairs of APECS-France

 

Here is a wonderful opportunity to take part in the APECS’ project entitled “Bridging Polar Early Career Researchers and Indigenous Peoples in Nordic Countries” funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Arctic Co-operation Programme in 2013/2014.

This project aims at facilitating efficient and meaningful interactions and work between polar early career researchers and Northern Indigenous peoples (with a specific focus on Sami people). The long-term goal of the project would be to improve knowledge on Arctic environments as a base for future sustainable development strategies in the region.

Between June 2013 and May 2014, the project will include a number of activities such as: development of an APECS Nordic network, a series of thematic online webinars and surveys for polar early career researchers and indigenous youths aiming at identifying the communication gaps between researchers and indigenous people. The final and major activity of the project will be  a 2-day workshop entitled “Connecting early career researchers and community driven research in the north” in conjunction with the Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW), to be organized by the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) in Helsinki, in April 2014.

As you can see, there are a number of tasks to work on and that is where we need your help! To move forward with this project we are looking for several coordinators (including a main project coordinator):

1. One main Project Coordinator 
Main responsibilities: to oversee the whole progress of the project, to communicate with different groups, to communicate with existing project partners and seeking new ones, to help drive fundraising for the workshop in 2014, to evaluate the project, to prepare a report at the end of the project. The Project Coordinator will work closely with the APECS Executive Committee and the APECS Director and will have to support the project for its entire duration (June 2013 – May 2014).

2. One (additional) coordinator for 6 thematic webinars 
Main responsibility: to co-organize a series of 6 webinars identifying current challenges in communication between researchers and Northern communities from a perspective of ECRs and youth Indigenous. The webinars will take place in Fall 2013. We already have one coordinator, but we are looking for a second person to support the webinar planning.

3. Three survey coordinators 
Main responsibility: to prepare, design and run a survey (in a team) for ECRs and Indigenous Peoples in different languages aiming at identifying communication gaps between researchers and Indigenous peoples. Essentially, we expect to cover Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Russian and Sami languages. The surveys have to be completed before April 2014.

4. One developer of an online database and corresponding web-site developments
Main responsibility: to develop an online database on the APECS website where ECRs and Indigenous youth can enter their contact information and research interests and search for research projects that will benefit Northern communities. We hope that the database can be set up in summer 2013. The volunteer has the option to help with other web-site work for the project afterwards.

5. Three (additional) members of the Workshop 2014 Organizing Committee
Main responsibility: to plan and organize a two days in-person workshop entitled “Connecting early career researchers and community driven research in the north” to be held in conjunction with the ASSW 2014, Helsinki, Finland. We already have one volunteer in place but are looking for three more people to help with the workshop planning. The workshop organizing committee would have to start their work as soon as possible and the workshop will be on 7 – 8 April 2014.

APECS has some funds to compensate the work of the coordinators. Financial conditions will be discussed individually with the coordinators.

If you are interested in joining the project team, please send the following documents to the APECS Directorate at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.by June 22nd 2013 (Saturday):

-        Statement of Interests (incl. which of the above positions / tasks you would like to work on, your previous experience and why you want to take on this task)

-        Short CV

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Look forward to hearing from you,
APECS Executive Committee

For all of you attending the Davos Atmosphere and Cryosphere Assembly DACA-13 in Davos, Switzerland, July 8-12, 2013!!!

APECS in cooperation with the International Association of Cryospheric Sciences (IACS) will be organizing a 1-day science and career development workshop before the start of the Davos Atmosphere and Cryosphere Assembly DACA-13, in Davos Switzerland July 7, 2013.  We will also be collaborating with the Climate Change and Cryosphere Project (CliC) to introduce opportunities with leadership roles for young researchers and early career scientists. The workshop aims to introduce early career researchers to both cryospheric and alpine sciences, as well as provide a session for career development which will help students to gain skills necessary for work and collaboration in the international and interdisciplinary area of polar research. The agenda will include: science presentations with experts in cryosphere or alpine research.  Additionally we will have an interactive session with experienced mentors focusing on topics such as communicating science to several different types of groups (i.e. media, policy makers, general public...etc.).  

We will have a social event in the evening for workshop participants and IACS organizers with a number of social activities to help you network with other participants and mentors!

Registration is free and meals will be provided but space is limited.  For more information about the workshop please go to:  http://www.apecs.is/apecs-meetings-a-events/daca-13-apecs-workshop

Please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for further inquiries or to register.  

We hope to see you at the DACA-13!

We are happy to announce that four early career representatives are joining four scientific committees of the Arctic Frontiers Conference 2014 with a theme 'Humans in the Arctic'. They will help scientific comittees to plan and shape a program for the science section. Early career representatives are: 

Health, Society and Environment
Marney Paradis for the Part I – Health, Work & Wellbeing in the Arctic
Frigga Kruse for the Part II – Health & Environment in the Arctic

Operational Challenges
Mia Bennett for the Part III – Shipping & Offshore in the Arctic
Piotr Graczyk for the Part IV – Search and Rescue

Find out more about the Arctic Frontiers conference at http://www.arctic-frontiers.com/.

Alia KhanWe are excited to announce that Council member Alia Khan will be representing APECS as a member of the AntarcticClimate21 (AntClim21) Scientific Research Programme of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR). This programme will aim to understand Antarctic environment change over the 21st Century thru quantification of Antarctic climate variability, climate model verification for the Antarctic region, and Antarctic climate projection to 2100 AD.  Alia is excited to serve in this role for the next 2 to 3 years. Alia is a new member of the APECS Council and currently a PhD student at the University of Colorado – Boulder, Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research.  She has completed two field seasons in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica.  The first during her MS as a member of the Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Stream Team, measuring stream-flow and water quality of ephemeral glacier fed streams.  This past year she began her doctoral research looking at black carbon transport and deposition in the dry valleys.  She is interested in local and long-range transport of anthropogenic pollutants to pristine areas and their resulting impacts on the environment, and more specifically, using black carbon as a tracer of human impact in the dry valleys.  She is interested in black carbon impacts on surface albedo of snow and ice, as well as changes to water quality.  Thanks to the flexibility of a NSF-Graduate Research Fellowship, and supportive collaborative partners, her other field sites include the Nepalese Himalaya and Svalbard.  Alia is very interested in effective communication of polar science to the public, such as her NYT ‘Scientists at Work’ Blog during her first Antarctic field season: http://scientistatwork.blogs.nytimes.com/author/alia-khan/.

Dear APECS friends and colleagues,

APECS Director position is being re-announced these days at http://www.jobbnorge.no/job.aspx?jobid=93928. Though, it is primarily done in connection with a renewal of the contract, it gave me a chance to think about continuation with the APECS Director position. After many considerations, I have decided not to apply for this position in order to get back to research and finalize scientific ideas and initiatives started earlier during my PhD studies.

Having said that, I would like to look back and to see what has been achieved in the past year. A prolongation of the APECS Directorate funding until the end of 2016 is definitely the greatest recent news (http://apecs.is/news-feeds/features/6130-apecs-international-directorate-funding-renewed-until-end-of-2016), which will allow APECS leadership dedicating more time to strategic initiatives and further developments. Other achievements would include a gradual transition from the post-IPY stage towards a beyond IPY thinking, increased recognition within the Polar community, a number of partnership agreements with our key partners, and numerous contributions of APECS members and representatives to polar events, and many more.

We had a challenging year and I was fortunate to work with our fantastic teams of APECS Executive Committee, APECS Council, working groups, national committees, mentors, advisors, the APECS Advisory Board, as well as the whole APECS community. All major achievements and developments would not be possible without your work and dedication! Thank you again for a wonderful year of joint efforts, and mutual learning experience!

My personal plan after leaving director position is to remain an APECS mentor and supporter, and to find a meaningful role in some of the upcoming APECS initiatives! From the 1st of July 2013 I will join the Norwegian Polar Institute for summer months, as well as will continue my affiliation with my home institution – the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute in St. Petersburg, Russia. In the future, I look forward to working with many APECS colleagues with research in oceanography, air-sea interactions, marine optics, linkages between physics, biogeochemistry and biology in the Arctic ocean.

Being the APECS Director was a great experience and a very rewarding job. I encourage everyone to apply for this wonderful opportunity of a lifetime! We all hope for a great number of applications and a new outstanding APECS leader in the years to come!

A deadline for applications is June 6th, 2013, don’t miss it and find more at http://apecs.is/news-feeds/features/6123-apecs-director-position-application-in-tromso-norway.

Yours,
Alexey Pavlov

tromsoDear APECS community,

The position of APECS director in Tromsø, Norway has been re-announced due to the renewal of our contract. I will be leaving this position this summer (http://apecs.is/news-feeds/apecs-news/6147-apecs-director-transition) and as a great APECS supporter, I hope to get a large number of enthusiastic applicants.  Just a reminder, as the APECS Director you will be located in Tromsø, Norway, which is not only famous for being one of the best places in the world to observe breathtaking northern lights (Aurora Borealis).

Tromsø is the world’s centre of polar research! Tromsø includes a great number of polar organizations and institutions in addition to having strong polar traditions and history. For example, the FRAM – High North Research Centre for Climate and the Environment (Fram Centre) that consists of 20 institutions and about 500 polar researchers, the Norwegian Polar Institute – the leading polar institution in Norway, Institute of Marine Research, Akvaplan-niva, NORUT - Northern Research Institute, and many others largely focused on the Northern regions and are all based in Tromsø. Also, several offices of international organizations are hosted here, such as the permanent Arctic Council Secretariat, the International Project Office of the WCRP’s Climate and Cryosphere Project (CliC), and others. Last but not least, the annual Arctic Frontiers conference has become the major Arctic forum in the last years and is usually takes place in the last week of January.

So, as you can see, Tromsø is a great environment and we (APECS leadership) are glad that APECS International Directorate is a part of it!

Don’t miss an opportunity to become an APECS Director in Tromsø! Apply at http://www.jobbnorge.no/job.aspx?jobid=93928 before June 6th, 2013.

Hilsen fra Tromsø,
Alexey

We are excited to announce that Council members Tristy Vick-Majors and Anton Van de Putte will be representing APECS on the International Scientific Organising Committee (ISOC) for the SCAR Open Science Conference that will take place in Auckland, New Zealand from 25 – 29 August 2014!

anton van de putteAnton Van de Putte is a member of the APECS Council and co-editor of the APECS Newsletter. He is a Marine Biologist with a strong interest in the role of fish in the Southern Ocean Ecosystem. He received his PhD in 2008 for his research on the ecology and evolution of Southern Ocean fish, whit special focus on the mesopelagic lantern fish Electrona antarctica. He has experience in Science Education and Outreach. Currently, he is a science officer for the Belgian SCAR-Marbin and AntaBIF projects that aim to provide free and open access to Antarctic biodiversity data.

Tristy Vick MajorsTristy Vick-Majors is currently the co-chair of the APECS Research Activities Committee (RAC). She studies microbial ecology, limnology and biogeochemistry in icy, cold environments. She spent three field seasons in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica doing research for her M.S. on permanently ice-covered lakes, and is now working on her Ph.D on biogeochemical processes in Subglacial Lake Whillans, which lies 800 meters beneath the surface of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. Tristy is constantly looking for new ways to form collaborations and to improve networking opportunities for graduate students and other aspiring scientists.

For the occasion of Belgium’s hosting of the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM; 20-29 May), where the Antarctic Treaty and Environmental Protocol are discussed and determined, APECS (the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists) Belgium organized a 2 day education and outreach event for the wider audience. Young scientists were determined to transfer their enthusiasm about the poles and science in general to others.

This event took place in the beautiful setting of the old stables of the Royal Belgian Academy of Sciences, which has a large and stunning atrium. Here people could learn more about the poles through experiments, games, lectures, documentaries and a live connection with researchers at the South Pole. Representatives of various Belgian universities, The botanical garden of Meise, the International Polar Foundation, the New Belgica project, teachers and invited guest speakers helped to make this a great event that was enjoyed by an estimated 400 people.

Guest speakers included representatives of Norway, Portugal and Brazil. Brazil is hosting the ATCM meeting in 2014 and APECS Brazil is keen of hosting a similar outreach event. A representative of APECS Bulgaria was also present to learn how to organize such a science fair.  Hopefully this will be the start of a log series of education and outreach event organised by APECS national committees

This event was organized with the kind support of the Belgian Science Policy Office and the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. 

ATCM APECS Belgium Science Fair1

Penguin Game in action

ATCM APECS Belgium Science Fair2

New Belgica stand

ATCM APECS Belgium Science Fair3

Francesca Pasotti (Ugent) shows marine organisms

apecs logo webPEI logoOn May 23rd 2013, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) and Polar Educators International (PEI) was signed by APECS Director Alexey Pavlov and the PEI Executive Committee Member Sarah Bartholow and will stand through December of 2015. The MoU is based on the mutual interest of APECS and PEI in engaging, supporting and promoting polar science education, outreach, and communication (EOC). Through this agreement, the APECS Executive Committee and the PEI Executive Committee will strive to identify and collaborate on mutually beneficial activities towards strengthening that interest.

A great benefit of this MoU is standing reciprocal council positions within each organization. Currently the council liaison for APECS to PEI is held by Christie Wood, and the PEI liaison to APECS is Sarah Bartholow.

Thanks to the initiatives of the recent International Polar Year to bring outreach efforts to the forefront of the polar science community, APECS has worked to strengthen professional development for early career researchers on effective outreach, while PEI is the formal structure for a global professional network for those who educate in, for, and about the polar regions.

PEI and APECS have already been working together on events such as International Polar Week and activities such as Cool Speakers. The two organizations will work closely to align their objectives and goals for public science literacy campaigns, support for polar scientists engaging in education and outreach efforts, and educators' exposure to current polar science and practices.

aoa webDuring the AMAP’s International Arctic Ocean Acidification Conference in Bergen, Norway on May 7th 2013, APECS teamed up with AMAP to deliver a panel discussion for early career scientists. We talked about “Ocean Acidification in the future Arctic: From science to policy”, aiming to get tips for early career scientists from experienced scientists and policy makers.

On the stage that day we had Prof. Dr. Ulf Riebesell from GEOMAR, Germany; Dr. Elizabeth Jewett from NOAA, US; Dr. Nadja Steiner from Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling and Analysis, Canada; Prof. Dr. Leif G Anderson from University of Gothenburg, Sweden and Lars-Otto Reiersen, who is an Executive Secretary of AMAP, Norway.

We asked panelists to share their experiences of being involved with the policy making process, and to provide their ideas on how early career researchers can get involved in such a process.

Some pieces of advice were:

  1. Discuss with your supervisor that you are interested in getting involved
  2. Find a good mentor
  3. Do the best science you can, and publish your science
  4. Make your work popular (through social media and outreach activities)
  5. Share your science with the general public to learn who to explain it in an easy way; go to schools to educate kids. This will make you experienced in using simple language to communicate your science. 
  6. Be active and use opportunities: there are many of them and they are open: get involved with AMAP, just let them know what science you do and that you are interested in contributing to the assessment writing process.
  7. Most important is “do whatever you think is fun to do”!
  8. Be amazing!

Link to the webcast, where you can watch the discussion is here: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/32521609 and processed video is now available on APECS Vimeo Channel at https://vimeo.com/67637060 .

* Test by Anna Silyakova, Helen Findlay and Alexey Pavlov

Interact logoAPECS is happy to announce another great opportunity for the young scientists!

The International Network for Terrestrial Research and Monitoring in the Arctic– is a consortium of 33 institutions from northern Europe, Russia, US, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Scotland, funded 2011-2014 by the EU PF7 Infrastructures-program. The network currently consists of over 50research stations, 20of which offer Transnational Access.

INTERACT seeks to build capacity for research and monitoring in the European Arctic and beyond, and is offering research groups Transnational Access to conduct research free of charge at 20terrestrial research stations in the northernmost Europe and Russian Federation. The sites represent a variety of glacier, mountain, tundra, boreal forest, peatland and freshwater ecosystems, providing opportunities for researchers from natural sciences to human dimension. 

The applications for Transnational Access undergo a scientific evaluation made by a Transnational Access Board (TA Board) that consists of five experts external to INTERACT and five representatives of stations in particular geographical regions. INTERACT is now seeking for an external early-career expert to join the TA Board. Post-doctoral scientists specialized on glaciology or animal ecology are preferred, but specialists on other fields of research with an Arctic or northern focus are also welcome to apply.

The tasks of a TA Board member include participation in the scientific evaluation of the submitted Transnational Access applications and attendance at the related TA Board meetings, both held twice per year. TA Board members do not receive financial compensation for their membership, but the travel and accommodation costs to the meetings are reimbursed by INTERACT. An early career scientistparticipating on the INTERACT TA Board willbenefit from working with distinguished scientists atan international level, and from gaining valuable experience and insight of the evaluation process for future expert positions.

If you are a post-doctoral researcherworking on one of the themes mentioned above and are interested in this great opportunity to join the INTERACT Transnational Access Board, please e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.including yourstatement of interest noting your research interests and experience (no more than one side of A4) and yourCV (no more than two pages of A4) in a single PDF-file by 31st May 2013.

For more information about the position, please contac tDr Hannele Savela, INTERACT Transnational Access Coordinator, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Should you have any other questions, please contact Yulia Zaika at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

uit npi rcnAPECS is excited to announce that the funding for our APECS International Directorate in Tromsø has been renewed till the end of 2016!

This was made possible through generous contributions by the University of Tromsø, the Norwegian Polar Institute as well as a successful application for partial support to the Research Council of Norway!

The University of Tromsø is the northernmost university of the world. Research and studies offered at the university focus on Arctic and northern issues: marine science, biomedicine, telemedicine, physics, linguistics, multiculturalism and research related to the Saami and indigenous people. The university contributes to the national Norwegian diversity of basic scientific research and for some research areas it shall be among the best international actors. - http://uit.no

The Norwegian Polar Institute is Norway's central institution for scientific research, environmental monitoring and mapping of the polar regions. The Institute is the Norwegian authorities' consultant and supplier of knowledge, and contributes to the best possible administration of Norwegian polar areas. Through active participation in national and international bodies, the Norwegian Polar Institute is central when it comes to protecting national interests in matters of research and the environment. - http://npolar.no

The Research Council of Norway promotes basic and applied research and innovation in order to help meet research needs within society. It also works actively to encourage international research cooperation. Underlying all the Research Council's activities is the viewpoint that research expands the boundaries of what we know, understand and can achieve. Research adds cultural resonance to society and creates a viable framework for welfare, value creation and sustainable development, Through its efforts as an advisory body on research strategy issues, a research funding agency and initiator of meeting places and networks, the Research Council seeks to meet and constantly refine the objectives for Norwegian research policy. - http://rcn.no 

APECS is very thankful for this opportunity to continue shaping the future of polar research in the coming years!

APECS is looking for a new director... apply today for a career opportunity of a lifetime!!!

The University of Tromsø, Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics has a position vacant as APECS Director – temporary position until 31.12. 2014. The period of appointment may be extended.

Due to the commencement of a new contract to fund the Directorate in Tromsø, the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) is seeking a new director to lead the organization to new heights.

The APECS Directorate is based at the University of Tromsø, Norway in a vibrant environment with other secretariats and researchers. The position is funded for 2 years. The successful candidate is expected to find support beyond this period. As the full-time employee of APECS, the Director is tasked with guiding the development and administration of the organization, along with overseeing and managing all APECS activities, finances and events.

In its 6+ years, APECS has evolved into the pre-eminent international and interdisciplinary organization for polar early career researchers, now comprising around 4000 members from 76 countries including students, postdoctoral researchers, early faculty members, educators and others with interests in Polar Regions and the Cryosphere. In collaboration with international organizations, leading polar researchers, educators, and funding agencies, APECS aims to enhance career development opportunities, stimulate research collaborations, and develop effective future leaders in polar research, education and outreach to provide a continuum of knowledge for generations to come.

For more information read the collection of our activities and the most recent annual report.

Accounting

For further information please contact: Penelope Wagner, APECS President, +1 302-981-6869, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Qualification requirements

The successful applicant will have the following skills and experience:

Required:

  • A post-bachelors degree in a relevant field, preferably at the PhD level, but applicants at the Masters level will be considered.
  • Excellent presentation skills, adept networking, and confidence speaking in large and intimate groups.
  • Experience in mentoring, conducting research, science education, and outreach.
  • Strong written communication skills and evidence of experience in writing reports, funding applications and planning/scoping documents.
  • Willingness to live in Tromsø, Norway (required) and travel on a regular basis nationally and internationally (approximately 1 week per month).

Desired:

  • Experience in polar science
  • Experience in managing people and projects, including experience with advocacy, conflict management and negotiations.
  • 3+ years of experience in research, education, science management and/or policy.
  • Knowledge of Joomla! or similar Web content-management systems.
  • Knowledge of the non-profit sector and the relevant legal environment.
  • A proven ability to apply new (particularly internet-based) technology to manage projects and a willingness to learn new software and computer skills.
  • Strong organisational and human resource management skills with excellent interpersonal and team building skills.
  • Knowledge of APECS and its activities is desirable
  • Ability to engage young researchers and works closely with the Council and Executive Committee to encourage participation and new ideas from new APECS members

Applicant must have a good command of English both written and verbal.

Application deadline is June 6, 2013.

Please apply at JobbNorge at: http://www.jobbnorge.no/job.aspx?jobid=93928

There is a growing need for improved science communication from polar scientists to communities and classrooms around the world.  However, linking people with the often-distant polar regions can be a significant challenge. One way to address this challenge is through an international educational event led by polar scientists called the International Polar Week (IPW). Expanding on country-specific activities and participation is key to expanding the IPW.

Three French APECS members organised the first French Polar Week last April. Several activities were proposed to schools, including an Ask-a-Scientist forum and Webinars. Thanks to APECS GoToWebinar platform, more than 300 students were able to hear young scientists talk about different topics such as living in a small village in Greenland or on a research station in Antarctica.

Thanks to the great feedback received from the different schools, which participated in this first French Polar Week, we are planning to develop the project, wishing that it will continue for years into the future. Anyone interested by the project is welcome to send an e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for further information.

Contributed by Anne-Mathilde Thierry

aoa webKey ocean acidification experts are coming to the Arctic Ocean Acidification conference in Bergen, on May 6-8, 2013. Led by the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP), this conference will address important topics such as observations and modeling of Arctic Ocean acidification, its effects on marine ecosystems, linkages and feedbacks to the climate system, economic, social and policy implications of the Arctic Ocean acidification. At this conference AMAP will present results of its new assessment on the Acidification in the Arctic Ocean.

Traditionally, AMAP has been supportive to early career researchers and APECS. In cooperation with AMAP, APECS will host a discussion panel on the topic “Ocean Acidification in the future Arctic: From science to policy – tips for early career scientists”on May 7th. This should be interesting! 

Find out more about the conference and APECS Panel at http://amap.no/Conferences/aoa2013/about.html 

 

Arctic Science Summit Week 2013 in Krakow, Poland, was a great success this year and many talented early career researchers used this conference to present their research projects. The three best posters by early career researchers attending the conference were awarded Poster Awards. The winners were announced in the closing ceremony of the conference. Congratulations on behalf of APECS to:

  • Alexandra Bernardova (Centre for Polar Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czeck Republic): What is hidden in reindeer's droppings? A botantical and parasitological study
  • Monika Kędra (University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, Solomons, Maryland, USA): Organic matter sources and sinks in high Arctic fjord
  • ennifer Ann McGetrick (School of Public Health, University of Alberta, Canada): Expert Assessment of Geographic Information Science (GIS) for Health Communication in Natural Resource Development of the Canadian Arctic

The Poster Awards were coordinated by APECS with the help of Yulia Zaika, Gerlis Fugmann, Maja Lisowska, Julia Schmale and Alexey Pavlov. A special thank you from all of us to the many poster judges for taking their time evaluating the posters! All award recipients received free registration for the Arctic Science Summit Week 2015 in Japan! Thank you to the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) and the organizing committees for the Arctic Science Summit Weeks in Poland 2013 and in Japan 2015 for making these awards possible.

ASSW2013 logo polar bearThe Workshop

Prior to the science symposium at the Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) in Kraków, Poland, APECS held a one day career development and thematic workshop on 16 April.

28 early career researchers from more than 10 countries and a large variety of research disciplines used the opportunity to learn about new approaches in conducting science, how to communicate their science to stakeholders, and to discuss about the global relevance of the Arctic.

ASSW Workshop Group6 mentors, representing natural and social sciences, indigenous people and the science-policy interface, gave talks and led the breakout groups in the morning and afternoon. Some of the discussed topics were:

·         What skills do we need to be successful scientists?

·         Tips and tricks for science communication.

·         How can we better engage stakeholders and local communities in solution-oriented science through mutual learning?

·         New developments in Arctic research.

·         The Arctic’s relevance in the Earth System.

In addition, our executive director gave an introduction to APECS.

At the end of an intensive workshop day, a number ideas and recommendations were discussed. Main outcomes from this event are:

·         APECS will nominate a representative for the MOSAiC project.

·         The indigenous people secretariat encouraged APECS to jointly do a field school or similar event in a local Arctic community.

·         It was recommended that APECS reaches out further into the global research community and uses upcoming opportunities to highlight the importance of including early career researchers in science and governance processes as well as organizations.

·         APECS was encouraged to develop an internship program. First organizations assured their support during the workshop and following science symposium.

For details regarding the program, mentors and attendees please click here.

Further APECS activities during ASSW

I APECS members were engaged in a number of additional ways in this year's Arctic Science Summit Week.

  • More than 10 APECS members attended the working group meetings of the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) prior to the conference
  • 9 APECS members served as early career co-conveners in all sessions during the science symposium
  • On 17 April, APECS invited early career researchers to learn about APECS activities
  • 3 APECS members received poster awardsduring the closing ceremony.

 

ASSW2013 logoDuring the Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) 2013 in Krakow, Poland, several early career researchers had the opportunity to be co-conveners for the sessions in the Science Symposium part of the conference. This provided a very valuable training experience for all of them over several months. The early career conveners worked with senior researchers in preparing the sessions and their content by helping with the advertising, the reviewing of abstracts and most importantly the chairing of the sessions during the conference.

Thank you to the Scientific Steering Committee of the ASSW 2013 for working with APECS to make this opportunity happen and for encouraging this very active participation of early career researchers at the conference. A special thank you also to the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) for generously providing funding for the early career conveners to attend the conference.

The early career conveners at the ASSW 2013 were:

- Sara Strey – Atmosphere Processes and Global Climate Connections

- Yulia Zaika - Cryospheric Changes: Drivers and Consequences)

- Monika Kedra - Marine Processes and Variability

- Sonal Choudhary - Terrestrial Ecosystem Responses to Environmental Stressors

- Gerlis Fugmann - Impact of Global Changes on Arctic Societies

- Julia Skupchenko – Arctic People and Resources: Opportunities, Challenges and Risks

- Sandra Juutilainen – Applying Traditional Knowledge to Better Understanding the Changing Arctic

- Michał Łuszczuk – Arctic System Science for Regional and Global Sustainability

- Adam Naito – Changing North: Predictions and Scenarios

For more information about all the early career conveners at ASSW 2013 click here

soos logo

The first Asian workshop of the Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS) will be held the next 23-24 May in Shanghai, China.

APECS members from Asian and non-Asian countries are invited to participate in Day 1 (23 May) of the workshop through the APECS GoToMeeting system. To register, send an email to the APECS ex-officio member in the SOOS Scientific Steering Commeettee, Dr. Tosca Ballerini (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) by Friday 17 May.

The first SOOS Asian workshop is organized in collaboration with the Polar Research Institute of China (PRIC), the State Key Laboratory of Numerical Modelling for Atmospheric Sciences and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics (LASG), the Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences and with the sponsorisation of the Scientific Commette for Antarctic Research (SCAR) and the Scientific Commette for Oceanic Research (SCOR).

The workshop will provide an opportunity to highlight the research and observations being undertaken by Asian countries in the Southern Ocean and to stimulate discussion and foster further involvement from Asian countries in SOOS activities.

During Day 1 (23 May) there will oral presentations by representatives from the Asian scientific community to illustrate their national and organizational research and observation activities and capabilities (current and planned) in the Southern Ocean. SOOS Scientific Steering Committee (SSC) members will also present an overview of their international activities in the Southern Ocean. The meeting will be broadcasted by APECS through the APECS GoToMeeting system.

SCAR and SCOR warmly encourage the participation of early career scientist in the workshop. Participating in the workshop will allow APECS member to get in touch with leading scientists from Asian and non-Asian countries and will be an excellent networking opportunity for all APECS members.

For more information about the workshop: http://www.soos.aq/index.php/calendar?view=event&cid=42

 

IMG 4427 smallerJennifer Provencher represented APECS at the AMAP AACA-C workshop in Saint Petersburg Russia. The AACA (Adaptations for Action in a Changing Arctic) workshops are a series of workshops  that seek to integrate knowledge from modelers and reserachers about the future of changing Arctic systems, and plan potental adaptations actions for the region.

Currently, the Barents Sea, Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort Seas and Davis Strait-Baffin Bay regions have been identified as the pilot areas where assessment and planning will take place in the next year. The meeting was highly successful with three local regional meetings planned for the fall in which more early career representatives will be invited to participate in. At regional meetings expertise from all sectors active in the region and stakeholders will be brough together to identify areas where further existing framwork exists, and where further planning is needed.

The main message that all the working groups are taking away that although climatic changes may be affecting the region differently, major changes are taking place in the Arctic region and stratgeic plans are needed in order to plan.

Photo: Jennifer Provencher

cartaz NEW NEWOne of the biggest challenges that scientists have today is to communicate their science efficiently to their peers, to the media, to the general public to everyone. Still today we see colleagues of ours talking in conferences that we do understand very little. Solution: improve our communication skills! Your supervisor, your department, your colleagues (and students) and your CV will thank you! To address this issue, an international workshop was organized in Portugal in 26-28 March 2013, titled "EDUCATION MEETS SCIENCE: BRINGING POLAR RESEARCH INTO THE CLASSROOMS”, by the Institute of Marine Research of the University of Coimbra (Portugal), the Alfred Wegener Institute (Germany) and the British Antarctic Survey (UK), with the Museum of Science of the University of Coimbra and the national Agency Ciência Viva, following the success of the teachers/educators workshop at the International Polar Year (IPY) 2012 Conference in Montreal and Oslo in 2010.

DSC 4700 SA total of 41 invited participants (i.e. teachers/educators and invited scientists) from 13 countries (USA, Canada, Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Iceland, Bulgaria, UK, Germany and Swirzterland) participated, inlcuding various APECS members (both sicentists and teachers/educators). The scientists gave science lectures in the morning, whereas the afternoons were composed by demonstrations that teachers/educators could implement in their classrooms), finishing the days with panel discussions addressing key issues for teachers/educators and scientists. See the film here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDdNuPP3fSk

Methane overload 1The workshop was a success and concluded that the new association Polar Educators International (PEI) is getting stronger and stronger, highly engaged in collaborating with other organizations, such as APECS, in POLAR WEEKS, and determined to define a clear strategy to help polar teachers/educators and scientists to introduce polar science at local (schools), national and at the international levels, while sharing educational resources. For early career scientists this means more opportunities to get involved in education and outreaxh and improve communication skills.This is really good news for APECS!

A few days ago we lost a very special person in the sea ice community.  Katharine Giles became an APECS member in 2008 and after participating as an active young researcher, she continued her role as a wonderful mentor in our organization as a research fellow and lectuer at the University College London (UCL).  Dr. Giles became an instrumental asset to to the community with her work with satellite altimetry on sea ice freeboard from CryoSAT-2, along with her late collegue Seymour Laxon.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to her friends and family during this difficult time.

More information can be found at:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-22090284

Dear APECS community,

APECS has been extremely active in Norway during January-March this year. First, the Arctic Frontiers conference was a great success with a number of side arrangements including the Emerging Leaders and the Young Scientists Forum. Now planning for the next conference is underway, check latest updates at http://www.arcticfrontiers.com/.

The University of Tromsø has announced its new leadership – Anne Husebekk, a new rector and her team have a High North among strategic priorities, which is partly reflected in Anne Husebekk's twitter account (@AnneHusebekk) – “University of Tromsø - A partner for development of the Arctic”. This is good news for Arctic researchers and APECS, and we hope for a continuation of fruitful cooperation with the University of Tromsø.

After an invitation from The Economist, three APECS representatives, Ylva Sjöberg, Teresa Valkonen, and myself took part in The Economist's Arctic Summit in Oslo on March 11-12, which was an interesting event. You can find a summary of this meeting under APECS News.

In the upcoming weeks, APECS will be working together with the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme on a thematic discussion panel during the AMAP Arctic Ocean Acidification conference in Bergen, May 6-8, 2013.  This  is expected to be a great event! We thank AMAP for this cooperation and for a financial support to a number of APECS members.

What’s happening now? Nothing, because it is a Påskeferie or Easter holidays!

God Påske fra APECS Directorate!
Alexey

The Economist Group attempts to provide high-level international forums for senior executives to discuss opportunities and challenges in different spheres. The Economist's Arctic Summit (http://cemea.economistconferences.com/event/arctic-summit) was designed to focus on the Arctic and to promote constructive thinking on its present and future state and development. The Arctic Summit took place in Oslo, Norway on 11-12 March and attracted more than 150 policy makers, scientists, environmentalists, businessmen, and representatives from the industry sector. A number of topics through a combination of plenary talks and panel discussions were covered: changes in the Arctic environment, shipping, exploration of mineral resources, shipping and associated risks in the Arctic, environmental and geopolitical perspectives of the Arctic development. APECS was invited to be present at the meeting as well, and three APECS representatives participated in it: Teresa Valkonen (Co-Chair, APECS Finland and APECS Education and Outreach Committee), Ylva Sjöberg (Executive Secretary, APECS Sweden) and Alexey Pavlov (Director, APECS).

What are the major thoughts about the Summit from early career researchers’ perspective?

1. The Economist’s Arctic Summit showed very clearly how difficult it is to effectively communicate between different groups: scientists, policy makers, industry representatives, environmentalists, general public and others. This question was briefly brought up during discussions. One particular core group that was mentioned is young people as a group that realistically could change their opinions about topics related to the polar regions and a climate change.

2. Arctic exploration is not restricted by political or law regulations, it is restricted by technological challenges and will require sound scientific findings. Thus, it was clearly stated that new, breakthrough technologies will be required in the future and need to be created by a competent and well-educated people. Human capital will be crucial here. Representatives from almost all sectors strongly emphasized the need for more data and research in the Arctic.

3. A striking aspect of the Summit was a lack of women among the speakers with an original program with only 1 female expert of 25 speakers (Nina Jensen, WWF Norge). Due to a last minute change in the program, Ellen Baum from the Clean Air Task Force also appeared at the Summit.

What APECS could do in the future?

1. There are huge differences in how language, and communication in general, is used in different fields of the society. Acknowledging these differences will the first step to get the voice of scientists to be heard. APECS Education and Outreach committee has already done a great deal in this direction. APECS should further ensure outreach, education and science communication activities and to emphasize its importance for the whole APECS community.  Even more work with schools and a general public will be required in the future. We should also facilitate more cross-disciplinary communication within APECS community as well as between APECS members and early career representatives of different sectors.

2. APECS leadership should look wider beyond traditional academic careers and build meaningful relationships with an industry sector to provide more relevant training and opportunities for polar early career researchers. In parallel, APECS should invest more into emphasizing the importance of interdisciplinary and international research cooperation.

3.  APECS is already doing a great job in terms of training of female polar scientists.  For example, 4 of 5 APECS Presidents have been female researchers and a current executive committee consists of all 5 enthusiastic ladies. We hope that we could continue this tendency in the future.

***
Contributed by Teresa Valkonen, Ylva Sjöberg and Alexey Pavlov

The revival of the Membership Involvement Committee (MIC) has not remained unnoticed. On March 18th, several representatives of National Committees (NCs) discussed  the working of the MIC during an online call and focused on the working of NCs. Representatives were present from Belgium, Portugal, Russia, Norway, Spain, Finland, Sweden, UK, US northeast, Poland, and Oceania.

Tips and tricks were given from more experienced NCs when it comes to keeping people engaged when it is difficult to meet in-person because of a wide geographical range, how to deal with funding issues, and how you can reach more people.

Representatives from NCs will have regular skype calls (every 3 months) to discuss problems and upcoming events, there are plans to hold a second broadcast of webinars for people in Asia/Oceania, the NCs of Portugal, Sweden and the UK will organize a webinar together to talk about the benefits and challenges involved in working at the national level, there will be skype calls between different NCs during Polar Week September (1. Spain and Portuguese speaking countries, 2. Scandinavian countries) to have a stronger collaboration between countries and we will interview people who started with APECS to find out what they are doing now and how APECS influenced their career.

Would you like to be involved at the national level, have a look at the webpages of the NCs: http://www.apecs.is/get-involved/national-committees

There is no NC listed for your country yet? Think about it and have a look at the MIC page: http://www.apecs.is/get-involved/apecs-committees/membership-involvement-committee-mic/6005-mic-co-chairs-2012

APECS is happy to be participating in the upcoming Adaptation of Actions for a Changing Arctic (AACA) meeting being held in St Petersburg, Russia, April 22-26, 2013. The AACA series of workshops is being lead by the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP), a working group of the Arctic Council.

The overall aim of the workshop is to develop strategies to meet user needs to analyze consequences that may occur in relation to combined effects on the Arctic ecosystems and on social and economic development, based on current climate models. From AMAP "The use of climate model outputs in practical applications is a significant scientific challenge. Model data can be useless or even misleading if used improperly.  Improper use of model data is a result of both unsatisfactory communication between providers (modellers) and users (economy sectors, etc.) and existing major gaps in the scientific knowledge. The challenge is particularly pronounced in the Arctic region with its notorious inter-model projection scatters and the vigorous climate variability. The scientific problems of model data use in impact studies include approaches to model discrimination, dealing with model ensembles and associated probabilities and uncertainties, added value and added uncertainties of downscaling techniques, different confidence in model projections of different climate variables, etc. The key question: what can climate science suggest to users in various sectors?"

APECS Russia members, as well as an APECS representative will be participating in the workshop, which brings together climate modellers, marine and terrestrial system researchers, social scientists and socio-economic modellers. Check in here mext month for a summary of the meeting, and an update on the AACA program.

apecs brazil2012 2The APECS-Brazil informative, a semestral newsletter from APECS-Brazil, is available to download! It´s a publication in Portuguese to disseminate APECS information among Brazilian people, not only researchers, and E&O activities.

Editors: Erli Schneider Costa and Rodrigo Kerr

Download the APECS-Brazil informative!

Wang Yuzhe 1Recently, APECS member Yuzhe Wang attended the fourth meeting of the World Meteorological Organization's Executive Council of Experts on Polar Observations, Research, and Services (WMO's EC-PORS) in Lanzhou, China. He has submitted this very informational report, detailing current actions involving progress on the "Global Cryosphere Watch" and the "International Polar Initiative" as well as a large number of APECS partners. 

EC-PORS will have upcoming meetings in New Zealand (2014) and Iceland (2015), and we'll be looking for APECS reps then! Find out more about current APECS reps, their responsibilities, and becoming one.

Clic logo1In a continuing effort to better coordinate international activities within cryosphere research, avoid duplication of efforts and combine resources, the leaders of various cryosphere organizations met during the Fall 2012 AGU meeting in San Francisco, CA, USA. Organizations participating in this meeting were: AGU-Cryosphere Group, ICSIH, EGU-Cryosphere, ARCUS, CliC, IPA, SCAR, APECS, IACS, and IASC. The agenda of the meeting revolved around making the most of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the Cryosphere organizations earlier in 2012. In a tour de table, participants summarized the most important objectives of the MoU and the tasks that they thought should be pursued. One of the major outcomes from previous meetings was debuted - the Cryosphere Community Calendar, coordinated by the Climate and Cryosphere (CliC) Project. Upcoming suggestions were more sharing of information and a potential annual joint Cryosphere Newsletter.

The meeting notes can be downloaded here. Questions about the December Meeting should be directed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

If you or your organization would like to join this group, please contact the coordinator, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Original posting: http://www.climate-cryosphere.org/index.php/news/clic-news/377-cryoorg-dec12-notes

4 wheeler lkfryxellAPECS mentor Erin Pettit has provided some solid tips for successful fieldwork - whether you new or experienced both for team leaders and field assistant. The best tip? "Happy, comfortable, safe people make for great scientific results."

Check out the whole post here. 

IMG 4299On 20-25 February Romania has hosted the first for the last few years National Symposium Criosfera2013 in Piatra Neamt. APECS International and APECS Polska were invited to share opportunities and experience on how to establish the national committee of APECS in Romania. During this symposium we have explored an amazing history of polar research in Romania starting from Emil Racovita and remembered the great Romanian Polar explorer and scientist Teodor Negoita, who was also one of the most supportive APECS mentors and headed the first permanent Romanian research and exploration station in Antarctica, the Law-Racovita Station, which he established in 2006.

Our team consisted from Poland delegates – Maja Lisowska, Bartosz Lisowski, Michal Wegrzyn and from APECS Executive Committee - Yulia Zaika. We’ve met students and young scientists from different corners of Romania and have successfully started APECS Romania. A lot of interesting questions and discussions went our way and we hope that we answered all of them.

We want to thank our new friends and we hope they will become great mentors for those enthusiastic young scientists in Romania – Dr. Dumitru Murariu (Preşedinte Comisia Antarctică a Academiei Române), Constantin Lacatusu (Clubul Montan Român), Christian Lasku (Editor-in Chief, National Geographic Romania),  Dr. Roxana Bojariu (Administraţia Naţională de Meteorologie), Dr. Petre Popescu (Institutul Astronomic al Academiei Române), Dr. Petru Urdea (Universitatea de Vest, Timişoara) and one of the most wonderful organizer we have ever met Stelian Grigore (Director of Casa de Culture Piatra Neamt)!

IMG 0305Last but not least, we have met an amazing teacher – Cosmina Dragomir, who is trying to explore the polar world together with school kids in Romania but more to come later…

We are looking for our further collaborations withRomania and are very much impressed with Romanian hospitality!

Wang Yuzhe 1The Executive Committee on Polar Observations, Research, and Services promotes and coordinates relevant programmes that are carried out in the Antarctic and Arctic regions by nations and by groups of nations.  It interfaces with all World Meteorological Organization programmes and other related programmes throughout the world, meeting global needs and requirements for meteorological observations, research and services in the polar regions. 

The upcoming EC-PORS meeting will be held in March 2013 in Lanzhou, China. APECS will be represented by APECS member Wang Yuzhe. In his words:

"I'm a masters student at State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou City, China. I'm working on the glacier volume changes of Mt. Qilian, in northeast Tibetan Plateau during the early twenty-first century. The goal of this research is to calculate the regional mass balance and how much glacier mass has changed in the recent decade and try to link the glacier volume change to regional climate change and glacier runoff. I use satellite data (i.e SRTM, ICESat, Chinese ZY-3) and field survey GPS data.  I will graduate in May this year. This is a good opportunity for me to shape my successive doctoral direction of polar studies. The meeting will be held in Lanzhou and I can provide the local service for APECS' friends."

APECS Mentors consistently tell APECS Members to have their "elevator speech" practiced - to share their science, to network at conferences, and to get a job or funding! Nature Jobs takes on the subject with an article on the subject. "With ruthless revision, researchers can compose a punchy 'elevator speech' to sell their science to a neighbour, potential employer or politician." See the whole article at http://www.nature.com/naturejobs/science/articles/10.1038/nj7435-137a.

