-
October 10, 2018
On 10 October 2018, the APECS ExCom held their first meeting of the year. Present at the meeting, in alphabetical order, were: Jilda Caccavo, Jennifer Cooper, Clare Eayrs, Gerlis Fugmann, Juan Höfer, Gabriela Roldan and Alex Thornton. We discussed an initial proposal for a new project group that will focus on outreach to the broader public. ExCom will be working with Max Van Wyk De Vries to further develop this project group proposal over the coming weeks. Gerlis has been invited to represent APECS on a discussion panel at the Second Arctic Science Ministerial Meeting. Jenn provided an update on the recent APECS Turkey Education and Outreach workshop; many of the points raised will be passed to the National Committee Coordinators to add to their regular calls for discussion. A news item will follow on the APECS website. Project Groups are starting to get going, and most have a Project Leader in place. The Secretariat has been incredibly busy over the last few weeks with the start of the new Council term, setting up mailing lists, working on funding opportunities, chairing a workshop for the APECS-Nunataryuk Summer School and creating Guides for Project Group Leaders, Council Chairs, National Committee Coordinators, and National Committee representatives. A guide for the new Social Media Coordinator role is currently being developed. The most exciting update was that the newest member of the APECS family arrived on 5th October: welcome to Marc and congratulations to Heike and family!
The next ExCom meeting is scheduled to be held at 18:00 GMT on 22 October.
-
October 22, 2018
On 22 October 2018, the APECS ExCom held their second meeting of the year. Present at the meeting, in alphabetical order, were: Jilda Caccavo, Jennifer Cooper, Clare Eayrs, Juan Höfer, Hanne Nielsen, and Gabriela Roldan. As the new president, Jilda is continuing to work on the renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding that Hanne initiated with both SCAR and IASC in order to keep APECS engaged with these organizations in the coming years. All project groups now have a leader or two as required and are beginning to submit their plans for the term; Antarctica Day (December 1) is just under a month out, so be on the lookout for these activities in the near future! Event-related groups are reaching out to local National Committees to coordinate efforts at various conferences throughout 2019 with the support of APECS ExCom and the Secretariat. The Council Co-Chairs are organizing a project leaders meeting to be held at the end of October, which will help to guide new leaders on management and success of their groups. There was a videographer present at POLAR2018, so we are hoping to get some highlights from the World Summit shortly. The next ExCom meeting is scheduled to be held at 19:00 GMT on 5 November
-
November 5, 2018
On 5 November 2018, the APECS ExCom held their third meeting of the year. Present at the meeting, in alphabetical order, were: Jilda Caccavo, Clare Eayrs, Juan Höfer and Gerlis Fugmann. First, the ExCom reviewed the Project Groups they’re overseeing, which are progressing adequately since our last meeting. A new NC has arisen. Welcome to the family APECS China! ExCom discussed the welcome email that all new NC reps will receive. Afterwards, the steps needed to set up an Organizational review in preparation for defining APECS Strategic Goals 2021 - 2026 were outlined and discussed. ExCom also discussed the priorities (global and particular) that they will focus on during the present term. Finally, the secretariat has already incorporated a new member (welcome Josefine!), and Lisa will join them by mid-November. The next ExCom meeting is scheduled to be held at 18:00 GMT on 19 November.
-
November 19, 2018
On 19 November 2018, the APECS ExCom held their scheduled meeting. Present at the meeting, in alphabetical order, were: Jilda Caccavo, Jennifer Cooper, Clare Eayrs, Gerlis Fugmann, Hanne Nielsen and Gabriela Roldan. First, we shared project group updates: most project groups have submitted their plans for the year, and others are in the process of finalizing these. Feedback on these plans will go out to the respective project groups soon. A point raised for the next Council meeting Is to remind those who have yet to contribute to their project group to reassess their time commitment and to join other groups where they can contribute best. A moderate level of engagement in the project groups is expected from all Council members. Also, we discussed the Priorities 2018-19 and decided to divide priorities among ExCom and revisit the progress on these every 2-3 months. In the interest of time, it was decided to concentrate efforts on Data Policy in the next ExCom meeting. The Secretariat update included information of the IASC fellowship applications, the MOSAIC summer school opportunities, and having Lisa now at the office in full-time capacity. Hanne reported back on the progress made on the APECS video, which will soon be ready for final revision. Hanne also reported that APECS has been involved with the initial organization for SCAR 2020 in Hobart, and asked for suggestions on how to further involve APECS and ECRs participation in this Conference are welcome. The next ExCom meeting is scheduled to be held at 19:00 GMT on 3 December.
