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.