APECS-Brazil together researches from Penguins and Skuas project ( read more) carried flags of Antarctica produced by Brazilian students during Antarctic Day activities celebrated on December 01!

Thanks to all teachers and students that worked togheter us to contributed to Brazil have more than 100 flags sent by around Antarctica!

It was really amazing and we hope that all that participated to do a wonderfull Antarctic Day in 2012 could help us to do a briliant Antarctic Day in 2013!

Erli Schneider Costa, Moacir Silva, Juliana Silva Souza and Dayana Almeida (APECS-members and Penguins and Skuas project)

brazilantday

The first quarter of the APECS Council 2012-2013 term  is over and the APECS Council Reports were full of exciting news. International collaborations amongst APECS members and mentors are spanning the globe in multiple directions, and there are many tangible outcomes from these cooperative interactions. To name a few activities: a working group for traditional knowledge was started, planning for the APECS Workshop at the Arctic Science Summit week continues, a virtual balloon launch and a webinar from McMurdo station were organized as part of Antarctica day in December and Research Highlights was added to the APECS webpage. For the full list of Council activities during the past quarter, see the summary of the Council Term Reports which can be found here.

 We are also happy to welcome our new council members; Dagmar Obbels, Michael Laiho and Sarah Crowley. Dagmar started her PhD in 2009 on the AMBIO (Antarctic microbial biodiversity) project at Ghent University. In 2010 she obtained an IWT scholarship which focuses on the adaptation of drought and salinity stress in Antarctic filamentous cyanobacteria. Her latest contribution to APECS has been through APECS Belgium National Committee, where she has been very active. Michael is a second year PhD candidate who works with the EU's influence in Arctic governance: energy and environmental security issues at the Arctic Centre, based in Finland's Arctic city, Rovaniemi. In February he will start a research exchange in Prague, at the University's European Institute and IR Institute. Sarah currently works as an education project manager for the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States in Fairbanks, AK. She manages PolarTREC, a teacher-­researcher experience program. Sarah develops and implements teacher trainings on climate change and polar science for online platforms and in-­field experiences. Most recently she has worked tirelessly with partners such as APECS to build Polar Educators International; a professional network for those who educate in, for, and about the polar regions. To read their full bios, check out the webpage for the 2012-2013 Council.

We are looking forward to working with our three new Council members and to all of the exciting activities planned for the rest of the 2012-2013 term!

Sanna Majaneva & Christie Wood

The Arctic Frontiers conference on Geopolitics and Marine Production in a Changing Arctic for 2013 was concluded last week. It was an exciting event with a number of outstanding presentations during both the Policy and Science sections (available online now). It also brought many opportunities for Arctic early career researchers. The Emergent Leaders program and Young Scientist Forum were run in conjunction with the conference and brought together young people working in various realms of Arctic science and industry. A great addition to the conference was the Podcast series organized by Tom Fries (The Arctic Institute). This was coordinated in cooperation with Arctic Frontiers, the Arctic Institute and the GeoNorth program.

It was a fantastic week for APECS as well. We organized three events – the joint Fram Centre – APECS reception entitled “Arctic Games”, APECS Discussion Panel, and Outstanding Poster Awards for early career researchers.
 

Arctic Games reception at the Fram Centre

arctic games 2013The Arctic Games reception was organized as a joint effort between the High North Research Centre for Climate and the Environment (The Fram Centre) and APECS, and with the help of the Climate and Cryosphere project (CliC) on January 22nd . This event brought more than 200 conference participants together for a lively mingling and networking with the overall goal to foster communication between experts, scientists, politicians, industry representatives and early career scientists working in the Arctic.

 

Meet Arctic Frontiers Poster Award Winners

APECS is pleased to announce winners of the Arctic Frontiers Outstanding Poster Awards coordinated by APECS and supported by the organizing committee of Arctic Frontiers. Winners were officially announced during the conference dinner on January 24th. We thank judges for their reviews.

Moritz Schmid & Jordan Grigor
Takuvik Joint International Laboratory, University Laval (Canada) & CNRS (France)
Poster Title: In situ imaging of mezozooplankton in order to assess scale spatiotemporal variability

 

Malte Humpert & Andreas Raspotnik
The Arctic Institute & University of Cologne (Germany)
Poster Title: From “Great Wall” to “Great White North”: Explaining China’s Politics in the Arctic  

 

Gen Nakamura
Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology (Japan)
Poster Title: Needs of oesteological comparison between North Atlantic minke whales with North Pacific minke whales to clarify for their taxonomic statu

 

APECS Discussion Panel on Traditional Knowledge during Arctic Frontiers

aft panel tk 2013APECS hosted a Discussion Panel entitled “Local knowledge and research and policy: bridging the past and present with preparations for the future” in the afternoon on January 25th, which was the final event of the Arctic Frontiers conference 2013.

In keeping with the conference theme, “Geopolitics and Marine Production in a Changing Arctic”, the subject of the discussion panel was the collaboration of local knowledge with science and policy, and touched several important questions, such as: How to integrate local ecological knowledge into research practices, as well as what are the ways to validate this knowledge; ethical questions of working with local communities; insights on future synergies between northern communities and researchers. Panelists included Grete K. Hovelsrud (CICERO), Mario Acquarone (NAMMCO/UiT), Camilla Brattland (NIKU), Einar Eythórsson (NIKU), and Ole Mathis V. Hætta.

 

EL sponsorsTwenty one young people from industry, consulting and academia met under the Emerging Leaders program in conjunction with the Arctic Frontiers 2013 conference. Emerging Leaders program is aiming at strengthening communication and networking between emerging leaders and established Arctic experts within academia and corporative sector. This program is organised by Arctic Frontiers, and its development was carried out in cooperation with the Research Council of Norway (RCN) and ConocoPhillips, and with technical support from SALT, Lofoten.

I was lucky to join this program and to follow lectures and presentations on governance, policy, industry, science related to the Arctic region during the 2.5-day trip between Bodø – Svolvær – Tromsø. It was a great mix of topics providing a broad perspective on the present and future of the Arctic region. During the program, Emerging Leaders were challenged to think about the future of the Arctic in 2050 and to make presentation on the topic. Fruitful brainstorming and discussions resulted in 20 min performance during the second day of the Arctic Frontiers conference. You can watch the presentation online and meet current Emergent Leaders at the Arctic Today Show in 2050 (Tuesday, Session 4 - presentation start at ca. 21:00 min): http://tinyurl.com/2013EmergingLeaders

Over the past two decades, the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) has been organizing forward-looking conferences focused on international and interdisciplinary perspectives for advancing Arctic research cooperation and applications of Arctic knowledge. Indeed, the IASC Founding Articles call for IASC to host such a conference periodically in order to "review the status of Arctic science, provide scientific and technical advice, and promote cooperation and links with other national and international organizations." In 2015, it will have been 10 years since the 2nd International Conference on Arctic Research Planning (ICARP II in 2005) and it is time for ICARP III (together with IASC 25th anniversary celebration will be held during ASSW 2015 in Japan). The final product of ICARP III will be a consensus statement identifying the most important Arctic research needs for the next decade.

Sanna Majaneva is honored to have been nominated to represent APECS in the Interim Planning Group for ICARP III. She is now finishing her doctoral thesis project at the University of Helsinki in collaboration with the University Centre in Svalbard and the Finnish Environment Institute / Marine Research Centre. In her thesis, she is working on a better understanding of the role of gelatinous zooplankton populations in the Arctic Ocean and Baltic Sea and how different aspects of the changing climate could affect these communities. Furthermore; the overall goal of this project is to indicate that more emphasis should be placed into the gelatinous part of the plankton community to be able to adequately model the community interactions and changes.

Sanna has been an APECS member since its early stages 2007 and has served on the APECS Council since 2011 and is now one of the two APECS council co-chairs for 2012-2013. She is also co-founder of APECS Finland for which she currently acts as co-chair. Outside of her scientific pursuits, she is also active in enhancing communication of the Arctic issues. She is looking forward to the planning of the ICARP III and the opportunity to participate in defining an interdisciplinary vision for future Arctic research.

During the Third International Symposium of Arctic Research (ISAR3) in Tokyo, Japan (14-17 January 2013), an APECS career development panel was organized. Such a panel aims to break the ice between senior scientists with an extensive career and young students who can benefit from the experience and perspectives of mentors.

dscn5214 opt 1The panel was composed of five mentors (from left to rigth):

Dr. Hans-Wolfgang Hubberten, head of the AWI Research Unit Potsdam with the Section of Periglacial Research and professor for Isotope Geology at the Potsdam University

Dr. Larry Hinzman, director of the International Arctic Research Center (IARC) and professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Alaska Fairbanks

Dr. Volker Rachold, Executive Secretary of the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC)

Dr. Atsuko Sugimoto, professor at the Faculty of Environmental Earth Science at Hokkaido University

Dr. Kazuyuki Shiraishi, director-general of the National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR)

About 50 polar researchers, young and older, Japanese and international, attended the panel and asked several questions to these mentors. Questions such as: “How do you find a good mentor to guide you through your scientific career?” were answered, and accompanied by practical tips.

Dr. Volker Rachold: “I found it quite interesting that most experts had the same tips.”

dscn5206 optdscn5212 opt 

 

After moderating the panel with Neurasimuguli Alimasi, Ines Tavernier, APECS Vice President, gave an introduction about APECS at the University of Hokkaido (Sapporo) upon request of professor Atsuko Sugimoto. First, a student seminar was held, followed by the talk on APECS.  

Professor Ralf Greve, Glacier and Ice Sheet Research Group, Sapporo: “I know APECS from the beginning and thought of them as just another organization. But it is absolutely amazing to see how they have grown over the past years.”

8398016740 663c185ed1Ines gave a general introduction of APECS and the people running this organization on a day-to-day base. She told her personal story of how she was introduced to APECS, how APECS Belgium and APECS BeNeLux (Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxembourg) were formed, what Frostbytes are and most importantly: what APECS does for young researchers and how they can be involved.

Rei Fujiyoshi, student at Hokkaido University: “I strongly wish that a similar organization would exist for students not active in the polar regions!”

Professor Atsuko Sugimoto definitely does not need to be convinced of the importance of APECS for her students and of the possibilities their involvement would create, so we do hope the number of members in Japan will increase in the future and that they will engage themselves to become an active group of enthusiastic young polar researchers. 

Antarctica Day BG small

With the support of the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute APECS Bulgaria organized in Sofia in the last November and December several activities to celebrate for the first time the Antarctica Day.  

During the celebration about 200 students were actively involved. Several activities were conducted - lectures in schools, virtual balloon launch, creation of flag designs for Antarctica, interviews in newspapers and radio, photo exhibition etc.

·        20 November - Photo exhibition of Iglika Trifonova entitled “Antarctica – the cold south” in the National Library. Great success with the presence of former Prime Minister Mrs. Reneta Indzhova, former Rector of Sofia University and famous writer prof. Boyan Biolchev, the Director of Bulgarian Antarctic Institute prof. Christo Pimpirev and many guests. The exhibition remains in the National Library till 2 February 2013 and later will tour some of the Bulgarian cultural institutes in Europe.

·        28 November-1 December - Lectures about Antarctic mammals given by the early career scientists Denitsa Apostolova and Iglika Trifonova in schools in 2 Bulgarian towns: Sofia and Svoge. The educators replied questions of children aged between 9 and 11 years and encouraged them to paint flags for "Antarctica Day Flags".

·        12 December – Twenty students from the Eco-Bio Club "Green Clover" of the 1st English School in Sofia made presentations on topics related to the poles. In the official hall of EU Information Centre the children aged between 16 and 18 years old talked about ice melting, penguins, scientific expeditions to the poles, marine world, auroras, polar flora and fauna, polar bears and pinnipeds mammals. Researchers from Bulgarian Antarctic Institute, early career scientists from APECS Bulgaria and students from the same school attended the 90 minutes lectures. It was extraordinary the enthusiasm of students discussing the importance of Polar Regions to conserve the planet and life as we know nowadays.

·        Children from several Bulgarian schools took a part with their paintings in the flagship activity "Antarctica Day Flags - From the Classroom to Antarctica.


IIn 2013 APECS Bulgaria continues to follow its long-term educational and outreach program willing to spread its knowledge and polar experiences in Bulgarian schools and Universities around the country.

Before you can tackle the overwhelming task of huge writing projects, you must first put aside some widely held myths, say Maria Gardiner and Hugh Kearns. Full story from NatureJobs here. 

12-13th December 2012
European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF) (Reading, England)

The World Weather Research Program (WWRP) Polar Prediction Project (PPP) is a ten year initiative aiming to promote cooperative international research into polar weather prediction at hourly to seasonal timescales. As part of this project plans are being made for a Year of Polar Prediction (YOPP) in 2017-2018, this will involve an intensive observation and modelling effort to improve polar prediction.

Ella Darlington and Jonny Day attended this meeting representing APECS, who are being consulted on project matters related to outreach and education. The meeting was mainly concerned with finalising the project implementation plan. During the discussion on how early career scientists could become more involved in and contribute to the PPP, the following ideas were discussed:

  • Invite early career scientists to PPP events (not just workshops; but also steering groups, etc.).
  • Run mentoring sessions at SG meetings and PPP workshops.
  • Involve early career scientists in informal social settings such as icebreakers where they are encouraged to meet and talk with senior scientists.
  • Run skills training workshops to ensure that early career scientists are familiar with tools as well as operational in-house systems (e.g., models, and diagnosis and verification systems) and can more readily run models or analyse operational centre data. (Existing examples include twice yearly WRF workshops and verification workshops run by JWGFVR.).
  • Run summer schools.

It was agreed to:

  • Invite local APECS representative(s) to take part in the next PPP-SG meeting (tentatively Boulder, Colorado, USA in October 2013).
  • Run a mentoring session in association with the PPP-SG meeting.  

In addition Jonny agreed to sit on the project steering group and YOPP planning committee to liaise with both the PPP steering group and APECS concerning the PPP education and outreach plan and its implementation. 

http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/arep/wwrp/new/polar_prediction_research_project_main_page.html

UiT logoFirst, Happy New Year and I wish APECS community a productive year 2013!

As announced lately by the Research Council of Norway, a Centre for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Environment and Climate at the University of Tromsø (UiT) was granted a status of a Centre of Excellence for the next ten years. Under guidance of the UiT professor Jurgen Mienert, the new Centre will focus on studies of gas migration processes, fluid flow and permafrost in the Arctic, and their importance for the Arctic marine environment and for a global climate system.

This news is definitely of interest for many polar early career researchers and APECS members working in this field. Additionally, there is an annual funding of 14 millions NOK where approximately 30-40 new PhD and PostDoc positions will be created in coming years!

To remind APECS members, with Director's messages I will continue to provide updates about most interesting and relevant news as well as a personal experience in Norway. Check them out at All things Norway.

Yours,
Alexey Pavlov 

APECS seminar FinlandIt's always a great pleasure to work in person with amazing people who share the same interest to the Polar Regions. At the end of November APECS Finland held a multidisciplinary seminar with scientific talks and a career development workshop in Helsinki, Finland.

The beginning of the day with talks on strategies of polar research in Finland and in different institutes together with funding possibilities from Academy of Finland was full of new information for most participants and gave the day a great start. Talks by different groups doing Arctic and Antarctic science were interesting and inspirational, and opened up new research collaborations. The scientific seminar was a great success with the auditorium full of young scientists as well as interested senior researchers. Fortunately so much polar research is presently conducted in Finland that many groups were introduced among the very interesting poster session in the afternoon. Thank you for all the speakers and poster makers.

Early career scientists were particularly happy with the afternoon workshop on communication and the mentor panel. The major topics covered during the workshop and mentor panel were: How to communicate with Media both from researchers and media's perspective? How to make successful scientific presentation? How to communicate within research group? And How valuable communication with the research community is to a PhD students? APECS has actively worked on career development internationally throughout its history, and it was great to see that also early career scientists in Finland found these matters valuable. Many thanks go to the fantastic mentors who shared their experience and wisdom with us: Johanna Ikävalko, Jari Haapala, Noora Partamies and Janne-Markus Rintala.

Thanks you also to the organizing committee, Finnish Environment Institute and Finnish Meteorological Institute for their great support. The day was a big success! We look forward in working with you again in future.

APope2012My name is Allen Pope – as a former president of APECS and frequent poster to the APECS email list, there’s a strong likelihood that you may have seen it before. Originally because of my involvement with APECS, one thing led to another, and I am now one of the first elected student members of the Council (~50 people) of the 66,000-member American Geophysical Union (AGU). I have been asked to write a short post on how I found myself in this position, what responsibilities it comes with, what I hope to contribute, what I hope to learn, why I’m excited to have this opportunity, and why I think I shouldn’t have gotten this job!

The AGU Council is the assembly responsible for the scientific affairs of the Union. It represents, advocates, deliberates and prioritizes member issues impacting the science of AGU. And starting in 2013, there are 6 elected seats on the Council for students and early career scientists. As one of the student reps, my role is twofold: one, to serve as a bridge between the Union and student members and two, to be a fresh, innovative voice on the Council as we discuss how to run the fall meeting, how to communicate science, and much more. I hope to do both of those things, and the other student members and I have already started plotting and scheming! In our term, communication will be paramount and in two years’ time, we want early career members to feel that their voice is heard and for them to hear all the opportunities that AGU is providing them with.

So, where does APECS come in? It was through organizing an APECS panel at last year’s fall meeting that I started talked to Anne Nolin, former president of the AGU Cryosphere Focus Group, and it was she who encouraged me to apply for the slot. APECS involvement really is a great way to gain skills, confidence, and contacts! The AGU Council is going to be a great opportunity to see how AGU operates – and for me to share many of the lessons APECS has already learned about serving an early career constituency. There is so much that I can help make happen, especially with the resources AGU is able to provide.

So, why would I ever think I shouldn’t have gotten the job? Because it is such a sweet gig that I’m amazed only a few dozen people put themselves forward for the 6 slots! I know there are tons of enthusiastic & highly competent people out there, so when my term ends in 2 years, I hope that that many APECS members alone apply for the position – and we’ll talk about what you can give and learn then.

For now, it’s easy to get involved with AGU by contacting me or signing up online – or APECS by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

APECS AGU Panel2012APECS held a career development mentor panel and pub night at the 2012 AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco in collaboration with the AGU Cryosphere Focus Group. Discussion with the audience of 35-40 people ranged from the benefits and drawbacks of PhDs and postdocs in the USA as opposed to Europe and the importance of publication record in postdoc applications to the importance of flexibility and coherence in how you sell yourself and the need to find the right challenge that you are passionate about. Panelists spoke about  the importance of recognizing and cultivating the skills that a masters or PhD gives you besides research (for non-academic jobs) as well as advocating  how helpful it can be to develop a career plan, with achievable goals along the way, to set up your career in the direction you would like to see it go. The audience was both amused and encouraged to hear that many of these very successful panelists had made professional choices for personal reasons – and the glaciology-heavy crowd was relieved to hear that glaciology funding and research in the US doesn’t appear to be a bubble market.

Organizers Christine Dow and Allen Pope would like to thanks the panelists for their insights and their time during such a busy conference. The panelists were:

Plans are already in the works for an APECS / AGU Cryosphere mentor panel for next year. See you in San Francisco in 2013!

As a side event at the 2012 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting in San Francisco, a group of Crysopheric organizations met to discuss progress on a joint Memorandum of Understanding. This group, including representatives from APECS (Allen Pope), the Climate and the Cryosphere Project (Vladimir Ryabinin), the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (Chuck Kennicutt), the International Arctic Science Committee (Volker Rachold), the American Geophysical Union Cryosphere Focus Group (Anne Nolin), the European Geosciences Union Cryosphere Division (Hilmar Gudmundsson), the International Commission on Snow and Ice Hydrology (Regine Hock), the International Association of Cryospheric Sciences (Charles Fierz), the International Permafrost Association (Inga May), and the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (Kristina Creek), aims to increase coordination of activities and events with the Cryospheric community. One output of this agreement has been the development of a Cryosphere Community Calendar, hosted by CliC. The group expressed the desire to also have a planning calendar, including the 5-year strategic aims of each organization, so as to be able to better work together. The attendees reaffirmed the need to support the training and engagement of early career researchers, and APECS is committeed to helping them make that happen. If you have ideas of how you would like to work with any of these organizations or see APECS better represented, please This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.!

Opportunities to get experience in leadership, management, and coordination such as this are regularly provided to interested APECS members. Be sure to stay tuned for future similar opportunities! 

produktbilde SKD logo kopiNorway meets the demand for cutting edge climate research. The Centre for Climate Dynamics (http://skd.bccr.no) is a new research and competence centre for the advancement of climate science. They have received funding from the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research for the next 10 years, which will build on the expertise of the Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, University of Bergen, the Institute of Marine Research, Uni Research Ltd and the Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Center.   The Centre for Climate Dynamics will conduct research to enhance the understanding of the variability and changes in the climate.  They plan to develop state-of-the art modeling tools to ensure the provision of global and regional climate scenarios for the North Atlantic and the Arctic, Europe and selected developing countries. At the international level, the Centre will contribute to major climate research initiatives, such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). At the same time, there will be some benefits for APECS members since Centre for Climate Dynamics will focus on training and recruitment of the next generation of climate scientists working in the High Latitudes and particularly in the Arctic!

Latest series of APECS Career Development Webinars run in October-November 2012 was a great success. A special thanks to Kristin Timm, our webinars coordinator, for making all of them available on APECS Vimeo Channel (http://vimeo.com/apecs).

Starting in December, we are glad to highlight a new option available on Vimeo – a “Tip Jar”. You can now acknowledge creators and contribute to future webinars and polar videos. Please watch and if you like the webinar, feel free to tip using a green button at the bottom of the page! 

vimeo tip jar

 F0R7214Each year, the UK community of organisations interested in polar heritage gathers together at a meeting called "Antarctica 100." The meeting is organised by the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust, was hosted by the Scott Polar Research Institute, and was particularly exciting because it was concluded by a tea reception and lecture for the UKAHT's patron HRH The Princess Royal, Princess Anne

The UK Polar Network was represented by Dr. Amelie Kirchgaessner and APECS was represented by Allen Pope. APECS and the UKPN were both introduced to the community (the UKPN has participated in previous A100 meetings), and discussions were initiated about potential synergies between the UKPN and other A100 attendees. APECS members maybe be particularly interested in hearing about potential funding for their projects from the Shackleton Scholarship Fund and theTrans-Antarctic Association, as well as connection with educators through the wide range of museums present at the meeting, the International Polar Foundation, and the Fuchs Foundation

 F0R7044The majority of the meeting was spent both summarising events celebrating the Scott Centenary and planning the upcoming Shackleton Centenary (and Shackleton's granddaughter was there, too). There will be lots of great upcoming events all around the UK and abroad! We saw great potential further collaboration with IAATO, the UK FCO, the IPF, and more. We look forward to collaborating with the UKAHT and A100 members in the future. If you have ideas for how to best take advantage of this in the future (or events that you'd like to see happen), please do get in contact with the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

arctos-logoARCTOS is an international Arctic marine research network. Established in 2002, ARCTOS was the initiative from scientists at the University of Tromsø, the Norwegian Polar Institute, the University Centre on Svalbard (UNIS) and Akvaplan-niva. Later, researchers from the Institute of Marine Research and University of Nordland have joined, as well as scientists in several other institutions in Norway and other countries.

ARCTOS scientists conduct science over a broad range of marine ecology topics in the Barents Sea and around Svalbard, and in most of the northern waters. And after 10 years of its existence, ARCTOS has become an active and important player in the field of Arctic marine ecology in Norway and internationally. Currently, APECS International Directorate Office and ARCTOS Secretariat are co-located under the same roof of Hyperboreum building – a part of the Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics on campus of the University of Tromsø.

If you are seeking to extend your Arctic research network in Norway then ARCTOS is a good community to get in contact with. Find out more at http://www.arctosresearch.net/

APECS is happy to highlight our new partner in Norway. High North Academy (HNA, http://www.highnorthacademy.com) is a project functioning under support of the University of Tromsø and the Fram Centre. HNA is developing and offering graduate courses in transferrable skills for students, scientists and educators at the University of Tromsø and in Northern Norway with the main aims to: increase the quality of graduate studies in the High North; stimulate High North research output and communication; enhance social interactions across institution boundaries; raise awareness of the skills acquired through graduate studies and about the different career paths after graduate studies; improve recruitment to higher education and research in the High North.

A formal agreement between APECS and HNA in form of a Memorandum of Understanding was signed at the end of September. And this fall we already work together on a series of APECS Career Development Webinars and a Graduate Programmes database.

 

IMG 2560Although, August has been quite productive in terms of APECS activities after a long summer field season, I would like to highlight another exciting observation!

August is a great month to visit Northern Norway – now it is confirmed by personal experience! The weather is very pleasant outdoors as it is not yet cold and rainy. With such great weather, fishing and hiking are among the favorite occupations here. Luckily, it is literally a land of fjords rich in varieties of fishes, small hills and magnificent mountains that are tempting to climb! A fantastic seasonal addition is an abundance of mushrooms and, of course, berries. Among those, the cloudberry is a legend!

Hilsen fra Tromsø,
Alexey

svalbard2012An International Polar Year (IPY) 2007-2008 has brought numerous opportunities for early career scientists. Among them is an international and interdisciplinary IPY Polar Field School that is still active to date and represents a wonderful example of IPY legacy. As a collaborative effort between the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS), IPY Norway, University of the Arctic (UArctic) and the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), the IPY Polar Field School has been organized on Svalbard every summer since 2009.

In July 2012, 25 undergraduate students with different academic background from 10 countries took part in this course. Through a combination of lectures, team work, hands-on activities and field-training experience in the High Arctic region they gained valuable knowledge on various impacts of climate change in the Arctic. 

In addition, as my first teaching experience I gave three lectures on the history of IPY, opportunities for young researchers, APECS career development, and making oral and poster presentations. The latter was especially useful for the final oral and poster presentation of the projects that groups developed throughout the course. All of them were a success!

I wish there was such an amazing opportunity when I was an undergrad student! Therefore, personally I hope that this particular Polar Field School will find ways to sustain in the years to come.

Svalbard Science ForumSummer here in Tromsø is wonderful - and July is usually one of the best months as we have the most sunny days. This is also true for the fabulous island to the North of us... Svalbard. This magical place is currently teaming with life, not only plants and animals, but human life as many of our members and other researchers are helping to better understand what is happening on Svalbard.  There is so much great research happening on Svalbard and we encourage you to check out a great program that pulls all this information together, and the data is publicly available... We also have a video recording from these fabulous folks that you might enjoy.

The Svalbard Science Forum promotes Svalbard as international research platform. It gives information about infrastructure, logistics, research stations, application for permits procedure etc. It organizes workshops to improve coordination of research and provides funding - Arctic Field Grant - to carry out fieldwork in Svalbard (primarily for MSc and PhD students, but also researchers). SSF is hosting the Research in Svalbard database (RiS) which is an archive for all research activities in Svalbard since 1998, including projects, data sets and publications. RiS is developing into a unified project planning and administration tool combining all information, application for permissions, and booking of research facilities (currently only in Ny-Ålesund with potential for further expansion). SSF is chaired by the Research Council of Norway.

In fall 2012, thanks to the funding of Svalbard Science Forum and the Research Council of Norway, APECS and Climate and Cryosphere project (CliC) will work on development of Svalbard Early Career Researcher Network including organization of a workshop dedicated to research, logistics, infrastructure and life on Svalbard.

Web: www.svalbardscienceforum.no

E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

AlexePavlovPhoto2012From June 1st, I am officially becoming the new APECS Director. Joining APECS in 2008 was one of the best decisions I have ever made and it has changed my life for the better. And now I feel very excited to be a part of the team for the next years!

Recent IPY Montreal conference has given us extra confidence that APECS is on successful track, and I intend to keep it that way. The role of the APECS Director is important, but what more crucial is an existing strong leadership team and amazing APECS network of members, mentors and partners.

The IPY conference has also showed us that APECS is stepping into a new phase of recognition that gives APECS leadership, members and partners an opportunity for bigger action and greater challenges. It has been an encouraging challenge to prioritize among numerous great ideas and initiatives, and we have a big number of them coming up!

My vision as APECS Director is focused on consolidating past successes, renewing a focus on the research of APECS members in cooperation with leading international organizations, developing strong regional networks of APECS National Committees by benefitting from an awareness of regional and cultural differences, increasing APECS’ social media presence, and continuing to develop APECS’ Education and Outreach activities. These ideas will be elaborated upon in the APECS strategic plan for 2012-2017, to be released this summer.

However, APECS cannot achieve our ambitious mission without you. Dear members, partners, and colleagues, I look forward to advancing the successful APECS story with all of you in the weeks and months to come. Please consider my email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. as an open link for communication and feedback to let me (us) know the ways we can improve APECS.

The Polar Regions have always been original places on Earth where mutual support, respect, friendship and cooperation are key to success in discovery, exploration, living, research and understanding of the environment. I pledge to do my personal best to keep the same values in the future - this is important and what makes polar community unique!

Alexey Pavlov
APECS Director 

sintef-logoSINTEF is the largest independent research organisation in Scandinavia. It creates value through knowledge generation, research and innovation, and develop technological solutions that are brought into practical use. SINTEF is a broadly based, multidisciplinary research concern that possesses international top-level expertise in technology, medicine and the social sciences. SINTEF is an independent, non-commercial organisation. The profits of the contract research projects are invested in new research, scientific equipment and competence development. 

Web: www.sintef.no 

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Fram Centre logoFram Centre imageAs most of you may know, our founding director, Jenny Baeseman, has moved on to a new position where she can continue to shape the future of polar research, just in a different way. Jenny is now the Director of the WCRP/SCAR/IASC Climate and the Cryosphere Project which is hosted by the Norwegian Polar Institute - in the Fram Centre here in the fabulous Tromsø, Norway. The FRAM Centre has been partnering with APECS on a number of different things, including the upcoming APECS 5th Anniversary Celebration that will take place at the IPY From Knowledge to Action Conference later this month. The FRAM Centre also sponsored the APECS Research Funding Seminar in January that was part of the Arctic Frontiers Conference and the Young Scientist Forum. We thought that you might want to know a little bit more about this great place where Jenny is now working...

FRAM – High North Research Centre for Climate and the Environment (Fram Centre) contributes to maintaining Norway’s prominent status in the management of environment and natural resources in the North.The Fram Centre is the short name for FRAM - High North Research Centre for Climate and the Environment. The Fram Centre is based in Tromsø, and consists of about 500 scientists from 20 institutions involved in interdisciplinary research in the fields of natural science, technology and social sciences.

Learn more about Fram and all the great research happening there: http://www.framsenteret.no

tromso kunsaforenngLast month we had a great APECS Speed Dating, well a speed networking, event as part of the Arctic Frontiers Conference. The event was held at the Tromsø Art Gallery, which is an amazing place to loose yourself in some contemporary art. This gallery also hosts the PolArt program. We thank the wonderful staff at the Tromsø Art Gallery for all their help in making this event a great success.

PolArt2012 Frank-LudvigsenPolArt is a unique collaboration between science and art. Every summer four young artists are granted scholarships and invited along on a marine research expedition to the Arctic. The artists’ impression from the journey is being developed into an exhibition and showcased by Tromsø Art Gallery during the Arctic Frontiers conference week. Historically scientists and artists have always had a close relationship. By inviting young artists to take part in scientific fieldwork in the Arctic, PolArt wishes to raise the public interest and awareness of polar issues. Through a cultural grass-hopper effect, the PolArt cooperation gives scientist new perspectives on their own research, amplifies the importance of science to the audience through the artist work, and highlights polar issues and urgencies to the politicians thought public opinion. The PolArt Exhibition is a collaboration between Tromsø Art Gallery, Troms County Culture Centre, Norwegian Polar Institute, the Northern Lights Festival, Arctic Frontiers and the research network ARCTOS. For the 2012 artists and their great work, visit http://ysf.arcticfrontiers.com/index.php/2012-events/polart.

The Tromsø Gallery of Contemporary Art has run continuously since 1924 and is one of Tromsø's oldest cultural institutions. Over the years, the Tromsø Art Association changed from being run on a voluntary basis by art enthusiasts citizens, to become a modern, professionalized institution. The Tromsø Art Gallery has a position as a key venue for contemporary art in North Norway. We have an established tradition of emphasizing the more recent and experimental contemporary art in our program. The Exhibitions and projects we are working with an international orientation, but also with a focus on artists and topics related to our region.  They place great emphasis on creating reflection and discussion about art. Therefore, we arrange regular workshops, artist talks and other events, providing the public knowledge and input to today's contemporary art. Learn more about the Tromsø Art Gallery: http://tromsokunstforening.no/.

2012 ExCom ScienceCentre- A Science Center for and about northern parts of Norway

This month the APECS Executive Committee came to the fabulous Paris of the North and received the star treatment… great weather, spectacular Northern Lights - and a great tour of the newly expanded Northern Norway Science Center… check out the fun picture of our great group in one of the exhibits, can you pick out who's who?  And they attempted to spell out APECS with their body silhouettes :)

Nordnorsk vitensenter (The Science Center of Northern Norway) was established 29th August 2002 and is a non-profit Science Center located at the world's northernmost university, the University of Tromsø.

APECS in People webThe close connection between the Science Center and the University gives them an unique possibility to be a key partner for the school system in the region (Northern-Norway), both in education of students (from 6 to 19 years old) and of today's and tomorrow's teachers. The aim of the establishment is to change attitudes towards science and technology among students, and through this increase the number of students who later choose a higher education in science and technology.

The activities at the Science Center shall help the school system, who struggle to equip the students (and the teachers) with scientific and technological skills, as well as making science and technology accessible for ordinary people.

Currently they are working on exhibitions for, Energy and Environment up North, The Sky Above, Climate and Weather, Body and Brain and other subjects within Mathematics, Science and Technology.

Learn more about this great place here in Tromsø: http://nordnorsk.vitensenter.no/engelsk/about.php

icerises logoThis month I announced that I will be leaving APECS - but thankfully staying in the wonderful city of Tromsø!  I will be moving from the University of Tromsø to the Norwegian Polar Institute. Over the past few years, I have gotten to know some of the great researches who are working there and am very excited about the move.

One of the great collaborations I have been part of is working with the Ice Rises project scientists as they started their new project this year. APECS is helping the team with their outreach efforts. We set up a Facebook Page and Blog for the researchers that easily allows them to post an update to the Facebook Page and Blog with one simple email from the field. This is not that difficult to set up, and really is a great way to share the great research being done through our adventures in the field. I encourage you all to take a look at the Ice Rises Facebook page and Blog and hopefully set up your own. And congratulations to the Ice Rises team for their dedication to sharing their jounrey with everyone!

One of my personal hopes for APECS is that all members would set up something like this system and encourge their friends and family to follow them... and you can even get your former teachers to have their classrooms follow you! We are all very lucky to be working in the Polar Regions (and some of us are lucky enough to be living here!) so its our responsibility to share with the world the great work we do and how changes at the Poles affects us all.

Read more about the Ice Rises project and the great researchers, including several APECS members, are working on.

IceRisesheader1

Amundsen south poleMany of our members are either already working hard in their field camps on the world's highest, driest, coldest, and windiest continent and many more are getting ready to head to the frozen paradise. So as we continue to celebrate "Antarctic Day" this month, I also wanted to share with you some of the rich history that Norway has in the Antarctic.

Norway in the AntarcticThis month we celebrate the "Race to the Pole" where Norwegian Roald Amundsen and his team arrived at the South Pole on 14 December 1911, just 1 month before Robert F Scott and his group. The tales from these journeys are quite inspirations and if you haven't read much about this, I recommend you do - it will give you a new appreciation for this dangerous continent that so many of us feel is home. Many years later, the first woman to ski solo across the Antarctic - Norwegian Liv Arnesen.

Today, researchers from Norway spend their time in many places on the continent, but Troll  Station is the main hub of activity. Troll is located in Dronning Maud Land and operated by the Norwegian Polar Institute. In just a few weeks, a new project will start called "Ice Rises" which will be looking at the mechanisms involved in ice shelf collapse. Stay tuned for more information on this project as APECS is helping to connect researchers in the field with students, teachers and the general public from about the world.

Here are a few resources and links with more information about the long rich history of Norway in the Antarctic:

Antarctic Explorers, history and timeline: http://www.south-pole.com/homepage.html and http://www.norwaysforgottenexplorer.org/english/heroes/
Liv Arenesen's upcoming expedition
Information on Norway's Troll Station: http://www.npolar.no/en/about-us/npi-in-the-south/troll.html
"Norway in the Antarctic, from conquest to modern science": http://www.haugenbok.no/resverk.cfm?stipr=aktoer-0_1749-2_13&cid=193274

MicroBioEcologyI love the 'little stuff' so this month I am very excited to learn all about what our members are working on to help understand the microbe world of the polar regions. I am sure after you start reading all the about this amazing topic of research, you might get the 'polar bug' to study microbiology yourself… and I know the perfect place for you to consider… The Arctic Microbiology / Microbial Ecology Program at the University of Tromsø!

There is a bachelors' program as well as many masters and PhD courses that will challenge you and expose you to some the the leading researchers in Arctic microbiology. Here is the program description:

The symbioses are important for the nitrogen input in agriculture and in natural ecosystems. Possible projects for the master thesis are use of nitrogen fixing symbioses in agriculture, biodiversity of nitrogen fixing bacteria, and studies of genes important for the interaction between host plants and bacteria.

The climatic conditions in the Arctic are special with regards to light, temperature, humidity and possible global climatic changes will be especially dramatic in these areas. Possible projects for the master thesis in arctic microbiology are microbial diversity in tundra, microbial processes in carbon and nitrogen cycling, and the interactions between micro-organisms and the rest of the ecosystem. Effects of climate change on microbial communities and ecosystems can be addressed.

Projects for master theses can be a combination of field and laboratory research or only in the laboratory. It will also be possible to tailor special projects directed against special topics or ecosystems.

Learn more here: http://www2.uit.no/ikbViewer/page/studiesokere/studietilbud/studieretning_en?p_d_i=-121&p_d_c=&p_d_v=33658&p_d_i=-47400&p_d_c=&p_d_v=&ar=2008&semester=H

Our friends to the North at the University Centre in Svalbard offer an amazing 10 ECTS course in Arctic Microbiology that I hope all of you check out: http://www.unis.no/studies/biology/ab_327.htm.

There are many other great opportunities to do research in microbial ecology - so for more ideas or contacts, just send me an email and I'll try to direct you to some of the best professors we have!

Permafrost NorwayAs the sun is getting closer and closer to setting in Arctic Norway, October is a great reminder of things getting colder, and frozen. So "October is Permafrost" is a great time to share with you some of the amazing permafrost research in Norway. 

If you are curious about the state of permafrost in Svalbard and parts of Norway, you can check out the first Norwegian permafrost database NORPERM. This database has information from boreholes instrumented with sensors to continuously measure temperature of the frozen ground around Norway. http://www.ngu.no/kart/permafrost/

TSP-NORWAYMuch of this data is provided by the Thermal State of Permafrost(TSP) - Norway Project, lead by Dr. Hanne H. Christiansen, a fantastic APECS mentor.  The TSP NORWAY project continuously collects data from 32 instrumented boreholes and more than 100 miniature temperature dataloggers in different permafrost landforms, all to better observe the permafrost and active layer temperature in field observatories established in Troms and Svalbard. You can learn more about this project at http://www.tspnorway.com/.

For more information on permafrost research in Norway, here are only a few links:

--- http://ipa.arcticportal.org/publications/country-reports.html

--- http://gosic.org/gtos/GTNet-P-data-access.htm

--- http://pyrn.ways.org/resources/courses

nerscSeptember is here and that means fall is coming to Tromsø and people are back from vacation and back to work… just in time for the big Arctic Sea Ice minimum for the year. Norway has a lot of researchers working on various aspects of sea ice, from determining how molecular structure affects the mechanical properties of ice to looking at the life that is dependent on the ice. There are a number of great institutes here in Norway and I encourage you check them out and learn more about Sea Ice research in Norway.

In particular this month I want to point out to you the Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Center (NERSC). The Nansen Center conducts basic research and environmental research projects funded by the research councils, space agencies, EU, national and international government agencies, industry and private donations. For sea ice, they work with the Arctic Regional Ocean Observing System (ArcticROOS) which provides operational monitoring and forecasting services of ocean circulation, water masses, ocean surface conditions, sea ice and biological/chemical constituents in the Arctic Oceans.

Within the Nansen Group is an extensive exchange of scientists, “post-docs” and Ph.D. candidates is fostering scientific cooperation and joint publications. A Nansen Fellowship program is providing a monthly stipend, external supervision from scientists at the Center and supporting research mobility for Ph.D. candidates offering three months visits per year at one of the other research centers in the Nansen Group or its cooperating partners.

The Nansen Group also organizes and hosts thematic summer/winter schools at Ph.D. level. These schools, of typical one week duration, have been organized in Norway (2006, 2011), Russia (2009), China (2004 and 2008) and India (2010), involving students and young scientist from many countries.

Other institutions of interest:

Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Center (NRSC)
Norwegian Meteorological Institute (DNMI)
Norwegian Polar Institute, Tromsø
NORUT
SINTEF Group, Trondheim
University of Bergen Geofysisk Institutt
Centre for Ice, Climate and Ecosystems (ICE)

Normally in my director's message to you each month I feature a place or institution in Norway that may be of interest to you, but this month, I feel compelled to share something far greater, the core that has built those great institutions and nurtures ideas for making society better - the Norwegian Spirit. Norway is a small country, so everyone here feels deeply saddened by the events on 22 July and most have a personal connection to the victims. As we remember the fallen from the tragedy of the bombing in Oslo and the shooting at the youth camp on Utoya, we also see the resilience of the Norwegian People; compassion, courage, loyalty, kindness, bravery, and unity.

As the country continues to cope and rebuild, I am certain that the Norwegian Spirit will prevail and the support for young leaders that is so strong in this country will continue.

I would like to personally thank all of you who have sent messages expressing your concern, they are very much appreciated. 

Glaciology in NorwayHappy Glaciology Month APECS members and colleagues.

Norway has a long history of glaciology research, probably because it has 1593 glaciers, including Jostedalsbreen - the largest glacier on the European continent. If you are traveling to Norway, you should be sure to check out the Norsk BreMuseum (Norwegian Glacier Museum) and Ulltveit-Moe Climate Centre where you can walk out onto this amazing piece of ice.

Be sure to check out the number of institutes in Norway that deal with Glaciology… may are looking to hire researchers like you! These can be found at the World Data Centre for Glaciology's website: http://www.wdcgc.spri.cam.ac.uk/directory/norway.html

One more fun Norway glacier piece of info to pass along (and there are many more) - Norway maintains the most extensive mass balance program in the world and is largely funded by the hydropower industry. Mass balance measurements are currently performed on twelve glaciers in Norway. In southern Norway six of the glaciers have been measured for 42 consecutive years or more, and they constitute a west-east profile reaching from the very maritime Ålfotbreen Glacier, close to the western coast, to the very continental Gråsubreen Glacier, in the eastern part of Jotunheimen (which means the Home of Giants in English). Storbreen Glacier in Jotunheimen has been measured for a longer period of time than any other glacier in Norway, a total of over 55 years, while Engabreen Glacier has the longest series (35 years) in northern Norway. The Norwegian program is where the traditional methods of mass balance measurement were largely derived. Taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glacier_mass_balance.

visbildeSummer is starting to come to beautiful Tromsø. The leaves are starting to bud, wildflowers coming alive, and a renewed energy can be felt in the town. With summer comes the high time for tourism here in Tromsø where there are many things to do and see. Tromsø has many museums and cultural centers, and Monday I took a few hours to enjoy some of the art-in-progress at the open house at Kysten, one of the Troms Fylkeskultursenter facilities.