-
December 3, 2018
On 3 December 2018, the APECS ExCom held their scheduled meeting. Present at the meeting, in alphabetical order, were: Jilda Caccavo, Jennifer Cooper, Clare Eayrs, Gerlis Fugmann, Juan Hofer, Hanne Nielsen and Alex Thornton. Best wishes to Gabriela Roldan who was submitting her dissertation! First, we shared project group updates: nearly all project groups have approved plans and are starting to work on steps towards completing their goals for the term. Also, we continued the discussion on the Priorities 2018-19 and will be reporting our progress at Council meetings. The Secretariat update included the MOSAiC and ARICE summer school opportunities, and Lisa is taking photo submissions for a Season’s Greetings announcement. Be on the lookout for a temporary ExCom position while Juan is on fieldwork in Antarctica this coming January and February. The APECS video was released on Antarctica Day - a big thank you to Stephen Curtain for all of your hard work to put this together! The next ExCom meeting is scheduled to be held at 18:00 GMT on 17 December.
-
December 17, 2018
On 17 December 2018, the APECS ExCom held their last meeting of the year before the start to the Holiday Season. Present at the meeting, in alphabetical order, were: Jilda Caccavo, Jennifer Cooper, Clare Eayrs, Juan Höfer and Gabriela Roldán. First, the ExCom reviewed the priorities for the present term to ensure that all the important matters (previously identified by ExCom) are attended to by at least one ExCom member. Also, the current ExCom is working on a guide to assist future ExCom members to quickly adjust to the position. ExCom reviewed the applications received for the temporary position to replace Juan’s time away in Antarctica, and we are glad to announce that José Queirós has been appointed, unanimously. Welcome on board José! Afterwards, ExCom reviewed the updates coming from several PGs, including the activities held during Antarctica Day. Well done everyone! Finally, ExCom, along with the Council co-chairs, is studying possible updates to improve engagement during Council calls. The next ExCom meeting is scheduled to be held at 18:00 GMT on 14 of January after the holidays. The ExCom wants to wish a happy holidays, and a safe and successful field season to the whole APECS community!
-
January 14, 2019
On 14 January 2019, the APECS ExCom met at 19:00 GMT. Present at the meeting, in alphabetical order, were: Jilda Caccavo, Jennifer Cooper, José Queirós, Gabriela Roldán, and apologies from Clare Eayrs. This was the first meeting for 2019, so there were plenty of updates and discussion. First, we welcomed José as a temporary ExCom member, who is taking over Juan Hofer’s place while the latter is doing Antarctic fieldwork. The ExCom Guide is almost ready, comments have been incorporated and it’s being edited now. Also, we initiated the discussion on how to seek further funding for APECS’ multiple activities for the near future; a small group was formed to look at funding opportunities and procedures. In addition, we discussed the Council co-chairs’ suggestions to improve participation on Council meetings, the replacement of Stas while he is away, and how to encourage participation from inactive PG members. The Secretariat updates were many: preparations are underway for APECS participation at the Arctic Frontiers Conference later in January 2019, with events organized jointly with APECS Norway; the INTERACT Planning fieldwork book has been submitted and work is being done with graphic designers to make it appealing to users; the call for applications for the MOSAIC school has been successful with hundreds of applications and enquiries being attended to by the office; and the Annual Report will be finished soon. The next ExCom meeting is scheduled to be held at 19:00 GMT on 28 of January.
-
January 28, 2019
On 28 January 2019, the APECS ExCom met at 19:00 GMT. Present at the meeting, in alphabetical order, were: Jilda Caccavo, Jennifer Cooper, Clare Eayrs, José Queirós, Gabriela Roldán and Alex Thornton. First, project group progress and updates were discussed, and all are on track for the most part. A topic for discussion at the next Council and Project Group Leaders meeting is to limit the Doodle poll response time to 1 week instead of 2-3 in order to expedite meeting planning, which ExCom agreed upon. Our Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SCAR and IASC is near finalization, and one suggested wording change by the IASC EXCOM was discussed. Progress on drafts of the Council oversight flowchart, manuscript preparation guidelines, and data policy were discussed. Alex shared materials that could be useful for developing further fundraising strategies. Jilda put forward the idea of having APECS observers on meetings. The concept was discussed extensively, and she will prepare a summary of that discussion before the next meeting, so that details of such a position could be sorted out further. Several ideas were debated at length as to how to best manage and engage Council leadership. Gabriela’s meeting with the newly established APECS Uruguay was quite successful, and we look forward to welcoming this National Committee into the APECS fold. The next ExCom meeting is scheduled to be held at 19:00 GMT on 11 of February.
