Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) and the 4th International Conference on Arctic Research Planning (ICARP IV) were held from 20-28 March in Boulder, Colorado, USA. APECS and the Polar Science Early Career Community Office (PSECCO) collaborated to organize the Polar Early Career World Summit (PECWS; held 22-24 March) as a part of these events.
PECWS brought together early career researchers, professionals, Indigenous scholars and knowledge holders connected to the Arctic, Antarctica, and the wider cryosphere from across the world. The program and discussions were designed to gather early career voices to shape polar research priorities and the next IPY and strengthen polar early career networks and connections. Conversations at the summit and asynchronous input from the polar early career community will be synthesized into multiple output formats to influence polar science policy and decision-making processes – stay tuned for the release of these materials later in the year. For those who could not attend PECWS, please consider joining us at our online events in May.
Above left: PECWS participants. Above right: APECS Executive Director, Sarah Strand, presents about PECWS at the joint IASC Working Groups Meeting.
On 20 March, APECS Executive Director, Sarah Strand, and Director for PSECCO, Mariama Dryák-Vallies, presented at the joint IASC Working Groups Meeting as recipients of cross-cutting project funding from the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC). This funding supported the PECWS’ organization and participant travel and accommodation.
APECS and PSECCO convened ICARP IV Session 6.2: The Polar Early Career World Summit 2025 – Early Career Perspectives on the Future of Polar Research Advancing from ICARP IV to the 5th International Polar Year (IPY) on 27 March. This session was a platform for PECWS organizers and participants to present outcomes and experiences from the summit to ICARP IV attendees.
Sarah Strand and APECS Directorate Officer, Axel Schlindwein, gave five presentations across multiple ICARP IV sessions:
Session 2.5: Integrated Arctic Observing for Sustainable Economic Development and Environmental Management towards the International Polar Year
Early Career Visions for the Future of Polar Observing Systems
Session 3.2: Gender, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Polar Research
APECS’ Views on Enhancing Diversity and Equity in the Polar Community
Session 5.8: Call for Highlights of Advancing Co-production in Arctic
Advancing Equity in Polar Research: Perspectives from APECS
Session 6.1: Capacity Sharing in Arctic Regions Through Transdisciplinary Intergenerational Collaborative Research and Inclusive Education
Success Stories of Education and Outreach Initiatives Led by Members of APECS
Session 8.4: Making Arctic Science Equitable and Accessible to All Through Open Science
From Intention to Practice: APECS’ Experiences in Providing Educational Resources to Foster Open Science in Polar Research
APECS Project Officer, Lisa Grosfeld, was a co-author on the presentations in sessions 2.5 and 5.8. APECS would also like to acknowledge and sincerely thank Lisa and the other APECS International Directorate staff members Eva Chamorro Garrido, Laila Pellennec, and Martí Amargant-Arumí who worked behind the scenes to put on PECWS and support APECS’ presentations and other activities.
Sarah and Axel enjoyed the chance to catch up with collaborators from the EU-funded projects APECS is a part of: Arctic PASSION, POLARIN, and Youth Together for Arctic Futures. Harmony Wayner and Sarah Strand serve on the ICARP IV Steering Committee, which oversees and coordinates the ICARP IV process from 2022 to 2026. Axel serves on the Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks (SAON) Board, which met at ASSW.
These activities highlight APECS's contributions to the polar community — from capacity sharing and inclusive research practices to strategic discussions about the next International Polar Year. APECS’ activities helped ensure that early career voices remain central to Arctic and Antarctic research coordination and planning.