Kysten (which means Coast in English) aims to be the northern areas' creative and professional beacon for contemporary art. Kysten is a site for various national and international professional artists, cultural players and cultural activities. Operated by Troms County Council, Kysten offers rental of studios, joint workshops, residency and project space for creative artists, art craftsmen, filmmakers, musicians and writers. A local Tromsø band, Vishnu, has performed there many times and you can see some of their performances on YouTube. For more information on Kysten and the artists, visit http://www.tromsfylke.no/Tjenester/Kultur/Tromskysten/tabid/104/Default.aspx.

APECS and the YES Network hosted a career discussion townhall meeting at the EGU 2011 Assembley. This session focused on addressing some of the key factors in aligning graduate aspirations with employer needs - and the videos are now available! Following brief presentations by a panel representing students, academia, and industry the floor was opened for discussion (both in the room and simulaneous webcast). Conversation revolved around career development as a graduate, placement past graduation, and what can be expected from both the employer and the employee.

Panellists:
Dr. Leila M. Gonzales
YES Network, Communications Team member, ex-officio
Geoscience Workforce Analyst, American Geological Institute, USA

Mr. Allen Pope
President, Association of Polar Early Career Scientists
PhD Student, Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge, UK

Dr. Alan Haywood
School of Earth and the Environment, University of Leeds, UK

Mr. Luca Demicheli
Secretary General, EuroGeoSurveys - The Geological Surveys of Europe, Italy

Dr. Dawn R. Ferris
Soil Science Program Coordinator, Soil Science Society of America, USA

Mr. David Ellis
Manager, Seismic R&D - UK, BP Exploration Operating Co. Ltd, UK

From the recent Arctic Council meeting in Nuuk, a report was released entitled "Senior Arctic Officials Report to Ministers."

Some highlights of the report include the recommendation from AMAP that "there is a need for early career scientists to play an increasingly important role in future Arctic Council work. In this regard, the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) should be more involved in Working Group activities." CAFF also referenced a recent agreement with APECS which provides "a vehicle for APECS members to increase their knowledge by becoming actively involved in international science and policy projects. At the same time, CAFF benefits from the participation and input of new ideas by young scientists."

Both CAFF and AMAP have also indicated planned future collaborations with APECS, and APECS is excited about future activities with the Arctic Council and its affiliates!

We are happy to provide you with more great career advice from two workshops held this past winter.

The Permafrost Young Researchers Network (PRYN) and the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) held a career development workshop on Sunday 12 December 2010, prior to the 2010 Fall American Geophysical Union (AGU) meeting in San Francisco, CA, USA. For more information on the workshop and to watch the great videos, visit http://apecs.is/workshops/agu2010.

To help expose young polar researchers to the amazing opportunities that are available to help you fund your studies and research, APECS hosted a Research Funding Seminar in Tromso, Norway in conjunction with the Arctic Frontiers Conference in 2011. For more information on workshop and the videos, visit http://apecs.is/workshops/tromso-funding-2011The Tips and Tricks for Funding Proposals is particularly good - and quite funny! 

We thank the US National Science Foundation for funding provided to Jenny Baeseman as part of the Arctic System Science Thermokarst Project Grant to create these videos. We also thank Sam German for video editing.

This is a great example of how APECS gives you great opportunities and how you can really contribute to make people more aware of pressing polar issues.

Read about the live interview Julia Schmale gave in Claudia Palacio‘s show „Encuentro“ on 13 May, 2011, on CNN Espanol.

Why is CNN Espanol, the CNN voice for Latin America, interested in Arctic issues?

Even though the Arctic is far away from Middle and South America the public realizes that we all will suffer the consequences of a warming Arctic. So, Claudia Palacio asked several burning questions on behalf of about 590 million people.

The interview was inspired by the recent release of the AMAP SWIPA report (Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme Snow, Water, Ice and Permafrost in the Arctic Report) where Arctic scientists pointed out that changes in the Arctic cryosphere are occurring a lot faster than anticipated. At the same time the Arctic Council Meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs from the 8 Arctic countries took place in Nuuk on 12 May, 2011, where the major AMAP result were communicated.

The CNN Espanol interview was a great success because it showed that every day more people are concerned about the warming Arctic and that we young researchers can convey the message to a broad audience!

This opportunity was created through the active and enthusiastic participation of APECS in the AMAP conference from 3-6 May in Copenhagen. Through close cooperation with the AMAP steering board APECS members were approached right away when CNN Espanol needed a Spanish-speaking person to communicate the conference results.

Let‘s keep up this great work!

On Wednesday, 27 March 2011 a Career Development Workshop was held in conjunction with the IceCube South Pole Neutrino Detector Celebration and Science Conference in Madison, Wisconsin. The two-hour workshop had 15 participants, primarily early career scientists from around the world who were involved in the IceCube project. The workshop was packed with presentations and activities which included an overview of education, outreach, and communication; tips for writing broader impacts; creating an elevator speech; connecting with educators; and tips and tricks for science presentations.

Mentors and presenters included Jim Madsen, University of Wisconsin River Falls; Louise Huffman, ANDRILL and University of Nebraska Lincoln; Megan Madsen, University of Wisconsin Science Communications Student; and Kristin Timm, PolarTREC and Arctic Research Consortium of the US. At the end of a long day of meetings, participants enjoyed the free pizza and the informal and interactive presentations. One participant expressed that the workshop, “made me excited to go to classrooms and want to talk to younger audiences.”

Each participant received a copy of the book, Polar Science and Global Climate: An International Resource for Education and Outreach, as a resource for future endeavors.

At the American Meteorological Society's 11th Conference on Polar Meteorology and Oceanography, APECS hosted a career panel for young scientists, where those early in their career could ask panelists who are further advanced questions related to job prospects, balancing family and career, and any other relevant inquiries. The panel was a overwhelming success, thanks to both the six panel members as well as the wide variety of questions asked by the audience. The six panel members - Dr. Jordan Powers, Dr. Nicole Lovenduski, Elizabeth Cassano, Dr. Ryan Fogt, Dr. Stephen Vavrus, and Patricia Phoebus - fielded audience questions related to the current job market, the appropriate timing to have children, whether stopping at a Masters degree or continuing for a PhD is most desirable, and how to best prepare now for later career paths.

After a lengthy discussion, the panel members joined the audience for a gathering at the nearby Beantown Pub, where the questions were more informal but the advice just as valuable.

As a result of the recent APECS Shaping the Future of the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) workshop, 6 recommendations were written by the 40 participants reflecting the needs for future arctic research projects and early career researchers. These recommendations are abbreviated below. For the full list and descriptions, click here. We are also pleased to present this video recording of the delivery to the delegates of the AMAP The Arctic as a Messenger of Global Processes Conference held 3-6 May 2011 in Copenhagen, Denmark. For more information on these recommendations, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Arctic communities and ecosystems are currently experiencing rapid changes. As early career researchers and young policy makers, we recognize the urgent need to address environmental, social and economic concerns of Arctic ecosystems and residents. We further recognize that engaging local communities and reaching broader public audiences are as equally important as conducting cutting-edge research. Here we present draft recommendations, some general in scope and some specific to AMAP, from a one day workshop that brought together both early and established researchers and policy makers to help shape the future of AMAP.

  • Develop an interdisciplinary and internationally coordinated monitoring system
  • Move beyond identifying problems to creating solutions
  • Implement meaningful involvement of early career researchers
  • Practice effective, broad-ranging outreach
  • Facilitate communications training
  • Develop a system for retention for early career researchers.

Here is a great opportunity for you to gain some leadership experience...

The IPY 2012 From Knowledge to Action Conference is the final event of International Polar Year 2007 - 2008, the largest international program of interdisciplinary polar research ever undertaken. This conference will provide an opportunity to apply and disseminate the knowledge and scientific results from IPY from around the world and focus on next steps. Participants will consider ways to translate those new understandings into policy that will guide activities in and enhance stewardship of the polar regions.

We are very happy to announce that APECS has been asked to nominate early career researchers to help co-chair/convene sessions at the IPY Montreal 2012 Conference. We encourage all young researchers (APECS members and non-members) to fill in their expression of interest - so feel free to pass this along to others you know.  Expressions of interest from non-North American young researchers are especially encouraged.

Deadline for submission of Expression of Interest is 17 May 2011. Expressions of Interest received after 17 May will not be considered. (Sorry but we are on a tight deadline here and wanted to give as many people this opportunity as possible)

Visit:  http://apecs.is/events/montreal2012 for more information.

We hope this will give a number of you a great opportunity to work with mentors and to get involved with International Polar Research.


What is a Session Convener / Chair:
Session Conveners, also called Chairs, are the people in charge of reviewing abstracts submitted for presentation in a session. Generally duties of a session chair include advertising the session to encourage abstract submissions, working with co-conveners to determine which abstracts are given oral or poster presentations and if any are not acceptable for the session. The also are in charge of running the session at the conference which includes introducing the speakers, watching so presenters do not go over time, and facilitating question and answer sessions. For young researchers, this is a great chance to learn about the latest results in your research area, as well as meet many of the people working on topics of interest to you.  Its also a great leadership training exercise.

amap logoThis past week was another success for APECS in helping to shape the future of polar research - this time with the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP), a working group of the Arctic Council. APECS held the "Shaping the Future of AMAP workshop" prior to their conference last week in Copenhagen. Out of this came a series of recommendations on what the participants view and the most important things that AMAP and other groups can do to help support future Arctic research and early career researchers. To learn more about the APECS Workshop at AMAP and our Recommendations, click here. Keep your eyes on the website as we will be putting the videos from the workshop online shortly.

So, I thought this month would be a perfect opportunity to tell you about AMAP, as the Secretariat is located here in wonderful Norway!

AMAP is an international organization established in 1991 to implement components of the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy (AEPS). Now a programme group of the Arctic Council, AMAP's current objective is "providing reliable and sufficient information on the status of, and threats to, the Arctic environment, and providing scientific advice on actions to be taken in order to support Arctic governments in their efforts to take remedial and preventive actions relating to contaminants".

Over the past 20 years, the AMAP has played a central role in these developments. Established by the eight Arctic Countries in 1991, and now one of the groups serving the Arctic Council AMAP is charged with coordinating monitoring and performing scientific assessments of pollution and climate change issues in the circum-Arctic area to document trends and effects in Arctic ecosystems and humans and identify possible actions for consideration by policy-makers.

AMAP has produced several highly-valued science based assessment reports over the years. At this conference AMAP will present the results of its most recent assessments,including the 2011 SWIPA (Snow, Water, Ice and Permafrost in the Arctic) assessment and the 2011 AMAP Mercury assessment. Recently updated assessments on human health and other pollution issues such as Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and radioactivity will also be addressed. The SWIPA assessment was initiated as a follow-up to the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA) and will produce information that will feed into the next IPCC report. The mercury assessment includes contributions to the process currently ongoing under UNEP to establish a global agreement on mercury while the POP assessmentis providing data of relevance for the Stockholm Convention.

The above description was taken from the AMAP website and you can find more information at: http://amap.no/

To review the conference, click here: http://amap.no/Conferences/Conf2011/

In the beginning of April, an Arctic Science Summit Week 2011 (ASSW) took place in Seoul, South Korea. This year traditional business meetings were complemented by a 3 day scientific symposium entitled "The Arctic: New frontier for Global Science".

Following the experience of previous conferences (e.g. IPY Oslo conference, Arctic Frontiers 2011), a joint effort between APECS and International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) resulted in the Award for Outstanding Oral and Poster presentations given by Early Career Scientists.

Presentations were evaluated on 3 main criteria:

  • Overall Scientific Content and Quality
  • Graphics, clarity and logical flow, connection with the audience and answer to questions
  • How well the presenter related their specific research results to the broader audience

The overall comments from the judges were very good and it was a very difficult decision in the end - which showed that the future of Arctic Researcher is shaping up to be very bright!

Our congratulations to Award Winners!

Best oral presentation:
Gijs de Boer
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, USA
The Arctic Atmosphere in CCSM4: Evaluation of key variables
 
Best poster presentations:
Kazutoshi Sato
JAMSTEC/Hirosaki University, Japan
Change in cloud-base height over the ice-free Arctic Ocean during autumn
&
Hye Min Kim
Korea Polar Research Institute, South Korea
Microbial Diversity of the Active Layer Soil from the Canadian High Arctic

In addition to diplomas, IASC has provided the winners with a very nice prize – free registration to the Arctic Science Summit Week in Poland in 2013, which will definitely encourage these outstanding young researchers to continue to work and share their follow-up work in Poland. 

Alexey Pavlov, an APECS representative to the Scientific Steering Committee of the Symposium at ASSW 2011 and
Volker Rachold, an IASC Executive Secretary during the Award Ceremony (Photo: KOPRI)

In June 2010 the 62nd Session of the WMO Executive Council (EC) recommended to its EC Panel on Polar Observations, Research and Services (EC-PORS) to consult with other relevant organizations to assess interest and scope out an International Polar Decade (IPD) Initiative. To support this recommendation, Roshydromet hosted a Workshop at the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI) of Roshydromet in St. Petersburg 14 and 15 April 2011, cosponsored by WMO.

APECS President Allen Pope represented early career researchers at the meeting, giving a presentation on APECS and its activities and contributing to the discussion on how IPY legacies could be harnessed in future coordinated polar researcher efforts. Within the final document coming out of the workshop, we highlight that "Noting particularly the longer time scale of the IPD initiative, the networks of early career polar researchers and observers (Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) and Permafrost Young Research Network (PYRN), etc.) should be engaged in all aspects of IPD planning."

To real the whole informal report, download the pdf here. Presentations from the meeting can be obtained from the AARI website under the conferences tab. After reading the report, you can contribute your thoughts on an IPD by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

APECS Early Career Researcher Workshop at the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program 2011 Workshop - 
‘The Arctic as a Messenger for  Global Processes’
Copenhagen Denmark, 2-6 May 2011

Thirty-seven early career scientists kicked off the AMAP 2011 Workshop by meeting at Copenhagen’s Ice Bar on May 2, 2011. The faces of future Arctic science channeled their field programs while donning parkas, staving off mild hypothermia, and drinking fancy beverages out of ice tumblers!! We met bright and early the next morning to start an action-packed day of meeting and learning at the University of Copenhagen. Our mentors represented hundreds of years of combined experience and wisdom, and together they led us through the history, structure, and current status of the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme. In discipline-specific groups, we then discussed priorities for future Arctic research, existing gaps in data and research capacity, and ideas for filling these gaps. We also practiced delivering our research projects in concise 3-minute talks, and learned how becoming part of AMAP can benefit our career trajectory and success in Arctic research. Integrating research into Arctic policy is a complicated multi-jurisdictional issue, and we heard several great talks on this topic before discussing important challenges that are faced by current early career researchers.  The APECS Early Career Researcher Workshop wrapped up with tips on networking and then hands-on networking practice! This was achieved while simultaneously sampling millenially- aged ice from Greenland (in a suitable matrix, of course).

One workshop participant commented: "I wanted to let you know that Copenhagen was an excellent experience, and really got me believing in science again :) It was extremely inspiring to meet so many people who love the science they are conducting, and how much energy and enthusiasm there was in the young scientists, as well as in the seniors. A great burst of motivation before starting my sampling season :) "

For more information on the workshop, mentors, and participants, visit http://apecs.is/workshops/amap-2011.

Around 80+ early career scientists attended the APECS networking event held at this year’s European Geoscience Union Symposium in Vienna in April. The event was organised in partnership with the Young Earth Scientists (YES) Network.

The social event was held at Café Einstein in the heart of Vienna and provided a fantastic opportunity for Polar early career scientists and young Earth Scientists from around the world to come together and promote research collaborations. We were really glad to see so many people engaging in networking and taking the time out of a busy conference to attend and make the event such a success. Thanks to all of those who attended – and watch out for future networking opportunities at large international conferences.

The event was sponsored by SCAR (Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research) and AGU (American Geophysical Union) and was organised by Inès Borrione (Alfred Wegener Institute) Aisling Dolan (University of Leeds) and Jo Venus (YES President). If you're interested in making an APECS event like this happen at a conference you're attending in the future, let us know!

50 years anniversary of the first man in space - Yuri Gagarin was widely celebrated in Russia on 12 April 2011.

Thanks to Nikita Kuprikov from Moscow Aviation Institute and Alexey Pavlov from Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, a small copy of the rocket "Vostok" with APECS logo onboard was launched from the Barneo Ice Camp in close proximity to the North Pole.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=KEkWRhOFPIc

 

During two days in last week, 11 and 12 of April 2011, the Portuguese Polar Science community met in the Institute of Marine Research of the University of Coimbra.

The meetings started with the 2nd APECS Portugal workshop that brought together 42 undergraduate, MsC students and PhD students willing to discuss their role in the polar science. During the afternoon, eight young scientists presented their work in fields as marine ecology, trophic interactions, bioaccumulation of contaminants, permafrost geodynamics, and education & outreach. During the afternoon was also the opportunity to present the APECS international work and the opportunities to get involved within APECS.

In the following day, 12th April, was the time for the III Portuguese Polar Science Conference, organized by the Institute of Marine Research of the University of Coimbra, the Centre of Geophysics of the University of Coimbra, Institute of Geography and Territorial Planning of the University of Lisbon, and the University of Coimbra. It had the endorsement of the President of the Portuguese Republic. During the conference, 40 communications and posters were presented in the Science Museum of the University of Coimbra. These communications represent the work of 67researchers, working in 14 research groups both in Arctic and Antarctica, in collaboration with 17 countries from all over the world, including USA, Canada, UK, France, Spain, Brazil, Chile and Argentina. The conference counted with the presence of the executive director of IASC, Dr Volker Rachold, and the executive director of SCAR, Dr Mike Sparrow. The APECS Portugal organized a discussion panel during the conference with the opportunity to young polar scientists to present their work on fields as marine ecology, trophic interactions, bioaccumulation of contaminants, permafrost geodynamics, and education & outreach to the increasing Portuguese polar research community. The success of the conference once again is a reflection of the good results and the excellence and commitment of the research conducted by the Portuguese teams both in Arctic as in Antarctic.

APECS was represented at the Faculty of Ecology of People’s Friendship University of Russia during the Plenary Session at Annual All-Russian Conference “The Urgent Ecological and Nature Management Problems”. The conference was attended by great scientists from all over Russia, Mexico, Kazakhstan and Belarus. A lot of young scientists represented their researches.

Proceedings ISBN 978-5-209-04000-2

For further information please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

APECS members Kristen Gorman and Sarah Hardy were among the international group of polar scientists, representatives from government agencies and conservation groups, and indigenous community experts who joined the steering committee of the Arctic Council’s Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) Working Group for a three-day workshop on conservation of sea-ice associated biodiversity. The meeting was held March 22-24, 2011 in Vancouver, British Columbia. A second meeting is scheduled for Fall 2011 in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

The Arctic Council is an intergovernmental forum that seeks to promote cooperation and interaction among Arctic States and indigenous communities in addressing common Arctic issues, including sustainable development and environmental protection, and CAFF is specifically tasked with addressing conservation issues. This Vancouver workshop represents the first phase in the development of a technical report concerning the impacts of Arctic sea-ice loss on biodiversity. Several members of the panel of experts initiated discussion by presenting results from their own Arctic research, and two days of small-group and panel discussions followed. The complexity of environmental issues facing the Arctic was an over-arching theme of all these discussions. Panel members thoughtfully discussed potential negative and positive effects predicted to occur with continued sea ice loss, touching on variable responses at all trophic levels, from primary producers to top predators. These effects included shifts in phenology, abundance, species ranges, trophic relationships and genetic diversity. Representatives from indigenous communities played a key role in discussions, providing local knowledge of the changing ecosystem, as well as a voice for the residents of the Arctic who will be most impacted by both environmental change and by any management policies that may be instituted to address conservation issues.

For early career scientists, this experience provided a number of important lessons about communication, and about the links between science and policy-making. Field research experience at the poles has left us with a strong sense of how limited our understanding of these systems truly is, and yet policy-makers need information upon which to base decisions sooner rather than later. Moreover, given the huge information gaps still existing in polar ecosystems, particularly with respect to the lower trophic levels where the bulk of species-level diversity is found, productive international collaborations will be essential in moving Arctic science forward. Workshops like this are a great way for young researchers to establish such connections. We thank the CAFF steering committee for giving us this opportunity!

March was a pretty busy month for APECS, and I want to thank all of you for working so hard to make our organization great. As the Arctic field season begins, I know a lot of you are getting ready to head out to collect some great data. Angelika Renner, a member of the Executive Committee is heading out for two marine cruises this month looking at sea ice in the Arctic Ocean… so I thought it would be a good time to tell you about the center where she is based here in Tromsø -

The Norwegian Polar Institute's Centre for Ice, Climate and Ecosystems (ICE)was opened in 2009. ICE will position itself as a national competence centre for ice and climate research and environmental monitoring of the polar regions.

The research focus of ICE is sea ice and snow, effects of climate change on ecosystems and alpine glaciers.

ICE will further develop the Norwegian Polar Institute's position as a stakeholder in climate related research, such as ice, sea ice, alpine glaciers and effects of climate change on ecosystems, including ice-associated species.

The exchange of energy and matter between sea, ice and atmosphere is a main focus, as is the thickness and spread of sea ice in Antarctica. The ocean circulation in the Arctic and its link to energy flows and ice spread is also a primary subject for ICE.

The goal is to contribute with knowledge to improve the precision of climate models in the future. Through field studies and process modelling, which will later be used in collaboration with the Norwegian Climate Centre to improve process descriptions in climate models, ICE provides a better understanding of the processes.

Effects on ecosystems are investigated by integrating studies of ecosystems with studies of the physical environment in icy waters. Species that are particularly dependent on sea ice – like the Polar Bear, some seal species and the Ivory Gull – are given special attention. The goal is to develop an understanding of ecosystem processes that can be linked to physical climate models, in order to provide better predictions on possible consequences of climate change in the biological systems.

In Antarctica, ICE is concentrating on ice shelves – how they are affected by climate change (especially ocean temperature and circulation), and how they affect glacial Antarctic ice. A long-term project on the Fimbul Ice Shelf and Jutulstraumen (glacier / ice stream) in Antarctica has been initiated through ICE.

The Brazilians coordinators of APECS published a Letter to Editor in a special issue of Oecologia Australis to divulgate informations on history and opportunities of APECS in Brazil! The letter CROSSING THE DRAKE PASSAGE: FROM BRAZIL TO ANTARCTICA WITH THE ASSOCIATION OF POLAR EARLY CAREER SCIENTISTS (APECS-BRAZIL) is available in Oecologia Australis.

To all those interested in Education, Outreach and Communication during the latest International Polar Year!

Since the close of the International Polar Year (IPY) in the June 2010, the IPY Education, Outreach and Communication (EOC) Assessment Project has been working to collect information on Education, Outreach and Communication projects that occurred during the 2007-2009 International Polar Year. 

We have now collected survey responses from more than 200 IPY EOC activities and have information on more than 500 education and outreach programs and activities. This includes large scale outreach involving internationally collaborations to IPY inspired classroom projects and activities. Thank you to all those who have taken the time and filled out our survey, your efforts are greatly appreciated and we have included the entries into our current catalogue of IPY EOC efforts.

Now that we have compiled IPY EOC projects into a single online, open access, searchable database we are asking for your feedback.

You can view and search the catalogue here: http://apecs.is/education-outreach/ipy-outreach-assessment/catalogue

Please take the time to look through the catalogue.  You can browse and search through the catalogue, allowing those interested in certain topics, target audiences, activities, certain countries etc. to narrow down the catalogue to what you are interested in.  If you find an error in an EOC activity that you were a part of please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the name of the project and the correction.

If you were involved in, or know more activities that are not in the catalogue, we still want to know about them.  You have until April 8th to enter the information in our online IPY EOC survey (http://apecs.is/outreach/2529-ipy-eoc-survey).  (If you took part of the survey and requested a copy of the report, don't worry it is coming,  we are still working on this part of the project)

This IPY EOC Assessment Project is an ICSU funded activity, lead by APECS in partnership with SCAR and IASC.  The project committee thanks everyone who has taken the time to input EOC records and complete surveys, and hopes that this project will help promote, record and archive all the EOC efforts that made IPY such a success.

If you have any questions, concerns, corrections please direct your email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The March VPS call on was a full success. This month, we had the  APECS Working Group (WG) on Sediment Budgets in Cold Environments set up the Virtual Poster Session. The call was chaired by Mateusz Strzelecki, the APECS chair of the Sediment Budgets in Cold Environments WG, and APECS Poland representative with the Council. Invited were two mentors as presenters:

Professor Achim A. Beylich (Chair of SEDIBUD - International Association of Geomorphologists Working Group on Sediment Budgets in Cold Environments) with the Geological Survey of Norway (NGU), and the Department of Geography, at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim. He introduced us to the achievements and future goals of the SEDIBUD Network and explained his research on cold region sediment budgets in Norway.

Dr. Armelle Decaulne (Clermont-Ferrand, France) presented her research projects in Iceland and talked about career development opportunities for APECS to one of the most successful cold region geomorphology initiatives SEDIBUD.

With an introduction to the goals of the Sediment Budgets in Cold Environments WG and informing about an upcoming workshop this fall rounded up the presentations and discussion nicel (Sixth I.A.G./A.I.G. SEDIBUD Workshop: Sedimentary fluxes dynamics in the changing mountain and polar environment - monitoring, record & consequences; Zakopane, Poland, September 3-11, 2011).

If would could not make it to the call, you have the chance to listen to the recording anytime. Follow this link: http://connect.canterbury.ac.nz/p73347758/

If you would like to find out more about the Virtual Poster Session (VPS) and Upcoming event, check out the VPS webpage: http://www.apecs.is/virtual-poster-session
Or contact: Kim Jochum (Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) and  Alexey Pavlov (Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

The APECS VPS Working Group

APECS is very happy to tell you about a resent scientific publication that resulted from a new collaboration that happened at an APECD event. During the IMPETUS 2008 Workshop in St. Petersburg, Russia, Francisco Fernandoy (Chile/Germany) and Marcus Tonelli (Brazil) met and instantly realized they had lots of research interests in common. This new collaboration has resulted in the publication of "Stable water isotopes of precipitation and firn cores from the northern Antarctic Peninsula region as a proxy for climate reconstruction" in the Cryosphere Discussion. These young researchers, as many of you, believe in sharing data and publications and have published this article under the Creative Commons Attribution, meaning it is free for all of you to download.  The abstract is below.

If any of you have, or know of people who have, developed collaborations because of APECS events, please let us know so we can share your efforts and show the importance of APECS opportunities.

Stable water isotopes of precipitation and firn cores from the northern Antarctic Peninsula region as a proxy for climate reconstruction


F. Fernandoy*, H. Meyer*, and M. Tonelli**
*Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in the Helmholtz Association, Potsdam, Germany
**Oceanographic Institute, University of São Paulo, Brazil

Abstract. In order to investigate the climate variability in the north Antarctic Peninsula region, this paper focuses on the relationship between stable isotope content of precipitation and firn, and main meteorological variables (air temperature, relative humidity, sea surface temperature, and sea ice extent). Between 2008 and 2010, we collected precipitation samples and retrieved firn cores from several key sites in this region. We conclude that the deuterium excess oscillation represents a robust indicator of the meteorological variability on a seasonal to sub-seasonal scale. Low absolute deuterium excess values and the synchronous variation of both deuterium excess and air temperature imply that the evaporation of moisture occurs in the adjacent Southern Ocean. The δ18O–air temperature relationship is complicated and significant only at a (multi) seasonal scale. Backward trajectory calculations show that air-parcels arriving at the region during precipitation events predominantly originate at the South Pacific Ocean and Bellingshausen Sea. These investigations will be used as a calibration for on-going and future research in the area, suggesting that appropriate locations are located above 600 m a.s.l. We selected the Plateau Laclavere, Antarctic Peninsula as the most promising site for a deeper drilling campaign.

The Cryosphere Discuss., 5, 951-1001, 2011:  doi:10.5194/tcd-5-951-2011

During the Arctic Science Summit Week 2011 there will be an Information Meeting on the new international pan-Arctic network “Arctic in Rapid Transition (ART)” on March 30, 2011 from 13:30-14:00. The ART network aims to fulfill the need for an improved multidisciplinary and cross-timescales understanding of climate-related changes in Arctic marine ecosystems. ART’s broad focus is on past, present and future transitions in sea-ice, and how they are related to changes in marine ecosystems and biogeochemistry of the Arctic Ocean. ART was initiated in 2008 by early career scientists and is endorsed by the Marine Working Group of the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), the former Arctic Ocean Sciences Board. The complete ART Science and Implementation Plans are available at http://aosb.arcticportal.org/art.html.

ART will be implemented via a three-phase approach. The implementation approach proposed for ART will partly rely on the successful integration and collaboration with scientific programs that are already active. The legacy of ART will be a robust set of predictive tools that will contribute to a reinforcement of Arctic marine sciences into global assessments of impacts of climate change and increased human activity in the Earth System.

Phase I of ART is beginning now! The development of an active multi-disciplinary network of scientists required to tackle the questions highlighted in the ART Science Plan will be achieved through dedicated science symposia, and sessions at international meetings. The first dedicated symposium entitled “Arctic sea-ice transitions in space and time and the impacts on marine ecosystems” will be held at the Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences (IOPAN) in Sopot, Poland in autumn 2012. A central theme of this symposium will be the synthesis and modelling of marine ecosystem processes in relation to changing ice conditions across the Arctic Ocean.

The success of ART requires the involvement of marine scientists from all sectors and disciplines. To learn more about ART and to get involved, you are welcome to join the ART Information Meeting at the ASSW 2011!

For further information about the ART, please go to http://www.aosb.org/art.html.

Or contact:
Carolyn Wegner
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

APECS and CAFF are happy to announce that APECS members Kristen Gorman and Sarah Hardy have been invited to serve as early career scientist representatives in a project entitled "Status and Conservation Issues of Arctic Sea Ice-associated Biodiversity." They will start by attending a project meeting meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia March 22-24. Stay tuned to the APECS website for more news on the project and their progress!

APECS Presentation at Natural and Social Science Cooperation in Northern Russia and Norway for Mutual Benefits across National and Scientific Borders (BENEFITS)

APECS was represented at Moscow Meeting (24-27 February) to involve more young scientists in M.V.Lomonosov Moscow State University. The project with the short name Benefits is a collaboration project between Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, four Russian partner institutes at the Russian Academy of Science and Moscow State University, and Cambridge University. The overall project aim has been to develop a long-lasting scientific and educational collaboration network between Norwegian and Russian institutions with focus on development in northern regions through combined naturaland social science approaches. The network focuses on young scientist and graduated student activities linked to topics related to processes controlling changes in the boreal-arctic transition zone in Northern Norway and Russia. The most important instruments for the collaboration are joint workshops and fieldwork, exchange of young scientists, and joint publications. BENEFITSis linked to the IPY core project PPS Arctic(PPS Arcticis the short name for Present day processes, Past changes, and Spatiotemporal variability of biotic, abiotic and socio-environmental conditions and resource components along and across the Arcticdelimitation zone”.The project is coordinated by Dr. A. Hofgaard, NINA and co-coordinator Dr. G. Rees, Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge University, UK.)which is a multidisciplinary research cluster focusing on circumpolar northern regions and sub-arctic environments, and the transition zone to the Arctic. PPS Arctic includes >140 scientists and graduate students from 10 countries, with activities at >30 sites in the circumpolar forest-tundra zone.

ProceedingsISBN 978-5-89575-192-3

To have more info (for example your copy of Proceedings or Power Point Presentation in Russian language from this great Meeting) please contact Yulia Zaika: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Silje-Kristin Jensen, Calista Morrison and Jenny Baeseman represented APECS on the Students on Ice 2011 University Expedition to the Antarctic Peninsula. The expedition ran from 14 - 27 February and included students from over 15 countries and 25 Universities.  The trip took them to the bottom of the world starting in Ushuaia, Argentina surrounded by the mountains in Tierra del Fuego to 'Iceberg Alley' and the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust's Port Lockroy and many places in-between… including the dreaded Drake Passage.

The amazing ice-bergs, calving glaciers, playful fur seals, and curious penguins were only part of the exciting adventure. The expedition included 6 different upper level undergraduate/ masters level courses on a variety of topics taught be wonderful professors.  Eric Galbraith  and his team from McGill University looked at Antarctica and the Earth System, specifically the important role the Southern Ocean plays in moderating global climate. The discovery of the K/T Boundary and other great geologic formations and paleoclimate reenactments were part of the course by Claudia Schrder-Adams and Natalia Rybczynski from Carleton University. Luke Copland from the University of Ottawa and Jeff Kavanaugh from the University of Alberta and their students looked at glaciers, ice-sheets and every other form of frozen water. The group from St. Andrews University, led by Sonja Heinrich, watched the behavior of top predators in the Antarctic Marine Ecosystem and were always around to help spot whales on the horizon. Hans Gelter and his ladies from Luleå University in Sweden held a class on Antarctic Tourism and were assessing how students viewed the Coldest Continent.

In addition to the great courses, and inspiring lectures, many other Polar Leaders and explorers were on hand to mentor the participants - including the youngest Canadian to climb Mt. Everest and seasoned polar naturalist Olle Carlsson from Sweden.

To find out more about this exciting expedition, read the daily journal of the participants, and watch the great videos from the courses, visit http://www.uantarctic.org/.

troll research station antarcticaIt's been a few exciting weeks for me, and a few other APECS members as we participated in the Students on Ice 2011 University Expedition. We had 3 wonderful weeks that started in Argentina, crashed through the Drake Passage, and explored the amazingly beautiful Antarctic Peninsula - and back again. You can learn more about our very educational trip and how you can get involved in the next expedition at http://www.uantarctic.org/.

Being a 'Norwegian' in Antarctica comes with a lot of history. The first person to get to the South Pole was Roald Amundsen, a Norwegian, in 1911, almost 100 years ago. So this seems like a good time to tell you about Norway's Troll Station in Dronning Maud Land.

"Troll is a research station located at Jutulsessen, 235 kilometers (146 mi) from the coast in the eastern part of Princess Martha Coast in Queen Maud Land, Antarctica. It is Norway's only all-year research station in Antarctica, and is supplemented by the summer-only station Tor. Troll is operated by the Norwegian Polar Institute and also features facilities for the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, the Norwegian Institute for Air Research and a satellite downloading dome run by Kongsberg Satellite Services.

Contrary to most other research stations on the continent, Troll is constructed on the snow-free slope of solid rock breaking through the ice sheet at Jutulsessen, located 1,275 meters (4,183 ft) above mean sea level. The station opened as a summer-only station in 1990 and was taken into use as an all-year station in 2005. It has an overwintering capacity of eight people and a summer capacity of 40. It is served by Troll Airfield, which is the base for the Dronning Maud Land Air Network."

-- Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_%28research_station%29

For more information on the station and the research conducted there:  http://npweb.npolar.no/english/subjects/1167816415.8

The latest in the UK Polar Network’s acclaimed career skills workshop series was held at the University of Aberdeen, on the 12th – 14th January.The theme of this workshop was “Science Communication”.Around twenty early career researchers came from across the UK to take part in active and lively discussions, as well as dynamic and entertaining practical sessions.

Focussed discussions were held on many topics over the course of the workshop.These took an informal style, with an external speaker giving an introduction to their work, then fielding questions and contributing to an open discussion.Antony Jinman, polar explorer and founder of Education Through Expeditions, gave a talk on the outreach work of his organisation, which includes videocasting and other interactive elements giving school groups the opportunity to experience expeditions from the classroom.Andy Kerr, director of the Edinburgh Centre on Climate Change, gave a session on the relationship between scientists and policymakers, drawing on his experience in working with the Scottish Government on its climate change related publications.The way in which scientists interact with the TV industry was de-mystified by Mark Brandon, an Open University senior lecturer and consultant on BBC programmes such as Planet Earth and Blue Planet, using examples of his work at all stages of programme production.The many ways to get involved in public outreach work through opportunities such as the STEM ambassador scheme were described by Ken Skeldon, from the University of Aberdeen’s Public Engagement with Science Unit.All of these sessions provoked insightful and absorbing conversation, both during the sessions and afterwards, over coffee and, later, a pint.

Practical activities were an integral part of the workshop, and a great deal of training was offered in this area too.Athena Dinar, PR and Communications Manager at the British Antarctic Survey, led an exercise on press release writing which saw groups attempt to effectively summarise a study about satellite images of penguin poo, and conducted mock radio interviews, allowing volunteers the chance to practice these skills and receive feedback from the room.Sian Henley from the UK Polar Network committee took everyone through two demonstrations previously carried out with school groups: one showing the working of the polar vortex around Antarctica and its effect on atmospheric ozone, that involved people linking arms and dancing in a circle, and the other illustrating the problem that penguin mothers have trying to find their hungry chicks after a hunt, which saw everyone walking slowly around the room, honking and clapping at each other until (almost) all of the mother / chick pairs were re-united.Richard Morris, also from the Polar Network committee, led an exercise in which groups analysed newspaper articles, podcasts and short films on scientific issues for differences in tone, style and effectiveness.Rounding off the workshop, Stuart Monro and Christine Angus from Our Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh introduced their work with schools using puppets and props, gave some interactive demonstrations of different methods of communication, and led a discussion on the different styles employed by TV presenters.

All of our speakers and attendees are warmly thanked for their efforts and enthusiasm.Events such as this enhance the skills and abilities of Network members to communicate their science to the wider public, assisting them in becoming ambassadors for their fields, for the Network and for science more generally.

This event was made possible through generous grants from the Natural Environment Research Council, the Royal Astronomical Society, and the International Glaciological Society.

APECS is happy to present you with two more wonderful career development webinar video recordings.  For a complete list of recent and upcoming webinars, visit www.apecs.is/webinars. For more webinar recordings, visit www.apecs.is/webinars/videos:


- After spending so much time at university, some of us may not be able to comprehend life outside of it.  A panel of speakers discusses career opportunities in polar science outside the university setting.

--Faustine Bernadac, Polar Field Services
--Kristina Creek, ARCUS
--Dorte Dissing, ABR Environmental Research and Services
--Kriss Rokkan Iversen, SALT, Norway
--Angela Matz, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

http://apecs.is/webinars/videos/2752-20110222-alternative-careers

- Good research begins with well-designed research questions.  In this webinar, Breck Bowden focuses on the elements of good research questions in the context of a well-written proposal. This is the first part of a two part series looking at designing research questions and methods.

http://apecs.is/webinars/videos/2758-20110301-bowden

During this winter Anne Chapuis from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (Norway) and Inga May from the University of Munich joined the education team of the Students on Ice Antarctic Expedition Youth Expedition, one of the most exciting and important contributions to theInternational Year of Youth and theInternational Year of Biodiversity.

The journey started in Buenos Aires, after some trouble due to the snow storm in New York, where the group met first and continued their trip with the plan to Ushuaia. Ushuaia is the most southern city in the world and most of the Antarctic expeditions leave here to pass the Drake Passage and finally reach Antarctica. Here the entire group – about 80 people – set sail the 30 of December and head South. During the expedition the students were supervised by a team of scientists and chaperons.

Anne and Inga were together responsible for the glaciology part of the education program and shared their knowledge with the students during several hands-on activities, workshops and lectures.

The highlight was probably the sampling of some ice cores drilled at the so-called Koerner Ice Cap – named after the well-known glaciologist Fritz Koerner – who initially started some years ago with SOI to study these ice caps.

Of course they also joined the lectures and workshops of all the other team members and hence got lots of information about birds and mammals in the Antarctic, the Antarctic treaty, plankton in the oceans and so on.

You can also see their journey at http://www.studentsonice.com/antarctic2010/

The Arctic Council recognizes in the Tromso declaration that education, outreach, scientific research and capacity building are major tools via which to address challenges in the Arctic. And on the third of February, during the XIII CAFF Biennial meeting in Akureyri Iceland,  a Memorandum of Understanding was signed to strengthen cooperation between the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) working group of the Arctic Council and APECS. The memorandum was signed by Aevar Petersen CAFF Chair and Sigmar Arnarsson on behalf of APECS.

The objectives and activities of both APECS and CAFF complement one another in that CAFF as a Working Group of the Arctic Council provides a vehicle for knowledge and action in the Arctic region while APECS seeks opportunities for early career researchers to learn from and become engaged in international science and policy projects and programmes. Both parties will benefit from the participation of APECS members in CAFF policy and expert meetings on Arctic biodiversity. APECS members will gain valuable experience while also contributing scientific, innovative, and fresh perspectives to CAFF initiatives.

The aim is to create a means via which early career scientists can have the opportunity to participate in and gain experience in the circumpolar initiatives undertaken by CAFF as it works towards a more comprehensive understanding of Arctic biodiversity and its status and trends.  Within CAFF activities, emphasis is placed upon regional cooperation that is based upon cooperation between all the Arctic countries and indigenous organizations as well as with international conventions and organizations.  CAFF will at the same time benefit from the input of new ideas and participation by young scientists and help to attract and stimulate interest in Arctic biodiversity and help stimulate outreach/communication with the education sector.

APECS will help to inform its members and partner organizations about the activities of CAFF and its associated partners to help broaden the understanding, representation, and input into CAFF activities through participation of APECS members in CAFF projects including policy and expert meetings. CAFF welcomes this new partnership and foresees a fruitful cooperation with APECS as a representative of the next generation of polar scientists.

CAFF (Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna) and APECS are teaming up to provide more opportunities for early carreer researchers. CAFF is looking for an APECS member to participate in and contribute to a project entitled "Status and Conservation Issues of Arctic Sea Ice-associated Biodiversity."

The first event associated with this collaboration is a meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia March 22-24. CAFF is especially interested in a fairly local participant, and if possible someone with a food chain specialist background. Please see the project info below and the workshop invitation here. See the project website here.

The meeting is approaching quickly, so if you're interested in this opportunity, please email apope00 [at] gmail [dot] com with your CV and a statement of interest by February 21st at the very latest.

Project Outline: Status and Conservation Issues of Arctic Sea Ice-associated Biodiversity

Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna

A. Introduction

Climate models indicate trends towards reductions in the extent and thickness of sea ice in the Arctic.   Many species are found in association with this ice and can therefore be expected to be significantly affected by the projected reduction in ice availability.  It is also important to recognize that sea ice-associated species are trophically linked directly and indirectly to others in marine and terrestrial ecosystems and must be considered in any analysis of the effects of sea ice loss.