-
February 11, 2019
On 11 February 2019, the APECS ExCom met at 13:00 GMT. Present at the meeting, in alphabetical order, were: Jilda Caccavo, Clare Eayrs and Swati Nagar. The meeting began by discussing project group updates, including that the Online Conference group will be announcing their call for abstracts at the end of the month. It was discussed shifting oversight of National Committee (NC) reports from the Council Chairs to the NC Coordinators, given that they already work more closely with the NC representatives on the Council. Clare provided an update on the APECS Art initiative in collaboration with Alex Thornton, Gabriela Roldan, Jill Diederich and Tania Gibéryen. Some planned activities included the organization of a webinar during September Polar Week and the creation of a database of artists who collaborate with scientists for the APECS website. It was suggested to reach out to APECS membership in order to recruit more ECR to participate in this initiative, given that there is currently not a large representation of artists on the Council. It was discussed making available to NCs a set of cartoons about permafrost currently available in four languages, in order to see whether there would be the opportunity to translate them into even more languages. This will be presented at the next overall NC meeting scheduled for 26 of February at 11:00 GMT. The next ExCom meeting is scheduled to be held at 18:00 GMT on 25 of February.
-
February 25, 2019
On 25 February 2019, the APECS ExCom met at 13:00 GMT. Present at the meeting, in alphabetical order, were: Jilda Caccavo, Jenn Cooper, Clare Eayrs, Gerlis Fugmann, Juan Hofer and José Queirós. The meeting began by discussing the role of ECRs in meetings as rapporteurs, observers, and participants, and how to distinguish between them. Project groups are back in full swing, with the March Polar Week finalizing their activities. Additionally, some project groups, such as the IPCC review group, are in the process of writing a manuscript for publication, so ExCom worked on a ‘Guidelines’ document for this, which will be available to all Council members shortly. ExCom is also working on a way for project groups to document their activities throughout the term, which can serve as a baseline for future groups and also provide insight into their function to the Council. The Data Policy and Social Media guidelines continue to be developed and will be available to the Council when they are ready. We are currently receiving applications from ECRs for travel funding to ASSW in May. SCAR has reached out to us for ideas about how to support capacity building in Africa in the polar sciences. Finally, welcome back from Antarctica, Juan! And thank you to José for filling in, it was great to have you on ExCom. The next ExCom meeting is scheduled to be held at 18:00 GMT on 11 March.
-
March 11, 2019
On 11 March 2019, the APECS ExCom met at 18:00 GMT. Present at the meeting, in alphabetical order, were: Jilda Caccavo, Jenn Cooper, Clare Eayrs, Gerlis Fugmann, Juan Hofer and José Queirós. The meeting began by discussing the different definitions available for ECR and the updates on the data policy draft. Project group updates were shared and discussed (e.g. DEI group) and the March Polar Week is ready to launch on Monday! ExCom is planning to submit a presentation for the upcoming Online Conference and help with advertising the aforementioned Polar Week activities occurring during March. ExCom is continuing to work on Council member engagement and retention throughout the term. Suggestions for guest speakers at the next Council call were discussed along with the ExCom updates. Finally, the Ssecretariat had some news regarding EU projects in which APECS is taking part (e.g. MOSAIC workshop). The next ExCom meeting is scheduled to be held at 13:00 GMT on 25 March.
-
March 25, 2019
On 25th March 2019, the APECS ExCom met at 1300 GMT. Present at the meeting, in alphabetical order, were: Jilda Caccavo, Jenn Cooper, Clare Eayrs, Gerlis Fugmann, Juan Hofer and José Queirós. Project group updates were shared and discussed. We are continuing to follow up on responses to the Council Reports. In order to improve transparency, we are developing a Council Management Strategy that will be shared with the Council shortly. We discussed abstracts to submit for the Online Conference, Breaking Barriers, and encourage everyone to submit their own abstracts - it is a great opportunity to present your research and find out what other Early Career Researchers are working on. Our data policy has been finalised and is now being checked over by a lawyer before it is circulated around the Council for their comments and contributions. The Secretariat has been extremely busy over the last couple of weeks. Congratulations to the ASSW travel award recipients, who have now been notified. We wish them well at the summit in May. The MOSAiC School participants have also been notified and their information will be added to the MOSAiC School website within the next few days. The APECS website is currently undergoing a comprehensive renovation and we hope you find the site easier to navigate over the coming weeks. Thanks very much to José, who has stepped in as a temporary member of ExCom over the past few months. We really appreciate his contribution and wish him all the best on his upcoming time at sea! The next ExCom meeting is scheduled to be held at 13:00 GMT on 8 April.
