The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) Open Science Conference (OSC) 2024 “Antarctic Science: Crossroads for a New Hope” will be held in Pucón, Chile from 19-23 August 2024. The conference will feature a comprehensive programme of plenary lectures, mini-symposia, parallel sessions, panel discussions, and posters. APECS is linked to four workshops (additional information below) and a number of presentations at the conference. APECS President José Queirós will attend and will represent APECS at the Climate and Cryosphere (CliC) program's Scientific Steering Group meeting. In addition, APECS provided a report for the XXXVIII SCAR Delegates meeting, which APECS Vice-President Hugo Guímaro will digitally attend as an observer.
The APECS DEI Project Group (Leeger et al.) has a poster in session 48 - Is Antarctic science ready to help tackle urgent global issues? Perspectives on strengthening equitable science communities. This poster covers the group’s recent activities, specifically the workshop series jointly held by APECS, the SCAR EDI Action Group and Thrive Lifeline; the posted is entitled “The role of Early Career Scientists in Promoting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI): the APECS DEI Project Group as Example”.
US-Chile International Collaboration Workshop
Convenors: Polar Science Early Career Community Office (PSECCO) and APECS Chile
US-based and Chile-based polar early career researchers attending the 2024 SCAR OSC are welcome to apply to attend a workshop on establishing international collaborative relationships co-hosted by PSECCO and APECS Chile! Chile-based and US-based polar researchers early in their careers are welcome and invited to apply to attend.
Learn more and apply to attend here by July 24, 2024.
Convenors: Mariama Dryák-Vallies
With the next International Polar Year (IPY) just around the corner in 2032-2033, planning for determining which big scientific questions to prioritize within these discussions has already begun. Given that the established research priorities during the IPY will provide guidance for steering the research of early career researchers for the next 25+ years, it is important to make sure that input from the polar early career community is considered during these upcoming IPY discussions. This workshop will develop a first draft of these priorities and will inform the 2025 Polar Early Career World Summit that is being organized by the Polar Science Early Career Community Office (PSECCO) and APECS. We plan to use this international gathering of members of the Antarctic early career community to start collating ideas around multi-disciplinary early career priorities for Antarctic science. Outcomes from the brainstormed ideas at the workshop will be collated and used to inform world summit planning conversations in 2025.
Convenors: Odile Volonterio
The aim of this workshop is to carry out a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis as a starting point to exchange ideas about the state of polar research within the Iberoamerican community in APECS, and to explore the potential of working together to advance polar studies. During the workshop, participants will discuss the specific factors that help or hinder polar research in their respective countries and identify potential opportunities and risks. They will brainstorm ideas for improvement and pinpoint areas for collaboration and synergy. This process will also strengthen historical bonds and highlight the shared cultural heritage in the community. To encourage wider participation, the workshop will be conducted in a hybrid format in both the Portuguese and Spanish languages.
ECR Speed-Science Session organised by the UK Polar Network and APECS Uruguay
Convenors: Nadia Frontier and Odile Volonterio
This is a session jointly organized by the UK Polar Network (UKPN) and APECS Uruguay highlighting the importance of international collaborations towards the development of Early Career Researchers, followed by a guidance session from experienced Antarctic Researchers about polar fieldwork. They will share their personal experiences and give advice about conducting field work tailored towards those planning their first research projects. The second part of the workshop will include icebreaker activities to give ECR participants the opportunity to meet, exchange insights and explore collaboration possibilities. This will be run in the format of a speed-science session.