Consideration of the effects of warming oceans on ice-dependent species in the Arctic is well underway.  SWIPA (Snow, Water, Ice and Permafrost in the Arctic) is the Arctic Council's Project on Climate Change and the Arctic Cryosphere.  This project has reviewed the biological impacts of changes to sea ice in the Arctic and summarizes the role sea ice plays for several key species in the north.  This kind of information will prove valuable for the ecosystem-level analysis that will be conducted as part of the project proposed here.  In addition to SWIPA, this project will build on other initiatives like the Arctic Biodiversity Assessment, a project of the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) that is synthesizing and assessing the status and trends of biological diversity in the Arctic

B. Project objective

Building on the results of existing work as outlined above, the objective of this project is to provide a summary of the current status and trends of sea ice-associated biodiversity, including direct effects on marine species and indirect effects on terrestrial species, discuss the expected reaction of these biota to lower occurrences of ice, reflect on the effects low ice and its impact on biodiversity to northern peoples, and finally, to recommend actions that might mitigate these changes.

This project has three phases.  The first phase will consist of a workshop that identifies issues and actions that will form the substance of a technical report; a list of authors and an outline of the report will be a product of this initial meeting.  The second phase will involve the preparation of the technical report and accompanying recommendations for action.  The third phase will be communication of the results and recommendations to a non-technical audience.

Phase 1

The first step towards meeting the above objectives will be carried out in a workshop where a series of discussions will outline past trends and the current situation for sea ice-associated biodiversity and project what might happen in the future.

Attendees will include those with knowledge of sea ice-associated biodiversity and cultures including experts with traditional knowledge, scientific knowledge of sea ice-associated species and knowledge of overall ecosystem functioning in polar regions.  Topics for discussion will encompass:

Overview of sea ice ecosystems – what benefits are gained by wildlife and people who have evolved in association with sea ice? Review of ecosystem function in regions where sea ice is integral – what role does sea ice play?  For which species is sea ice essential and for which species does it merely enhance survival – can wildlife and people adapt to an ice-free scenario? What species are likely to move into Arctic oceans with a reduction in sea ice and what is the expected effect on northern biodiversity and people? If a given species is removed or pushed out of the system by species expanding their northern range, will it negatively/positively affect other wildlife and people? Will the disappearance of sea ice affect the genetic diversity of species that survive?  Will there be short and/or long term implications of changes in genetic diversity?

Building on the discussion of the current and future state of sea ice-dependent biodiversity, the second step in this process will consider issues facing sea ice-associated biodiversity and what actions might be required to adapt to or mitigate the effects of reduced availability of Arctic sea ice.   Topics for consideration could include:

What are the urgent issues that face sea ice-associated biodiversity (e.g. northerly range extensions of species from the south, ocean temperature change, increased human activity, etc.)?  Are changes in these issues measureable?  If not, what can be measured? What issues are measurable but secondary?  These are the issues that might not warrant immediate action but could be monitored. Given key issues, what are the most important actions that can be taken in support of sea ice-associated biodiversity? What are the key information gaps that require targeted research? What are the preferred methods for monitoring sea ice-associated biodiversity (community based census, atlas approach, indicator species, remote sensing)? What conservation actions can be undertaken to mitigate the effects of a reduction in sea ice availability for Arctic people and wildlife.

Based on the results of the first two components of this workshop, participants will discuss the outline of a final report on sea ice-associated biodiversity.

The outcome of the Vancouver workshop will be a summary of discussions and the development of an outline or table of contents of the final report.

Participants will be asked to volunteer to draft sections of the final report to be completed in the months following the Vancouver workshop.

Phase 2

This phase will consist of writing a short, properly referenced and reviewed technical report that documents the status, trends and issues identified in Phase 1 and proposes recommendations.  This second workshop is expected to occur in Russia, and will finalize the report by discussing and refining recommendations, as well as indicate a process for implementing recommendations.

Phase 3

This phase will develop non-technical materials that communicate the results of Phases 1 and 2.

 

The Local Organizing Committee of the XXXII SCAR and Open Science Conference invites a U.S. APECS representative to join the committee. The meetings will be held in Portland, Oregon from 13 to 25 July, 2012. Our goal is to ensure that the interests of early career scientists are well represented in the planning process, including the development of workshops and other activities that add value to the meeting. Committee service may include proposal writing activities in collaboration with the LOC and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.

If you're interested, please submit a CV and a statement of interest to apope00 [at] gmail [dot] com by 1 March 2011.

The media can serve as a tool to amplify communication of your work, or it can accidentally distort your research results when translating it into layman's terms.  This webinar will help you work productively with the Media.

Check out this webinar and the many other great career development videos!

The APECS Newsletter is now indexed with the International Standard Serial Number network. Registration with the ISSN network will help readers, libraries, researches, and institutions index, organize, and access our newsletter. We are all working towards a sustainable future for APECS and all these little details like the ISSN registration help build our organization and the great contributions we make to polar research and early career scientists.

Do you ever find it challenging to get money to attend international conferences? Wish there were an easier way to find travel funding or funds to cover conference registration? Here’s an opportunity to win €500 for exactly that!

As an international organization, many of APECS’ most important initiatives are web-based. The content on our website is community-driven – and we want to hear from the entire APECS community so we can guarantee the latest and greatest information is shared with all our members. We would like to ask you to help by posting this to jobs & funding opportunities, posters, events, and polar news articles.

Over the next 6 months, we will keep track of who is contributing to APECS web-based content. On August 31, we will take a look at our records and all active contributors will be entered into a prize draw for a €500 prize toward your next conference. The more you post, the higher your chances are of winning. Depending on how much enthusiasm we get, there may be some runner-up prizes.

So, how do you enter?! Register if you haven’t yet and e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. so we can give you access to the website posting system. Once that’s done, have a look at our how to guides and videos (scroll down) for the easy-to-follow instructions. If you have the enthusiasm but not the content, contact us to point you in the right direction.

Make sure to get the benefit from everything that people are posting – look at www.apecs.is often or use our RSS feeds for news, APECS events, and our polar calendar.

Rules:
Each time you post something to the website, we will enter your name into a drawing. On August 31, we will select a winner from the hat and let you know who has won.

Funds must be used toward your participation in a conference where you are presenting your research or outreach or helping to organize an APECS event. Copies of your receipts must be e-mailed to the Director after the conference to receive your reimbursement.

For questions about the contest, contact Allen Pope. apope00 [at] gmail [dot] com.

youngscientistlogo4January has been a packed month with lots of planning and great events. The highlight for me and many other young researchers was the Arctic Frontiers Conference here in Tromsø.  This year APECS joined the team of organizations organizing the Young Scientist Forum and helped to add many new activities to the line up. This months newsletter features many of these activities.

The Young Scientist Forum was started by ARCTOS a few years ago, as a PhD course that incorporated students participating in the conference and then a few days of a proposal writing workshop in Lofoten.  This year we added a few more things: a video making workshop where students made 5 1-minute great videos about Arctic Science, a workshop on the importance of strengthening the science collaboration between Norway and Russia, the screening of a global warming comedy called Sizzle (by Randy Olson - Scientist turned film-maker), a speed dating night with some great mentors, a lecture on communicating your science, another lecture on thinking beyond the lab through entrepreneurship, a full afternoon for a research funding workshop featuring people from the Research Council of Norway, Marie Curie, and the Fulbright Foundation -and a great lecture by Paul Renaud (these will be online soon)… and the proposal writing course in Lofoten.

It was an amazing 2 weeks here in Tromsø and we are looking forward to more create events for next year - so mark your calendars!

The theme of the Arctic Frontiers Conference for 2011 was "Arctic Tipping Points", addressing how systems can reach a point of no return - be it natural, physical or social systems. All the presentations at the conference addressed this topic, as did the PhD Course that followed the conference.

Three amazing musicians accompanied the course to Lofoten, and created a 'theme song' for the conference. Michael Greenacre created the lyrics for "Tipping Me Softly" and his daughter Karolien Greenacre and their friend Damy preformed the music - joined by the participants of the course. To see the photo slideshow highlights and listen to the song - enjoy this video below!

Tipping Me Softly from APECS Webinars on Vimeo.

Parallel to the Arctic Frontiers Conference 2011 and in direct connection with the oral presentations, the ARCTOS PhD School and APECS organized an international workshop for PhD students and postdoctoral researchers interested in research and development in the pan-Arctic region.

During the workshop (which took place in Tromsø, on the coastal steamer Hurtigruten and in Svolvær, Lofoten) participants worked in groups on given subjects related to the topics of the Arctic Frontiers Conference: “Arctic Tipping Points”. Senior scientists from the ARCTOS PhD School, as well as invited speakers from the conference participated to ensure a good dialogue and progress in the discussions.

The workshop consisted of the participants attending the conference, as well as side lectures on communication and entrepreneurship, a funding workshop, and proposal development and writing practice. To add a little culture and fun, 3 musicians join the expedition to Lofoten and many fun concerts and jam sessions arose. The group was also fortunate to have Kriss Rokkan-Iversen, APECS' first president, give a presentation on how she developed her own consulting company in Lofoten.

For the course, students prepared 15 minute presentations on their proposal, including the science objectives, management structure of the project, methods, relevance of the project to society, the expertise in the group that will make the project successful, aspects of national and international collaboration, outreach plans, feasibility and budget. The groups all did well given the short time frame they had to work under. Most importantly they realized that good science is more than just good ideas, it takes a team of collaborators dedicated to working together and overcoming any cultural/language differences that might be experienced. Many of the groups plan to stay in touch and continue to develop their ideas into full proposals to be submitted at a later date.

Look for more information on how you can participate in this great course next year.

Publishing journal papers is a key method of communicating your results to a broader audience and an important step in building both your CV and the body of literature in your discipline.  We're happy to share the latest webinar with you where Rudi Gens a Remote-Sensing Scientist at the Alaska Satellite Facility, University of Alaska Fairbanks offers tips for getting your papers published by peer-reviewed journals and things to think about when reviewing papers by other researchers.

Check out this webinar and the many other great career development videos!

APECS is happy to present you with two more wonderful career development webinar video recordings.  For a complete list of upcoming webinars, visit http://apecs.is/webinars. For more webinar recordings, visit http://apecs.is/webinars/videos:

- Climate change is a hot topic of discussion amongst researchers as well as the general public. In this webinar, Dr. Chapin discusses the need for scientists to be more effective communicators in climate change science to different audiences.

http://apecs.is/webinars/videos/2655-20110125-chapin

- In this seminar Dr. Erica Key, Associate Program Officer for Arctic System Science in the Office of Polar Programs at the U.S. National Science Foundation, shares some great advice on applying for US National Science Foundation funding, postdoctoral researcher grants, study abroad funding, and much more.

http://apecs.is/webinars/videos/2656-20101130-key

On Friday January 28, APECS arranged a Research Funding Workshop as part of the Young Scientist Forum at the Arctic Frontiers Conference. Over 100 participants attended together with five mentors.The workshop was chaired by APECS Council Chair Silje-Kristin Jensen.

The Norwegian Research Council, Svalbard Science Forum, European Research Council, Fulbright and United Nations University Japan attended the workshop. Each organization gave a presentation about their opportunities to apply for funding.

After the presentations Dr. Paul Renaud was invited to give a talk about tips and tricks on how to write proposal and did that in an excellent way and sharing his experience from the US, Sweden and Norway where he has been working. At the end of the workshop a panel was held with invited mentors together with the organizations to have an open forum with questions from the participants. Each mentor received a gift given by the Institute of Marine Research and The Norwegian Polar Insititute

A social event was arranged after the workshop where 60 participant attended with pizza and refreshments sponsored by Akvaplan Niva, ICE, Center for Ice, Climate and Ecosystems, Ica and Coop prix.

 

Friday afternoon (Jan 21st) 25 young scientists of several fields gathered at the Fram centre to partake in a workshop that had stated the intention to examine the heritage from the great scientists, artists and humanists Mikhail Lomonosov and Fridtjof Nansen - what inspiration from these great scientists and statesmen can we find today to address todays challenges in the High North?

The group consisted of people from such sciences as politics, psychology, human geography, energy sciences, anthropology, biology and law in addition to four high school-students, who had all won school-competitions in essay-writing. Thus finding common problems and inspirations alone proved a quite complex task, even with the wonderful mentoring supplied from the University of the Arctics own people and their invited mentors.

After a very long saturday (stretching into sunday for many of the participants), a declaration was formed as a result from the workshop, and this was presented to the participants of the Lomonosov-Nansen seminar marking the official opening of the Nansen-Amundsen celebration 2011 in Norway. Present at this seminar was, in addition to several interested scientists, also the foreign ministers of Norway and Iceland, and the Consul of Arkhangelsk. After the seminar, the workshop was allowed a 15 minute q and a session with the Norwegian minister, Jonas Gahr Støre.

This event was part of the Arctic Frontiers Young Scientist Forum.  For more information, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

During the Young Scientists Forum at the Arctic Frontiers meeting in Tromso, Norway, APECS held another successful young researcher - mentor "speed dating" event.  As mentors and early career researchers came in the doors each was given an animal sticker with the task to find their animal sticker match.  As the pigs, horses, dogs, cats, hedgehogs and penguins went forth and networked in order to find their match, conversations happened, networks blossomed and friendships were forged.   After a while, in the spirit of true "speed dating" a bell was rung and since everyone at one point in time or another has dated a 'dog' everyone was then asked to go and find a dog to chat with.  Since APECS works in both poles the last challenge was for everyone to go and find a penguin.  The night was so successful that 10 minutes after we were supposed to move on to dinner conversations were still going strong and the organisers had to start kicking people out and ushering them on to dinner.  Several mentors had so much fun, they decided to join the Young Scientist Dinner instead of the Conference Banquet. At the dinner mentors and students shared fun stories about their research work. Thanks to everyone who helped out and attended, and here's to more speed dating events for polar science.

The 2011 ‘APECS Virtual Poster Sessions’ started out with a “Get to know APECS” session in January, which took place on Thursday the 27th of January at 16 GMT.

ExCom member Angelika Renner introduces the APECS governance and recent updates; Penelope Wagner (Discipline Coordinator for Geophysics and Sea Ice) guides through the APECS webpage, and shows important features including research activities. Sílvia Lourenço talks about the National Committees, what they do and opportunities to get involved on the example of APECS Portugal. Alexey Pavlov (Discipline Coordinator for Oceanography) informs about advantages helping with APECS and how to combine being involved in regards to time constrains and lack of funding. Jennifer Provencher (APECS Education and Outreach) explains what is going on in the APECS E&O field and how to get involved in Education and Outreach opportunities through APECS; and Kim Jochum (Research Activities Committee chair) deeper explains who and what APECS actually is.

For all that missed this great oppotunity, the link to the recording: http://connect.canterbury.ac.nz/p93014992/

The Virtual Poster Session (VPS) Working Group

The Arctic Frontiers Young Scientist Forum had a full week of amazing activities. Read more about them here. Through all the activities students were able to develop new collaborations and friendship and learn important new skills.  Along with these extra activities, they also presented outstanding Arctic research. The APECS worked with the ARCTOS Network to provide awards for outstanding presentations based on content, presentation, and the importance of providing a context to their research and society.  Each recipient received a certificate and a copy of the IPY Polar Resource Book: Polar Science and Global Climate and Arctic Tipping Points by Carlos M. Duarte and Paul Wassmann.

Congratulations to all the winners:

Outstanding Oral Presentation Awards


Part 1: Eli Anne Ersdal - On the Tidal Forcing of an Arctic Coastal Polynya

Part 2: Øystein Varpe - Adaptations to Temporarily Separated Food Sources

Part 3: Emily McGlynn - EU-Arctic Footprint and Policy Assessment

Part 4: Torsten Risør - Climate Change and Primary Health Care

Outstanding Poster Awards

Benjamin Merkel - Do we underestimate Calanus glacialis? - A High Arctic Study

Magdalena Łącka - Modern Foraminiferal Assemblages as Bioindicators of Recent Hydrological Changes in Hornsund Fjord

Photo by Matias Langgaard Madsen
Left to Right:  Øystein Varpe, Torsten Risør, Jenny Baeseman (APECS), Stig Falk-Petersen (ARCTOS), Jennifer Provencher (APECS), Magdalena Lacka, and Benjamin Merkel (aka Jimmy Bond)

Hollywood film maker Randy Olson challenged 25 young researchers to tell good science stories through video. See the short films here.

The video workshop was arranged during the Arctic Frontiers Young Scientist Forum. It brought together students from 10 different countries, mostly PhD students at the University of Tromsø. All of them specialize in High North topics from Arctic ecosystems to social sciences. The group went through an intensive creative process in three short days.

- We tried to put away the critical thinking for the weekend. It took some time, but after a while the creativity flourished. And the film scripts evolved into something better than we could ever imagine, says Audun Hetland. His film, On the Edge, was 1 of 5 chosen by the students from a total of 20 ideas pitched.

Scientist-turned film maker Randy Olson gave good advice about storytelling.
- Film is not an informational medium, it's a motivational medium. You have to think not only with your head, but with your gut, he told the students. The creative and cross-cultural teamwork was the most rewarding experience according to the students. Most of the participants had never made a movie before.

- The workshop has actually changed my life, says "director" Elina Halttunen. The workshop brought down the glass window I didn't know existed between me as a scientist and the rest of the world.

For more information, visit the Workshop Website at:http://www2.uit.no/ikbViewer/page/tavla/artikkel?p_document_id=212662 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Here are the videos created by the young scientists:

 

The Making of the Videos from APECS Webinars on Vimeo.

This video was a labor of love from the whole group. They hope you enjoy their story!

The Cold Rush from APECS Webinars on Vimeo.

The Cold Rush was made in three days by Gro Bjerga, Walter Ivan Añacata Avendaño, Alexander Elvegård Figenschou, Ralph Kube, and Tino Schott.

 

On the Edge from APECS Webinars on Vimeo.

On the Edge was made in three days by Audun Hetland, Eivind Høstmark Borge, Kristin Heggland and Alexey Pavlov.

 

Spawning Smart from APECS Webinars on Vimeo.

Spawning Smart was made in three days by Elina Halttunen, Anaïs Aubert, Trine Glad, Per Helge Nylund and Maja Sojtaric.

 

The Tag is Not Enough from APECS Webinars on Vimeo.

The Tag is Not Enough was made in three days by Cedar Chittenden, Konstantinos Antypas, Jannike Falk-Petersen, Benjamin Merkel, and Anna Silyako

 

The Desperate Clam from APECS Webinars on Vimeo.

The Desperate Clam was made in three days by Mikko Vihtakari, Marek Cuhra, Johanna Hovinen, and Aili Sarre

APECS is all about building a network of polar scientists across disciplines and across continents. Rather than keeping photos of APECS events, activities, and science all to ourselves, we want to share with all of you! Please visit the re-launched APECS Picasa Web gallery or APECS Photo Galleries page to check it all out. If you would like to share your own photos from events of polar fieldwork with other APECS members, we'd love to link to your Picassa galleries, too - just contact us!

On October 18-20, 2010 the Arctic in Rapid Transition (ART) Implementation Workshop was held at the Freshwater Institute, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, in Winnipeg, Canada, with 20 participants from 7 countries. Half of these participants were early career scientists. As with all ART activities, a key component of the workshop was career development.  Senior scientists shared their experiences in the science planning and implementation process and played a critical role in the development of the implementation plan. The ART Initiative is an integrative, international, interdisciplinary, pan-Arctic network to study the spatial and temporal changes in sea ice cover and ocean circulation over all timescales to better understand and forecast the impact of these changes on the ecosystems and biogeochemistry of the Arctic Ocean. ART was initiated and is currently run by early career scientists. It is endorsed by APECS. The ART Initiative began in October 2008 and after an ART Initiation Workshop in November 2009 a science plan was developed, which has since been endorsed by the Arctic Ocean Sciences Board: the Marine Working Group of the International Arctic Science Committee.

To turn the approved ART science plan into reality, the ART Initiative will take a phased approach, with the first phase developing a formal scientific network to bring together scientists working in different geographic and disciplinary areas who share a common interest in improving our understanding of the implications of disappearing sea ice in the Arctic. Phase II will implement dedicated, coordinated, dispersed, international, and interdisciplinary field campaigns. The final Phase III will be a data synthesis and reporting stage. Modeling will be interspersed throughout all three phases. ART will keep its identity as a program driven by early-career scientists in which a program of mentoring and science planning educational programs should be sustained as an integral part of the process.

More information about the ART Initiative and the Science Plan can be found at http://aosb.arcticportal.org/art.html

 What education, outreach and communication activites did you do during the International Polar Year?  Can you find them above?

The above shows all the project titles from the Education and Outreach activities from IPY that we have information for.  If you have a project not represented here you need to complete out IPY EOC survey, it will only take a few minutes of your time!  As we get more entries and learn about what happened, the more this image, and our report to ICSU, will reflect all of our great efforts.

Take me to the survey!

You can also check out the project pagewhere we keep you up-to-date on the survey and results.

 

The partnership between IASC and APECS got a little stronger last month when APECS was invited to the annual IASC Canada meeting, held on December 14 2010 in Ottawa, in conjuction with ArcticNet's Annual Scientific Meeting. Many Government of Canada representatives, Canadian IASC Working Group Representatives, and other IASC affiliates were in attendance. The meeting included updates from each of IASC Working Group's, changes to the governance structure, and presentations from other organizations (including SAON and FARO).

The need to increase the representation of young researchers was mentioned within several presentation, including from within the Working Groups. At present there is no official representation for young researchers within IASC and its Working Groups. However, Working Group meetings hosted in Potsdam, Germany from January 12-14, 2011, might bring about some changes or at least begin dialogue towards improved young researcher capacity within IASC. The idea for creating an APECS Canada was also pitched to the IASC Canada group. APECS Canada would be a subsidiary group within APECS that could help to organize members for events and opportunities specifically available for members within Canada. The meeting was attended by APECS Member Harry Borlase, questions and details can be sent to him at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

For more information on IASC, visit: http://www.iasc.info/

On 12 December 2010, the day before the 2010 AGU Fall Meeting, 16 early career scientists participated in a career development workshop sponsored by the University of Alaska, the International Arctic Research Center, Arctic Research Consortium of the US (ARCUS), APECS, and the Permafrost Young Researchers Network (PYRN). Seven mentors spent much of the day working with workshop participants, covering information about how to succeed in academic and research careers, outreach methods in proposal writing, and how to communicate polar research to various audiences. The mentors received great reviews from the participants, citing their knowledge and enthusiasm as one of the greatest parts of the workshop. Overall, participants were pleased with the workshop and felt that they would be very likely to use the information they learned in the future.

Some of the talks were recorded by either audio or video, and we will make them and the slides available on the APECS website within the coming months.

A special thanks to the great mentors who took time out of their busy schedules to participate in the workshop: Daniel Julius, Bob Bindschadler, Geoff Haines-Stiles, Erica Key, Hans-Peter Marshall, Elena Sparrow, and Lindsay Knippenberg. We would also like to thank Kristin Timm, Anna Wagner, and Anna Liljedahl for organizing this workshop.

This workshop was made possible because of a generous contribution from the University of Alaska System. Meeting space was sponsored by the Arctic Research Consortium of the US and miscellaneous expenses were covered by APECS.

 

The International Symposium on Arctic Research is the flagship Arctic science meeting in Japan organized by the Japanese National Institute of Polar Research, the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and International Arctic Research Center at the University of Alaska - Fairbanks. The second symposium took place 7-9 December in Tokyo, while the first one took place two years ago. The third symposium is expected to take place late 2012. About 240 scientists and students participated with slightly more Japanese than foreigners. The symposium is thus on its way to become a major international Arctic meeting.

The Association of Polar Early Career Scientists were present at the symposium with a panel and an oral presentation. Because of the underrepresentation of Japan in APECS, the association emphasized participating in the symposium. On 7 December, APECS hosted an international career development panel with Professor Dorte Dahl-Jensen (University of Copenhagen), Dr. Kim Holmen (Norwegian Polar Institute), Dr. Konrad Steffen (University of Colorado), Professor David Hik (University of Alberta), Professor Hiroshi Tanaka (University of Tsukuba) and Professor Hiroyuki Enomoto (Kitami Institute of Technology) and chaired by APECS member Dr. Rasmus G. Bertelsen (United Nations University/Tokyo Institute of Technology). 11 young scientists from Asia, Europe and North America participated. The panelists reflected on their own early career experiences. Here they emphasized the importance of intellectual and international mobility. From a gender perspective, Professor Dahl-Jensen pointed out the flexibility of research work, but also the need to accept a series of temporary appointments in the beginning. The panelists discussed quantity versus innovativeness of research production.

On 9 December, Rasmus G. Bertelsen gave an oral presentation (prepared with Jenny Baeseman) in the plenary on 'The Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) as an International Polar Year Legacy' in the panel on international Cooperation of Arctic Research and IPY. This presentation (re-) introduced APECS to a broad range of senior and junior Japanese and international Arctic scientists.

Whale watching worldwide 11-12 December Tokyo, Japan

 Pictures: from Jensens presentation titled 'drop the harpoon - whale watching in Norway' which is a symbol on how Norway 

is using old whaling vessels to go whale watching in Norway

In December Silje-Kristin Jensen attended an international whale watching conference called 'whale watching worldwide' arranged by the International Fund of Animal Welfare (IFAW) at the UN University in Tokyo, Japan.  Jensen contributed with a talk about how whaling and whale watching can co-excist in Norway representing APECS Norway. Sharing information about APECS together with oportunities for whale watching in Norway was a great success.

Whale watching operators from USA, Caribbean, Norway, Iceland and Japan attended this two-days conference. The conference focused on laying important groundwork for the continued growth in whale watching activity in Japan and worldwide.

For more information about whale watching worldwide click here.

A small tribute and a special thank you to the hundreds of APECS members, mentors, friends and partners who have helped to make 2010 the strongest and most productive year for our organization.

We are looking forward to making 2011 even brighter!

go-north logoWhat an amazing year it has been for APECS. We have averaged 73 new members a month, had at least 1 APECS in-person meeting at a conference somewhere around the world every month, started a very successful career development webinar series, and the list goes on. We are putting together a report for one of the grants that funds our Directorate office that will include some more fun statistics like these. Thanks to you all and the support of our partnering organizations we are creating many opportunities for young polar researchers.

Speaking of partnering organizations, this month's newsletter features the University of Alaska, which is an amazing institution.  I am fortunate to hold an Adjunct Research Assistant Professor Position at the International Arctic Research Center (IARC) at the University of Alaska- Fairbanks, where we have the National Science Foundation grant that is supporting our webinar series. IARC, in particular Larry Hinzman and Elena Sparrow have been very supportive of APECS' efforts from the very beginning and we are very grateful to them for all their help.

If you are interested in studying at the University of Alaska, or another university in the North, you may be interested in a student mobility program that helps with exchange programs for students to take courses at Northern universities and experience life and culture in the North - The University of the Arctic's Go North program, housed at the University of Tromsø, Norway. 

To find out more, visit: http://www.uarctic.org/SingleArticle.aspx?m=43&amid=2325
To find out what courses are offered through the University of the Arctic in the Go North as well as their other programs visit: http://www.uarctic.org/SingleArticle.aspx?m=43&amid=2325

The International Polar Year (IPY) has now come to a close. At the start of the latest IPY education, outreach and communication activities (EOC) were recognized as important components to the overall success of the biggest IPY to date.  Numerous activities took place during the IPY, starting in 2007 until the official close of the IPY in 2010, on all 7 continents.  Now that we have wrapped up the latest IPY, the IPY EOC Assessment Committee is trying to inventory and asses the many EOC activities and events, and your help would be much appreciated.

To date we have information on over 350 activities, some endorsed by IPY and many that were simply IPY inspired, but we know that many more took place.  You can help us to assess these worldwide EOC events and your own EOC efforts by filling in our short survey.  The survey will only take 10 to 15 minutes of your time, and it will help make sure that your EOC efforts get counted in our international report.

If you organized or manged an education, outreach or communication activity during during IPY 2007-2009 filling out this suvey will help us understand what EOC took place and make sure your efforts are counted among the global efforts.  We invite all those that did EOC to fill in the survey, from those with IPY endorsed programs to activities that were IPY inspired.  All of these events, big and small, contributed to the huge international momentum of IPY and we your help to understand the big picture.

Please help us spread the word, if you know of EOC programs please let them know about tha IPY EOC Assessment Porject.

English version: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/IPYsurvey-english

Русская версия (Russian version): http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/IPYsurvey-Russian

中文版 (Chinese version): http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/IPYsurvey-Chinese

international-centre-reindeer husbandryThe Polar Night has set in here in Tromsø. The sun is now below the horizon until the end of January, but the little 'light' we do get casts a magical pink hue over the city and the sky is an mysterious dark blue. It really does put a person in the 'Holiday Spirit'…. and what better thing to feature for the December newsletter when we are thinking about the holidays than Reindeer :)

Norway has a long tradition of reindeer husbandry and since 2005 has hosted the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry (ICR) which was established by the Norwegian Government in 2005 in Kautokeino, as a contribution to the unique international cooperation of circumpolar reindeer herding peoples.

"ICR is to be a knowledge base for providing and exchanging information and documentation between different reindeer peoples, national authorities and research- and academic communities at the national and international levels. The Centre will thus contribute to adding value, to improving information and to enhancing understanding for world reindeer husbandry and reindeer peoples, their traditional knowledge and their future development."

The above except was taken from the ICR's great website hosted by the Arctic Portal, who also hosts our website. There is a really great photo gallery showing reindeer herding in several countries, a great video gallery of presentations and interviews dealing, as well as a great Reindeer blog that has loads of news stories from around the world related to reindeer.  I highly encourage you all to check it out:  http://icr.arcticportal.org.

On the 16th of November the 16th Nordic Conference on Reindeer and Reindeer Husbandry Research was held here at the University of Tromsø. Unfortunately I didn't attend, but hear it was a great success. For more information on this conference, visit: http://www.rangifer.no/konferanse/programen.html.

If you are interested in learning more about Reindeer, you might be interested in the Master’s level course on Adaptation to Globalization in the Arctic: The Case of Reindeer Husbandry which is being offered this spring. The deadline to register is 10 December, so make sure you check it out soon: http://tinyurl.com/reindeer-course.

Who Needs More Time? How to Manage Your Data Without Being A Data Manager!  Personalities and Scientists... and lots more!

We are happy to announce that several great career development lectures from the IPY International Early Career Researcher Symposium are now available for your viewing pleasure. We are sure you will learn a lot and laugh quite a bit during these great lectures!

These videos have been made possible through a cooperation between APECS and the US National Science Foundation's Arctic System Science Thermokarst Project.

The APECS Executive Committee met in Cambridge, UK for a weekend full of discussions, planning, and meetings with APECS mentors. For a meeting summary click here!

The report  from the 1st APECS Brazil Workshop in Rio de Janeiro is now available! Click here to read the full summary, which includes an overview of all points of the event, the evaluations and some pictures.

This Brochure is based on ExCom Report: Summary of IPY Activities: Four Years of Shaping the Future of Polar Research (http://apecs.is/publications/2015-ipy-results) and highlights great activities of APECS during last 4 years as much as future progress.

For more info please visit  http://www.apecs.is/national-committees/russia

You can download this brochurehere

Flinders University Department of Screen and Media and the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) hosted SnowScreen, a celebration of polar filmmaking, on 15 October in Adelaide, Australia. The evening began with a guided tour of the polar exhibits located within the Mawson Science Centre (tour graciously provided by the South Australian Museum).

Presentations were held in the Flinders University City Art Gallery on North Terrace.  Eddie Powell started the evening with his honours student production From Tall Grass to Tundra (previously screened at the PolarCINEMA session at IPY-Oslo).  Mike Walsh (Senior Lecturer, Department of Screen and Media) then regaled the crowd with a brief history of polar filmmaking, with a focus on Australian films. The final presentation was provided by special guest speaker Professor Jan-Anders Diesen (Lillihammer College) and included the first Australian screening of the restored Roald Amundsen (1910-1912) South Pole Expedition film with newly arranged music.

Guest speaker Jan-Anders Diesen wows the crowd (image courtesy Flinders University)

APECS was able to recruit a few new volunteers for future APECS Australia activities and a good time was had by all! Drinks and nibbles courtesy of Howard Vineyard and Flinders University.

For more information: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (Event co-host and APECS Council Member)

 

APECS has just created a profile on the Scientists Without Borders community. This organization aims to mobilize and coordinate science-based activities that improve quality of life in the developing world. A wide variety of institutions and organizations are promoting environmental and developmental solutions, but often current communication gaps restrict their power. Organizations and individuals do not always know about one another's endeavors, needs, or availability, which limits the ability to forge meaningful connections and harness resources.

APECS hopes that with our experience in a variety of physical and social sciences, education & outreach experience, and a history of building a large and international communication largely based around web tools will provide a valuable way to create future collaborations and opportunities. You can read more about Scientists Without Borders on their website or in this Nature Chemical Biology article.

on board lanceA few weeks ago I had the opportunity to meet up with two APECS Council members, Alexey Pavlov (Russia) and Ella Darlington (UK) after they returned from a cruise in the Arctic onboard the Norwegian ship, the R/V Lance. Alexey and Ella along with Paul Dodd gave me a nice tour of this old, but sturdy vessel, which perhaps some of you have been on. 

rv-lance pavlov"The Lance was launched in 1978 as a combined fishing and sealing vessel for arctic waters. At the time she proved too large and expensive to run, and her career as a fishing vessel was brief. Seeing Lance’s potential for other tasks, the Norwegian Hydrographic Service acquired her in 1981, and she was rebuilt to meet requirements as a hydrographic survey vessel also suitable for research, expeditions and oil recovery purposes. She was rebuilt again in 1992 to meet requirements for research expeditions in the Antarctic and the Arctic. The Norwegian Hydrographic Service operated Lance until 1994, using her both as a survey vessel and as a research vessel for the Norwegian Polar Institute and other institutions. In 1994 she was handed over to the Norwegian Polar Institute. In the period 1995-2000 Lance also served as a coastguard vessel in the Barents Sea for parts of the year (hence the grey colour scheme in some pictures)." - from the Lance website.

To read more about this important vessel, visit http://lance.npolar.no/en/

Representatives of the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), the International Arctic Social Sciences Association (IASSA) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Antarctic Research Exchange (SHARE) have signed a memorandum of understanding to emphasize a joint commitment to the professional development of early career social science and humanities polar researchers.

The agreement will strengthen the commitment of each of the partner organizations to supporting the next generation of polar social science and humanities researchers in creating a continuum of leadership in polar research and will serve as a framework to guide future collaborations. Among others, the organizations agreed to collaborate on ensuring representation of early career social sciences researchers in all aspects of the respective organizations including business, strategy, planning, other meetings and activities and collaborative research. In addition, all parties agreed to increase the sharing of information in their organizational newsletters as well as the dissemination of information on activities, projects and requests for participation.

Gerlis Fugmann, past president of APECS called the MoU "a great opportunity to increase the involvement of early career social scientists in international polar social sciences. APECS is looking forward to working with both partners in the future." With APECS members representing both social and natural sciences, the MoU is also a great way for APECS to help create a dialogue between, and bridge some of the ‘language barrier' caused by different research methods and processes in both sciences.

A formal signing event took part at an APECS Workshop at the 2010 Polar Law Symposium in Akureyri, Iceland. SHARE signed shortly after by mail.

The International Arctic Social Sciences Association (IASSA) was created in 1990 and aims to promote and stimulate international cooperation and to increase the participation of social scientists in national and international arctic research; to promote communication and coordination with other related organizations, and to promote mutual respect, communication, and collaboration between social scientists and the peoples of the north, while recognizing these are not mutually exclusive groups.

The Social Sciences and Humanities Antarctic Research Exchange (SHARE) was established in 2007 to provide a platform for coordinating and informing about Antarctic social science, humanities and policy research.

On Monday 5 October at Akvaplan-niva in Tromsø, Norway, the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) signed a partnership agreement with Arctic Frontiers.

Both parties recognize the importance of bringing forward and establishing meeting places for young scientists. As part of this agreement, APECS will help to organize a pre-conference career development workshops, the Young Scientist Forum, coordinate outstanding presentation awards for young researchers, and help with a ‘speed-dating’ reception to help new polar researchers meet more established colleagues. APECS will also be invited to become a member of the Arctic Frontiers Advisory Board.

Reinhold Fieler, Manager of the Arctic Frontiers conference calls this partnership a “Dream Team.” “APECS is very excited to be working with the organisers of this great conference that aims to bring together both policy and science and create an open dialog across national and disciplinary boundaries. This agreement will also help to build a continuum of knowledge   in the fields of Arctic Research” commented Dr Jenny Baeseman, Director of APECS.

Download the Press Release (155 kB).

The report  from the 1st APECS RUSSIA Career Development Workshop at XXIII International Coastal Conference in St. Petersburg is now available! Click here to read the full summary, which includes an overview of all points of the event and the evaluations.

UK Polar Network Committee provided feedback for a UK Natural Environment Research Council-led report regarding what skills are most wanted for post-graduates to be effective and successful in the UK environment sector. It is reassuring to see a larger body reaffirm the needs which the APECS and the UKPN have identified, including training in fieldwork and science communication.

You can read the press release below, but the whole report (including executive summary and larger skills framework) are available on the NERC website.

UK’s Most Wanted: People with the maths and communication skills to save our planet!

Over the next 10 years the UK could run short of people able to tackle urgent challenges such as environmental risks to human health, safe carbon capture and storage and developing new energy sources, unless skills gaps can be plugged.

This is the finding in a report published today (October 11th) by The Environment Research Funders’ Forum. The report summarises work led by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), to examine skills that post-graduates and professionals need to equip them for work in the environment sector.

The “Most Wanted” Report identifies 15 critical skills in short supply, including hard-edged skills such as numeracy, computer modelling and conducting field research, and softer skills such as translating research into plain language so that it can be understood more easily. It also explains why such skills are so badly needed – for example, to allow the UK to develop and apply new technologies, respond to the impacts of climate change and extreme weather, and enable better knowledge and understanding of environmental issues.

Altogether, the review uncovered 224 skills which are needed by businesses, government and academics working on issues which overlap with the natural environment.According to a recent CBI report, businesses across the UK are already struggling to recruit staff with the skills needed to meet demands in some of these areas, and the shortage is likely to hamper economic growth.

NERC’s Chief Executive, Alan Thorpe, says,
“Leading this review gave us an excellent opportunity to examine training and skills plans to address the challenges we face now and into the future. People with qualifications and skills in science and maths will be particularly sought after to encourage economic growth and future prosperity in the UK.I urge postgraduate training organisations, funders and employers to make use of this important report, and ensure that we have the right people with the right skills to build a productive economy, healthy society and a sustainable world.”

Deputy Vice Chancellor of Sussex University and member of the review’s project board, Bob Allison, says,
“In preparing the Most Wanted report we consulted widely with the employers of people with the skills needed in the environment sector. The consultations were highly productive and covered government, industry and the research sectors. We hope the report will provide a platform to drive much closer collaboration between employers of skilled people and those who provide the training.”

NERC intends to update the findings regularly and is inviting people to continue contributing to this information resource.

CONTACTS:
Marion O'Sullivan,
NERC Press Office
Natural Environment Research Council
Polaris House, North Star Avenue
Swindon, SN2 1EU
Tel: 01793 411727 or 411561
Mob: 07917 086369

Susan Ballard,
Living with Environmental Change Communications,
Polaris House, North Star Avenue
Swindon SN2 1EU
Tel: 01793 442896
Mob: 07827 980767

NOTES FOR EDITORS:
The Environmental Research Funders’ Forum (ERFF) has merged with Living with Environmental Change (LWEC) since the Skills Needs Review was commissioned. This partnership brings together 22 major UK public sector funders and users of environmental researchincluding the research councils, government departments and agencies and devolved administrations. For more details of the partner organisations and accredited activities: www.lwec.org.uk.

People can contribute more information and feedback on the Skills Needs Review to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The complete findings and summary report are freely available at: http://www.nerc.ac.uk/funding/available/postgrad/skillsreview

Report from APECS Information Meeting and Polar Cinema in Australia

On 3 June 2010 at the Flinders University Central Library in Adelaide, Australia, 30 people attended an APECS information meeting and movie night.

This event was a ‘first run’ at pushing APECS on the Flinders campus. Event advertising was sent to all three Adelaide campuses (University of South Australia, University of Adelaide, Flinders University) but the remoteness of the Flinders campus really restricted this event to Flinders students (specifically those in the Archaeology and Screen and Media departments).

The event was a brief introduction to APECS by Emily Jateff, APECS' Polar Archeology Discipline Coordinator, followed by an introduction and screening of Ed Powell’s polar film From Tall Grass to Tundra. Ed and his assistant Leila Serjevic answered questions following the screening.

This event was a test to gauge on-campus interest in polar activities.

For more information, Emily Jataff (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Welcome back after hopefully good field season.

In the name of APECS Polska I would like to share with some facts regarding our development.

Straight after amazing  IPY OSC  our group met in Poland and organised the first APECS Polska discussion panel which took place on 19.06.2010 during the XXXIII International Polar Symposium in Łódź. The discussion, which gathered not only the APECS Polska members and mentors, but also many other researchers attending the Symposium, was moderated by Małgorzata Korczak Abshire, the President of APECS Polska. Firstly, Matt Strzelecki introduced the international and Polish APECS. After the presentation the mentors - Piotr Głowacki Ph. D., Prof. Jacek Jania, Prof. Maria Olech and Prof. Jacek Siciński - were invited to give a talk on what kind of young researchers are needed in the Polish polar science.  They agreed that the most desirable abilities of young scientists are: creative, independent and critical thinking, persistence in the work and personal involvement. They also raised the problem of environmental pollution caused by research activities in the fragile polar regions. APECS Polska members where asked to help in the organization of the Arctic Science Summit Week in 2013, which most probably will be held in Cracow, Poland.

In coming months we are planning to organise another panels during geopolitical conference on the state of Arctic in Lublin (end of October) and 2nd APECS Polska National Meeting in Warsaw in coming December, where we hope to meet with all 52 of our members.

We also create a new promotional poster (below), which we use during conferences and meetings describing what we do and what are our main goals.

We would like to wish You all wonderful academic year and a lot of grit in shaping the future of polar research.

With October comes a new year for APECS - new members, new Council, and new Executive Committee. And this month's newsletter (full of information!) shows a lot of recent APECS activities that have given the new guard some great momentum to run with. This issue also highlights the Scott Polar Research Institute, a long supporter of APECS - and all of the photos are from their wonderful and extensive picture library.

As always, keep checking our news section for updates on this and more events. If you are interested in organizing a panel yourself or getting involved in any other way in APECS, please never hesitate to contact the Council or the ExCom.

- Allen Pope, APECS President 2010-2011

Download the newsletter here.

During the annual IGS British Branch meeting, held at Aberystwyth University by the Institute of Geography and Earth Science, the UKPN held a mentoring session for early career scientists concerning career paths and future employment. The session was held at the end of the first full day of the conference and was attended by over 45 delegates including Masters students, PhD candidates, post-doctoral researchers and others in full-time employment. The panel consisted of four leading scientists in cryospheric research; Dr Robert Bingham (University of Aberdeen), Dr Neil Ross (University of Edinburgh), Dr Nick Rutter (Northumbria University) and Maarten Krabbendam (British Geological Survey), all with various backgrounds and career paths.

Lessons from the session; as scientists in glaciology we must be flexible; be prepared to follow research around the world. Prove to yourself and to others that you are the right person for that job, or for that research grant. Be confident in your own abilities, and do not give up if you fail to get the job or funding. The same goes for getting your work published; you will receive criticism, but use it as a positive and not a negative… even the best academics get work rejected! Staying within your comfort zone or expanding your research areas, the choice is yours, as long as you can prove to future employers that it has benefitted you. Network; building good relationships within the glaciological community will improve the chances of getting employed. And finally, follow your ambitions.