-
April 8, 2019
On 8th April 2019, the APECS ExCom met at 1300 GMT. Present at the meeting, in alphabetical order, were: Jilda Caccavo, Jenn Cooper, Clare Eayrs, Juan Hofer and Gabriela Roldán. First, ExCom discussed the inputs coming from the last meeting of Project Group (PG) leaders and planned a series of actions to help PG leaders succeed in their roles. Updates on the Development, Equity and Inclusion PG, and the PG which will develop an APECS Guide for collaborations were shared; ExCom discussed the best ways of moving these PGs forward throughout the term. Developments regarding the formation of a new PG (APECS Art) were discussed, with more updates expected soon. ExCom went through the feedback coming from the Council reports and agreed on ways to address them. Finally, ExCom evaluated the possibility of hosting an online conference in Spanish/Portuguese and agreed to start contacting potential NCs to see if there is enough interest for such an event. The next ExCom meeting is scheduled to be held on the 22nd of April.
-
April 22, 2019
On 22 April 2019, the APECS ExCom met at 13:00 GMT. Present at the meeting, in alphabetical order, were: Jilda Caccavo, Jenn Cooper, Clare Eayrs, Juan Höfer and Neelu Singh. We followed up on responses to the Individual Council Member Reports - thanks to all those who provided suggestions and feedback. Project group updates were shared and discussed. The Online Conference, “Breaking Barriers: Promoting Interdisciplinarity in Polar Science”, is only a few weeks away and the project group is hard at work with their preparations. ExCom will be delivering a couple of APECS presentations at the conference. Neelu presented some topics for discussion at the next Council meeting. We considered these and brainstormed some ideas for presenters to initiate questions and conversations. We are delighted to announce that the APECS Memorandum of Understanding with SCAR and IASC has been renewed, confirming our engagement with these organizations over the next five years. The next ExCom meeting is scheduled to be held on 6 May.
-
May 9, 2019
On 9 May 2019, the APECS ExCom met at 15:00 GMT. Present at the meeting, in alphabetical order, were: Jilda Caccavo, Clare Eayrs, Gerlis Fugmann, Juan Hofer, Gabriela Roldan and Alexander Thornton. During the meeting, ExCom discussed the program of the APECS online conference, which is taking place on the 20th of May, as well as the best way to provide the assistance requested by the project group. The project group preparing an APECS guide to establish fruitful collaborations has sent out the survey to collect the data that will be used to prepare the guide. The Secretariat is very happy to announce the official launch of the INTERACT Fieldwork Planning Handbook, which is available both on the INTERACT website and APECS website and will be also presented at the APECS online conference. The next ExCom meeting is scheduled to be held between the 21st and the 24th of May, but the specific day and hour have not been set yet.
-
May 22, 2019
On 22 May 2019, the APECS ExCom met at 13:00 GMT. Present at the meeting, in alphabetical order, were: Jilda Caccavo, Jenn Cooper, Clare Eayrs, Gerlis Fugmann, Juan Höfer, and Gabriela Roldan. We were happy to review the successful broadcasting of the Online Conference on 20th May. Well done to the Online Conference Organising Committee who put in a lot of work to host 4 sessions comprising 37 talks over a 15 hour period. ExCom is now excited to announce plans for a Spanish Online Conference, to be held during September Polar Week - more details to follow. ExCom is currently working with the Social Media Coordinators to finalise the Social Media Guidelines, which will be available to the Council in June. We discussed some refinements to the Council Application Process - look out for advertisements about applying/reapplying to the next Council term in June. The Secretariat is busy preparing for the MOSAiC Summer School, in particular preparing the logistics and program planning around the expedition. They are also leading the organizing for the Nunataryuk School in 2020. The updates to the website following the recommendations from the Project Group that reviewed APECS Online Resources are nearly complete. The next ExCom meeting will be held on 5th June at 16:00 GMT.
-
June 5, 2019
On 5 June 2019, the APECS ExCom held their scheduled meeting. Present at the meeting - in alphabetical order - were Jilda Caccavo, Jennifer Cooper, Gerlis Fugmann, Alex Thornton and Gabriela Roldan.During the meeting the ExCom discussed working closely with the Council Co-Chairs to improve the Council application forms in preparation for the next call of candidates to join the APECS leadership. Also, the National Committees coordinators are seeking a third person to temporarily join their team. The ExCom received updates from the Organizational review Committee, and the September Polar Week project group; the latter is looking for more active group members to join and help plan the next polar equinox celebrations. In addition, APECS organized a successful webinar in partnership with SCAR and COMNAP regarding tips for applicants of the several fellowship schemes that these organizations are offering to polar early career researchers. Also, the APECS Social Media Guidelines are in revision and will be made available to the public soon. Finally, the Secretariat updates included the report from a successful EU Arctic Cluster meeting in Belgium and current funding proposal they are working on. The next ExCom meeting is scheduled for 17 June 16:00 GMT.
