Past Events

Morgan Sparks, Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska, Fairbanks

A powerful example of local adaptation in salmonid fishes results from the relationship between spawn timing and the temperature regime experienced by incubating embryos, wherein populations generally spawn earlier in colder systems in part because duration of development is largely driven by temperature. As incubation temperature regimes are expected to change in the future, the ability to predict changes in early life history development will be an important tool for understanding the potential for adaptation under a warming climate. Temperature is the primary factor driving development in juvenile salmonids, and experienced temperature has been incorporated into statistical models to predict hatch and emergence timing with a high degree of certainty. However, existing models have traditionally been based on constant (i.e., average) temperatures in the laboratory and thus may not be representative of the variable temperature regimes actually experienced by incubating embryos under natural conditions. Because temperature regimes are relatively easy to measure in the field and hatch timing is an important life history component often unknown for wild populations, there is a need for precise predictions of hatch timing under observed temperature regimes and altered regimes owing to climate effects. Here we present work that extends an existing model to incorporate more realistic daily average temperature in place of average temperature ​over the course of incubation. We apply the extended model to 18 Bristol Bay sockeye salmon populations spawning in different habitat types (e.g. beaches, lake outlets, ponds, streams) to estimate hatch timing for early, peak, and late spawning portions of the populations. Additionally, we investigated hatch timing as it relates to changing climate conditions for a beach spawning population in Iliamna Lake based on predicted and observed past and future lake temperatures. Furthermore, we are conducting an experiment in which embryos from two Iliamna Lake sockeye salmon populations are reared in a suite of variable and constant temperature scenarios (representing experienced and predicted thermal regimes) in order to measure local adaptation and potential adaptive capacity to temperature changes. The populations spawn at the same time (mid-August) but in habitats that are representative of ends of the thermal continuum of Iliamna Lake, one being the warm and variable shores of an island and the other, cool and non-variable spring-fed ponds. Early results from this experiment suggest that population-level responses in hatch timing may be similar, but family-level differences in timing are likely sources for selection and therefore adaptive capacity. The culmination of this research will provide a multi-scale look into the adaptive capacity and potential resilience of Bristol Bay sockeye salmon to the changing environment.​

Join us:
In Anchorage: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Regional Office, 1011 E. Tudor Rd, Office of Subsistence Management Conference Room (2nd floor)​

Online:
Join WebEx meeting
Meeting number: 749 405 005
Meeting password: !WALcc2016
Call-in toll-free: 1-866-730-5871; access code 111 111 (US)

ARCUS DC Office - 1201 New York Avenue, NW. Fourth Floor. Washington, DC 20005 or online for live webinar

Does it seem as though the weather gods have gone crazy lately? It is not your imagination. The question on everyone’s minds is why? And is it related to climate change? In this presentation, I will explain new research that links increasing extreme weather events with the rapidly warming and melting Arctic during recent decades. Evidence suggests that Arctic warming is causing weather patterns to become more persistent, which can lead to extremes such as droughts, cold spells, heat waves, and some flooding events.

Jennifer Francis earned a B.S. in Meteorology from San Jose State University in 1988 and a PhD in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Washington in 1994. As a professor at Rutgers University since 1994, she has taught courses in satellite remote sensing and climate-change issues, and also co-founded and co-directed the Rutgers Climate and Environmental Change Initiative. Presently she is a Research Professor with the Rutgers Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences whjere she studies Arctic climate change and Arctic-global climate linkages. She and her husband circumnavigated the world in a sailboat from 1980-1985, including Cape Horn and the Arctic, during which her interest in weather and the Arctic began.

Details

This event is a brown-bag lunch. Cookies and beverages will be provided. A live webinar is also available to those unable to attend in person. Instructions for accessing the webinar will be sent to 'Webinar Only' registrants prior to the event.

Abstract:

A great deal is known, and even more is posited, about the environmental effects of climate change in the northern latitudes. However, very little is known about the adverse effects of climate change on the health of residents of the circumpolar north. In this talk, I will describe some of the reasons why this is so, including some of the challenges to conducting epidemiological assessments of health outcomes associated with environmental exposures. I will describe the method by which my study team met those challenges through the application of a participatory, community-based surveillance system to collect repeated observations of environmental conditions and syndromic health outcomes in sentinel communities across three ecologically distinct regions of Alaska. I describe those adverse health outcomes we found to be significantly associated with unseasonable environmental conditions likely associated with climate change. Finally, I discuss some recommendations for adaptation strategies to mitigate these adverse health outcomes in circumpolar northern populations.

About the Speaker:

David Driscoll is the director of the Institute for Health Studies and an associate professor in the College of Health and Social Welfare. His research combines epidemiological and anthropological methods to link population-level health data and sociocultural context in order to assess and create effective public health programs. He has more than 10 years of experience working for a host of federal agencies and research foundations and associations. When not in the office, Driscoll enjoys running, biking, canoe camping, and fishing.

Please consider submitting an abstract for the Marginal Ice Zone Processes Session at the 2016 Ocean Sciences Meeting to be held in New Orleans, Louisiana on February 21-26. More information and the Session description follows.