Feedback from the session was extremely positive, from both the delegates and the panel. We wish to thank all of those who attended, those who posed questions and to Robert, Neil, Nick and Maarten for proving a wealth of information to budding cryospheric scientists.

For more information contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Centre for Glaciology, Aberystwyth University.

Hello APECS Members,

This is a big year for APECS. As you may know, the IPY International Programme Office officially closed the day before the 2010-2011 APECS Executive Committee and Council began their terms. It is now officially up to us – young polar researchers – to continue on the legacy of the IPY in all we do.

We’ve got a terrific group of volunteers to lead APECS and continue the momentum that we as an organization have built over the past few years.

In that vein, I’m excited to introduce the 2010-2011 ExCom to you: Angelika Renner (Norway / UK / Germany), Gerlis Fugman (Germany), Mariette Wheeler (South Africa), Suhas Shetye (India), and myself (UK / USA). All of our bios (and those of the new Council) are available on www.apecs.is/leadership. In an organization which prides itself on collaboration and cooperation, it is great to be able to have ExCom members from such a diverse range of backgrounds. I’m also happy to say that (despite being in a male-dominated field) this is the first time that the APECS president is a guy!

I would be remiss if I didn't take this opportunity to recognize and thank the past Council for all their work and achievements - the past year has been a big one, with new working groups, many big workshops, and the Oslo conference and they did a great job. Equally, there are many ExOfficio members of the Council who continue to provide their expertise to APECS - many thanks, we would be often lost without you!

I’m looking forward to another great year with APECS, continuing to do what APECS does best – Shaping the Future of Polar Research! As always, there are tons of ways for every APECS member to get involved, so make sure to keep visiting www.apecs.is or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. anytime.

Yours in all things Polar,
Allen Pope
APECS President 2010-2011

On September 20, 2010 over 30 students and researchers came together at the UKPN’s Circumpolar Remote Sensing Workshop hosted by Cambridge University’s Scott Polar Research Institute.

For the handouts, PDFs, and videos go to the UKPN website. All uploads aren't quite complete but will be updated in the coming days. Sessions included:

Freely Available GIS and Remote Sensing Resources for Polar Research
Adrian Fox, British Antarctic Survey

Innovation in Imaging Antarctica
Peter Fretwell, British Antarctic Survey

Airborne LiDAR for Glaciology
Gareth Rees, Scott Polar Research Institute

Real-time Reception and Analysis of Satellite Data
Ken Dean, University of Alaska

Environmental impacts of extractive industries in the Russian North and how they look from space
Gareth Rees, Scott Polar Research Institute

Remote sensing to address mapping needs for environmental management in Antarctica
Colin Harris, Environmental Research and Assessment

Causes and Consequences Ice Shelf Retreat in Antarctica
Hamish Pritchard, British Antarctic Survey

In addition, five panelists from universities, research institutes, and a remote sensing consultancy also sat on a career discussion panel to help attendees answer questions about moving forward in their journey to move from early career to more experienced. They stressed the importance of building your skill set throughout your career, making connections in your research community, and always making sure to have fun and play with your data.

Many thanks to our presenters and panelists: Fiona Danks, Ken Dean, Adrian Fox, Peter Fretwell, Colin Harris, Hamish Pritchard, and Gareth Rees.

We would very much like to thank our supporters the Earth Observation Tech Cluster (www.eotechcluster.org), Environmental Research & Assessment, and the 11th International Circumpolar Remote Sensing Symposium.

Hoveds2I'm very happy that this month's newsletter is featuring the Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI). SPRI has been a long supporter of APECS and our goals and we look forward to continuing our great relationship.

SPRI, along with many other organizations in the UK, has a strong collaboration with Norwegian polar research. One particularly good collaboration is in working at Ny-Ålesund on Svalbard… in fact the current manager of the Ny-Ålesund station is a SPRI graduate :)

The Norwegian government has designated Ny-Ålesund as an international base for research in natural sciences on Svalbard, and as a centre for Norwegian Arctic research. All other activities in the area must pay due consideration to the needs and demands of the ongoing research. Ny-Ålesundis easy to reach and has a well-developed infrastructure. This, combined with the unique natural surroundings, make it an optimal base for conducting Arctic research in any of the natural sciences.

Ny-Ålesund hosts many research programs in Norway, as well as internationally including the UK's Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI), the Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration, Italy's Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam (GFZ), Institut Polaire Francais, Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI), India's National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR), Japan's National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR), Stockholm University, and the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.

You can find out more about the great facilities, including the Ny-Ålesund Science Managers Committee (NySMAC) which works to enhance cooperation and coordination amongst research activities at the Ny-Ålesund International Arctic Research and Monitoring Facility
here: http://npolar.no/nysmac/

EU logoBrussels, Sept. 14th, 2010

In the framework of the Ninth Conference of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region in Brussels (13-15 sept, 2010), the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs organized a seminar focusing on the potential establishment of an EU Arctic Information Centre (AIC), as a practical tool to support EU’s Arctic policy, to increase it’s visibility and to provide easy access to Arctic information. This open forum was held on Sept 14th in Brussels, and was attended by more than 80 representatives of different EU and Arctic/Polar institutions, universities and research institutes. APECS supports the general idea of an EU Arctic Information Centre, and participated in the seminar by the representation of Mieke Sterken and Anton Van de Putte.

The meeting was opened by the Finnish Ambassador of Arctic Affairs Mr. Hannu Halinen followed by Ms. Diana Wallis, the vice president of the European Parliament and Mr. Raimo Väyrynen, chairman of the board of the University of Lapland. Professor Paula Kankaanpää, director of the Arctic Centre at the University of Lapland, gave a presentation about the concept of an EU AIC as a network between relevant research institutions, with a central node at the Arctic Centre of the University of Lapland (Rovaniemi, Finland). The centre would (1) support European Arctic policy, (2) increase its visibility both within and outside the EU, and (3) provide easy access to information about the Arctic. It would be based on existing institutions and infrastructures in Europe.

The presentation was followed by a discussion, in which many stakeholders supported the initiative (e.g., UArctic, UNEP, Nordic Sami Parliaments, Polar Libraries Colloquium, representatives of Norway and France, some European and Finnish Parliamentarians). However, representatives of the European Commission asked for more concrete information before moving forward with this project, and provided valuable comments and questions, which will be assessed by the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the University of Lapland in the further development of their plans.
APECS supports the idea of an Arctic Information Centre for the EU, and hopes to contribute with its expertise in Outreach and Education of Polar topics, and its dense network of young polar researchers both in the EU and worldwide.

Interesting link: http://www.arcticcentre.org/InEnglish/ABOUT_US/EU_Arctic_Information_Centre.iw3

Report on the SCAR biology planning meeting, Castiglioncello, Italy, 27-28 May 2010

Louise Newman
APECS representative on the SCAR EBA Committee
PAGES International Project Office, Bern, Switzerland
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Given the current rate of species extinctions and the projected changes in future climate, a solid understanding of both the natural and current state of the Antarctic environment is imperative. The extent of research required to achieve this understanding, and the logistical challenges facing researchers, necessitate that this be a coordinated international effort. Since 2005, the SCAR program “Evolution and Biodiversity in Antarctica” has facilitated, supported and driven international biological science in Antarctica. This successful program is, however, due to conclude in 2013, leaving SCAR without a focused biology program.

On the 27 – 28 May 2010 leaders in Antarctic life sciences, and SCAR and APECS representatives, gathered at the small Italian coastal town of Castiglioncello (co-funded by SCAR and the Italian National Antarctic Research Program (PNRA)) to brainstorm on the future direction of Antarctic biological science and determine the best programmatic structure required to achieve the desired direction and goals. The ultimate goal of the workshop was to produce draft proposals that are to be presented to the SCAR Life Sciences Standing Scientific Group in Buenos Aires, and then to the SCAR Delegates' Meeting for approval. The workshop had a very open structure, allowing for much discussion and debate. It was agreed by all that two biology programs were required to address the key Antarctic biology issues of the next decade. The remainder of the two-day workshop was spent drafting proposals for programmatic support.

At present, no calls are being made for comment or feedback on these draft proposals, however, if both proposals are approved, two Program Planning Groups will be formed whose responsibility, over the next year, will be to develop more structured proposals for consideration initially by SCAR's EXCOM, and then be put out to external review. During this period there will be plenty of opportunity for the Antarctic biology community to comment on and input to the PPGs developing the new program proposals.

The role of Early Career Researchers in the new programs is still being defined, however it is expected that, if approved by SCAR Delegates, both programs will involve an ECR in the program planning stage and in the resulting program committees. Further, ideas were also discussed for APECS-led ECR Antarctic biology workshops to be held alongside the larger biology/SCAR meetings.

Of course, all these great ideas hinge on the decisions of the SCAR Delegates following presentation of the proposals! Lee Stanish, a PhD candidate from Canada, will be attending the EBA committee meeting in Buenos Aires in my absence, and between Lee and myself, we will keep you, the APECS community, informed on what the decisions are.

ICESTAR is co-led by Allan Weatherwax (USA) and Kirsti Kauristie (Finland) and it is a Scientific Research Project supported by SCAR to:

  • Quantifying and understanding the similarities and differences between the Northern and Southern polar upper atmospheres;
  • Quantifying the effects on the polar ionosphere and atmosphere of the magnetospheric electromagnetic fields and plasma populations;
  • Quantifying the atmospheric consequences of the global electric circuit and further understanding the electric circuit in the middle atmosphere;
  • Creating a data portal to integrate all of the polar data sets and modeling results.

ICESTAR works organizing meetings every 2 years and endorsing meetings of scientific teams dealing with specific scientific themes included in the project. ICESTAR has been very active within the IPY and IHY initiatives also in the frame of outreach and educational efforts. The project tries to put in contact different communities to favorite the interchange of expertise and data in the atmospheric research. Young researchers have been often asked to present their recent results on behalf of the ICESTAR community. I have personally led, together with another young scientist, Dr. Andrew J. Kavanagh (Lancaster University, UK) the preparation of a paper presenting some of the IPY capabilities to probe the high latitude ionosphere under the ICESTAR umbrella (Alfonsi et al., Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics, 2008).

During the ICESTAR business meeting in Buenos Aires, Allan Weatherwax has asked to close the project asking to continue the activity as an Action Group to stimulate the collaboration among the communities. One important result achieved by ICESTAR is the constitution of an Action Group born two years ago during the SCAR meeting in St. Petersburg and named GPS FOR WEATHER AND SPACE WEATHER FORECASTING (GWSWF). It is a joint initiative between the Physical Science Standing Group and the Geosciences Standing Group and it is addressed to the use of GPS data from polar regions to investigate upper and middle-lower atmosphere (http://www.scar.org/researchgroups/gpsforweather.html).

Thanks to the SCAR support the GWSWF succeeded in financing the travel expenses of a PhD student, Ms. Heloísa Alves da Silva, coming from Brazil to attend the meeting in Buenos Aires and to give a poster presentation.  During the SCAR meeting in Buenos Aires the GWSWF community has asked to continue the activity as Action Group with the aim of exploring the possibility to become a Scientific Research Project during the next SCAR meeting in Oregon in 2012. The minutes of the GWSWF business meeting held in Buenos Aires will be soon published on the SCAR website, together with other information about a next meeting to be held in Italy next spring, supported and endorsed by SCAR. The GWSWF Action Group is looking for scientists interested in the proposed topics with special emphasis on young researchers. The ICESTAR leaders are actively involved on that supporting the ICESTAR legacy within the GWSWF action.

Two months since the end of the second International and Interdisciplinary IPY Field School ended, and the video is finally available to view (we blame technical difficulties for the delay.....).  The 23 students from 14 different countries enjoyed three fantastic weeks in Svalbard, learning about climatic and environmental change in the Arctic. You can still read all about the students adventures and meet the participants. More information about the field school, which will be running for its third year in summer 2011, can be seen here.


A special thank you to Alexey Pavlov who recorded part of the skit on the future of polar research presented by Hugues Lantuit and Jenny Baeseman, APECS' founders, at the IPY Oslo Science Conference.  Enjoy.

Here's the initial part of the script that was cut off - read this first so you have some context :)

"Good Evening Ladies and Gentleman, I am Hugues Lantuit

And I am Jenny Baeseman. Welcome to this very special live broadcast of the World’s most watched network – the Polar Broadcasting Channel.  Tonight we are proud to be coming to you live from Svalbard –  on this very special eve of the launch of the 5th International Polar Year - February 29, 2032. - 25 years after the launch of the event that changed the world, the 4th IPY. This evening we are broadcasting live to over 5 billion viewers the major highlights of the past 25 years as well as the formation and selection of the new research projects for IPY 5.

For those of you who are tuning into our channel for the first time, you may remember us from such holographic series as “Baywatch: Tyksi” where I of course replaced David Hasselhoff, and my dear co-anchor who has become affectionately known as the “Pamela Anderson of the Arctic”

Yes, I’m still not sure how that happened, but let’s not forget your season on “Survivor Antarctica….” Where you sang your love song to permafrost, “Don’t Melt Away (I need a Job!)”

Ah Yeah, Jen, that was an amazing experience and really helped to launch my dancing career… but what I really want to point out is how we still look so young after 25 years of dedication to polar research

We certainly have not aged much, but you and I both have to give the credit to Carlsonite, the anti-aging biomolecule from a bacteria isolated in Lake Vostok in 2015.  But on with the show. The last 25 years have been amazing and tonight we will share with you a few of the globally significant events that have happened over the past 25 years. So now to the news:..."

 

EBA is one of the five Science Research Programs of SCAR. It began in 2005 and is due to end in 2013. Many of its research goals have been accomplished, and its current goals are 1) to organize conferences/workshops for each of the five work packages; 2) to propose an EBA session at the 2012 SCAR meeting; 3) and to work on proposals for future SCAR biological programs.

Updates
SCAR has agreed to include a APECS representative at each session of the meeting
Shul Gordon has resigned as EBA secretary. EBA recommended that two APECS representatives take over the position. This will provide additional experience for APECS members who would like to become involved.

Publications
Numerous manuscripts have either recently been published or are in the process of publication, including:

  • A special issue of Polar Sciences, compiled from the annual SCAR meeting in Sapporo, Japan.
  • A special issue of Marine Genomics, which was compiled from a workshop in Naples, Italy. This issue focuses on marine and terrestrial genomics studies from both the Arctic and Antarctic.
  • A special issue of the Brazilian journal Ecologia to be published Spring 2011
  • 2 publications on the use of passive warming devices in polar regions, coming soon
  • The Antarctic Climate Change and the Environment Report, published in 2009, is a comprehensive update of research and findings resulting from the 2007-2008 IPY. The document is available online: http://www.scar.org/publications/occasionals/acce.html
  • From Pole to Pole is a book series in progress that will summarize all environmental research conducted under the IPY. Invitations for co-authors are being sent out. For more information, contact Guido di Prisco or visit the IPY website: http://www.ipy.org/projects/item/414-from-pole-to-pole-book-series

Meetings/Workshops
Numerous workshops were proposed at the meeting, including the APECS meeting in Brazil this September. Lucia Campos requested help in organizing this meeting from fellow APECS members.

Outcomes

The EBA discussed the future of the Program with SCAR. Two proposals are currently under consideration and receiving feedback. The goals of these proposals are to have a more structured, bounded program with more focused goals and more interdisciplinary scope. As young researchers, we should be aware of this change in focus and plan research interests that align with these new objectives.

The Standing Scientific Group (SSG) is a group of expert from all countries involved in scientific research in Antarctic within the frame of SCAR. The SSGs serve as an advisor for SCAR to identify the ongoing research from different countries or the lack of it in certain areas, also aims to share this information among the diverse national programs. The SSG-Geosciences (SSG-GS) focuses in the research related especially to geology and geophysics, but is also interacting with the others SSG through the Cross SSG-Linkage. The SSG-GS is headed by Dr. Alessandro Capra (Italy), they physically meet every two year but several other partial meeting of the group) are held (workshops, working groups meetings, and others, as well a permanent contact by e-mail of the members exists. Cross SSG Linkage workshop have been also organized, with the objective of sharing information and advances of interdisciplinary works.  

During the last meeting of the SSG-GS in Buenos Aires, several interesting subject were discussed between the expert group. From special relevance was discussion of the code of conduct for the exploration and research of subglacial aquatic environments, the future and perspectives of what seems a big step forward in polar research of the next years. Another updates from the working groups were the presentations of the Geospatial Information- Geodesy working group (GIANT), the International Bathymetric Chart of the Southern Ocean (IBCSO), the Antarctic Digital Magnetic Anomaly Project (ADMAP), Sub-Ice Geological Exploration (SIeGE) among other subjects. The organization of the next ISAES meeting in Edinburg (2011) was also a subject of this meeting; there are interesting possibilities to get involved within the organization of featured event of the geosciences.

The SSG-GS is most interested on to hear from the young scientists, in this direction APECS was invited to contribute to the next issue of the GeoReach newsletter for 2011. This constitutes an excellent opportunity for early careers to express our scientific interest and ideas to the people, who is actually making the decision of the science in Antarctica. The participation of APECS in this meeting has been a big step forward for young scientists and hopefully will be continued in the future.

More information of the SSG is available at http://www.scar.org/researchgroups/

AGCS is a cross-disciplinary science programme that focuses on the atmospheric, oceanic and cryospheric linkages between the Antarctic and the rest of the Earth system. It uses a very wide range of observations from the Antarctic continent and the Southern Ocean to investigate natural climate variability and possible anthropogenic signatures of change.

The bi-annual AGCS meeting was held on Sunday 1st August as part of the SCAR business meetings in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The meeting was chaired by Prof John Turner (British Antarctic Survey, UK) in the absence of the AGCS chair Dr. Alberto C. Naveira Garabato (National Oceanography Centre, UK) and the AGCS secretary Dr. Nancy Bertler (Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand).

The meeting was attended by Dr Tas van Ommen (Principal Research Scientist, Australian Antarctic Division), Prof. Dato' Dr. Azizan Bin Hj Abu Samah (University of Malaya), Prof Dr Günther Heinemann (Trier, Germany),  Dr. Cunde Xiao, (Chinese Meteorological Administration) and Dr Liz Thomas (APECS representative, British Antarctic Survey, UK). Many of the committee members were unable to attend the SCAR business meetings and as such much of the discussions have taken place via email.

The meeting highlighted some of the AGCS achievements which include:
1. The AGCS led Antarctic Climate Change and the Environment (ACCE) document, synthesizing knowledge on past, present and possible future changes in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean and their impact on the biota. It was published in October 2009 and formally launched at a press conference in London in November. The ACCE document was presented by Prof Turner during one of the keynote addresses at the SCAR open science conference. You can download this great resource at http://www.scar.org/publications/occasionals/acce.html.

2. A new assessment of the changes in Antarctic sea ice in recent decades, published in Geophysical Research Letters, showing a growth in Antarctic sea ice during the past 30 years (Turner et al. 2009).

3. An analysis of four decades of oceanographic observations in the Drake Passage region, showing interdecadal warming and freshening of mode and intermediate water masses detected across large sectors of the Southern Ocean (Naveira Garabato et al., 2009).

4. Evidence from an East Antarctic ice core indicating a link between drought conditions in Western Australia and increased snowfall in Antarctica. Nature Geoscience by van Ommen et al. (2010).

5. A collection of articles in Deep-Sea Research II discussing the development of novel regional empirical relationships between ice thickness and satellite-derived snow freeboard, and their application to IceSAT altimetry.

The main agenda item at the meeting was establishing a new programme planning group to replace the current AGCS programme that ends on 2012. The proposed programme is called Past and Future Change of the Antarctic Environment (PACE) and aims to deliver greater insight into the natural variability of the Antarctic climate system. It will embrace meteorology, oceanography, paleoclimatology and cryospheric sciences (sea ice, the ice sheet) in order to better understand the responses of the climate system to natural and anthropogenic forcing factors and lead to improved regional predictions of key elements of the atmosphere, ocean and cryosphere. The proposal was presented to the Scientific Standing group on Physical sciences during the business meetings and submitted to the SCAR delegates for consideration.

During the meeting the AGCS committee reaffirmed its support of early career researchers through its partnership with APECS. AGCS contributed to the SCAR travel grants for early career researchers and provided financial assistance to the AGCS APECS representative.

During the SCAR Open Science Conference that followed the business meeting the AGCS hosted session 42- Antarctic climate history of the past 200 years. The session was chaired by AGCS committee members Dr Tas Van Ommen and co-chaired by APECS representative Liz Thomas. The session was extremely well attended with the majority of oral presentations given by early career and APECS members, including the two keynote talks.  These presentations were so great that our very own Ryan Fogt (APECS rep to the SCAR SSG for Physcial Sciences) was awarded the best oral presentation - Congratuations Ryan!

The SCAR SSG-PS met before the 2010 SCAR Open Science Conference on 30 July and 2 August, 2010, in Buenos Aires.  This SSG meets approximately every two years, but maintains a listserv for all active members where other topics are discussed in between.  Further, many of the Scientific Research Programs (SRPs) within the SSG-PS hold more frequent meetings or workshops, especially at themed conferences.

During the time of the meeting, the SSG-PS was led by Chief Officer Maurizio Candidi (Italy), Deputy Chief Officer David Bromwich (USA), and Secretary Tas van Ommen (Australia).  Elections were held on 2 August, and a new Chief Officer Takashi Yamanouchi (Japan) was elected, and Candidi was elected as Deputy Chief Officer (Tas van Ommen remained Secretary).

The meeting mainly consisted of reports of the activities of the action / expert groups and the SRPs since the last SSG-PS meeting in 2008 in St. Petersburg.  Chairs of each of these groups presented new developments, publications, and new budget requests to the broader SSG-PS.

Some interesting highlights include:

  1. The release of the SCAR Antarctic Climate Change and the Environment report, led by SSG-PS member and former chair of the SRP Antarctica and the Global Climate System (AGCS) Dr. John Turner (UK).  Many members of the SSG-PS played a key role in this remarkable multidisciplinary effort.
  2. An exciting report from the recently developed Astronomy and Astrophysics from Antarctica (AAA) SRP by John Storey (Australia).  This SRP is planning new instrumentation both at South Pole and Dome-A.
  3. A closing summary of the ICESTAR (Interhemispheric Conjugacy Effects in Solar Terrestrial and Aeronomy Research) SRP, which officially ends this year.
  4. The proposal to develop two new cross-disciplinary SRPs, one on Southern Ocean Acidification, and another to continue the climate efforts conducted by the AGCS, with enhanced connections to biologists and others in the SSG- Life Sciences.


During the meeting, I was able to present to the SSG-PS body about APECS, what it has been doing, and how APECS can become more involved with the SSG-PS.  It should be noted that:

  1. APECS members can attend and be involved with any SRP or expert / action group within the SSG-PS, although not on the level yet of steering committee / voting privileges.  If you are interested in being involved, simply contact the head of any of these groups; information can be found on the main SSG-PS webpage (http://www.scar.org/researchgroups/physicalscience/)
  2. I am working with Dr. John Storey to see if we can have an APECS member to sit on the steering committee of the AAA, the only SRP in SSG-PS that does not have APECS representation.
  3. There was a general and sincere interest of SSG-PS members to learn more about APECS, and many attended the panel on Wednesday night during the OSC.

silje-apecs-standContributed by Silje-Kristin Jensen and Ute Vogel

While many of us were at the SCAR conference in wonderful Buenus Aires, the folks back here in Tromsø were working hard to tell people about our organization and the opportunities we offer to help expand their careers. During the University of Tromsø International Student orientation, Silje-Kristin Jensen ran a tanned about our great organization. Several students came up to the stand curious about APECS. Most of them wanted to know how APECS could help them in their studies and how their studies fit into the APECS organization. We gave out brochures and pamphlets about APECS and who we collaborate with. Many of the students were interested in our jobs website page, so keep updating it :-) As a result we had several new members join our organization.

Just in case you were wondering what types of programs there are for you at UiT, here is some more information.

In recent years Tromsø has developed to an internationally known centre for research on climate change, Arctic marine ecosystems and geology, marine biotechnolgy, international ocean- and fisheries management, indigenous people of the North, Arctic governance and Geopoltics in the High North. Around 450 people are engaged in High North research at the University. The University cooperates closely with other research institutions in town like the Norwegian Polar Institute and the Institute of Marine Research. A multidisciplinary approach to High North issues is a clear advantage of the Tromsø research community.

UiTs international study programmes and course portfolio reflect this dedication to the High North. The University hosts around 400 international bachelor and master students per year. Exchange students can select courses from all six faculties ranging from Law over Biomedicine to Space Physics. A course series about Arctic Norway, specially designed for international students and offered each autumn semester, gives a good introduction into the geopoltical impact of the region: "Arctic Norway - Aspects of Poltics, History and Culture".

Degree seeking students are invited to apply to one of the 22 English taught Master's degree programmes. 
Master's degree programmes with strong Arctic impact are:
- Indigeous studies
- Law of the Sea
- Arctic Biology, Arctic Marine Ecology and Terrestrial Northern Ecosystems
- Biomedicine
- Geology
- Space Physics and Technology
- Technology and Safety in the High North
- Telemedicine and E-health
- Science-based Business Creation and Entepreurship

PhDs are admitted at all six faculties. Five of seven PhD research schools focus on High North issues:
- ARCTOS - Arctic Marine Ecosystem Research Network Research School
- Arctic Marine Geology and Geophysics Research School
- BARESS – Barents Earth Observation and Remote Sensing School
- CEPIN – Citenzenship, Encounters and Place Enactment in the North
- EPINOR – Epidemiological research in the High North

APECS was invited by the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) to submit a paper to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) in Punta Arenas, Uruguay. SCAR then presented this paper to Antarctic policy makers and advisors, which showcased the work of APECS in the political arena and was evidence for the international recognition that APECS receives.

ATCMs are conducted annually and represent the main forum for the discussion of current Antarctic policy, science and logistical issues and for political decision-making.  ATCMs are generally closed meetings, i.e. they can only be attended by invited parties/organisations. Antarctic Treaty Parties and other Antarctic stakeholder organisations, such as SCAR, COMNAP, CCAMLR; IAATO, etc., are invited to send their representatives to ATCMs and, if they have consultative status, are able to vote on decisions.

SCAR is an invited observer to ATCMs and can, in this capacity, table matters that should be discussed by the Antarctic Treaty Parties and matters that the Parties should be made aware of.  As such, SCAR can present papers on SCAR activities or issues of concern, but SCAR can also invite other stakeholders to submit a paper that will be presented by SCAR.  As only select organisations that are not themselves observers or invited experts to ATCMs are asked to submit papers that will be presented by SCAR, it was a praticular honour for APECS to be given the opportunity of writing an Information Paper that introduces APECS to key Antarctic policy makers.

This paper will now enter Antarctic Treaty records and will be mentioned in the ATCM report, which will shortly be made available through the website of the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat. Once again, APECS has received significant support through its partner organisations, and once again, APECS has shown the impact it has on the polar community.

APECS brief report on SCAR XXXI conference (Buenos Aires, Argentina) August 2010
Representation on the Scientific Standing Group of Life Sciences (SSG-LS)


By This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Resumé
The Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research (SCAR) is part of the International Council for Science (ICSU) with the aim to initiate, develop and coordinate high quality science in the Antarctic. It is constituted by Scientific Research Programs (SRP´s; e.g. Evolution and Biodiversity in the Antarctic – EBA, is the only one representing the interested of the Antarctic Life Sciences), Expert Groups (e.g. SCAR Expert group on Birds and Marine Mammals - EGBAMM) whose major results are fed to the Scientific Standing Group of Life Sciences (SSG-LS). The SSG-LS coordinates the research and identifies gaps of knowledge for future Antarctic Research on life sciences topics, who gathers every 2 years in person (most work is carry out via email meanwhile). The SSG-LS provides guidance and information for the Antarctic Treaty (ATS). The interaction between SRP´s, SSG´s and ATS is bi-directional.  The role of APECS being represented in SSG-LS is to provide a voice to early career scientists on Antarctic science, policy and opportunities of collaboration. This is the first time that APECS attended an SSG-LS meeting. APECS is considered an observer in SSG-LS, with no right to vote.

SCAR SSG-LS
The SSG-LS took place between 30 July and 2 August, with 34 items in the agenda, led by Kathleen Conlan (Canada; chair) and Deneb Karentz (USA; secretary). The agenda comprises talks on important life sciences (data management and latest Antarctic science book, Antarctic Climate Change and the Environment, led by John Turner), updates from expert groups, reports from ATS, previous SCAR conferences, working papers, SCAR observers in conferences, finances, between others. APECS gave a talk on what APECS is and how APECS can work with SCAR together, and was well received.

The main findings of the SSG-LS meeting in Buenos Aires were:

EBA has more 2 years to go. EBA is coordinated by Pete Convey (UK) and Guido de Prisco (Italy) and has the main aims of understanding the evolution and diversity of life in the Antarctic, to determine how these have influenced the properties and dynamics of present Antarctic and Southern Ocean ecosystems, and to make predictions on how organisms and communities will respond to current and future environmental change. The progress of EBA was expressed by the high number of publications, workshops, production of a website and a newsletter, contributions to IPY, contributions to the Antarctic Data Management (SCADM), between others. Potentially the highest contribution in Antarctic research most recently was the research presented at the ACCE report (see http://www.apecs.is/apecs-news/1216-scar-report-on-antarctic-climate-change-and-the-environment). Major findings at the EBA newsletters at www.eba.aq

-    Two new proposals for research programs were proposed (APECS being mentioned in both)
-    Huge interest on cross-discipline workshops (planned every year)
-    Important discussions on SCAR Code of Conduct for Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes in Antarctica (working paper at present time)
-    Emphasis on the Southern Ocean Observation System (SOOS) program and the new action group on Ocean acidification
-    Request for more engagement on Medical research (requested by the Expert group on Human Biology and Medicine) 
-    Census if Antarctic Marine Life program is coming to an end in October 2010
-    Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Life Resources (CCAMLR) might have new scholarships for early career scientists to attend CCAMLR meeting (more information soon)
-    Extra funding from SSG-LS will be available for early career scientists grants

Opportunities for early career scientists may rise from the research programs. If interested, the solution may lay in contacting the leaders of the research programs themselves, of the action groups and of the expert groups (see SCAR website for further information). Also, getting involved in cross discipline workshops is a possibility. Next SCAR SSG-LS meeting is in Portland (USA) in 2012.

The SCAR Open Conference in Buenos Aires was a great success for early career scientists, as 99 travel grants were offered by SCAR. Argentina and US also offered several grants for early career scientists to come.  APECS and SCAR organized a panel intitled "ANTARCTIC SCIENCE: Role of SCAR in promoting early career research opportunities" with the great contributions of Chuck Kennicutt (SCAR President), Jeromino Lopez-Martinez (SCAR Spain), Francisco Fernandoy (APECS EXCOM; APECS CHILE) and Viviana Alder (SCAR Argentina). More than 250 people attended (a quarter of the conference attendants! including numerous mentors) and about 150 came to our networking event afterwards for a drink, which made all the difference as we spent the night meeting new people and engaging on new APECS ideas. Many thanks to Jenny Baeseman (our AMAZING director), Mike Sparrow, Renuka Badhe, Sergio Marenssi (SCAR conference organizer) and to all that attended the event. Good success!

baesemans in norwayAfter the great success of the IPY Oslo Science Conference, I was able to join the 2nd IPY Polar Field School at UNIS for a few days. What a wonderful programme - be sure to check out their blogs and photos. After Svalbard, I headed to the European Science Open Forum in Torino, Italy to be on a panel organized by Jose Xavier showcasing how young researchers can impact international science. Then it was time for a vacation!

Even though I have been here in Norway for 1.5 years, I haven't been able to explore as much of it as I wanted to... but thankfully by brother and sister came for a visit all the way from my family's dairy farm in Central Wisconsin, USA. They spent a great week here and we packed in as much as we could. From a day in Oslo, we took an amazingly beautiful train ride to Bergen and then flew up to the "Paris of the North" for a day in Tromsø, the home of the APECS International Directorate Office. From there we headed down to what every one has told me is the most beautiful place in Norway - the Lofoten Islands. Everyone was right - Lofoten is absolutely amazing!

reine lofotenLofoten is an archipelago north of the Arctic Circle on the west coast of Norway. The total land area amounts to 1,227 square kilometres. Due to the warm Gulf Stream, Lofoten has a much milder climate than other parts of the world at the same latitude, such as Alaska and Greenland. The coastal climate in Lofoten makes the winters mild and the summers relatively cool.

The first people came to Lofoten about 6,000 years ago. Lofoten's Stone Age inhabitants survived on fishing and hunting in an area which provided good living. All of Lofoten was covered by large pine and birch woods at that time. There were deer, bear, wild reindeer, lynx and beaver, and the sea was full of fish, seals and whales.

Agriculture developed early, and grain was harvested in Lofoten as early as 4,000 years ago. The Viking Era saw the emergence of several large chieftain seats and has created a very rich history that we were able to see at the the Lofotr Viking Museum at Borg." (modified from http://www.lofoten.info/)

knapp schoolLofoten is one of the most plentiful fisheries in Norway and the stockfish drying racks can be seen in many parts of the islands.

If you are looking for a great place to relax, go for a great hike, join one of the best whale watching tours in the world, and learn about the fascinating Norwegian culture - I highly recommend Lofoten... which is also the home of the first APECS President, Kriss Rokkan-Iversen. They also have a school where you can learn how to take a nap... well its actually called Knapp Skole and its not really for teaching people how to take a nap, but they do learn how to 'count' sheep :)

For more information on Lofoten, visit http://www.lofoten.info/

As you may be aware, the International Council for Science (ICSU) awarded a small grant to APECS, the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), and the IPY International Programme Office. The purpose of this grant was to conduct an inventory and begin planning for a general assessment, from an international viewpoint, of Education, Outreach and Communication (EOC) strategies, programmes, and networks active during IPY.

We are pleased to announce that we have hired Jennifer Provencher from Victoria, BC, Canada as our project assistant. Jennifer has formal training in education and assessment, has been a science teacher and curriculum developer, as well as an IPY researcher working on the impacts of climate change on Arctic birds.  For more information on Jennifer, please see a short bio on her below.

The next steps for this project will be to select the international steering committee and begin the inventory of the amazing education and outreach accomplishments of IPY 2007-2009.  If you are interested in contributing, please visit http://apecs.is/ipy-outreach-assessment or contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

We are confident that the outcomes of the Education and Outreach Lessons from IPY - an inventory, preliminary assessment and plans for a more substantive assessment, as well as recommendations for future activities in polar science education and in science education generally, will prove immensely valuable to the ICSU community and science educators around the world.

Regards,
Jenny Baeseman
- On behalf of SCAR, IASC, APECS, and the IPY International Programme Office


Jennifer Provencher - Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

After Jennifer completed her BSc in marine biology at the University of British Columbia, she went on to do a BEd with a focus in junior sciences and biology.  Ms. Provencher then joined the public education team at the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre where she led hands-on field and classroom excursions, developed video-conferencing programs and created placed-based lesson plans.  She also led a number of curriculum projects that were focused on creating teaching units that utilized current science to teach provincial and national curriculum. Alongside her public education duties she also worked as an on-call teacher for the local school district.

During the recent IPY Jennifer had the privilege of working on two very different, but complimentary projects.  On the science side her MSc research at the University of Victoria focused on using two Arctic seabird species as indicators of change in marine ecosystems, specifically how marine plastic debris has increased, and how prey species utilized by seabirds in the eastern Canadian Arctic is changing as summer sea ice decreases.  This research was an extension of an Environment Canada long term seabird monitoring program with historical data collected in the 1970s and 80s compared with recent collections in 2007/08/09 in the low, mid and high Arctic zones.

On the education side of IPY 2008-2009 she has been involved in the development of the Sea Ice Education package, a teacher’s guide for middle and high school aged students examining sea ice and its importance to northern communities and ecosystems.  One of the goals of Sea Ice Education package is to take data and science that has been produced during the recent IPY and create active science lessons plans based on current and relevant science for northern communities.  Her research group’s seabird work in the eastern Canadian Arctic forms the basis of the sea ice and marine bird section, with data collected during the recent IPY the focus of several activities investigating sea ice and its importance to marine birds.

Jennifer looks forward to bringing her skills and knowledge of science, education, curriculum development and assessment to the IPY Education and Outreach Lessons Learned assessment team.

For the previous three weeks 25 international students from 13 different countries and a range of scientific backgrounds have adventured in the Arctic. They attended the second interdisciplinary IPY field school held in Svalbard, which follows the success of the inaugural field school held in 2009. The focus of the field school has been on environmental and climatic change in the Arctic, with particular emphasis on how the IPY 2007-2009 has furthered our understanding. Coupled with lectures held at the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS), the students completed field work/excursions in and around Longyearbyen, examining, not exclusively, the biology, geology, and permafrost of Svalbard. The trials and tribulations of the students have been expressed in their blog which can be found by following the IPY Field School Blog. You can also read about the Summer School in the local Svalbard newspaper: Ice People.

The Field School was sponsored by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the University of the Arctic, UNIS, and APECS.

APECS was nicely represented at the European Science Open Forum 2010 (ESOF), which took place between 2-7 July 2010 and got together some of the best European science, the media, politicians and researchers from all fields to discuss the status if European science and their future challenges. From the days we were there, our impression was that most of the attendees were at the start of their careers or close to the finish of their careers, with a noticeable lack of 30-50 year olds. One of goals of this forum was to stimulate  world class discussions on hot science topics in an hand-on way.

Our session called “Energy and Enthusiasm is Contagious: How early career scientists can help the world reach excellence in science?”, chaired by José Xavier (APECS Council), had the amazing talk by Jenny Baeseman (APECS Director; please read Jenny in Science http://blogs.sciencemag.org/sciencecareers/2010/07/getting-a-young.html) and the great interventions by Dave Carlson (International Polar Year(IPY)– International Program Office), Paul Egerton (European Science Foundation) and by Gerhard Wolf (European Economic and Social Committee of the European Union). The main conclusions of our session was that IPY provided an unique opportunity to early career scientists to show their work due to the urgency and significant science that needed to be done, that APECS was able to provide a strong voice of early career scientists during the IPY (such as in major international organizations) and that APECS can serve as an example beyond polar regions. There are opportunities in Europe to provide conditions for early career scientists to conduct excellent science (e.g. via the European Science Foundation, Marie Curie fund initiatives, European Research Council) but it was also able to recognize that scientists still requires to improve their social issues so that a career is science can become even more attractive. After the brief talks, an open discussion took place between speakers and the audience, having key themes surrounding future ways to put European science, using full potential of young researchers, at a world level.

As part of the second IPY Polar Field School held in Svalbard this past June, the 25 international students were fortunate enough to interact with 17 politicians and advisors from the Nordic Council (Nordisk Råd), who were in Spitsbergen to learn about Arctic research first-hand.

The event was coordinated by APECS, the University of the Arctic and UNIS and in traditional APECS fashion, ‘speed dating’ was adopted as the means of initiating communication (with libations mixed in for good measure).  Each “speed-date” consisted of two attendees of the field school and two politicians or advisors. They spoke for five minutes at a time before moving on in a musical chairs like manner.

The politicians were eager to discover what the students had experienced during the field school; conversely, the students sought to determine how the politicians view the importance of Arctic research.  The session was viewed as a success from both parties and discussion continued after the event was officially over; we even managed to get a few more APECS mentors! Moreover, the politicians grasped the significance of funding field schools and how they are truly beneficial for early career researchers. Perhaps they will be more eager to fund such events in the future…..

A few comments from the participants:

“A fantastic evening; we gained an invaluable perspective of the Arctic from a politicians point of view”
Sarah Lee, Aberystwyth University, Wales, Marine and Freshwater Biology

“How often can you say that you have speed-dated with politicians....? Thank you APECS for giving us this opportunity!”
Trine Kvist-Lassen, Aarhus Universitet, Denmark, Geology

From Science Careers Blog on July 5, 2010

Getting a Young Scientists' Association off the Ground

If you want to start an organization aimed at encouraging and supporting young scientists, get senior scientists involved. This was one of the key messages of a presentation by Jenny Baeseman of the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) at this weekend's Euroscience Open Forum (ESOF) in Turin, Italy.

Read the full article

ipy-osc gerlis fugmann 31 smallA big thank you to the Research Council of Norway for having the foresight to include young researchers in the Oslo conference in such a meaningful way. A great opportunity for all of us! This month I am taking the opportunity to share with you one of my favorite moments of the conference.

ipy-osc francisco fernandoy-53 smallSunday night, 6 June, Hugues Lantuit, myself and several members of the conference steering committee were invited to join the 100th Anniversary celebration of the launch of the Fram Expedition that headed to the South Pole (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Roald_Amundsen). The event was at Roald Amundsen's House in the Oslo Fjord with all the decedents of the explorers on that historic expedition. I was fortunate enough to meet Liv Arnesen there - the first woman to ski solo and unsupported to the South Pole (in 1994: http://livarnesen.com/). Liv and I discussed many of her adventures and she told me about her upcoming expedition in 2011 with Ann Bancroft and women from every continent who will again ski to the South Pole to raise awareness of our precious water resources. This will be a great thing for those of you interested in outreach to get involved with - more details coming soon :)

After a few hours at the party, this amazing old pirate ship came sailing past Amundsen's house and stopped. Hugues and I and the conference organizing gang boarded a few zodiacs and joined the ship - which was full of all the APECS and PolarTEACHERS workshop participants. Liv came with us too as she was in search of Johnny Depp :-) Thanks to all of you on that ship for making that night such a fun and memorable experience. Ahoy!

La Carotte de Classe was born from the collaboration of Nathalie Morata, APECS Council Member, with elementary school students, and was originally published in French at a local scale in the area of Pau, France. This book relates scientists work in the field during the polar darkness through children’s eyes. Over the last year, Nathalie has been collaborating with APECS in order to publish a new bilingual edition of the book which has been enriched by some reading tips in order to stimulate reader thoughts.

The book was officially released at the IPY Oslo conference, and 600 copies were distributed to scientists and teachers interested in outreach and scientist-teacher collaborations. The release of the book was an opportunity for Nathalie to speak about polar areas, climate change, outreach, IPY and the importance of APECS, in various newspapers and radios from the area of Pau, France. The effort of Nathalie to make local people aware of those thematic was acknowledged by the Mayor of Pau who gave her the Medal of Honor from the city. More info: http://lacarottedeclasse.com/En/News

The RAC (Research Activities Committee) organized two side meetings during the IPY Oslo science conference; the Polar Disciplines Meeting, and the Discipline Coordinator meeting. The Polar Disciplines Meeting was open to everyone interested in RAC activities but also in getting to know APECS associated people from their research fields. At the beginning of the meeting, the RAC members introduced the two major established RAC projects to the membership with the help of an online tutorial - the Literature Discussion and the Virtual Poster Session. Afterwards small discipline related groups were formed where we discussed general but also research field related thoughts. About 50 people participated in the meeting and fruitful outcomes nourishing disciplinary but also interdisciplinary development and idea forming within the RAC were achieved.