-
June 17, 2019
On 17 June 2019, the APECS ExCom held their scheduled meeting. Present at the meeting - in alphabetical order - were Jilda Caccavo, Clare Eayrs, Gerlis Fugmann, Juan Hofer and Gabriela Roldan. First, the ExCom received updates from the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Project Group who is working hard to organize an event on harassment at the workplace. More details on this event will follow. Also, the call for rapporteurs to assist at the ICED session during the IMBeR conference was successful and all places were covered. The Social Media Guidelines have been finalized and the document will be available to all members in the APECS website in the near future. The Council co-chairs and ExCom are preparing three Council Information sessions to meet future applicants and answer their questions. These meetings will be held in different time zones to accommodate as many people as possible. The Secretariat updates included news that Jenny Baeseman was appointed to write the scoping document of the Polar Resource Book that APECS and several partners (IASC, SCAR, PEI) are working on. Also, all participants to the MOSAiC summer school are now confirmed, and registration for the APECS/APPLICATE online course is now open. The next ExCom meeting will be held on 8 July at 14:00 GMT.
-
July 8, 2019
On 8 July 2019, the APECS ExCom held their scheduled meeting. Present at the meeting - in alphabetical order - were Jilda Caccavo, Jenn Cooper, Clare Eayrs, Gerlis Fugmann, and Gabriela Roldan. First, the ExCom discussed the finalization of the Social Media Guidelines, which will be reviewed with the Coordinators in the coming weeks. Next, the mediation procedures within APECS were thoroughly examined and discussed, and ExCom is looking to make improvements to guidelines and processes for the new Council term to avoid potential conflicts. Secretariat updates and other agenda items were moved to the next meeting in the interest of time. The next ExCom meeting will be held on 22 July 2019.
-
July 22, 2019
On 22 July 2019, the APECS ExCom held their scheduled meeting. Present at the meeting, in alphabetical order, were: Jilda Caccavo, Jennifer Cooper, Clare Eayrs, Gerlis Fugmann, Juan Hofer and Morgan Seag. First, ExCom talked about the updates coming from the recently held Council meeting. Advances made by the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion group were discussed. In preparation for the transition towards next term in October, the current ExCom started planning guides, documents and training sessions for the new Council. In this regard, several topics were discussed: a new scheme for Social Media Coordinators, translation by NCs of the membership registration form to different languages, and updating the report system used by APECS representatives. After reaching out for legal advice, a final version of the APECS Data Policy is being reviewed ahead of voting by the Council for its ratification. The IPCC project group is starting early due to the IPCC review schedule, so new members are already welcome in the group! The next ExCom meeting is scheduled to be held at 16:00 GMT on 5 August.
-
August 5, 2019
On 5 August 2019, the APECS ExCom held their scheduled meeting. Present at the meeting - in alphabetical order - were Jilda Caccavo, Jennifer Cooper, Clare Eayrs, Gerlis Fugmann and Juan Hofer. During the meeting, ExCom discussed how to work with National Committees and their members while adhering to the EU privacy policy laws. One suggestion to reach and engage with members is by sending out a survey to gauge what types of activities may interest members. The Online Conference will be announcing the presentation winners shortly - a large thank you to everyone who contributed to make this a successful event. ExCom is beginning to prepare for the 2019-2020 Council term, so keep a lookout for announcements regarding the training sessions to be held in September. The next ExCom meeting is scheduled for 19 August at 19:00 GMT
-
September 2, 2019
On 2 September 2019, the APECS ExCom held their scheduled meeting. Present at the meeting, in alphabetical order, were: Jilda Caccavo, Jennifer Cooper, Clare Eayrs, Gerlis Fugmann, Juan Hofer and Gabriela Roldan. First, ExCom discussed and prepared information regarding each of the Project Groups that will run during the next term, which begins on October 1. The APECS Iberoamericana Online Conference (September 26), in conjunction with September Polar Week (23-29), is finalizing activities to be held in just a few short weeks, so stay tuned for upcoming announcements. The Social Media guidelines have been approved and posted to the website. New Council Members have been contacted and are starting preparations for the new term, including signing up for Project Groups and attending training sessions. The next and last ExCom meeting for this term is scheduled to be held at 13:00 GMT on 16 September.