APECS has been working with mentors and partners to develop several webinar series for our members in order to assist them with their career development goals. In 2010-‐2011, APECS started with a career development webinar series with 22 sessions over the fall and winter semester. Due to the success of this first webinar, series, we are continuing our efforts this in the coming months with a course on permafrost and thermokarst dynamics. The online lecture series are a joint effort between APECS, US NSF ARCSS Thermokarst Project, and the University of Canterbury.
Intro to Polar Research Organizations, major projects and acronyms
5 October 2010
Dr. Hugues Lantuit, International Permafrost Association and Alfred Wegener Institute
This ~30 minute webinar provided an overview of the different players involved with polar research, the different types of research that is being conducted in polar regions, and the key acronyms decoded.
"Surviving Graduate School" Toolbox
12 October 2010
Jennifer Provencher and Dr. Hugues Lantuit
We all know that doing good research is necessary for becoming a successful scientist - but there are so many other things that can help, like making good contacts - and conferences are a great place to do that. In this webinar, Dr. Hugues was back with more 'frank' advice on how to make the most of conferences, or as he calls it "Presenting your research at conferences, corridors and cocktails."
Gaining Momentum: Women in Polar Research
19 October 2010
Jenny Baeseman (APECS), Michelle Mack (University of Florida) and Elena Sparrow (University of Alaska)
Polar Research bay be a historically male dominate field, but women are gaining momentum and more are becoming leaders in their field, in international organizations, and lead PIs on projects and cruises. As early career researchers, many young women are taking on key leadership roles in APECS and other committees and projects as well as producing outstanding research. However, there are many things that are unique to women working in some of the most remote areas of the planet. This webinar was an open discussion to begin to identify the issues that are unique to women in polar science careers.
Planning and Coordinating Field Work Logistics
26 October 2010
Torre Jorgenson, Senior Scientist at ABR Environmental Research and Services and Alice Orlich, graduate student at the University of Alaska Fairbanks International Arctic Research Centre
In this webinar, Torre Jorgenson and Alice Orlich shared with participants tips on working in extreme Arctic conditions and insights regarding what types of things to consider when planning and coordinating field work logistics in polar regions. Since every country has their own particular requirements, this webinar focused mainly on overall guidance on fieldwork.
Writing Science: Framing the story: structure
2 November 2010
Dr. Josh Schimel, Chair, Environmental Studies Program & Professor, Dept. Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology UC-Santa Barbara, USA
In this module story structure was discussed: the core elements of any story and the different ways to put them together. In papers, we typically use a story structure that he calls OCAR (for opening, challenge, action, resolution). In proposals, structures that are more "front-loaded" and are analogous to the structures that jouranlists (and mystery writers) use - get the point across quicklyg and then develop it.
Writing Science: Language
9 November 2010
Dr. Josh Schimel, Chair, Environmental Studies Program & Professor, Dept. Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology UC-Santa Barbara, USA
In this module how to make your language clear, concrete, and compelling was discussed.
Writing Science: Flow
16 November 2010
Dr. Josh Schimel, Chair, Environmental Studies Program & Professor, Dept. Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology UC-Santa Barbara, USA
In this module how to put the pieces together so that your writing draws the reader along, making points and relationships clear and powerful was discussed, as well as how to use the language to make the story work.
Working with Northern Communities
23 November 2010
Dr. Gary Kofinas, Associate Professor of Resource Policy & Management at University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Natural Resources & Agricultural Science
In this seminar, Dr. Kofinas addressed considerations when working with Northern communities - such as going through the proper channels to obtain permission to work in the communities, identifying and coordinating with local interestes, ways to ensure involvement of the local community in the research, how to reciprocate knowledge back to the community, and how to ensure personal safety for researchers working in remote communities.
Introduction to US NSF funding programs and Connections to Norway
30 November 2010
Erica Key, PhD, Associate Program Manager, Arctic System Science, Office of Polar Programs, U.S. National Science Foundation.
This webinar was an introduction to US NSF fudning programs by Erica Key Associate Program Manager, Arctic System Science, Office of Polar Programs, U.S. National Science Foundation
The Art of the Conference Poster Session
7 December 2010
Jenny Baeseman, APECS Director, Tromsø, Norway and Kristin Timm, Project Manager at ARCUS
Jenny Baeseman and Kristin Timm shared some practical advice on designing your poster to effectively showcase your research or education and outreach project and gave some tips on what a poster session is really like and how to prepare for your big day.
Communicating with the Public About Climate Change
25 January 2011
Terry Chapin, Professor of Ecology, Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Climate Change is a hot topic of discussion amongst researchers as well as the general public. In this webinar, Dr. Chapin discussed the need for scientists to be more effective communicators in climate change science to different audiences.
Publishing and Reviewing Journal Papers
1 February 2011
Rudi Gens, Remote-Sensing Scientist, Alaska Satellite Facility, University of Alaska Fairbanks
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. This webinar offered tips for getting your paper published by peer-reviewed journals and things to think about when reviewing papers by other researchers.
Working with the Media
8 February 2011
David Vaughen, British Antarctic Survey
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 provides tips to help your work productively with the Media.
Selling your best assets: Conducting a successful interview
15 February 2011
Benjamin Crosby, Assistant Professor, Department of Geosciences, Idaho State University
Interviewing for a faculty position is like an academic marathon - from the first round of interviews to the on-site interviews, which usually includes a public lecture, a teaching lecture, and face-to-face time with an array of people. This webinar gave tips to highlight the strengths of your candidacy during the interview process.
Non-academic or alternative careers in polar research
22 February 2011
Faustine Bernadac, Polar Field Service
Kristina Creek, ARCUS
Dorte Dissing, ABR Environmental Research and Services
Kriss Rokkan Iversen, SALT, Norway
Angela Matz, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
After spending so much time at university, some of us may not hbe able tto comprehend life outside of it. This panel of speakers discussed career opportunities in polar science outside the university setting.
Designing your research question
1 March 2011
Breck Bowden, Patrick Professor of Watershed Science and Planning and Director of the Vermont Water Resources and Lake Studies Centre, University of Vermont
Good research begins with well-designed research questions. This webinar focused on the elements of good research questions in the context of a well-written proposal. This was the first part of a two part series looking at designing research questions and methods.
Selecting and designing your research methods
8 March 2011
Breck Bowden, Patrick Professor of Watershed Science and Planning and Director of the Vermont Water Resources and Lake Studies Centre, University of Vermont
Once you have a well-designed research question, the next step is to select and design research methods that will effectively address your research questions. This webinar focused on how the selection of methods is influenced by the nature of the research question and context of the research. This was the second part of a two-part series looking at designing research questions and methods.
How to initiate your successful research or academic career
15 March 2011
Mike Gooseff, Hartz Family Career Development Assistant Professor, Dept of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Pennsylvania State University
When initiating a research or academic career, a first step is to recognize goals and to determine how and where to apply to reach those goals. This webinar covered on overview of aspects needed for a successful research or academic career including research, targeting grant writing, research teams, research projects and papers, mentoring and teaching.
Scientific Education and Outreach
22 March 2011
Elena Sparrow, Education Outreach Director, International Arctic Research Center, and Research Professor, School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Education and public outreach had become an increasingly necessary component of a scientific career whether in academia or in industry. This webinar provided an overview and examples of different types of education and outreach that you can incorporate in yoru work as well as in research proposal for funding.