The RAC Discipline coordinator meeting was towards the end of the week. It was great to meet so many people we worked with before intensively, but now met for the first time. The major focus was discussing the RAC structure and functioning, and how to improve our collaborative work efforts towards getting work done more progressively. Again, discussion about how and why to split up and form categories a certain way, when the major goal is to bring together disciplines and work in a truly interdisciplinary and international fashion. However to achieve this key goals, it is necessary to establish a disciplinary related community, communicate, gather and exchange thoughts and knowledge within disciplines to then bring the Discipline Coordinators together to exchange disciplinary work, thus form the links between disciplines. To do so successfully, results of the meeting included: Category based list servers, like the polar policy list server existing already, will be formed and supervised by the specific discipline coordinator (DC). However, anyone can join any list server, thus one can get interdisciplinary information when interested through joining the list servers interested in. Further, the RAC will limit their calls two every second to third month. All DCs join these calls to exchange experiences, thoughts, ask questions and discuss goals and achievements. The RAC itself will consist of 2 chairs and all DCs at a minimum. All RAC members are also Council members, as the RAC represents the research focussed part of the council. Additionally the RAC will coordinate also all research related working groups, currently including the Virtual Poster Session and the Virtual Poster Session. Additional ideas for further working groups are under development. The Working Groups are open to ALL APECS members, and we still need help also in the research related working groups. If you are interested to work with the RAC in any of these groups, please contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Overall, the RAC meetings brought together the research focussed APECS community, and established a better basis for successful progressive collaborations and work over the next years to come.

For comments and interest, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

During the IPY Oslo Science Conference, the two APECS initiators, Jenny Baeseman and Hugues Lantuit, showed how fun and work can be combined in an imaginative and energetic evening function.  The APECS reception enabled early-career researchers to meet senior scientists in the relaxed atmosphere of a speed-dating event that was followed by a witty "news" presentation by Jenny and Hugues who took a step into the future of IPY 5.

This refreshingly humorous and, at the same time, thoughtful reflection of the contribution of early-career scientists and APECS to polar research set the scene for a delightful evening.

The APECS reception provided also the opportunity to sign a Memorandum of Understanding between the University of the Arctic, the International Antarctic Institute and APECS, which represented a symbolic gesture towards the willingness of these three organisations to collaborate even more closely in the future.

Finally, the past and present APECS Executive Committee members and various Council members seized the chance to thank the APECS Director, Jenny Baeseman, in public for her incredible dedication, commitment and tireless efforts that helped APECS to grow into an internationally recognised early-career polar researchers' organisation.

From The IPY Oslo Science Conference Press Archive

The International Polar Year 2007-2008 (IPY), the largest polar research and education venture ever undertaken, formally came to an end at a ceremony in Oslo on Saturday 12 June – the final day of the IPY Oslo Science Conference.

The IPY sponsors, the International Council for Science (ICSU) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), thanked the many thousands of participants who have made IPY a spectacular international success, before passing the baton on to those who will secure the legacy of this important initiative. They include the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) and the WMO Executive Council Panel of Experts on Polar Observations, Research and Services.

As a part of the official closing ceremony, Professor Jeronimo Lopez-Martinez presented asummary of this IPY from the perspective of the ICSU-WMO Joint Committee for the IPY, the body responsible for overall scientific planning, coordination, guidance and oversight of IPY 2007-2008, of which he is co-Chair.

Dr. Jeronimo Lopez-Martinez."The overall scope of IPY is hard to overestimate and its total "footprint" may not be fully known for many years," he explained. "However, only one year after the conclusion of IPY field activities there are clear early indicators of the success of the programme."

Professor Lopez-Martinez mentioned a number of examples, including a surge in multidisciplinary polar scientific activities (as illustrated by the more than 2000 papers and posters presented at the Oslo Science Conference, spanning many themes and disciplines); extensive new circumpolar data baselines and improved observing systems; enhanced international collaboration and stronger links between the Arctic and Antarctic science communities; an enthusiastic new generation of polar scientists; the active engagement of Arctic residents in IPY activities; and the unprecedented involvement of educators and increase public awareness about polar regions.

Summary report in September 2010
Professor Lopez-Martinez also took the opportunity, on behalf of the IPY Joint Committee, to express deep appreciation to the many national and international organisations that have been involved in IPY, and especially to the many thousands of participants who have worked so hard to make it a major success and an enduring example of international collaboration.

The IPY success story will be captured in a summary report that is now being prepared. The title will be Understanding Earth's Polar Challenges: International Polar Year 2007-2008, and it will be published in September 2010.

Professor Jeronimo Lopez-Martinez said that the report, "tells the story from the unique perspective of the Joint Committee, with the help of more than 100 contributors; from the earliest planning almost a decade ago to the current challenge of ensuring a robust IPY legacy. It involves tens of thousands of participants, and highlights the global influence of the polar regions." The report will be freely available on the web and in hard copy on request. It will cover the planning and implementation of IPY over a 10-year period and present some preliminary results. The list of authors and reviewers of the report includes over 250 people.

Dr. Elena Manaenkova.Sound understanding of the polar regions
"IPY was founded on the ideas and energy of thousands of scientists, educators, technicians and many more," said Dr Elena Manaenkova, Assistant Secretary General of WMO. "As co-sponsors of IPY, we would like to express our most sincere thanks to all the participants and the organisers who have made this venture one of the biggest internationally coordinated research programmes ever undertaken."

Deliang Chen, Executive Director of ICSU, added, "IPY has paved the way for a sound understanding of the polar regions at a critical time for society's relationship with Earth. The collaboration among many nations and among many scientific disciplines has been critical to the success of IPY, and it is crucial that the energy and partnerships that converged in IPY are sustained in the long-term."

Handing over the flag
The ceremony was opened by Gerlis Fugmann, President of the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) - a group that originated and flourished during IPY and will continue to provide  momentum for polar research, education and outreach in the years to come. Ms Fugmann also took part in the formal closing at the end of the ceremony today.

"I have the honour to officially close the fourth IPY," announced Dr Manaenkova, before Professor Lopez-Martinez, on behalf of the Joint Committee, handed over the the IPY flag to Ms Fugmann,  as a symbol that the next generation of researchers must take responsibility for continuing the momentum of IPY and polar research.

Written by Hugues Lantuit and Alexandra Taylor

Twelve APECS members were given the opportunity to meet with either the Norwegian Crown Prince Haakon or HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco on Tuesday the 8th of June, after the opening ceremony of the IPY Oslo Science Conference.

Meeting with Crown Prince Haakon of Norway

In a discussion lead by the Crown Prince, seven early career researchers (Harry Borlase, Anna Degteva, Gerlis Fugmann, Loic Jullion, Allen Pope, Alexandra Taylor and Jenny Baeseman) discussed their research and challenges they face while communicating their work with the public or media.  Crown Prince Haakon also asked questions about how their work has been (or will be) affected by climate change and the importance of their work in a broader context.   Throughout the discussion, the Crown Prince shared his own experiences and observations from expeditions he had participated in the Arctic regions.

Meeting with HSH the Prince Albert II of Monaco

After the projection of a short movie showing the expedition of HSH the Prince Albert to the Antarctic, the early career scientists (Jenny Baeseman, Hugues Lantuit, Nathalie Morata, Alexey Pavlov, Heidi Swanson and Jose Xavier) who met with HSH Prince Albert had the opportunity to exchange thoughts and experiences with the prince on their understanding of polar science, their scientific achievements and their vision of the future of polar research. The prince showed great interest in listening to stories of Antarctic wildlife, Inuit health, permafrost, marine biology and oceanography. HSH the prince Albert II praised the wide diversity of backgrounds of the early career scientists and expressed his great consideration for their achievements during the International Polar Year. The meeting ended with a group picture and friendly greetings of HSH the prince Albert II of Monaco wishing good luck to the early career scientists in their future endeavours.

Written by Hugues Lantuit

One of the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists greatest and most unexpected achievements during the IPY Oslo Science Conference, was the level of consideration it gained among a wide variety of communities, including participants and session conveners, but also political and scientific figureheads.

During his opening speech at the workshop preceding the conference and during the closing ceremony, the director general of the Research Council of Norway, Arvid Hallén, made clear references to APECS in citing its dynamism and its key role in the polar research landscape.

During the closing ceremony of the International Polar Year, APECS was widely cited as the heir of the legacy of the IPY and acknowledged as such by the chair of the IPY Joint Committee of WMO and ICSU, and by SCAR and IASC, the two major polar organizations.

Finally, and probably most stunningly, APECS was quoted twice by the Norwegian Foreign Minister during the closing ceremony of the Conference, citing the need for greater efforts to support early career scientists in the post-IPY period.

APECS sees these references as a sign that early career scientists have been given a role in the IPY that is acknowledged at the highest levels, but it also sees these references as strong incentives to enjoy this responsibility with both a long-term sustainable vision and a sense of duties.

Written by Inga May

Before the IPY Oslo Science Conference in June 2010, APECS organized a two-day workshop for 106 selected members, which was sponsored by the Research Council of Norway. The inspiration for this workshop was to provide students with an opportunity to improve their soft skills, which are essential for success in a polar career, but are often not taught at university. A large part of the workshop was dedicated to four 105 minutes long break-out sessions with invited mentors on different topics. For these sessions the participants were divided into smaller groups up to 25 people, and everybody could attend four sessions out of the following topics: Writing proposals and papers, Managing research projects and people, Communicating with the media, Presenting your results at conferences, Alternative polar careers, Influencing Policy and Policy Makers, International Collaborations and field work,  and Teaching at the University Level and Education and Outreach.

During these sessions, scheduled during the late morning and early afternoon of the two workshop days, participants interacted with more experienced scientists, learned from their experience, participated in group work exercises, and asked questions that otherwise often go unanswered.

Apart from the break-out sessions, the general program started and ended with plenary speeches and key notes about e.g. ‘The Urgency of Polar Research’ (by Dave Carlson) or a discussion about the ‘Climate Gate’ controversy. During the entire weekend, the APECS group was joined in the mornings by the 120 participants of the Polar Teachers workshop, who also attended the two social evening events during the workshop. The first of these evening events was the opening reception at the Research Council of Norway on Saturday, where teachers, mentors, and APECS members met for the first time and had the chance to get to know each other over food and drinks. On Sunday evening a ship cruise including a traditional Norwegian shrimp buffet took the entire group to the house of Amundsen. Beside the beautiful scenery of the Oslo Fjord and the perfect weather, an amazing performance of Norwegian music by Ingebjörg Bratland and Silije Hegg ensured that everyone enjoyed the trip.

During the entire workshop participants as well as organizers were hosted at the Anker Hostel in the centre of Oslo. The fact that everybody stayed at the same place facilitated the communication and fostered the exchange between participants from different research areas, countries, and different career stages. The group of 106 participants was formed by 97 PhD students, 9 master students, 12 Postdocs and 8 ‘others’ from 14 different countries. Thereby 49 came from Europe (including Greenland), 33 from North America, 13 from Asia, 5 from Australia and New Zealand, 4 from South America and 2 from Africa. Additionally, the 22 organizers and the more than 35 mentors originated from over 15 different nations, which truly made this workshop a multicultural event. According to the very positive feedback from participants and mentors, the workshop seemed to fulfill and maybe even exceed their expectations.

Written by Kristin Timm

While numerous APECS members participated in a career development workshop leading up to the IPY Oslo Science Conference, over 100 teachers were having a career development experience of their own in the PolarTEACHERS workshop next door. Teachers were selected to participate from around the world, and received stipends for accommodation, meals, and partial registration to help offset the cost of attendance.

During the two-day workshop, teachers gained science content through lectures from experts in sea ice, albedo, climate and weather, cultures of the north, and much more. Select science content areas were paired with 90-minute breakout sessions filled with hands on learning and classroom activities, many from the “Polar Science and Global Climate” resource book. Many teachers expressed that they were very pleased with the content they gained throughout the workshop, and that they have many new ideas to take polar science back to their classrooms.

The PolarTEACHERS also spent time with the APECS Career Development workshop participants, partaking in some shared sessions and social events during the workshop and throughout the conference. Teachers and APECS members were also matched as “mentors” before the conference. Don’t ask us who was mentoring whom, as most of the pairs that found one another described the sharing and learning as “going both ways”.

Overall, the PolarTEACHERS workshop was a great success. Participants possessed an insatiable hunger for learning from the mentors who graciously volunteered their time and energies with the teachers. The blending of teachers and early career scientists made for a really fun, dynamic, and interesting group of participants with much to share and learn from one another.

To learn more about what was going on during the PolarTEACHER’s workshop, you can visit their agenda online at: http://ipy-osc.no/article/2009/1257950088.29.

Written by Jennifer Provencher

One of the goals at the IPY Oslo Science meeting was to recognize that outstanding contributions of the numerous early career scientists. With the backing of the Oslo Steering Committee an Awards Committee was formed from APECS members from around the world who was tasked with the complex job of evaluating sure that the over 750 early career talk and poster presentations were judged. As all those involved soon learned, this was no small feat. With 6 themes, 40 sessions, 17 concurrent talks at any given time over the 4.5 days and 3 posters session with at least 150 posters each the Awards Committee had a herculean task at hand.

Each poster and paper presented by an early career researcher was judged by the tireless session conveners that all agreed to add this one more job to their already busy days during the meeting. A number of session conveners and senior scientists that helped out when judges were a bit thin on the ground commented on the quality of the early career presentations and the touch job it was for them to identify the best in each category. With great difficulty the best poster and talk in each theme was chosen and at the closing ceremonies the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs presented each award winner their prize.

Thanks goes to all the early career researchers that presented in Olso, may you go one to challenge judges and make their duties difficult. Thanks to the Montreal 2010 Steering Committee for donating the prizes for our award winners, and to David and Doug Barber for the donation of the book “Two Ways of Knowing” that each award winner took home. And to Torsten Sachs, Pablo Wainsten, Frances Ross, Penelope Wagner, Marcos Tonelli and Sylvia Blangy, without whom I would still be buried under a pile of judging sheets in Oslo. And last but not least thanks to Jenny, Hughes, David Hik and the Oslo steering committee for the tremendous effort in organizing and supporting the early career researcher awards.

The Polar Resource Book - Polar Science and Global Climate: An International Resource for Education and Outreach - was created to ensure efforts catalyzed by the International Polar Year (IPY) will continue to inspire educators, students, and emerging polar researchers into the next generation of young, international, polar researchers with a shared commitment to outreach and education.

The idea for this book came from Mieke Sterken, an APECS member from Belgium. It was a response to continual requests from educators and scientists wishing to raise awareness about the importance of polar science during a time of rapid planet-wide climate change.

The book comprises background information on recent polar research and the history of IPY. It addresses climate change related issues from the perspective of the indigenous population in the Arctic. It provides a selection of teaching resources on six polar themes (atmosphere, ice, ocean, land, people and space) and showcases large- and small-scale education and outreach projects successfully carried out during the IPY.

For APECS members, two chapters might be of particular interest:
“Tips and Tricks for Science Presentations”helps you to understand how science presentations in the classroom should be planned and structured.
“Teaching Polar Science in the Classroom”gives you hands-on activities that you might want to use in addition to your science presentation when addressing students. 

The book presents education and outreach practices in a neat package and wants to make it easier for polar researchers and scientists to efficiently engage with the public and present their work.

The project received support from a wide range of actors who are part of the IPY community, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the International Science Council (ICSU), as well as the Canadian IPY Secretariat and IPY Program, the National Academies of the United States, the United National Environment Program (UNEP) and the organizing committee for the flagship IPY Oslo Science Conference (OSC).

The book can be purchased online from Pearson Publishing for 25 Pounds, with all proceeds going to the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS):
http://www.pearsoned.co.uk/Bookshop/detail.asp?item=100000000391207


For further information: http://www.wikisummaries.org/Polar_Science_and_Global_Climate
http://www.ipy.org/hidden/item/2297-promotional-material-for-the-polar-resource-book

For the first time, many of the 2009-2010 APECS council had the chance to meet in person, get to know each other, and talk about APECS. The first major topic of conversation was communication within APECS; new/improved initiatives (simple email addresses, revised newsletter, frequently posted meeting minutes) were noted to have been beneficial. But, there is still more that can be done to foster a closer community within the Council, for example by establishing/revitalizing some national committees and establish a “Council Rep.” This will be discussed in the next Council call. We also discussed how to make involvement within APECS more accessible to individual members, how to keep the website vital, and a couple promising future projects such as a new members’ guide to APECS, more opportunities to publish a variety of work, and APECS funding opportunities. The full meeting minutes are available on the Council page – don’t hesitate contact us with comments/questions or to get more involved.

Prior to the IPY-OSC conference, the polar community of Portugal got together in late April 2010 and spent a day showing their work done during the International Polar Year (IPY). The number of teams and young researchers triplicated in the last 3 years, with 15 polar research teams and more than 50 scientists, of which most are early career scientists. The minister of Higher Education and Technology and the President of the Foundation for Science and Technology attended and emphasized the brilliant work we have been doing, including the work with APECS. Well done all!

Representatives of the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), the International Antarctic Institute (IAI), and the University of the Arctic have come together at the IPY Oslo Science Conference 2010 to sign a memorandum of understanding to advance the academic and professional development of early career polar researchers.

A formal signing ceremony was held on June 8th, 2010 at the Norway Trade Fairs Conference Centre, during the APECS Student and Mentor Reception, which was attended by over 750 participants from around the world. Signing on behalf of the partner organisation are (left to right): Lars Kullerud, UArctic President; Daniela Ligget, former APECS President and current APECS Executive Committee member; and Sandra Zicus, IAI Project Office. 

The Association of Polar Early Career Scientists(APECS) is an international and interdisciplinary organization for undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, early faculty members, educators and others with interests in polar regions and the cryosphere.
 
The University of the Arctic (UArctic) is a cooperative network of universities, colleges, and other organizations committed to higher education and research in the North. UArctic's overall goal is to create a strong, sustainable circumpolar region by empowering northerners and northern communities through education and shared knowledge.

The International Antarctic Institute (IAI) is a global consortium of universities and agencies that provide university-level education and conduct research in Antarctic. Building on the spirit of international cooperation in Antarctic research, the institute brings together diverse institutions throughout the world. 

In acknowledgement of the important role that each of the partner organizations has in helping the next generation of polar researchers, this agreement strengthens their joint commitment and serves as a framework to guide future collaborations. 

Lars Kullerud, President of UArctic comments: “The members of UArctic look forward to collaborating with IAI to develop and enhance educational opportunities for young researchers, and see APECS as a vital partner in all aspects of this collaborative effort“.

Research Council of NorwaySpring has finally come to Northern Norway and its been a welcome change because not only does it mean that the weather is getting warmer and the landscape greener - but the IPY Oslo Science Conference is finally here!!! I hope that those of you who are attending have finished your posters and presentations and are ready to take full advantage of all the great opportunities that will be available. Those of you who are not attending, you'll be able to watch the plenary lectures as webcasts, so be sure to check out the conference website: http://www.ipy-osc.no/

400 early career scientists will receive free accommodation during the conference and an additional 150 have received reduced registration fees thanks to the IPY Oslo Stipend Programme sponsored by the Research Council of Norway (RCN). The RCN is also sponsoring the APECS Career Development Workshop and the APECS Reception and Student Lounge during the conference.

The RCN is the main funding institution for science in Norway and hosts a wealth of great programmes and opportunities for all researchers - especially us polar-types. They also encourage researcher exchanges and have a number of fellowship opportunities for international researchers to come to Norway and for Norwegians to work abroad. I encourage you all to check out some of the amazing opportunities offered by the RCN for collaboration and work here in wonderful Norway.

RCN Polar Research Homepage: http://bit.ly/RCN-polar
RCN Funding Opportunities for Early Career Scientists: http://bit.ly/RCN-fellowships
Norway's Research Policy through 2015 (in English): http://bit.ly/Norway-Polar-policy

What could provide a better location to inspire young polar researchers than Tromsø’s own Polaria? On the evening of May 5th, thirty-five young researchers came together to build on the successful symposium held in March 2010. The evening’s theme focused on how to network, overcome challenges, and succeeding as young scientist in today’s academic community. Dr. Martin Biuw from the Norwegian Polar Institute and Dr. Kirsten Krause from the University of Tromsø gave presentations based on their rich research experience. This was followed by a period of questions, answers, and discussions over the enjoyment of free waffles!

The first key message in both presentations promoted conducting research abroad. This was seen as an invaluable opportunity to gain international contacts and learn new research methods. Jumping at new and exciting opportunities capsulated the enthusiasm young researchers need to adapt in a changing job market that ignores borders and—as Dr. Biuw’s experience demonstrated—can land you on an isolated Sub-Antarctic island! (Which for most may not sound like a good thing, but for us polar researchers its a dream come true!) Finally, both presenters emphasized having positive and open communication with senior researchers. The evening was a success in bringing together young researchers to learn how to direct and develop their future careers in polar research.

We would like to thank Drs. Biuw and Krause for sharing their experiences with us and Polaria for providing such a perfect venue. A special thanks also to Silje-Kristin Jensen and Dana Bellis for helping to coordinate this great evening!

We are very proud to release a report summarizing the past 4 years of APECS activities. We have achieved a great deal in a very short time and should all be impressed by the amount of work that you and your fellow early career colleagues have put in to making our organization a success. A special thank you to all those great mentors who helped to share their advice over the years by participating in APECS events as well as providing advice on how best to grow our organization. Congratulations APECS!!!

Download the Report!

We know all of you want to help spread the word about our organization and advertise in your departments, at meetings, on your websites, and wherever. Here are some materials that you can use for those purposes designed by Bruno Bôto da Cruz. A special thanks also goes to Allen Pope for working with Bruno on text and formatting.  Check out all the great new designs!

APECS Director, Jenny Baeseman, was recently interviewed by The Ends of The Earth radio programme on CKLB based out of Yellowknife, Canada. Dr. Baeseman talked about the formation of APECS as well as the exciting APECS 'Speed-Dating' Night planned for the IPY Oslo Science Conference in June.

The Ends of the Earth on CKLB radio in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, is an IPY-funded radio show. The program focuses on climate change research in the Canadian Arctic from scientific and aboriginal perspectives. Hosts William Greenland and Kirsten Murphy believe the Arctic is a barometer for global change, and that northerners should know about science taking place in their backyard.

The Ends of the Earth has helped raise awareness about circumpolar issues. It has built connections within Northern and Southern regions of Canada through panel discussions and call-in shows. The show reaches more than 30 aboriginal communities in the Northwest Territories. It also streams lives and podcasts.

The show has won two national radio awards. Last year it was named best syndicated podcast by the National Community Radio Association (NCRA). This year the show won the prestigious Peter Gzowski award from the Radio and Television News Director Association (RTNDA).

An information flyer to ‘explore’ polar science is now available for students and early career scientists.  The flyer is a shared initiative of the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), the University of the Arctic (UArctic), the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) and the International Antarctic Institute (IAI).

With a simple overview it aims to inform about international opportunities to study the richly diverse and challenging world of the polar regions. It contains information on, and links to international organizations that inform and advise early career scientists on: career development, networking, funding opportunities and communication and outreach.

The flyer offers a first step in the advancement and support of a strong future of polar researchers and can be found on the websites of the initiating organizations.

Download Email Version Download Print Version

The Arctic Science Summit Week 2010 was held from in Nuuk (Greenland) this year - and in Copenhagen - from April 15 - 18, 2010 (plus a week thanks to Iceland's volcano!). APECS Director Jenny Baeseman and President Gerlis Fugmann both attended the event in Nuuk.

The programme contained three days of meetings by the International Arctic Sciences Committee (IASC), Arctic Ocean Sciences Board (AOSB), European Polar Board (EPB), Pacific Arctic Group (PAG) and Forum of Arctic Research Operators (FARO), as well as one Common Day with scientific presentations and a boat excursion. However, the volcanic eruption in Iceland turned this into an unusual event for all participants. Only half of the delegates were able to travel to Nuuk (before the eruption) and the rest was stuck in Copenhagen. Therefore, meetings had to be held either with a reduced number of participants in Nuuk or via video conference with the rest of the delegates in Copenhagen.

As air traffic from Greenland to Europe was shut down for almost a week, all participants in Greenland were able to hang out with each other for a few extra days. While the North American and Asian delegates were able to leave Nuuk on charter flights (Thanks to the genius of Marty Bergman!) after a day, the European stayed for an extra week to enjoy every corner of Nuuk (thanks Air Greenland for the hotel and meal tickets!) until regular flights resumed. The amazing local organizing team was a big help in this situation (THANK YOU!!), by keeping us all updated on the flight situation and organizing a little entertainment program with excursions, where our director became a true Norwegian by catching loads of fish, including a cod (Jenny our fish queen!).

We especially want to thank all of our fellow ASSW participants for the wonderful mentoring they provided for us three "young" researchers while being stuck in Nuuk. This was a very memorable time and we enjoyed every bit of it. We managed to pass the time by contributing quite a bit to the long list of acronyms already out there in polar sciences!

SYIS 2011 - See you in Seoul 2011!

naturfagsenteret logoMany of you know how important your science education experiences have been for you and the impact that a single teacher or a field trip has on your career choices. For some it meant the difference between going in to the natural sciences or choosing social sciences and humanities. Next month, as you are probably aware, is the IPY Oslo Science Conference in Norway. APECS will be hosting a Career Development Workshop in parallel to an international PolarTEACHERS conference just prior to this conference. We plan to make sure our two groups interact and share experiences and excitement of the Polar Regions.

Our workshops will be held at the University of Oslo, thanks to the assistance of the Norwegian Centre for Science Education. This month I wanted to share with you a little bit more about this great resource here in Norway to help inspire the next generation of researchers. If you have questions about this programme, please contact Lise Faafeng or Karl Torstein Hetland.

The Norwegian Centre for Science Education is a national resource centre for science education (kindergarten, primary and secondary school, adult education and teacher training). Its main objective is to enable pupils and teachers to consolidate competence and motivate interest in natural science. This is achieved by developing and improving content and methods through research, experiment and development projects. Furthermore, the centre contributes to actions aimed at increasing the recruitment to scientific and technical studies and works to contact with societies of science education on a national, Nordic and international level.

APECS held a mentor panel at the University of Greenland (Ilisimatusarfik) on April 16, 2010, organized by APECS Director, Jenny Baeseman, and President Gerlis Fugmann as a side event during the Arctic Science Summit Week in Nuuk. The event was made possible through the local coordination of Ole Marquardt, professor at Ilisimatusarfik. We were very fortunate to have two wonderful and helpful mentors: Magnus Tannerfeldt (Swedish Polar Research Secretariat) and Bernard Coakley (University of Alaska) and we wish to thank all three for their support!

After a tour of the university with Ole Marquardt, we started the panel which attracted a small group of graduate students, postdocs and administrators. First, Jenny introduced APECS and how the Greenlandic students can get more involved in our organization and in polar science. Then, all the participants introduced themselves and we all learned more about the programs offered at the University of Greenland, some of the challenges of studying in a remote northern location and their future career plans. The mentors then shared experience and advice on how they got started in polar science and some tips and tricks for career choices.

We are also happy to report that we now have 3 new Greenlandic members - Welcome to Steven Arnfjord, Aviaq Jørgensen, and Dorte Haubjergs Søgaard.

We want to thank the University of Greenland for providing lunch for us! This was a great opportunity for some more discussions with some of the participants as well as the mentors!  We would also like to thank Air Greeland for giving us a few extra days to enjoy Nuuk and gain some wondeful mentoring from our fellow ASSW participants that were stuck with us because of the Icelandic Volcano.

Thank you to Magnas Tannerfeldt (SPRS) for contributing the photos for this article.

We are very happy to announce the launch of APECS Brazil, APECS Italy, and APECS Russia's new websites.  You can find them, and the other great national committees at http://www.apecs.is/national-committees. Special thanks to Erli Costa, Tosca Ballerini, Dubrava Kirievskaya, Ivan Sudakov, and Alexey Pavlov for making these sites possible!

We are seeking a project assistant on a part-time basis to help coordinate an initial assessment of the outcomes of International Polar Year (IPY) Education and Outreach. The scope of the project is to help outline the lessons learned and any internationally coordinated efforts that should continue after the closure of the IPY International Programme Office. Please find a detailed job description as well as project background in the text below and the document attached. Ideally the position will be located in Tromsø, Norway, but those wishing to work on contract remotely are also encouraged to apply.

The Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), and the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) will work together with the IPY Office on this International Council for Science funded project over the next year.

Inquiries about the position should be sent to the APECS Director, Jenny Baeseman (jbaeseman[at]gmail.com).
Please circulate this announcement widely,

Jenny Baeseman
on behalf of SCAR, IASC, APECS and the IPY IPO

Job Description:
Education and Outreach Lessons from IPY
Project Assistant

Position Type: Project Assistant
Duration of Contract: 50% time for 12 months or 100% time for 6 months
Salary Level: Norwegian Salary Grade 48
Job Location: Ideally Tromsø, Norway (but those wishing to work remotely are also encouraged to apply)
Starting Date: 1 July 2010 (or before)
Application Review will begin 10 May 2010 and continue until position is filled

Background on Project:
The International Polar Year (IPY 2007-2008) is recognized as one of the largest international and interdisciplinary science efforts in history. Aside from ground-breaking research, IPY has established innovative and effective international education and outreach programmes while stimulating perhaps the largest focused investment in science education in recent times. The IPY education programme represents, in microcosm, a wealth of practical and real-world information by which to address shared IPY and ICSU aims.

The outcomes of the Education and Outreach Lessons from IPY - an inventory, preliminary assessment and plans for a more substantive assessment, as well as recommendations for future activities in polar science education and in science education generally, will prove immensely valuable to the ICSU community and educators in general.

Specifically the project aims to:

Conduct an inventory and begin planning for a general assessment, from an international viewpoint, of Education, Outreach and Communication (EOC) strategies, programmes, and networks active during IPY;
Identify key target groups that need to be continually informed about the latest polar (and general scientific) research;
Determine key activities to sustain the dissemination of polar research (science information) to target groups;
Identify the factors and mechanisms by which IPY successfully stimulated and inspired the enthusiastic involvement of early career and future scientists;
Provide guidance on the incorporation of early career researchers in large-scale science planning and research;
Construct a set of 'lessons learned' from the IPY EOC experience relevant to engaging the public in ICSU's international science research programmes and
Discuss the roles key partners, within and outside of ICSU, who contributed to IPY's success and who can play a role in future ICSU education programmes.
The Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) and the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) will work together with the IPY EOC to conduct this assessment and compile recommendations that other international science projects can use to share their research efforts with the global community.

Specific Job Duties:
The person will be responsible for coordinating all activities and documents involved with the above project, this includes but is not limited to:
Working with a core group of international education and outreach specialists interested in polar science communication
Organizing in-person and teleconference meetings (scheduling, forming and circulating agendas, meeting notes, document preparation, etc)
Compiling information from various sources to generate reports
Adding content to websites
If the successful applicant is interested in extending the position, assistance with proposal writing will be required.
Tangible products include, but are not limited to:
Survey of IPY Outreach Efforts
Online Database of Polar Outreach Specialists
Written Guidelines for the continuation of International Polar Outreach
Final project report to stakeholders
This person will report to the Director of the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists and will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of this project, including email and telephone correspondence with various international groups.

Qualifications:
Excellent proficiency in the written and spoken English language
Proficiency with computers, basic software and internet-based communication (ie. Google Groups and Documents, Doodle Polls, Skype conferencing calls, email)
Working knowledge of content management based websites (experience with Joomla is ideal)
Very organized and deadline oriented
Excellent Communication skills
Friendly and good at finding compromises
Experience in research and/or science communication
Experience working with international colleagues
The position is expected to be filled at a Masters degree level, but other educational levels will be considered.

To Apply:

Send a resume with contact information for 3 references, writing samples, and a cover letter detailing the following to ipy-outreach[at]apecs.is:
Qualifications in regards to the experience needed
Preferred location (if not in Tromsø, please suggest how you might work remotely)
Reasons you are interested this position and if you are interested in helping to write proposals to extend the position.
Review of applicants will begin 10 May and continue until the position is filled.
For questions or inquiries, please contact Jenny Baeseman (jbaeseman[at]gmail.com)

scarapecsiasc

The report summary from the APECS RUSSIA Panel at the Great Geographical Festival in St. Petersburg is now available! Click here to read the full summary, which includes an overview of all points of the event and the evaluations.

APECS is happy to announce the relaunch of our Field Schools Network website: http://www.apecs.is/field-schools

Field schools are enjoyable, exciting, and highly educational experience for those lucky enough to attend them. The APECS Field Schools network is an effort to share field school opportunities with APECS members and also bring together those who have had these experiences with those who wish to.

The main page has a list of field schools, and the menu on the left links to APECS field schools, Recurring Field Schools, and Individual Field Schools. In each these sections you can find out program details, exchange feedback/photos on schools via comments, and (if you're logged in as an APECS member to the website) access lists of previous APECS participants who can serve as resources for others considering attending the school.

If you would like APECS to include your field program as part of the Field Schools Network, please contact Allen Pope (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Please, take advantage of the APECS Field Schools network, check it out on the web, and have fun learning in the field!

APECS is happy to announce Fátima Gullino Frazão and Bruno Bôto da Cruz as the winners of the APECS promotional materials design contest – there were so many good contributions that we just couldn’t settle with one! Fátima and Bruno will be working together to put together a final set of publicity materials for the Oslo Conference and beyond. Once complete, the stunning results of their collaboration will be available on the APECS website.

90 APECS members voted in the competition. The first place submission (Fátima Gullino Frazão) won 31 votes and second place (Bruno Bôto da Cruz) earned 21 votes. All other submissions received fewer than 15 votes each. Many thanks to all those who participated!

The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) with the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), and the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) have won funding from the International Council for Science (ICSU) for a project "Education and Outreach Lessons from IPY". This project will involve an assessment and compilation of recommendations that capture Education and Outreach lessons from the IPY.

The International Polar Year (IPY 2007-2008) is recognised as one of the largest international and interdisciplinary science efforts in history. Aside from ground-breaking research, the IPY has established innovative and effective international education and outreach programmes while stimulating perhaps the largest focused investment in science education in recent times. The IPY education programme represents, in microcosm, a wealth of practical and real-world information by which to address shared IPY and ICSU goals. The outcomes of the Education and Outreach Lessons from IPY - an inventory, preliminary assessment and plans for a more substantive assessment, and recommendations for future activities in polar science education and in science education generally, will prove immensely valuable to the ICSU community and educators and researchers the world over.

There are many skills that early career polar researchers require for the basis of a strong career. To help address this, the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), together with the ArcticNet Student Association, and the Northern Research Forum held the IPY International Early Career Researcher Symposium, held in Victoria, B.C, Canada from December 4-8, which was sponsored mainly by the IPY Canadian Federal Programme and the Canadian Polar Research Commission. This career development workshop bought together 71 participants and 20 mentors from 14 different countries.


The Symposium brought together early career polar researchers from a range of disciplines for a series of training sessions to develop professional skills, work with senior mentors, and develop international and interdisciplinary collaborations. This Symposium had seven themed sessions, all of which included a plenary talk attended by all symposium participants, and a hands-on training session. All plenary talks and breakout sessions were recorded, and recordings will be available on the APECS website by June.

The evaluations from both participants and mentors have been extremely positive, with the vast majority ranking the quality of the breakout sessions as "Good" or "Excellent". Participants of the workshop said that less than 20% of what they learned from the three days together had been taught in their graduate programs and all stated the need for more events like this on an international and interdisciplinary level. Click here to see the full Symposium Summary

Well, spring is slowly starting to come to Tromsø. We still have at least a half-meter of snow, but the days are getting much longer and the temperatures a little 'warmer'.

tromso-december-sunsetAs Tromsø's contribution to the International Polar Week, APECS together with the Tromsø High North Cluster (THiNC) hosted the first Tromsø Young Polar Researchers Symposium. Over 50 people participated plus leaders of several of the major research institutes here in town. Many new friendships were formed, and folks had so much fun, that we are going to get people together again in May, thanks to the efforts of APECS member Silje-Kristin Jensen. So for those of you stopping through on your way to Svalbard, be sure to watch the APECS calendar for more details.

In case you are wondering what THiNC is, its a new initiative to tie together the many institutes here in Tromsø working on polar research. The partners in THiNC are the University of Tromsø, Norwegian Polar Institute, NORUT, Norwegian Institute of Marine Research, Akvaplan-niva and NOFIMA. The Secretariat of the Cluster is located right next to the APECS office at the University of Tromsø. The project has a steering group with one participant from each of the organizations in the core. Look for many exciting things to be coming from the efforts of all these great institutions working together to increase our understanding of the Polar Regions.

Portugal has just signed the Antarctic Treaty. After brilliant work from APECS PORTUGAL and numerous organizations in Portugal and internationally, we finally made it! Early career scientists are the main force behind polar science in Portugal and getting through politics, education and science during the International Polar Year was a true challenging scenario for all of us. On of the main goals was for Portugal officially sign the Antarctic Treaty. On the 29th January 2010, Portugal officially joined numerous countries in the Antarctic Treaty. Brilliant news indeed!

International Polar last week , organized by the International Polar Office of the International Polar Year (IPO-IPY) took place between15-19 March2010 and APECS Portugal (with its polar members in the sun)  was very active in it.  The theme was "How the polar region can affect us all!". Numerous events where APECS Portugal was involved took place:

  • 19 March - APECS PORTUGAL workshop “what is the role of early career scientists in polar science” , organized by José Xavier, Marco Jorge and Alexandre Trindade at the Institute of Marine Research of the University of Coimbra.Huge success, with a new executive committee elected and a new strategy for 2010 implemented!
  • 19 March - E & O activity “ask and get frozen by the answers” with early career scientists replying questions from children during lunch, organized with the Museum of Science of the University of Coimbra
  • 18 March - E & O activity “ read & learn” which involved schools from Portugal, whose students read the book “Adventure in high seas” (children adventure book whose the famous 5 get lost and reach Antarctica; the book is based on interviews made by the authors to José Xavier and Gonçalo Vieira, both young polar researchers) and had a skype call to discuss the book and how the polar regions can affect us all.
  • 16 March - E & O activity between APECS Portugal (José Xavier) and IPY Office,and we called Zambia to talk about “How polar regions can affect you!”. From Cambridge, José Xavier and Nicola Munro (IPY Office) explained the importance of IPY days, the polar regions and the effects of climate change everywhere in our planet. Lucky and his students from the University of Zambia took part and numerous discussion took place, with amazing views on Zambia work on climate change.
  • 19 March - E & O activity “ world call on polar issues” gathering representatives from numerous continents: José Xavier (APECS Portugal, Europe), Nicola Munro (IPO, UK), Miriam Almeida and her students (APECS Brazil, America), KhadijahSinclair and her students (Malaysia, Asia), Gordon Fraser and Don Ross (Arctic, North America). Personal views (from scientists, educators, students and citizens) on how climate change and the polar regions can affects us all.
  • 15-19 March - Group of science lectures at the University of Lisbon

Finally, some great news: in preparation for Oslo IPY Science Conference, Portugal IPY committee awarded 8 scholarships for early carer scientists to attend the conference!

Our second Virtual Poster Session was held successfully in the midst of the International Polar Week on 17 March 2010. The session focussed on human and social aspects of the polar regions.

We wish to thank Erin Neufield and Russell Fielding for their captivating presentations on an "A Place on the Ice: the stories, images, and experiences that make New Zealand's Antarctica" and "Comparative Whaling Research: North and South". Many thanks to all of you who attended the call.  Those of you who haven't been able to join the poster session but wish to watch the recording, please simply click here.

Please note that in order to watch the poster session, you will have to have Adobe Media Player installed to be able to read .flv files.  Adobe Media Player is available for free from their official website.

The workshop, held in Rovaniemi, Finland in March 8-10th, brought together the Arctic organizations working on metadata, electronic libraries and online learning. The goal was to share knowledge, discuss and find possible synergies and forms of co-operation that will benefit all.

The Arctic virtual learning tools project (2009-11) is funded by Nordic council of Ministers Arctic co-operation program and led by Thule Institute at University of Oulu and Thematic Networks office. Project joins together the University of Arctic, the Arctic Portal, the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), and the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry (ICR).
This project will improve the access to education in the Arctic region through online learning tools that support the existing programs and curriculum of the University of the Arctic. This will be achieved by the development of new learning resources (Open Textbooks), and online learning environments (Virtual Classroom). These new resources will serve to improve access to education and the standards of living of Arctic residents, especially in smaller communities.

The virtual classroom will give enhanced and content rich opportunities for on-line discussion and alternative forms of interactive teaching. The open textbooks and virtual classroom will be managed and distributed through the Arctic Portal and will be open for on-line teaching conducted at the University of Arctic members and other partners.

The project workshop had representatives from the core partners and International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), Arctic council’s project Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks (SAON), Polar Libraries Colloquy (PLC), International Arctic Social Sciences Association (IASSA) and Electronic Memory project in Russia (EMA). Participants shared knowledge and found good ways for co-operation in both making the data and text materials available on web and for using them in online education. The next step is finish the virtual classroom and run a pilot with online course “Adaptation to Globalization in the Arctic” developed by Professor Svein Mathiesen, Sámi University College, Kautokeino, Norway. Course is one of the new Master’s level courses developed in Thematic Network on Global Change in Arctic led by Thule Institute, University of Oulu. The course will be enrolled in fall 2010 and will be free of charge for UArctic students. In the meantime the online textbooks will be developed further and the final outcome of the whole project will be launched at UArctic council meeting in 2011, which is a 10 years anniversary meeting.

The workshop presentations can be found at http://www.arcticportal.org/vlt

For more information you can contact the APECS representative Harry Borlase harry.borlase[at]gmail.com

More information on the coming course and the project: Project leader Kirsi Latola, Thematic Networks Office, Thule Institute, University of Oulu, Finland, tel: +358-8-553 3565, email kirsi.latola (at) uarctic.org

You can now follow the most recent news from APECS on Facebookand Twitter.

Follow the tweets or register on the APECS Facebook page and get the news feed directly into your profile, into your mailbox, or on your cellphone.

You can also use the RSS feeds from APECS directly into your RSS feed reader or in your email software to keep yourself updated with the most recent APECS news.

Special thanks to Hugues Lantuit at the International Permafrost Associationfor help setting these up.

The UKPN is proud to announce  their newest newsletter!Gems inside include a review of the recent Annual General Meeting, UKPN hoodies and mugs for purchase, an introduction to their newest committee members, upcoming events for 2010 and 2011, and more. Check it all out here.

The APECS Mentor Program was successfully launched in February 2010 by the APECS Executive Committee. This online mentor database (http://apecs.is/mentors) is an exciting initiative for APECS because it allows our members to tap into the experience of more senior researchers and polar professionals. It also enables the organization to engage more actively with more senior people in the polar research community.

Kate Sinclair is managing the implementation of this project for APECS and is looking for 3-5 people to get involved in a working group (see www.apecs.is/working-groups )  to help enhance and develop the initiative.

The working group will:

  • Maintain mentor database on the APECS website.
  • Respond to enquiries about the program from mentors.
  • Send updates about the program to polar listservs.
  • Prepare advertising materials/poster for Oslo IPY meeting.
  • Develop ideas for the program and a strategy for developing the database.

If you are interested in this working group, or have questions about the program, please contact Kate Sinclair at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Are you wondering what the various projects are that we are working on? Have you been wondering how to get more involved with APECS? Is there something that you think we should be doing to help young researchers or to promote outreach, etc and are you prepared to help us make a reality?

We think we have come up with a way to answer all your questions -

Working on projects and ideas together is the main way APECS works towards shaping the future of polar research. Ideas such as the Virtual Poster Session, The APECS Mentorship Programme, the Literature Discussion Forum and the many workshops and panel discussions we have - all started with a few talented people working together with a special aim - helping each other and to create a better way to conduct polar research and to help others learn about the polar regions.

The APECS Council recently approved the new APECS Working Group Programme to create a way for all APECS members to take their ideas, find colleagues with similar interests and make those great thoughts in your heads into something that can help shape the future of polar research. Find out more about already established Working Groups at www.apecs.is/working-groups or if you have your own idea, follow the simple steps on how to create your own Working Group under www.apecs.is/create-a-working-group!

Please contact Gerlis Fugmann (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or any of the other APECS Executive Committee members (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) if you have questions!

usambassador white tromsoWe thank Megan O'Sadnick, US Fulbright Programme Scholar, for this months contribution to the great things happening in Norway for Polar Researchers.

From January 24th-29th, the Arctic Frontiers Conference was held in Tromsø, Norway. Since 2007, policy-makers, scientists, industry representatives, members of regional interest groups and NGOs have been invited to this gathering in order to discuss their stance on current and upcoming environmental, social, and economic challenges in the Arctic. Among the many notable figures in attendance was the US Ambassador to Norway, Barry White. Megan O'Sadnick, APECS member, along with two other Fulbright grantees, Lanbo Liu and Evan Axelrad, and APECS Director, Jenny Baeseman, had the opportunity to meet with Ambassador White and his wife, Eleanor, to discuss current work and overall experiences in Norway.

Megan's Fulbright grant has brought her here, to Tromsø, where she is currently working as a research assistant in the Polar Climate section at the Norwegian Polar Institute. Megan says "As an early career scientist, this experience has been insurmountable for what it has taught me both in terms of research and professional skills. I have also been afforded the opportunity to meet many intriguing people in and out of my field who are constantly broadening my horizons. Not to be forgotten is the chance my Fulbright grant has given me to live in Norway- an astoundingly beautiful country, in both scenery and culture alike."

About the meeting with Ambassador White, Megan adds "I enjoyed the opportunity to talk with Ambassador White about the Fulbright program as well as to hear about a few of his experiences in Norway. I would like to thank him and his wife for meeting with the four of us especially on such a stormy day in Tromsø!"

Established in 1946 by US Senator William J. Fulbright, the Fulbright Program provides grants to students, researchers, teachers, and administrators from the US and countries around the world. The aim of the program is to foster international ties "through the exchange of people, knowledge, and skills," with the grant offering a means to work and live abroad.

For more information on the Fulbright Program please visit http://www.iie.org or http://www.fulbright.no for those specifically interested in Fulbright Norway.

Contributed by the new UKPN coordinator Amélie Kirchgäßner 

The British branch of APECS, the UK Polar Network, held its Annual General Meeting at the Royal Astronomical Society in London on the 25th of January 2010, rounding off an exciting year full of in-spiring events and marking the beginning of another one.

2009 started off with a workshop on At-mospheric Sciences in Cambridge in April, followed by a workshop on Arctic Marine Science in Ply-mouth and one on Cryospheric Sciences in Sheffield in November. All local organising committees did amazing jobs in pulling together programs that combined keynote lectures by senior scientists with hands on sessions, e.g. in computer ice sheet modelling or analysis of sea ice proxy in Arctic sediments.

Additionally there were mentor panel sessions on topics such as grant writing, career development, and outreach skills. All these workshops were attended by 30 to 40 early career scientists - many even from outside the UK - which just shows how relevant and topical the workshops were! We are very grateful for the sponsoring we received from the Natural Environmental Research Council, the IPY Office and various other funding bodies that made this workshop series possible. UKPN’s Education and Outreach team was also hard at work during 2009, organising and participating in outreach activities at the Newcastle Life Centre, during the IGS IPY meeting in Northumberland, and at the British Science Festival at the University of Surrey. The feedback our fantastic volunteers received is more than proof, what an excellent job they have done in engaging people of all ages, and sharing the enthusiasm we feel for what we do.

The AGM was also an opportunity to look ahead at activities already in the pipeline for 2010. Events that already throw their shadow is the continuation of our workshop series with events planned for early April in Leeds on the “Variability of Polar Climate” (in run up to EGU), one in Loughborough in November titled “Physical Evidence of Polar Environmental Change” and one focussing on Science Communication skills, which is currently scheduled to be held in Aberdeen in January 2011. We will also tag a UKPN event day of mentoring sessions and a workshop on open source GIS onto the “Cir-cumpolar Remote Sensing Symposium” in Cambridge in September. With regard to E&O our outreach people have already been active, and booked UKPN a slot during the British Science Festival in September in Birmingham, and this time the topic will be: Glaciers and Sea level rise.

We will keep you informed, of course, via the APECS newsletter, but in the meantime also feel free to check out: http://www.polarnetwork.org or contact us under info[at]polarnetwork.org.


Contributed by: Shelley MacDonell, Jorge Marín and José Araos

As part of the ‘Ice and climate change: A view from the South’ conference held by the Centro de Estudios Cientificos, Valdivia, Chile, a panel discussion was held to consider ‘Careers in glaciology: research and opportunities.’ Over seventy keen young scientists turned up to have their questions answered from places as far away as New Zealand, USA, and Europe, not to mention a healthy number of Chilenos. The ‘expert panel’ consisted of Andrés Rivera (Chile), Christina Hulbe (USA), Konrad Steffen (USA), Vladimir Ryabinin (Switzerland), Michael Zemp (Switzerland) and Shelley MacDonell (Chile). In addition, the success of the workshop was heightened thanks to the other ‘experts’ dotted through the crowd, and a written contribution from Eric Rignot (USA). A big thankyou is owed to the Climate and Cryosphere Project (CliC) and the Centro de Estudios Cientificos for providing the space, translators and (most importantly) lunch!

To view a related article in the Chilean newspaper Latercera click here

On the afternoon of January 20th, APECS Sweden held a successful career day.  Around 35 graduate students from Stockholm University came together to hear advice from leaders from government, academia, and industry; all of whom had all started out in polar science. Through a series of talks and informal discussions, participants we given advice on how to be successful in a range of fields.

We were also fortunate to have the new director of the Swedish polar secretariat, Björn Dahlbäck, join us for the afternoon, and share ideas about how APECS Sweden can be successful in the future.  APECS Sweden was invited by Björn to hold an event at the annual Swedish Polar meeting, held in Ånn in week 16 (April 19-24).  If you have ideas for Ånn, or want to get more involved in APECS Sweden, please contact Alex or Johanna at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

igs logo oldAs many of you know, the IPY Oslo Science Conference will be held from 8-12 June and the 3rd European Conference on Permafrost the week after on Svalbard. Just in case you want to spend as much time learning about polar research in Norway as possible - I wanted to also tell you about the International Symposium on Sea Ice happening from 31 May to 4 June in my beautiful home of Tromsø. The conference is sponsored by the International Glaciological Society, a good partner to APECS. There is a great line up of presenters and social activities - including an APECS Mentor Panel coordinated by some of our fabulous APECS Sea Ice Researchers. For more information on the panel, please contact Angelika Renner. For more information on the conference, visit: http://www.igs2010.org/

Three weeks of great science being shared in Norway this spring! I hope to see lots of you here - its a great place to be :)

We are happy to announce the the APECS Antarctic Field School is underway - and the 15 students and lecturers made it to Bellingshausen Station on the Antarctica Peninsula today (16 Jan 2010.) The Field School is organized by the Institute for Atmospheric Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the International Arctic Research Center at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks and APECS. You can read more about this amazing adventure on a blog by Lindsay Bartholomew: http://lindsayontheice.wordpress.com/

We especially thank Hans-Ulrich Peter, Christina Braun, Antja Nordt, Mathias Kopp and Jan Esefeld from the University of Jena (Germany) for their invaluable collaboration and generosity in the field excursion around Fildes Peninsula. This group of German researchers are working for longer than 20 years at King George Island and other places of South Shetland Islands, monitoring different species of birds and plants in this area. Therefore they are first-line witnesses of the climate variation effects on this region, for example detecting a strong diminution of Adelie Penguins in the near colonies.

Special thanks to Irina Repina, Vladimir Alexeev and Francisco Fernandoy for organizing this great learning experience, which we hope will be the first of many!

Report on the Arctic in Rapid Transition (ART) Initiation Workshop,   7-9 November 2009, International Arctic Research Center (IARC) at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks
-Contributed by Carolyn Wegner

On 7-9 November, the ART Initiation Workshop was held in Fairbanks, Alaska.  58 scientists from 9 countries participated in the workshop which was hosted by the International Arctic Research Center at the University of Fairbanks. The workshop was unique in that it was entirely planned by early career scientists and over half of the participants were early career scientists or students. It was sponsored by AOSB/IASC, the US NSF, the Norwegian Research Council, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists, and IFM-GEOMAR.

The Arctic in Rapid Transition Initiative is a proposed integrative, multi-disciplinary, long-term pan-Arctic program to study changes and feedbacks with respect to physical characteristics and biogeochemical cycles of the Arctic Ocean and its biological productive capacity. The ART Initiative developed out of the synthesis of the several resulting ICARP II (Second International Conference on Arctic Research Planning) science plans specific to the marine environment. This process has been driven by the early career scientists of the ICARP II Marine Roundtable.

Workshop discussions and reports will be used to develop a science and implementation plan that integrates, updates, and develops priorities for Arctic Marine Science over the next decade.  Our focus within the ART Initiative will be to bridge gaps in knowledge not only across disciplinary boundaries (e.g., biology, geochemistry, geology, meteorology, physical oceanography), but also across geographic (e.g., international boundaries, shelves, margins, and the central Arctic Ocean) and temporal boundaries (e.g., paleo/geologic records, current process observations, and future modeling studies).  This approach of the ART Initiative will provide a means to better understand and predict change, particularly the consequences for biological productivity, and ultimate responses in the Arctic Ocean system.

The next steps will be to finalize the ART science plan and to present it to the Arctic Ocean Science Board during the Arctic Science Summit Week 2010 in Greenland.

More information about the ART Initiative can be found at http://www.aosb.org/art.html. If you have further questions or would like to join, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

In November, the APECS Director, Jenny Baeseman, was invited to present our great organization at the World Science Forum in Budapest, Hungary. The World Science Forum, organized by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in partnership with UNESCO and ICSU was held in Budapest on 5-7 November 2009. The Forum focused on "Knowledge and Future".

APECS was invited to speak in the "Science and Youth" session, coordinate by the World Academy of Young Scientists (WAYS). You can watch a webcast recording of Dr. Baeseman's Speech here.

Mandë Holford wrote a great summary of this session which can be found here. Below is a short excerpt pertaining to the APECS contribution to this session:

"In order to build local capacity in communities, the best inroads are through education, communication and engagement. As Gaell Mainguy pointed out, information that is not accessible in an open network has limited use. In our session of science and youth open science networks that are not only challenging the rules of academic recognition and funding, but are also offering great potential for collaborative research and creativity were presented. One in particular, the APECS network represented by Jenny Baeseman, illustrates the power and potential of the Internet via open sourced networks. APECS combines established and emerging researchers via a mentorship network that ensures that young scientists are able to find opportunities; brings them into key positions so that they will be seen and given credit, fostering activities that allow young scientists to progress in their careers.

In the discussion portion of the session, an audience member asked Jenny Baeseman where is there a place for young scientists given the increasing life expectancy of senior researchers? Jenny's response brilliantly illustrates why buy in from national governments and changes in science policy toward funding science is essential. Jenny responded when you train a scientist you're not only training an academic, as not all scientist become laboratory researchers. Scientific training opens doors for the individual not just to academia, but also to administrative positions, in government, policy, industry, and beyond. At the same time, those pursuing science should not feel as though they must leave science for lack of opportunities in science."

In November, APECS received a grant for 1 Million NOK from the Research Council of Norway (RCN) to continue to operate the International Directorate Office in Tromsø, Norway, through collaborations with the University of Tromsø (UiT) and the Norwegian Polar Institute (NP).  The grant covers roughly 1/3 of the total funds needed to continue the current level of APECS activity.

In addition, thanks to Aase Tveito (Senior Advisory at UiT), APECS received ~1.7 Million NOK from the Tromsø Kommune's RDA programme to support the development of a permanent sustainable funding plan for APECS. These funds will be used to support the Directorate during 2010 and 2011. The goal of this project is to develop permanent relationships with several other national and international partners that will pledge to help support the Directorate office beginning in 2012.

APECS would like to thank Aase and many others at UiT, NP, RCN and the Tromsø Kommune who have helped APECS establish our international office in Tromsø and look forward to a long and prosperous partnership.

- contributed by Penny Wagner

The 10th meeting of the International Ice Charting Working Group (IICWG) was held at the headquarters of the World Meteorological Organization in Geneva October 12-16, 2009. Forty-three attendees representing 26 operational and research organizations from 12 countries (Finland, Denmark, U.S., Canada, Russia, Sweden, Norway, Germany, Iceland, Finland, UK, and Australia) participated in the meeting.  The theme adopted for the meeting was “Expanding Domains and Services” to help focus discussion on the increasing ship traffic in new regions and new seasons in the Arctic and the resulting increase in the need for ice information services. A Science Workshop was held on October 12 followed by three days of open meetings divided into 6 thematic sessions – Expanding Arctic Knowledge, Expanding Arctic Shipping, Expanding Arctic Services, Ice Charting Systems Management, Interactions with WMO Programs and an Earth Observation Update. The IICWG established a charter that was adopted in 1999 but revised in 2008.  As a working group, the IICWG was established for the reason that there is ongoing interest of nations that are influenced by sea ice cover and further recognizing the value and economics of cooperative activities in operational ice services supporting maritime navigation.  

In addition to the ice services, many other organizations and individuals participate in the IICWG meetings including academics, national space agencies and users of ice information services. The IICWG attempts to focus on matters of practical concern to the ice services while maintaining an awareness of the scientific basis of their activities. In the interest of improving the safety of navigation in icy waters, the IICWG encourages an open sharing of information and technology.  The science meeting provided a platform in which APECS was introduced to the IICWG for the first time followed by very positive feedback.  The open meeting sessions very much stressed the need to continuing to develop cooperative partnerships with other agencies to better standardize current ice products generated within separate ice charting groups and advance current products available to improve our climate forecasting and prediction abilities.  An integral component to this development requires more input from the science community on how these products could be used to provide better datasets for accurate models for climate studies. 

Though APECS members are more involved in academic careers and positions, I wanted to attend this workshop to understand some of the operational needs and figure out how our group could benefit the needs of those in alternative careers and those who would like to get into some of these fields but do not necessarily know the manner in which to proceed.   Following this I then wanted to see what we could do at APECS to facilitate these types of collaborations that could potentially provide internships and job placement opportunities.  This process is new for me, however, since my thesis will be focused on helping to validate products for operational use, I would like to work toward getting APECS very well established and connected with the operational and logistics community as we have been with other academic organizations since IPY began.   Though no formal agreement can be established with APECS and IICWG since IICWG is a working group, APECS does have an action item listed for next years workshop to follow through with setting up some sort of collaborative effort with these operational groups and APECS. 

If you would like to get more involved with helping APECS do more about Alternative Careers in Polar Research, please contact Penelope Wagner (penelopewagner[at]live.com).

We are very glad to inform you about the launch of Polish branch of APECS.
 
As you know APECS was officially presented to Polish scientific community in June 2009 during meeting of Polar Committee of Polish Academy of Science (PAS) at Staszic Palace in Warsaw summarizing  IPY activities and first results of research campaigns. We met a very warm welcome and got new energy to start work on establishing organisation which may unite all young polar researchers and enthusiasts of cryoshperic environments in Poland.
 
The first “ Launching” meeting of APECS Polska  took place on 14-14 November at PAS Department of Antarctic Biology in Warsaw.  Over two days 21 young polar researchers from Poland discussed their ideas about the association which will be able to fulfil the mission of APECS and also encourage young polarists in our country to work together.
 
In December we carried out first elections and started work on our charter and web site. First APECS Polska executive committee was elected by acclamation and the results are: president Dr Gosia Korczak ; vice-president Liliana Keslinka ; treasurer Artur Adamek, Education and Outreach coordinator Mateusz Moskalik, International relations coordinator Matt Strzelecki.
 
Currently, we have 40 active members and we are working on further expansion . Our major goal for coming year is to prepare good workshop during Polar Symposium in  Lodz (18-19.06.2010) and work well during the major event of 2010 – IPY Oslo Science Conference!!!
 
We look forward to another exciting year for APECS and we hope that work of APECS Polska will help in shaping the future of polar research, at least in Central Europe.
 
Feel free to contact us for further information and email us: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
 
Happy New Year and see you all in Oslo!!!
 
Matt Strzelecki & APECS Polska crew

ipy-osc-logo horisontalHappy New Year APECS Members,

2010 will see one of the major International Polar Research conferences in history. The IPY Oslo Science Conference will be held from 8-12 June 2010 in Oslo, Norway. You have already seen several announcements on the listserve about this conference, and you can expect to see a few more in the coming weeks. There will be loads of great events for young researchers such as a Professional Development Workshop, a Speed-Networking Reception, an APECS Lounge, and an area for you to have interviews with potential employers. To apply for one of the 400 young researcher stipends and travel fellowships, submit an abstract through the conference system by 20 January and check the box to apply for the Oslo Stipend. To get a sneak peak of the application log into the APECS website and go to apecs.is/oslo2010.

For more information on the conference and to submit your abstract go to http://www.ipy-osc.no/. Looking forward to seeing all of you in Oslo in June!

eucopiii logo1Norway seems to be the 'hot spot' for polar related conferences these days. You will see in the News section the great opportunities for young researchers at the IPY Oslo Science Conference, but there are many others coming up that would be great for you to attend too. This month I am taking the opportunity to tell you about the 3rd European Conference on Permafrost, or EUCOP IIIas it is called... but also make sure you check out the International Symposium on Sea Ice in the Physical and Biogeochemical System in the home of the APECS office, Tromsø, 31 May - 4 June.

EUCOP III will focus on both arctic and alpine permafrost research and recent achievements like the permafrost related IPY campaigns. Issues related to CO2-storage in permafrost areas will also be covered. This will be a great place for all of you that are either already involved in permafrost research, or who want to get involved... and it is on one of the most northernly inhabited places in the world - Svalbard! This conference is hosted at UNIS, which you may remember me mentioning in the July 2009 Newsletter.

pyrn smallThis is also be a great opportunity for me to make sure all of you follow the great activities of one of our partner organizations - PYRN (the Permafrost Young Researchers Network: http://pyrn.ways.org/). PYRN is planning several events for young researchers at this meeting and there are travel fellowships available... and don't forget that if you go to the IPY Oslo Conference you are only a short flight from Svalbard!

For more information please go on http://www.eucop2010.no/

Career DiscussionAs a terrific conclusion to the UKPN Career Skills Workshop series, the Cryospheric Sciences Workshop took place 4-6 November at the University of Sheffield and was organized by Nanna Karlsson (Hull, BAS), Allen Pope (SPRI), and Jen Hall (Sheffield). Over 40 PhD and Masters students and 18 presenters and mentors came together to discuss the Cryospheric Sciences. Participants hailed from all over the UK and countries including Canada, Portugal, Poland, France, and Germany.

Modelling PracticalThe keynote talk on a career in science was delivered by Prof. Liz Morris, OBE (SPRI). Technical sessions included Glacial Remote Sensing, Mass Balance Studies, Snow Science, Ice Core Studies, and Sedimentology, development talks were given on Data Management (Dr. Nathan Cunningham, BAS) and graduate resources (Dr. Vicky Willett, Vitae), panel discussions were held on the subjects of Career Development, Paper Publishing (Magnús Magnússon, IGS), and Grant Writing, and Dr. Ian Rutt (Swansea) taught a practical on computer ice sheet modelling. In addition, and entire afternoon session was dedicated to Education and Outreach concerning the Polar regions including talks by Alex Gaffikin (Natural History Museum) and Liz Pasteur (International Polar Foundation).

Poster SessionAll workshop participants were requested to present a poster of their recent or projected research. Over a reception and a conference dinner, this research sparked valuable conversations and productive discussions between workshop attendees. Congratulations go to first prize winner Aisling Dolan (Leeds) and runners up Martin O’Leary (SPRI) and Heather Channon (QMUL).

In sum, the workshop was a huge success. Even before all of the sessions, talks, posters, and discussion, there were almost 100 applications for spots at the event. Due to such an overwhelming response, the UKPN is hoping to be able to run similar events in the future.

We would like to take the opportunity to thanks all of the participants and presenters who made this event as enjoyable as it was. Particular recognition must go to our sponsors – the Natural Environment Research Council, International Polar Year International Programme Office, the Royal Astronomical Society, the University of Sheffield, the International Glaciological Society, The Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry Society, the British Antarctic Survey, and the Scott Polar Research Institute - for making this event financially possible.

Photos provided by the workshop organizers.

Welcome to the latest edition of the APECS Newsletter. This is the first newsletter being published since you entrusted me with the job as APECS President for 2009-2010, and I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you and I hope that we all can work together during the coming year to build on the great achievements that APECS has research in the last few years. As you can see, this issue of the APECS Newsletter is filled with many opportunities for early career polar researchers – meetings, workshops, jobs, and opportunities to share our experiences.  I encourage all of you to actively get involved in our organization, so please take a few moments to look for possibilities for yourself.

-Gerlis Fugmann, APECS President 2009-2010

Download the newsletter

In this month’s newsletter …
1.) APECS News and Updates

  • IPY Oslo Science Conference – Abstract Submission and Travel Fellowship Application Open
  • Young polar researchers on “Researchers’ Night”
  • Polar careers panel at the Antarctic Climate Evolution Symposium
  • IASC supports early career scientists at the IPY Oslo Science Conference 2010
  • Pavlov to serve on ASSW 2011 Scientific Steering Group
  • Travel funding available: Jokkmokk Winter Conference on Climate Change Impacts in the North
  • SCAR Social Science Action Group approved
  • APECS in the Chilean Society of Ecology and INACH
  • UKPN Arctic Marine Science Workshop

2.) Message from the Director – The Climate and Cryosphere (CliC) Project

3.) Important news from APECS partners

  • Morrison joins CliC Office
  • Emerging STEM Education Leaders organization
  • IPY October report available
  • IASC Fall newsletter available
  • IPY archiving
  • Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks (SAON) update
  • World Glacier Monitoring Service: Call for data
  • NOAA Arctic Report Card 2008/2009 launched
  • Inuvialuit settlement region database

4.)  Meetings, Workshops and Conferences

  • 3rd European Conference on Permafrost (EUCOP III)
  • Southern Ocean Benthic Biodiversity and Biogeography
  • Arctic in Rapid Transition (ART) workshop
  • Antarctic Treaty Summit
  • Jokkmokk Winter Conference
  • APECS Mentor Panel at the VICC, Valdivia, Chile
  • APECS at IPY Oslo Science Conference
  • UK Polar Network Cryospheric Science Workshop
  • APECS luncheon dialogue at the Antarctic Treaty Summit
  • IPY International Early Career Researcher Symposium
  • Providing Climate Policy Makers with a Strong Scientific Base – Session at AGU
  • BSG Post-graduate research training workshop
  • DISCCRS V: Interdisciplinary Climate Change Research Symposium
  • UKPN conference day
  • Polar Climate and Environmental Change in the Last Millenium – APECS Panel
  • Sea-level changes: the Science of a Changing World – APECS Panel
  • 2010 Ocean Sciences Meeting – APECS Panel
  • 2010 State of the Arctic Conference – APECS Panel

5.) Recent Literature Discussions on the APECS website

  • Evidence and implications of recent climate change in northern Alaska and other Arctic regions
  • Viral-mediated lysis of microbes and carbon release in the sub-Antarctic and Polar Frontal zones of the Australian Southern Ocean
  • Sexing pinnipeds with ZFX and ZFY loci
  • Extensive dynamic thinning on the margins of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets
  • The Antarctic Treaty 1959

6.) Jobs/Opportunities

The second UKPN career skills workshop, organised by Dr Claudia Halsband-Lenk (PML) and Angelika Renner (BAS/UEA), took place on the 12-13th October 2009. Kindly hosted by Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML), the event saw thirty three early career researchers fomr the UK, Norway, Iceland, France, Greece, and even Ururguay come together at the Royal Plymouth Corinthian Yacht Club for two days of lectures, discussions, and practical workshops centered around Arctic marine Sciences. Fifteen senior scientists and mentors from six institutions and organisations provided their time and offered excellend talks and advice.

After introductions to PML, UKPN and APECS, Dr Warwick Vincent, director of the Centre d'études nordiques (CEN) at Laval University in Québec, presented the keynote lecture about climate change and ecosystem collapse in high Arctic Canada. Other speakers included Dr Cynan Ellis-Evans, who introduced the NERC Arctic Office, Dr Steve Rowland (University of Plymouth), and Mike Kendall (PML), among others. A different view of the changing Arctic environment was presented by Antony Jinman, polar explorer, who introduced his education work with students on Baffin Island. (Check out what Antony wrote about the event!)

The morning talks were followed by break out sessions in the afternoon. In small groups, the early career researchers had the opportunity to discuss topics, such as education and outreach in schools or how to get funded, with the mentors. More hands on sessions included the analysis of a sea ice proxy in Arctic sediments and a tour around PML and the mesocosm experimental facilities.

On Monday evening, the early career researchers were joined by Dr Steve de Mora (CEO of PML), Dr Vincent, Antony Jinman, Dr Simon Belt (University of Plymouth) and other mentors on board the Spirit of Plymouth for a cruise on Plymouth Sound. An excellent opportunity for more in depth conversations and networking amongst the participants and with the mentors! Tuesday evening saw everybody gathering at PML for the poster presentations. Many excellent posters were on display, and congratulations go to Dr Birgit Obermueller for winning the first prize, and Helena Reinardy and Teresa Silva for runner up prizes!

Photos of the workshop are now online in the UKPN photo gallery!

A truly successful event was made possible thanks to the support from many sides. We thank all the speakers and mentors for their help, time and effort, and our sponsors for financial support.

As the newly elected president of APECS, it is a pleasure present to you the APECS October 2009 Report and the Priorities for 2009-2010 of the new APECS Executive Committee.

The APECS October 2009 Report is a semi-annual report that highlights the APECS activities from February until October 2009 with a summary of the international accomplishments that APECS was able to achieve as well as a list of upcoming activities. The year 2009 has been very successful so far for our organization and we want to continue building on this in the upcoming year.

As most of you know, on October 1, 2009, the new and very enthusiastic APECS Executive Committee 2009-2010 started its term: Francisco Fernandoy, Germany / Chile, Gerlis Fugmann, Germany; Daniela Liggett, New Zealand; Kate Sinclair, New Zealand and Alex Taylor, Sweden/Canada. As one of our first tasks, we created a document that shows our priorities for APECS in the upcoming year. We think it is important to enhance the current APECS activities and initiatives, and to expand our major services. If you want to know more about the new Executive Committee, you’ll find all of our bios on www.apecs.is/leadership.

We look forward to another exciting year for APECS with lots of possibilities for you to get involved in the various activities so please keep visiting www.apecs.is or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.!

Best wishes,
Gerlis Fugmann
APECS President 2009-2010

Between the 8-10 of October, near 200 investigators working in a diverse array of ecological research from terrestrial to marine ecosystems to isolated areas like Antarctica met in Valdivia, Chile at the Chilean National Congress of Ecology. During this event we presented a poster of Apecs in the poster sessions to divulgate APECS aims and get more people interested in Polar research. We were able to disseminate Apecs among the Chilean Society of Ecology and now the website of Apecs is among the links of the webpage of the Chilean Society of Ecology. Also the link of Apecs was included in the web page of the Chilean Antarctic Institute (INACH)!

clic old logoThis month as the days grow much shorter here in Northern Norway, we are happy to welcome some great new energy to the international research projects here in Tromso. Calista Morrison joined the Climate and the Cryosphere office as an intern for the next few months. You can read more about her in the APECS News section of the newsletter and our website. I thought this would provide a great time to tell you more about CliC. CliC and APECS have been working together now for a few years to try to help create opportunities for young researchers involved in not just polar research, but cryosphere projects as well. CliC's International coordination office is located here in Tromsø at the Norwegian Polar Institute.

The CliC Project was established in March 2000 by the World Climate Research Programme* ( WCRP )to stimulate, support, and coordinate research into the processes by which the cryosphere interacts with the rest of the climate system. The cryosphere consists of the frozen portions of the globe, and includes ice sheets, glaciers, ice caps, icebergs, sea ice, snow cover and snowfall, permafrost and seasonally frozen ground, as well as lake- and river-ice. As a sensitive component of the climate system, the cryosphere may provide key indicators of climate change, and CliC will focus on identifying patterns and rates of change in cryospheric parameters. The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), became a co-sponsor of CliC in 2004. In July 2008, the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) joined as sponsor when they, together with WCRP and SCAR representatives, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to co-sponsor the CliC project .

The CliC project's principal goal is to assess and quantify the impacts that climate variability and change have on components of the cryosphere and its overall stability, and the consequences of these impacts for the climate system. To attain its goal, CliC develops and coordinates national and international activities related to cryosphere and climate. This includes organizing conferences, workshops, scientific experiments, and model comparison studies, as well as collaboration with other groups involved in climate research. CliC promotes projects to recover, archive, and distribute historic data sets.

"Make use of chances that come your way."

Diana Magens (Alfred Wegener Institute) organized a successul career panel at the recent Antarctic Climate Evolution Symposium in Grenada, Spain. 5 panelists shared their experiences with more than twenty students in a well-received and lively session. Emphasis within these presentations was put towards how certain decisions were made on the way and what the role of mentors was for each of the panelists. Since there were four female panelists, the question of what happens to the partner and family during the stages of a career was an important aspect as well. Various pieces of advice were given by the panelists ranging from the importance of getting your papers out over how to learn to cope with failures such as proposal rejection and how to deal with being nervous before talks or the fact that science develops and you have to develop your expertise with it.

Thanks to the SCAR-ACE program and the ACE organizing committee for their generous support of the panel discussion.

Alexey Pavlov, APECS Marine Geosciences Discipline Coordinator and PhD Student at St. Petersburg State University, has been asked to serve on the Scientific Steering Group (SSG) for the Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) 2011 which will be held March 28 to April 1, 2011 in Seoul, Korea.  The theme for ASSW 2011 is "The Arctic: the New Frontier for Global Science". Dr. Byong Kwon Park of the Korean Polar Research Institute and Dr. Jackie Grebmeier of the University of Maryland have agreed to serve as co-chairs of the SSG.

Information about previous ASSW’s can be found on the International Arctic Science Committee’s (IASC) website.

Serving on steering committees for conferences is another great opportunity to meet and learn from senior researchers, as well as help shape the scientific agenda. The general requirements of these committees are to:

  • Determine and invite keynote speakers;
  • Collect abstracts from keynote speakers;
  • Determine and invite session chairs;
  • Assist the session chairs in the review and selection of submitted abstracts.

Researchers’ Night is an initiative of the European Commission aiming to bring scientists and the public together. Since 2005 it happens on the last Friday of September, this year on 25th September. In Portugal, this year the event took place in four cities simultaneously, Porto, Coimbra, Lisboa and Olhão.

In Lisbon, setting at the gardens of Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, the public could take part in a range of different interactive activities as hands-on activities, speed-dating with scientists, sci-art installations, cafes scientifiques. At the evening we had Setting The Stage with a series of theatre performances produced for Researchers’ Night 2009, designed to stimulate reflection, discussion and debate on topics related to researchers and their everyday lives. This event brought together research centers, universities, a science museum and theatre groups.

With the sponsorship of the Portuguese bank, Caixa Geral de Depositos, young researchers of the Portuguese Polar Programme actively participated in this event in various ways: with hands-on-activities of the six Polar Research Projects, in the café scientifiques with Gonçalo Vieira and on a theatre play where two of the fellowship students acted; Ana Salomé, research manager of the Portuguese Polar programme, and Ana Almeida, researcher in the Albatroz Project and member of APECS.

In the hands-on activities, carried out by young polar researchers Silvia Lourenço and Ana Almeida, numerous people had the opportunity to see and know more about the life of the Black-browed albatross and Antarctic skuas, about the live cycle of the lantern fish and its importance in the Antarctic food web. People could also learn how to extract DNA from a kiwi fruit or understand how the polar atmosphere works. In the spot people could also see how researchers live on the field by visiting the field tent and provisons for the antarctic expeditions.Brilliant day!!!

The APECS October 2009 newsletter is now published. APECS is proud to announce the election of a new Executive Committee to lead our organization into 2010. We have achieved much for a young group, and our success will continue because of the passionate contributions of our leaders, members, and mentors.

In this month’s newsletter …
1.) APECS News and Updates

  • APECS 2009-2010 Executive Committee Election results
  • New APECS Council Charter
  • SCAR Biology APECS Meeting Report
  • APECS South Africa Update
  • Participate in IPY Polar Week and the International Lecture Series: 4-9 October
  • IPY Oslo Science Conference – Updates
  • Win a Free Trip to the Oslo IPY Conference - Submit your data!

2.) Message from the Director – Arctic Frontiers and Young Scientist Forum

3.) Important news from APECS partners

  • International Permafrost Association launches new website
  • IASC needs your Arctic photos for their yearbook
  • Arctic Climate Feedbacks Report available from the World Wildlife Fund
  • 2009 Climate Change and Energy Competitions
  • Cephalopod Beak Guide published by José Xavier
  • New Publication: Variations on Polysynthesis, the Eskaleut languages
  • IPY September 2009 report published
  • Workshop: "Marine Biodiversity under change”, 24 Jan to 3 Feb 2010,
  • Svalbard Science Forum Arctic field grant
  • SCAR September 2009 newsletter published

4.)  Meetings, Workshops and Conferences

  • APECS Session at the 1st World Young Earth Scientists (YES) Congress
  • Arctic in Rapid Transition (ART) Workshop
  • Luncheon Dialogue at the Antarctic Treaty Summit
  • IPY International Early Career Polar Researcher Symposium
  • AGU Session: Providing Climate Policy Makers with a Strong Scientific Base
  • Marine Biodiversity under change workshop
  • Climate Change in Magellan and Antarctic Regions: Evidence and Challenge for the Future
  • IPY Oslo Science Conference 2010

5.) Recent Literature Discussions on the APECS website

  • The Climate Change Debate
  • Eco-tweens can help polar bears
  • New publication: Russia and the North
  • Terrestrial ecologists ignore aquatic literature: Asymmetry in citation breadth in ecological public

6.) New Posters in the Virtual Poster Session

  • An Investigation of the Impacts of Polynyas in Storfjorden, Svalbard
  • The Antarctic Peninsula: Climate and Sea Ice Extent in a Changing Environment
  • A Snapshot of Food Availability for Little Auks (Alle alle), Bjørndalen Colony, Svalbard
  • Permafrost temperatures in Svalbard – what controls them?
  • Biodiversity and Distribution of High Arctic Invertebrates and Plants Beneath a Breeding Sea Bird Colony

7.) Latest Videos posted to the APECS collection

  • King Penguin
  • Life Under the Ice
  • Cruise Cruise Baby

8.) Jobs/Opportunities

Download the newsletter.

 

Polar science is alive and well in South Africa.

You may think that a little country situated in the sub tropics, with tolerable year round temperatures and overwhelming biodiversity would not be interested in polar science.  You would of course be wrong. South Africa’s involvement in polar science commenced with its participation in the first International Geophysical Year (IGY) Antarctic Expedition in 1958 and in 1960 became one of the original signatories to the Antarctic Treaty launching the first South African over wintering scientific expedition in the same year. The South African National Antarctic Program celebrates 50 years of Antarctic exploration and polar science this year and aims to uphold the high scientific standards and active involvement in Antarctica for many years to come. SANAP also maintains and operates research bases at Marion and Gough Islands situated in the Southern Ocean. Current research themes include the following:

  • Antarctica: A window into Geospace
  • Climate Variability: Past, Present and Future
  • Biodiversity Responses to Earth System Variability
  • Engineering a Sustainable Presence in Antarctica
  • The History, Sociology and Politics of Antarctic Research and Exploration

APECS has been presented at a number of conferences, seminars and schools over the past few months

  • Antarctic Science winter school held in Hermanus, South Africa in July 2009
  • South African Society for Atmospheric Sciences Conference held in Tulbagh, South Africa in September 2009
  • GAES Seminar, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa October 2009

APECS South Africa is currently doing its best to source new members and expand the APECS scientific network bridging the north-south scientific gap.

Regards

APECS South Africa
Dale Wilson
Climatology Research Group
University of the Witwatersrand
Johannesburg
South Africa
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

For those of you who followed the amazing Students on Ice Arctic 2009 Expedition you know that we had an amazing few weeks on board the Lyubov Orlova. This was my first 'cruise', so I have a whole new appreciation for you polar marine researchers! There are some great videos on the site that really capture the awesomeness of the Canadian Arctic and the wonderful and warm people living there.

After only being back here in Tromsø for a few days, I had the pleasure of showing 2 US students from American University around campus and shared with them the fun of the Tromsø nightlife. These two students had won an essay contest sponsored by the Norwegian Embassy in Washington D.C. Read about their Norwegian Arctic Adventure.

This gives me the perfect opportunity to tell you about the great Norwegian Embassies around the world. Embassies are the perfect place to find information when you are thinking about moving to a new country, and when looking for travel funding to develop new international research partnerships. The Norwegians have a plethora of great insights and helpful suggestions to make visiting Norway, and moving here a lot easier. If you are planning to attend the Oslo IPY Science Conference in June 2010, this site will also be helpful to find out about visa information. Check out your local Norwegian Embassy.

arctic frontiers old logo1My first trip to beautiful Tromsø, Norway was in January 2008 for the Arctic Frontiers Conference. I had no idea then that a year later APECS would be hosted here at the University of Tromsø and the "Paris of the North" would become my home – but I am very glad it did.

Arctic Frontiers is a great annual conference that brings together policy makers and scientists to discuss issues on the forefront of Arctic matters. In addition, every year the conference, together with the ARCTOS PhD School, host a Young Scientist Forum that is offered for credit through the University of Tromsø. This forum is open to young researchers from all countries and disciplines and often comes with travel fellowships. Young Scientists attend the conference and special workshops, as well as a week long marine cruise where they learn techniques and skills and are accompanied by young artists, writers, and musicians. This is a great way to 'get your feet wet' in the natural and physical sciences as well as learning how social sciences are a key component in Arctic research. For more information about the Arctic Frontiers meeting and the Young Scientists Forum, visit: http://www.arcticfrontiers.com.

Living in the High North 24-29 January 2010

Policy development - Northern societies in a changing natural environment

Science conference
* Part I: Ice and climate, including paleoclimate.
* Part II: Sustainable communities in the High North; economy, well-being including health issues, and self-governance
* Part III: Marine Biodiversity under change
* Part IV: Frontiers in E-learning of the High North

- Contributed by Chao Tang

APECS hosted two great events at the SCAR Biology Symposium, Sapporo, Japan. On July 28th, we had a social with senior scientists in a nice restaurant. Lots of senior scientists came including Dr. Chuck Kennicutt, Dr.Peter Convey and many others. Each table we had young scientists and senior scientists sitting together also with our very friendly Japanese young hosts sharing some knowledge of Japanese cuisine and drinks. We had about 70 people coming. It was so lively and fun!! Afterwards, some of us flowed to the Karaoke place next door and continued the fun. 

On July 29th, we had the Polar Research Career Panel Discussion. Our four wonderful panelists Dr. Chuck Kennicutt, Dr.Peter Convey, Dr. Kathleen Conlan and Dr. Takeshi Naganuma shared their career path onto polar research and how they continued on with science. It was very interesting that each of them had their distinct way into our beloved polar biology field, some are totally out of serendipity!! Questions from audience were followed on career choices and how to establish ourselves either in career or be involved in pressing issues in science right now. The panelists gave great suggestions and encouraged us to keep our mind open and be flexible. It was a very inspiring discussion.

These activities truly encouraged the communication among us young scientists and with senior scientists. Some senior scientists are particularly encouraging and supportive. It's a fantastic conference and it filled me with more confidence about polar research and a great polar research community!

I really would like to thank our Japanese APECS community especially Takahiro Iida and Daiki Nomura  for wonderful hosting and help making these events happen.

For more information on this panel visit the website.

We are happy to inform you that the "Cephalopod beak guide for the Southern Ocean" (see attached), published by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), was launched early this month at the Cephalopod International Advisory Council Conference, in Vigo (Spain), with very good reviews. Jose Xavier, former APECS Executive Committee member was the lead author on this great contribution to the knowledge of cephalopods and their interactions with predators in the Southern Ocean.

This book  is the result of the research carried out during the International Polar Year (IPY), within your two international research projects: Integrating Climate and Ecosystem Dynamics in the Southern Ocean (ICED) and Census of the Antarctic Marine Life  (CAML) and was endorsed  by the International Polar Year. The APECS logo was included in the book thanks to Jose.

Antarctic squid and octopods are highly represented in the diet of a wide range of Antarctic predators, including albatrosses, seals, penguins and whales. We produced an up-to-date guide to identify the squid and octopods beaks, including 3-D computer images, making this book a extremely useful tool to marine ecologists dealing with trophic interactions in the Southern Ocean.

For more information, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

I feel September is always a month filled with possibilities  and excitement for the future. This issue of the APECS newsletter has a great number of opportunities for early career polar researchers - meetings, workshops, jobs, and opportunities to share our science and our experiences. Please take a few moments to look for possibilities for yourself!

- Benjamin Beall, APECS Vice-President

In this month’s newsletter:

  1. APECS News and Updates
  • UKPN Arctic Marine Sciences Workshop
  • APECS discussion panel at the Antarctic Treaty Summit
  • Participate in IPY Polar Week
  • Call for researcher applicants: Host a PolarTREC teacher
  1. Message from the Director - Visit your local Norweigan Embassy
  2. Important news from APECS partners
  • Online Magazine Available: US National Science Foundation
  • New Digital Elevation Model available – 30m ASTER GDEM
  • SCAR Newsletter: Issue 19, June 2009 now available
  • Arctic Climate Change and Security Policy Conference report available
  • CliC Ice and Climate Newsletter published
  • New Book: Northern Exposure: Peoples, Powers, and Prospects for Canada’s North
  • Sea Ice Outlook Report
  • Alaska Ocean Observing System Updated Website: Sound Predictions 2009 and Field Team Blog
  1. Meetings, Workshops and Conference
      • Cryospheric Science Workshop
      • Arctic in Rapid Transition. Initiation Workshop International Conference on Arctic Research Planning II
      • IPY International Early Career Researcher Symposium
      • Impact of Environment on Human Health: Interdisciplinary Science and Education
      • Managing Resources for a Changing Arctic
      • Northern Governance Policy Research Conference
      • New website and call for community input – 2010 State of the Arctic Conference
      • Arctic Science Summit Week 2010
      • 17th Inuit Studies Conference
  2. Jobs/Opportunities

Now is the height of the boreal summer and a busy time for field studies for our northern-inclined members. As much as field researchers would hope to the contrary, the rest of the world continues to race along, and we would like to share some of the activities and opportunities happening within APECS and within the broader polar research community.

- Benjamin Beall, APECS Vice-President

Download the newsletter.

In this month’s newsletter …
1.)APECS News and Updates
-    APECS panel discussion in Auckland a success
-    Literature discussion is live!
-    APECS elections
-    APECS at MOCA-09
-    Students on Ice Expedition

2.) Message from the Director – Summer in Northern Norway

3.) Important news from APECS partners
-    Call for nominations: The Martha T. Muse Prize for Science and Policy in Antarctica
-    Latest Climate and the Cryosphere “Ice and Climate News” June 2009 Issue Available
-    Call for nominations: Arctic Icebreaker Coordinating Committee
-    Call for Proposals: European Centre for Arctic Environmental Research (Ny-Ålesund RI), Svalbard, Norway

4.)  Meetings, Workshops and Conferences
-    ACE Symposium Drilling Workshop: Invitation to Participate
-    Call for papers: Symposium on the Politics of Antarctica
-    Yukon River in Transition: Water and Climate Change in Southern Yukon
-    Register for the UKPN Cryospheric Science Workshop
-    Conference Announcement: Arctic Science Summit Week 2010
-    Arctic in Rapid Transition (ART) Workshop – Sponsored by IASC, IARC, and APECS
-    DISCCRS V: Interdisciplinary Climate Change Research Symposium

5.) Jobs/Opportunities

Invited Talk during IPY session

Liz Thomas was invited to give an APECS talk as part of the IPY session during MOCA-09, chaired by Karen Haywood and Ian Allison. The talk was well attended and provided an overview of how APECS was founded, our goals and achievements to date, including education and outreach, research activities and career development, and information on future events. The presentation was concluded with a movie from the recent APECS field school.

APECS at IACS and plenary

The International Association of Cryospheric Science (IACS) invited APECS vice-president Liz Thomas to join their bureau meeting in Montreal last week, as part of the MOCA-09 conference. IACS is the newest association of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) and is a sister organization to long established associations such as those for Hydrological Sciences (IAHS), Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences (IAMAS) and Physical Sciences of the Oceans (IAPSO). Both the first IACS president, Georg Kaser, and the new president, Ian Allison, have been extremely supportive of APECS activities and we thank them for their encouragement and look forward to working with them in the future.

The meeting began with a welcome address from Ian Allison,  IACS president, followed by Tom Beers (president of IUGG), who acknowledged the work of APECS and highlighted our involvement in the YES congress. Ian provided an update on IACS activities and goals including the need to link with biological associations and confirming that IACS intend to allocate funding to support young and early career researchers in IACS activities.

Representatives for sister associations and collaborators provided updates including IAPSO, IAHS, World Glacier Monitoring Service (WGMS), International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI), International permafrost association (IPA), International Glaciological Society (IGS), Climate and Cryoshere (CliC), International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) and APECS.

APECS was very well received in this meeting, and were praised for our enthusiasm and achievements. Volker Rachold (IASC Executive Secretary) described us as the most important outcome of IPY!

The full meeting minutes will be available on the IACS website shortly however here are some areas of interest to APECS members:

  • IGS publication “Annals of glaciology” has always been peer reviewed but previously only for papers presented at conferences. This has now changed (so that it can be ICI ranked) and is now a thematic journal. IGS invited contributions of IPY papers and
  • suggestions for future journal themes.
  • IACS is developing proposed sessions for next IUGG assembly in Melbourne 2010 and will be requesting suggestions soon (needs to be ready for IUGG meeting in October)
  • Glacier mass balance terminology has been complied by Graham Cogley and the draft is now open for public discussion and comment until 10th September (available via IACS website).

There was also an open meeting during the conference where several members requested IACS focus on educational activities, such as cryospheric courses for undergraduates and summer schools. They all agreed that they should be working with APECS, either through new initiatives or ongoing activities within APECS such as the field schools.

I have to admit that living in the land of the midnight sun has been great. Last week the sun finally dipped below the horizon again, which makes it easier to sleep, but also tells us to enjoy the nice weather as long as well can because it will be getting dark again.

After returning from beautiful Svalbard for the IPY Polar Field School, I felt inspired to do some exploring around Tromsø and Northern Norway. I have been lucky that a few APECS folks have been stopping through Tromsø on their way to Svalbard for research expeditions, so together we have been able to do some exploring during this fabulous summer. Fellow APECS member Susanne and I embarked on a bus journey through the Lyngen Alps, spending some time at the beautiful small village of Lyngseidet before continuing to Skjervøy where we boarded the coastal steamer and headed back to Tromsø. The steamer is operated by Hurtigruten - a large Norwegian cruise company that has tours in Greenland, Svalbard, Iceland, Antarctica, Norway and more, visit www.hurtigruten.no for more information. The 4-hour cruise home to Tromsø was through some of the most beautiful coastal landscapes I have ever seen.

Here in Tromsø, I had the pleasure of hanging out with Alexey, the APECS Marine Geosciences Coordinator, by the University fountain where we tried to avoid getting attacked by seagulls protecting their young. With APECS member Anja, who is here working for a few months in the Geology Department, I finally took the cable car up to Mount Storsteinen, the most beautiful look out point around! On our walk back, we stopped at the Arctic Cathedral for a midnight concert, before exploring some of the local nightlife. For more of the great things to see and do around Tromsø in the summer, visit www.vistittromso.no.

My next adventure will take me on the Students on Ice Arctic 2009 Expedition. We will be exploring the Canadian Arctic from a ship and stopping at Kuujjuaq, Hantzch Island, Kekerten Island and many other fabulous places on the way to Iqaluit. I won't have email for 3 weeks during this trip, so I hope I will make it Wink. You can follow our voyage as well as learn more about Students on Ice at www.studentsonice.org.

uit-logo oldThis month I had the amazing opportunity to give the Commencement Address at the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point's Spring Graduation, where I received my undergraduate degree in 1998. This Graduation Ceremony was held for over 1200 students who completed their B.S., M.S, or Ph.D. degrees, and loads of their friends and family. It was a wonderful experience, and quite an honor for me. When trying to prepare my speech, I received some fun comments from various people. Curt Rice, the Pro-Rector of Research here at the University of Tromsø, told me that he would buy me a beer for every time I mentioned the University of Tromsø in my speech - so I made sure I mentioned it a few times :) Then it occurred to me that I have not told you all about this great University that has generously agreed to host our International Directorate Office.

The University of Tromsø is the Northernmost University in the world and has a number of great programs and degrees - many of which are taught in English. For those of you interested in a semester exchange, there are lots of scholarships available to help fund your stay here. The University of Tromsø offers around 100 programmes of study within a variety of academic subjects ranging from medicine, law and science to economics, psychology, social science, fishery science and the humanities. 20 international Master´s degree programmes and a variety of courses taught in English offer international students interesting study options. To learn more about this great University, visit their website (in English) http://www.uit.no - or just ask me and I'll be sure to forward your question along to the appropriate people that can help answer your question.

unis copyThis week I have the pleasure of experiencing Svalbard for the first time. I have been at 78° S and now at 78° N, and I am amazed by the similarities that I see, and the differences too, of course. I can see very clearly why various aspects of polar research need to be bi-polar and why we need Arctic and Antarctic researchers to work closely together to share information and techniques.

I am here giving a few lectures at the fabulous University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) and am very impressed by not only the great facilities and logistical support, but the various research projects and the truly international flavor of Longyearben and UNIS.

The International and interdisciplinary IPY Polar Field School 2009 kicks off today. 24 undergraduate students from all over the world will gather at UNIS to have three weeks of lectures and field excursions, focusing on the research that has been performed during the IPY. When the application deadline for the field school passed, the organizers had an amazing 297 applications from students in 50 countries. To follow their adventure, visit the IPY Polar Field School website.

The University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) is the world's northernmost higher education institution, located in Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen at 78°N. UNIS offers high-quality courses at the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate level in Arctic Biology, Arctic Geology, Arctic Geophysics and Arctic Technology. About 350 students from all over the world take one or more courses every year at UNIS. The student body consist of 50 % Norwegian and 50 % international students, and English is the official language at UNIS. There are no tuition fees, and there is affordable student accommodation in "Nybyen". UNIS' faculty consist currently of 20 fulltime professors, 21 assistant professors and 120 guest lecturers who specialize in Arctic issues. UNIS researchers work in collaboration with Norwegian and foreign research institutions and are actively involved in a large number of joint research projects.
For more information, visit http://www.unis.no/

Fram MuseumI have been really enjoying my experiences in Norway these past few months. One of the highlights was the IPY Celebration event for Norway held at the Fram Museum in early March. It was exciting to hear about all the great IPY projects that are happening here in Norway and the amazing results that are being produced. Norway is actively recruiting young researchers and have a number of job opportunities, as well as research collaboration potentials. For more information on these projects, visit http://www.polaryear.no/seksjoner/english.

The venue for the IPY event was the Fram Museum in Oslo. The Fram was the strongest vessel in the world, and the one sea-going vessel that has been the farthest both to the north and the south. Inside the museum you will be able to walk onboard the fully restored ship and take your mind back in time to the early days of Polar Exploration.

In addition to the Fram, the museum tells the story of the Norwegian polar expeditions, who also represent international history in the field of polar exploration: Nansen's journey across the Polar ocean and his attempt to go to the North Pole, Sverdrup's expedition to Greenland, a voyage where more than 200 000 square kilometers of unchartered land was discovered, and Amundsens journey to the South Pole, the discovery of the Northwest Passage and his attempt to reach the North Pole by plane and airship. For more information on the Fram and the great explorers from the Heoric age, visit the museum website: http://www.fram.museum.no/en/.

I know that a number of you will be traveling through Tromsø on your way to Svalbard for research or field schools this summer. I would be happy to meet with you on your way through Tromsø and show you the great city in which I live. Feel free to contact me anytime for a personal tour! --- Happy Spring/Fall :)

NPI-logo-engHello! I am going to try something new for these newsletters and share with you some of the wonderful things I am learning on my new adventure living in Norway and working at the University of Tromsø. This is such a great place with so many wonderful people that I think you would all benefit from learning a little more about it. I moved here in early January when the sun was still below the horizon and ever since the day light has been getting longer and my love for this place and the people grow!

I had the pleasure of giving at talk at the Institute 2 weeks ago and was amazed by the cutting edge research, new projects being developed, and supportiveness of the Director and staff for helping young researchers develop their careers. I choose to highlight NPI this month because they have a number of new positions open and I encourage those of you looking for a new job, or just wanting to learn more to check out NPI. The jobs available are listed further down in this newsletter.

The Norwegian Polar Institute is Norway's central institution for research, environmental monitoring and mapping of the polar regions. The Institute is the Norwegian authorities' consultant and supplier of knowledge, and contributes to the best possible administration of Norwegian polar areas.
Through active participation in national and international bodies, the Polar Institute is central when it comes to protecting national interests in matters of research and the environment. Approximately 110 persons are employed at the Institute in Tromsø, Svalbard and Dronning Maud Land.
The Institute's activities are concentrated on environmental management needs at both poles. Global climate, long-range transported pollution, the effect of pollutants on the environment, biodiversity and topographical mapping of the regions are all important tasks, as is environmental collaboration in the Barents Region. The Institute equips and organizes expeditions to both poles, owns the research vessel "Lance" and runs the Norwegian research stations in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard, and Antarctica.

The Norwegian Polar Institute distributes the results of research projects and environmental management projects to the Norwegian administration and to interested scientists and managers as well as providing information to the public. Reports, a science magazine, websites and books are published, of which the "Polar Handbooks" in particular have obtained a wide readership.

The Institute's library contains large collections of scientific and historic polar literature, as well as hunting and expedition records from as far back as the 16th century.

Arctic Council logoIn April, a joint meeting of the Antarctic Council Consultative Members and the Arctic Council was held in Washington, DC. This was the first time these two groups met and the support for Polar Research from policy makers was very strong. Both of these groups have made strong statements about the legacy of IPY and the need to support APECS and the retention of young researchers.

I had the pleasure of attending the Arctic Council meeting here in Tromsø the end of April, as a representative for IASC. I would like to thank IASC for giving APECS the opportunity to be part of this important meeting. I wanted to take the opportunity this month to bring to your attention the great work of the Arctic Council, who's secretariat office is located here in Tromsø at the Norwegian Polar Institute.

The Arctic Council was established in 1996 through the Ottawa Declaration as a high level intergovernmental forum to provide a means for promoting cooperation, coordination and interaction among the Arctic States, with the involvement of the Arctic Indigenous communities and other Arctic inhabitants on common Arctic issues, in particular issues of sustainable development and environmental protection in the Arctic. The Member States of the Arctic Council are Canada, Denmark (including Greenland and the Faroe Islands), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russian Federation, Sweden, and the United States of America. In addition to the Member States, the Arctic Council has the category of Permanent Participants. This category is open equally to Arctic organizations of Indigenous peoples with a majority of Arctic Indigenous constituency representing: a single Indigenous people resident in more than one Arctic State or more than one Arctic Indigenous people resident in a single Arctic State. The Arctic Council also grants various organizations observer status allowing these groups to take part in not only the meetings, but the important work happening in the Arctic Council Working Groups. The scientific work of the Arctic Council is carried out in six expert working groups focusing on such issues as monitoring, assessing and preventing pollution in the Arctic, climate change, biodiversity conservation and sustainable use, emergency preparedness and prevention in addition to the living conditions of the Arctic residents.
For more information on the Arctic Council, visit http://www.arctic-council.org

 

Daniela Haase Liggett and Libby Liggins organised an APECS panel discussion in conjunction with the Annual Antarctic conference from 1-3 July 2009 in Auckland, New Zealand. This event was a full success with more than 60 conference participants registered.

Overview
At the Antarctica New Zealand Annual Conference this year, the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS*) ran a workshop with the theme ‘Taking your research further: communicating science to the wider public’. The most recent International Polar Year (IPY) had just come to a close and ‘sustaining the gains of the IPY’ was the recognised theme of this year’s Annual Antarctic Conference. Antarctic scientists can work towards sustaining these gains and producing high-impact research by communicating their research activities and results more widely. This is an opportune time, firstly, to convey messages to the general public on the global importance of the Antarctic environment, and secondly, to increase public awareness of the role New Zealand has to play in the international scientific community and Antarctic governance.

The workshop aimed to get more Antarctic scientists interested and actively involved in education and outreach activities following the close of the IPY. Four panellists with experience in science communication were invited to speak, followed by an open discussion amongst panellists and participants. We had over 60 registered participants attend this workshop, including school teachers, early career scientists and journalists, university professors and government scientists. The workshop was kindly supported by Antarctica New Zealand and received sponsorship from The Royal Society of New Zealand. Thank you particularly to Shulamit Gordon, our four panellists and all the participants for bringing it to life!

This document provides a summary of the workshop, including the presentations from each of the panellists and the discussion that followed. A full workshop recording is also available from Libby upon request. For further information on APECS and further activities they are involved in, please contact Daniela or visit the APECS website (www.apecs.is).

Daniela Liggett
Department of Geography & Gateway Antarctica
University of Canterbury
Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8020
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Libby Liggins
Sir Peter Blake Trust Antarctic Youth Ambassador 2008/09
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Scientists wanted for shaping the future of polar research! We are repeating this sentence as a mantra. However, we still need more mulit-talented polar researchers. Mixture of explorer, researcher, PR specialist and citizen of the globalized world who are characterized by excellence in research AND communication. Polar science, and society in general, will loose a lot if we just stay in our labs or go to field. We have to understand changes around the Poles, but also we need to learn how to describe that new polar world to the public, politicians and our friends. While our scientific future faces melting glaciers, thawing permafrost or degradation of tundra zones; the future of society depends on our skills to understand, predict and explain.

We hope all workshops, field schools, meetings, ice-breakers we already did and those we are going to organise bring us closer to this aim.  And to see you all in good shape after field season… next adventure is waiting for all of us.
- Matt Strzelecki, APECS Vice-President

Download the July Newsletter

In this month’s newsletter …

1.)APECS News and Updates
·      DEADLINE EXTENDED: Apply to represent APECS on SCAR Scientific Committees
·      Greetings from the APECS /UArctic IPY Polar Field School in Svalbard!
·      Contribute to the IPY Polar Resource Book
·      APECS in the Spanish National Geographic
·      Follow the Arctic Tipping Points Cruise and other APECS member blogs!
·      Michele Koppes to represent APECS on ICSU's Science Visioning Meeting
·      Jose Xavier to represent APECS on the Science Steering Committee for Integrating Climate and Ecosystem Dynamics (ICED) in the Southern Ocean Program
·      Want to get more involved in APECS? Join Our Membership-Wide Council Calls

2.) Message from the Director – UNIS: University Centre in Svalbard

3.) Important news from APECS partners
·      Arctic Frontiers 2010 – First call for papers
·      Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States
·      National Snow and Ice Data Center: Spring issue, Number 67
·      Arctic Forum Abstracts: "Tipping Points - The Arctic and Global Change" Available
·      Live Greenland Science Event! 8 July - open to all and free!
·      Deep sea research: Topic in oceanography, special issue on Southern Ocean Shelf Slope Exchange
·      POLARCAT "mega-session" at Fall 2009 AGU
·      New Issue Available: Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research. Volume 41, Number 2
·      Latest Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research newsletter available
·      Advanced Biology Training Course in Antarctica, January 2010

Meetings, Workshops and Conferences
·      APECS at Antarctica New Zealand’s Annual Antarctic Conference
·      APECS Polar Careers Panel Discussion at MOCA-09
·      APECS Activities at SCAR Biology Symposium
·      APECS Climate Session at First World Young Earth-Scientists (YES) Congress 2009
·      IPY International Early Career Researcher Symposium – Mark your calendars!
·      UK Polar Network workshops

Jobs/Opportunities

Twenty four masters and undergraduate students from eleven nations travelled to Longyearbyen, Svalbard last weekend to take part in the first international and interdisciplinary IPY Polar Field school thanks to generous sponsorship from IPY Norway and UArctic. The week began with the UNIS safety course, including riffle training and survival suits, and has been packed full of interesting lectures and field excursions covering topics in climatology, glaciology, marine and terrestrial biology, oceanography, geology and permafrost.

We have also been hiking in the mountains around longyearbyen, had a conference call with Jose Xavier in Antarctica and were even fortunate to take part in the Svalbard mid-summer bonfire and party on the beach!

The field school will be running for a further two weeks with lectures on the human dimension, project work, career development sessions and lots of field work and excursions.

The students will be keeping a daily blog (in a variety of languages) on the IPY website and we will be updating the APECS site with blogs, pictures and lecturers in the coming weeks. I hope you will enjoy reading about the students experiences in the high Arctic.

Regards

Liz Thomas (APECS vice president) and Elise Strømseng (UNIS and UArctic)

In the May 2009 Issue of Spanish National Geographic you will find a great section about the IPY projects that Spain is involved with... and there are a lot!  Since this issue was publish we have had hundreds of new hits on the website from Spanish speaking countries, and many new members.

Special thanks to IPY Joint Committe memberJeronimo Lopez-Martinez for giving a shout out to APECS.

For more information, and to read these articles (you can use Google Translate if you don't speak Spanish), visit the article at ipy.org or download the article.

 

 

The Arctic Tipping Points (ATP) cruise started in Tromsø 15 June, and headed north towards the northern Barents Sea and the Svalbard archipelago. On board there are 16 scientists, 5 artists and 2 journalists... and several APECS members and Advisors!

The main goal of the cruise is to perform experiments along a temperature gradient in order to assess warming thresholds for metabolism, growth, reproduction and survival of individual Arctic planktonic organisms and communities. The experiments will encompass the full range of temperatures, spanning from pre-disturbance summer values (-1deg C) to the upper limit of forecasts for the 21st century.

We are highlighting their cruise in our new Polar Research Blogs area!  Follow their voyage or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. about your field work and blogs.

Michèle Koppes is honored to have been nominated by APECS to attend ICSU’s Science Visioning meeting this fall 2009. This event is part of a three-step strategic visioning process that will engage the international scientific community to identify the key research questions in Earth system science that need to be addressed over the next 10-20 years and the steps needed to answer them. The process involves both early career scientists and established leaders in the Earth system community, and will develop an interdisciplinary research strategy with strong social and economic components that is expected to have far-reaching influence on Earth system research for the next decade and beyond.

Michèle was born in Greece, grew up in Canada, Switzerland, Japan, the Philippines, and Holland, and has called the Pacific Northwest of both Canada and the USA home for the past 12 years. She did her undergraduate degrees in Geology from Williams College,US and Edinburgh University, UK, followed by a MSc. in Geology and Environmental Management and a PhD in Earth & Space Sciences at the University of Washington, US. In between her time in academia, she was a legislative fellow in the US Congress working on climate policy, through the AAAS Science and Technology Fellowship program. She is currently an Assistant Professor in Geography at the University of British Columbia in Canada.

A geologist, geomorphologist and glaciologist (she is her own 3G network!) with specific expertise in landscape evolution and glacier change as they reflect climate change, Michèle has spent over 15 years working in, on, and around current and former glaciers from the Alps to Alaska, Central Asia, Patagonia and Antarctica, studying the role glaciers play in modifying the landscape. She is currently working on a better understanding of the role of contemporary glacier change on global water resources and regional transportation networks, and the role of humans as agents of landscape change. Outside of her scientific pursuits, she is also active in enhancing communication of scientific knowledge and policy needs between the science community and policymakers. She is looking forward to the ICSU meeting and the opportunity to participate in defining an interdisciplinary vision for future research, with other scientists interested in the societal impacts on the earth system.

The IPY core programme ICED "Integrating Climate and Ecosystem Dynamics in the Southern Ocean" is a new international multidisciplinary initiative launched in response to the increasing need to develop integrated circumpolar analyses of Southern Ocean climate and ecosystem dynamics. ICED has been developed in conjunction with the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR) and the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP), through joint support from the Integrated Marine Biogeochemistry and Ecosystem Research (IMBER) and Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics (GLOBEC) programmes.

The ICED vision is to develop a coordinated circumpolar approach to better understand climate interactions in the Southern Ocean, the implications for ecosystem dynamics, the impacts on biogeochemical cycles, and the development of sustainable management procedures. One of Jose's role as a junior scientist and member of the Scientific Commitee is to represent young researchers in ICED,  participate actively on the science produced by young scientists and coordinate the science, education and outreach activities dealing with the pulbic understanding of polar science, where Jose expects to create strong connections with APECS at various levels. Great news for APECS, that is for sure.

The Arctic summer is approaching, that unique time when the sun never sets and Arctic nature has just a couple of weeks to blossom. This summer, APECS would like to blossom with questions and make young polar scientists inquire about our research milestones, concepts and dreams.  The Research Activities Committee prepared for us a great platform for discussion and dialogue between disciplines, schools and various research approaches.  Please be active on our literature discussion forums and tell us about your understanding of polar systems.  I would also like to encourage all members, before their move to the field, before all samplers and measurements will be set in motion, to take a few minutes to update your membership profile on our webpage and let us know about the place that you are visiting to explore and learn all these things, which we cannot discover within university walls.  Share ideas, share places, share your Arctic and Antarctic with us..

- Matt Strzelecki, APECS Vice-President

In this month’s newsletter …

1.) APECS News and Updates

  • http://www.apecs.is/ - new section to explore - www.apecs.is/resources
  • APECS Virtual Poster Session – awarded by the Nordic Council of Ministers
  • News from the ExCom – APECS invited to Staszic Palace in Warsaw for post-IPY conference
  • Become an APECS representative on SCAR Scientific Committees
  • Upcoming Council Calls
  • Two new members of APECS Council – Welcome Cassie and Matteo!!!
  • A warm hello from the Research Activities Committee
  • APECS Antarctic Treaty Summit Essay Competition

2.) Message from the Director – The University of Tromsø

3.) Important news from APECS partners

  • IPY June Report Available
  • NSF polar news (see news section) You can find the following NSF news at our website:
  • Latest IASC newsletter
  • The International Institute for Sustainable Development Report
  • The 2008 Annual Report of the Arctic Institute of North America 


4.)  Meetings, Workshops and Conferences

  • Report from APECS at the 10th Conference on Polar Meteorology & Oceanography
  • Report from A ‘getting to know APECS social’ in Riverside, California
  • APECS Polar Careers Panel Discussion at MOCA-09
  • SCAR Biology Symposium APECS Panel Discussion
  • APECS at Antarctica New Zealand’s Annual Antarctic Conference
  • APECS Climate Session at First World Young Earth-Scientists (YES) Congress 2009 


5.) Jobs/Opportunities

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We are pleased to announce that the Nordic Council of Ministers has awarded APECS 57,000 DKK to help with the APECS Virtual Poster Session.

A proposal was submited to the Arctic Co-operation solicitation in January for enhancing the participation of young researchers in Nordic countries in APECS and to encourage them to share their research via the Virtual Poster Session.

This grant will allow us to move this project forward. We encourage all of you to give us your input as we begin to design this project. Visit the planning site for more information or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

We thank the Nordic Council of Ministers for their support of APECS and our activities. To read more on this group, visit their website.

19 May 2009 from 19.30 h - 21.00 h
Location: Madison, Wisconsin, USA

A special thank you to Ryan Fogt, Cassie Wheeler and Shelley Knuthfor  organizing a very successful panel discussion/ social at the 10th  American Polar Meteorology and Oceanography Conference in Madison, WI  on 19 May 2009.  In the end, we had 34 participants representing Utah,  Wisconsin, Colorado, California, Illinois, Idaho, North Dakota, Ohio,  Iowa, the British Antarctic Survey, the United Kingdom, Sweeden, CPTEC/ INPE, and Norway. This audience was comprised of 10 masters students,  12 PhD students, 6 post docs, and 6 scientists. After a lively  discussion between the panelists and mentors, everyone went to a local  pub to continue conversations and enjoy some cold refreshments.

APECS would also like to give a special thanks to our panelists: John  Cassano, Uma Bhatt, Matthew Lazzara, Jennifer Kay, and Daniel Lubin.

Questions asked of the panelists were:

  • When looking to hire someone, what is most important?
  • How do you balance 80 hour work weeks with life?
  • Do I need to have a fellowship?
  • The last year I spent 99% of my time in front of a computer--is it always going to be like this?
  • Can I do a postdoc at the same place as my PhD?
  • Are there incentives / programs to retain new hires, especially women?
  • How are new PhDs evaluated when it comes to funding proposals?
  • How do you get on a panel to review proposals?
  • What is the process for finding funding opportunities?
  • Are departmental politics as bad as we think?

We will be posting a podcast of this panel on the website shortly

This event was sponsored by the International Arctic Science Committee  and the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research.

- Contributed by Chao Tang, APECS Microbiology Discipline Coordinator and social organizer

On April 18th, in conjunction with Southern California Geobiology symposium at University of California (UC), Riverside, a small and warm APECS breakfast social was held. 10 attendants come from four institutions including University of Southern California, Jet Propulsion Lab of California Institute of Technology, Scripps Institution of Oceanography of UC- San Diego and UC-Riverside. It was indeed an international gathering too as we come from at least four countries including US, Russia, Germany and China. Most didn’t know much about APECS before, I introduced APECS’ mission in promoting international and interdisciplinary collaboration, APECS’ events, field schools, recent proposed activities such as the literature web discussion and virtual poster session. I also talked about the benefits of being a member and there are so many young scientists and educators out there in this community willing to network and learn from each other. Then we took turns to introduce ourselves and shared our research fields. Here’s a brief summary: Our study sites covered both poles, oceans, even Mars and other planets! Our research topics include microbial diversity, functions in various environments, habitability of outer space, design and use of advanced instruments for cell and molecule detection and molecule signature and utilization in environment quality and history assessing. It was an enriching experience for me just to listen to what everybody was doing! I think everybody had fun even though the food was a bit underwhelming.

To know more about our research and contact us, see the following:
Esther Singer and Dr. Maria Prokopenko
Dr. Jill Sohm
Dr. Jason Sylvan
Dr. Richard Kidd
Dr. Steven Vance
Rohit Bhartia
Ian Ball
Dr. Guntram von Kiparski

Chao Tang- Organizer

In line with thIn line with the objectives of the Antarctic Treaty Summit to establish broad public awareness around the world about the visionary goals, strategies and achievements that have emerged from the Antarctic Treaty as well as to discuss lessons learnt from the Antarctic Treaty System over the past five decades, the essay competition encouraged young researchers to critically assess specific aspects of Antarctic politics and share their vision and recommendations for the future of the Antarctic Treaty System.

We received 15 thoughtful high-quality submissions, which made it extremely difficult for the review panel to select one winner. All contestants’ submissions did not only broaden our horizons but instilled in us a great hope in the new generation of polar researchers.

Kate Harris, a graduate student currently based at MIT, was selected as the overall winner of the essay contest. She convinced the reviewers with her application of the principles of the Antarctic Treaty's Article IV to the Siachen glacier in the disputed region of Kashmir. Kate will receive a full travel scholarship to attend the Antarctic Treaty Summit. We want to take this opportunity to congratulate Kate again for her innovative and thought-provoking essay.

Our heartiest congratulations go also to Indi-Hodgson-Johnston, Australia, and Jaehee Kim, South Korea, as the two runners-up in the essay competition. Hodgson-Johnston's essay called for the application of the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) principles to the high seas. Kim's essay cautioned about the spread of commercial exploitation into Antarctica through bioprospecting and suggested that an "Antarctic Science and Research Organization for Biological Prospecting" (ASROBP) could help to keep this in check.

Our sincere thanks go to Paul Berkman and the International Board for the Antarctic Treaty Summit, with whom it was a pleasure and privilege to collaborate.

Furthermore, we wish to thank the review panel, Jason Davis, Andriy Fedchuk, Daniela Liggett and Preston Scott, who put in many hours of work to assess the submitted essays.

Biosketch - Kate Harris:

Kate Harris, 27, is a young explorer, scientist, and writer hailing from Georgetown, Ontario. She studied biology and geology as an undergraduate Morehead Scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Next she completed a Master's degree in the History of Science as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, where she wrote her dissertation on the history of scientific peacekeeping. Now she is a graduate student in the department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Kate has led or participated in scientific or endurance expeditions on all seven continents, including Antarctica. She hopes to ultimately translate her passion for polar and glacial places into a life of adventure, exploration, writing, and public advocacy for the preservation of the world’s cold, icy wildernesses. 

uk polar network logoThe UKPN Atmospheric Sciences Workshop, held at the British Antarctic Survey from 29th April - 1st May 2009, was a huge success. Thirty five early career polar researchers from around the world came together to present their own research and listen to talks by senior scientists on their career and on science in the polar regions.

Group discussions on the future of polar research with senior scientists and members of the BAS board of directors gave those who will go on to shape the future of polar research a chance to ask questions of those who have been doing just that for the last few decades. Career development discussion groups with polar scientists at various stages of their career allowed for an informal discussion and an insight into an academic career in polar research.

Instrumentation lectures, practical sessions and informal discussions on measurement techniques above the poles provided a broad timetable for those interested in field measurements. A computer modelling practical session, combined with talks on climate, meteorology, extreme weather and the use of statistics, gave some hands-on experience of computer modelling and encouraged a greater understanding of models in use.

The posters presented by the participants were truly outstanding, with congratulations to Ingrid Cnossen (BAS), Roisin Commane (University of Leeds), Jonathan Barichivic (UEA) and Valerie Livina (UEA) for winning prizes.

We would like to thank all the speakers and panellists for helping to make the workshop such a success, and we look forward to seeing you at UKPN workshops, network days and educational events in the future, details of which can be found on the website:

www.polarnetwork.org

We would also like to thank NERC, the British Antarctic Survey, The Royal Meteorological Society, The Royal Society of Chemistry and Grimm Aerosol for supporting the event.

Helen Atkinson and Tom Bracegirdle

The IPY Polar field school organizers, Elise Strømseng (IPY Norway/UNIS/ UArctic), Liz Thomas (APECS) and Melissa Rhode (APECS) met at the British Antarctic Survey in Cambridge between the 31st March to 2nd April for the difficult task of selecting participants for the three week field course to be held in Svalbard this summer. We had a staggering 297 applicants and just 24 places available making the selection process extremely difficult. 

Applications were evaluated on a competitive level, based on the completeness of the application (which needed to include a CV, academic referee and university transcripts), ranking due to GPA (academic merit), career level and the letter of recommendation from supervisors/professors. After an exhausting three days the final 24 were selected and the successful candidates have now been notified.

We would like to congratulate the successful students and look forward to welcoming you to Svalbard in June!

More information about the field school programme will be made available soon on the APECS Svalbard 2009 web-page.

Global interest in the field school:

In total we had 297 applications (54% women) from undergraduate and master’s students from 51 nations, including many non-traditional polar countries.  The largest number of applications came from the following: Britain (39), Canada (37), America (33), Germany (22), Norway (22). Spain (13), Russia (12), Netherlands (11), India (9) and Brazil (8).

If you were not selected for the field school please do not feel disheartened, we would have liked to invite all polar enthusiasts to take part in the field school but unfortunately financial and logistical constraints would not allow this.  We encourage you to get involved with future APECS events (workshops, field schools and national committees) and wish you luck in you polar careers.

Unfortunately due to the exceptionally high number of applicants, individual evaluation is not possible. However, here are a few hints and tips that may be useful in the future.

  • When official transcript of records are requested, make sure you attach/send an official version issued or stamped and signed by your educational institution. Transcripts written in word documents are not eligible.
  • Always check that your academic referee has written and sent your letter of recommendation (sadly we only received a third of the letters we needed).
  • Never leave the application until the last minute – it’s easy to make mistakes if you are rushing.
  • Keep CV’s clear and concise; include your academic history, work experience and relevant experience.
  • Always stick to the page/ word limit.
  • Answer every question on the application form.

Application Information - The Application Deadline has passed.

Eligibility Applicants should be upper-level Undergraduate or Master students, with a minimum of 2 years in the physical and/or natural sciences.

Cost The cost of the course is 200 Euro which includes all on-site costs (food & accommodation) throughout the duration of the field school; however, students will be responsible for their travel to UNIS located in Longyearbyen, Svalbard. The estimated cost from Oslo to Longyearbyen is 380 Euro. There are some travel grants available for those students that require financial assistance.

How to Apply Interested students will need to complete the online application form where they will be required to upload a one-page CV and a copy of their university transcripts.

A letter of recommendation from an academic referee (tutor, advisor or lecturer who you have worked closely with) is required for each student.

Thanks to the generous help from the Arctic Portal located in Akureyri, Iceland, we have built a new and improved website!  This new site features a fully searchable membership directory to find colleagues and for prospective employers to search for new hires. There is also a new and improved discussion board that we foundly refer to as the APECS Student Lounge.

This website is a constant work in progress and we are still in the process of updating everything and doubling checking to make sure everything works. If you find errors or have suggestions, please let us know!

Thanks again to the great folks at the Arctic Portal for helping us to make this happen!

Welcome to the latest edition of APECS Newsletter.  I'm starting this month’s edition with a short comment on the Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) in Bergen. First of all, I would like to thank all APECS members for participating in our short workshop. Thanks also to Martin Bergmann, Odd Rogne and Nick Owens, our mentors, who answered many of our difficult questions and encouraged us to pursue our careers as a polar researcher with passion and dedication. The 10th Arctic Science Summit Week provided also an opportunity to meet leading scientists and participate in eight scientific sessions, which summed up the latest findings in Arctic science and discussed plans for future research projects. The second part of summit consisted of management and business meetings. One of the most important events was the announcement of the new structure of the International Arctic Science Committee, which aims to become more integrative and facilitate international consultation and cooperation in all aspects of Arctic research.
We hope that our further cooperation with IASC will be even better than so far.
Anyway, let's move on to the APECS news of the month - there are plenty new items to explore this month.

- Matt Strzelecki, APECS Vice-President

P.S. In the name of APECS ExCom and Directorate I wish you a Happy Easter.

In this month’s newsletter…

  • APECS News and Updates
  • Welcome to Angelika Renner, new Council Members
    • Amazing Opportunity from SCAR to review Antarctic Climate Change Review
    • Council Call Schedule Announced
  • Message from the Director in Norway
  • Message of Appreciation from Rhian Salmon, IPY Education and Outreach Coordinator
  • Important News From APECS partners
    • The Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research (SCAR) is announcing the launch of its 2009-10 Fellowship
    • Proceedings from the 5th NRF Open Assembly, Anchorage, Alaska “Seeking Balance in a Changing North”
  • Upcoming Meetings, Workshops and Conferences
  • Jobs/Opportunities
  • Reminders

8-11 July 2008 was a great week for polar science. It was the first time the two major international polar science organizations (SCAR - the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research and IASC - International Arctic Science Committee) held a joint conference focusing on science in both Polar Regions. This conference was also an important week for the recognition of APECS and all the effort we have put into our organization over the past 2 years.

During the Opening Ceremony for this conference, President Iversen, together with IASC President  Kristján Kristjánsson  and SCAR President Chris Rapley signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreeing to work together to support early career polar researchers. This is an important step in recognizing our organization as an equal partner in the Polar Research community and a major step forward in involving more young researchers in the science planning activities of these organizations.

Excerpt from the MoU:

"SCAR, IASC, and APECS recognize the importance of fostering the next generation of researchers that will be faced with increasingly critical challenges due to the impacts of climate change on these regions and their global significance. This agreement recognizes APECS as the preeminent organization for young researchers working in the Arctic, Antarctic, and Cryospheric regions that strives to provide a continuum of leadership in polar research.

This MoU identifies a joint commitment to the professional development of early career polar researchers and the need for a continuum of leadership in polar researcher as important mutual aims of all Parties. Examples of activities through which this joint commitment may be pursued include, but are not limited to:

  • Working together to ensure representation of early career researchers in all aspects of the Parties respective organizations, including but not limited to, participating in business, strategy, planning, and other meetings and activities;
  • Communicating to each Parties members updates, newsletters, and other communications of interest;
  • Providing endorsement, support, and dissemination of information on activities, projects, requests for participation, etc.;
  • Agreeing to representatives of IASC and SCAR serving as members of the APECS Advisory Committee to offer assistance and guidance; and representatives of APECS being available to IASC and SCAR for early career perspectives." 

The Northern Research Forum (NRF) held its fifth Open Assembly “Seeking Balance in a Changing North” in Anchorage, Alaska on September 24-27, 2008. The NRF provides an open assembly biennially for policy-relevant discussion on the role of research in addressing issues relevant to the Circumpolar North.  The NRF funded, through a competitive process, twenty NRF Young Researchers (YRs) from throughout the Circumpolar North to participate in this year’s Assembly.

NRF and APECS Young Researcher Career Development Workshop Invited speakers. From left to right, Ms. Patricia Cochran (Alaska Native Science Commission), Dr. Susie Crate (Assistant Professor, George Mason University), Dr. Žaneta Ozoliņa (Professor, University of Latvia), Dr. Lassi Heininen (Senior Scientist, Lapland University), and Dr. Steven C. Bigra (Canadian Polar Commission)

The NRF Young Researchers took part in a variety of activities starting with pre-assembly workshops that included team-building activities and an APECS and NRF jointly organized Young Researcher career development workshop. The career development workshop featured six speakers from the United States, Latvia, Canada, and Finland. They spoke with the NRF YRs about opportunities available through APECS and the NRF and offered their experiences with pursuing careers in the public sector, building networks between academics and local communities, and Native perspectives on science and what that means for the career development of Native and non-Native Early Career Scientists.  The speakers also discussed how to balance following your own research interests with engaging the research issues that matter to the local communities you work with and funding agencies.  The YRs and panelists engaged in lively discussion as many questions were discussed on the topics presented and other issues important to the Young Researchers.

 

 
NRF and APECS Young Researcher Career Development Workshop speakers and participants

The NRF YRs participated in various events and sessions throughout the Assembly.  Evening events, a local community excursion, and open assembly dialogue with dignitaries, policy makers, community leaders, and scientists gave the YRs opportunities to converse with a wide variety of people.  The numerous sessions at the Assembly provided the NRF YRs with an opportunity to present their own research as well as discuss critical issues, problems, and opportunities facing circumpolar peoples at the local, regional, national and international levels.

The YR presentations can be viewed on the Arctic Portal website.

On behalf of the 2007-2008 Inaugural APECS Executive Committee, I am happy to announce the election results for the new 2008-2009 APECS Executive Committee. The election results were certified in an Executive Meeting yesterday and we are very excited that these Fabulous Five has decided to help shape the future of this organization. We have an exciting year head, including a number of workshops and conferences, and much more.

Congratulations to:

  • Daniela Haase, University of Canterbury, NZ
  • Matt Strzelecki, Durham University, UK - representing Poland
  • Tina Tin, Environmental Consultant, France
  • Liz Thomas, British Antarctic Survey, UK
  • Jose Xavier, British Antarctic Survey (UK), CEBC-CNRS (France), and University of Algrave (PT) - representing Portugal

The new ExCom is working on a list of priorities for this next year. If there are things you would like to see APECS do, not do, or improve on - please let me know by October 15th as we will be setting forth our plan for 2008-2009 on that day. We will keep you informed on our current thoughts and ideas for this next year.

In addition, the following people have been approved to serve on the APECS Council for 2008-2009. It is great to see people returning for another year of service and a number of new APECS members have stepped up to this important leadership role for our organization. The Council is open, which means we are always ready to accept new members. You can learn more about these outstanding researchers on the council webpage.

IV Simposio Latinoamericano Sobre Investigaciones Antárticas Y VII Reunión Chilena de Investigación Antártica (IV Latin American Symposium and VII Chilean Meeting on Antarctic Research) was held from 3 - 5 September in Valparaíso, Chile.

From the organizers:

"During the last couple of years, the Antarctic Continent successively ceased being just a notable and remote area full of singularities. Triggered by the launch of a series of initiatives, the white continent today becomes more and more a land of opportunities. Thus, the general objective of this congress is to provide the Latin American scientific community with the tools to maximize scientific and technological competitiveness, set in the context of a globalized Antarctica as source of information and useful resources for further development."

APECS members from our two new national committees in South America, APECS Chile and APECS Brazil, met and discussed common research themes and future collaborations.

The challenges and opportunities of polar early career scientists

August 25 & 26, 2008

The Early Career Scientist Workshop, co-organized by the Northern Research Forum (NRF) and APECS, at the International Congress of Arctic Social Scientists in Nuuk, Greenland took place August 25 and 26, 2008. It addressed the key challenges and opportunities APECS members face, and showed a way forward for organizations like APECS to improve polar science and enable polar researchers to reach their goals. The wonderful diversity in early careers scientists, from experience to skills to projects, presents a challenge for organizations to meet their varied needs. Improved funding, communication, mentorship, and networks were all identified as key parts of a strategy to help polar early career scientists succeed.

Communication was identified as an important focus for early career scientists. Technologies such as social networking websites, voice-over-IP, and list serves are key tools to bringing scientists together from across distances and disciplines. The need for effective communication extended to data sharing and management, with the advice that data should be considered very broadly and all types – quantitative, qualitative and informational – should be considered and shared. Furthermore, data sharing for regional interests and information, such as fieldwork logistics, would be valuable to many scientists.

The role of early career scientists in the larger arenas of community and policy was also discussed. Connections with the IPY program as well as outreach activities and non-academic careers are all valuable parts of the contribution of early career scientists. Workshops like this joint NRF/APECS one at ICASS are valuable forums for identifying the challenges to early career scientists and shaping the responses of organizations like APECS to speed the success of our work and people.

Contact APECS

APECS International Directorate
UiT The Arctic University of Norway
Huginbakken 14
9019 Tromsø
Norway
Email: info(at)apecs.is

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