Session ID: 9503
Session Title: Marginal Ice Zone Processes
Session Topic: High Latitude Environments
Conveners: Craig M. Lee, James M. Thomson, Jeremy Wilkinson and Martin O. Jeffries

Description:
Rapid decline in Arctic summertime sea This session focuses on the processes that control evolution of the marginal ice zone and the potential changes that may accompany increased seasonality of sea ice. The complex interplay between ice, ocean and atmospheric processes, and the potentially strong feedbacks among them, modulate sea ice melt and the transfer of momentum and buoyancy into the upper ocean. For example the influence of wind, waves and passing storms drives highly variable floe size distributions, which impact melt or formation rates of sea ice, momentum and heat transfer, light fields and phytoplankton productivity. In particular, the relative importance of wave attenuation and scattering in an increasing wave climate remains unknown. Similarly, increased areas of open water may lead to stronger coupling between atmosphere and ocean, internal wave generation and elevated upper-ocean mixing. This session invites presentations that describe observational, experimental, theoretical and numerical investigations of MIZ processes in both the Arctic and Antarctic.

Abstract Deadline: 23 September 2015
Abstracts can be submitted online at http://osm.agu.org/2016/abstract-submissions/

Questions about the session or abstracts can be sent to:
Craig Lee
Washington State University
email: craig [at] apl.washington.edu
phone: (206) 685-7656

Polar ICE Science Communication Workshop Series for Polar Scientists
AGU Ocean Sciences Meeting
New Orleans, LA
Sunday, February 21 2016
8am – 4:30pm

REGISTRATION DEADLINE:
Application deadline is Monday, December 21, 2015

WHO SHOULD ATTEND:

Scientists studying the Polar Regions who want to:
* Learn strategies to communicate more effectively to diverse audiences
* Develop and engage in strong scientist-educator partnerships and professional networks
* Learn and practice communication skills

PURPOSE — WHY SHOULD I ATTEND?
Scientists are increasingly being asked to communicate the “broader impacts” of their work. Polar Interdisciplinary Coordinated Education (ICE) is an interdisciplinary group of educators and scientists working together to share scientific research from the Arctic and Antarctic with educators and students. Our objective is to help scientists communicate their research from the poles beyond their academic peers to the broader community. Please join us for a hands on workshop featuring demonstrations and discussions to address skills that include:
* Connecting with diverse audiences
* Deconstructing/decoding science for non-expert audiences
* The art of telling science stories
* Networking with the education and outreach community

INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING?
Fill out our application form to apply for this free program TODAY.

Application deadline is Monday, December 21, 2015

Stipends are available

Contact:
Dr. Carrie Ferraro: ferraro [at] marine.rutgers.edu, 848.932.3282
Janice McDonnell: mcdonnel [at] marine.rutgers.edu, 848.932.3285

This workshop series is sponsored by the National Science Foundation’s Polar Integrated Coordinated Education (ICE) and Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS).

The Distributed Biological Observatory (DBO) was initiated in the Pacific Arctic in 2012 to track marine biological responses to changing physical conditions. The observatory consists of internationally-coordinated, multi-trophic level sampling, including physical, biogeochemical and biological measurements. These observations are made annually along transects that have been identified as biologically significant in the Chukchi Sea and more recently in the Beaufort Sea. The approaches being used include hydrographic surveys, satellite observations, pelagic and benthic sampling and biophysical moorings. We will highlight initial results from DBO activities in relation to retrospective and ongoing process-oriented studies in the region.

Speaker:
Dr. Nancy Fresco, Scenarios Network for Alaska and Arctic Planning

Our world is changing – but it can be hard to predict the exact timing and extent of the impacts. One way to deal with the uncertainty associated with shifting climate and varied human responses is to explore a range of possible futures via scenarios planning, based on input and participation from a diverse group comprised of the people most affected. How and when can this method be used as a tool for long-term planning? A case study from the National Park Service and the Scenarios Network for Alaska and Arctic Planning offers some insights into what works, how we can improve communication, and how we can move forward.

Dr. Nancy Fresco is a research professor at UAF and SNAP's Network Coordinator. As such, she either leads or contributes to many of SNAP's projects. Her work focuses on forging effective collaborations, linking SNAP data to the needs of stakeholders, and interpreting the results of complex modeling efforts. Her background is in biology, forest ecology, and environmental education.

Nancy has been an Alaska resident since 1999. She completed her undergrad work at Harvard in 1994, and earned a Masters from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies in 1999. She earned a PhD in Biology from UAF in 2006, as part of an interdisciplinary program in Regional Resilience and Adaptation. Her research focused on the carbon balance in Alaska’s boreal forest.

She spends as much time as possible outside, cross-country skiing, hiking, running, and bike-commuting to work in every variety of Fairbanks weather. Nancy and her husband Jay Cable have twin daughters.

ACCAP Climate Webinars promote dialogue and a forum for discussion and information exchange between all stakeholders in Alaska. Accessible statewide, the webinars identify existing information gaps and how best to fill them. Each webinar starts with 20–30 minutes of presentation followed by discussion and questions from participants.

This webinar is open to all educators around the world. In a special partnership, Polar Educators International will host two webinars:

Tuesday, 23 February 2016 at 1700 GMT [6pm Italy, 8am AKST, 9am PST, 10am MST, 11am CST, 12pm EST] This webinar will be in presented in Italian.

Thursday, 25 February 2016 at 2300 GMT [2pm AKST, 3pm PST, 4pm MST, 5pm CST, 6pm EST] This webinar will be presented in English.

Topic:

Climatic change is one of the main topics of present-day scientific research but it is also one of the most debatable one in the media with a “not scientific” approach. How can scientists state that climate is changing? And which “time machines” enable them to reconstruct the climate of the past?

In this webinar we are going to explain the use of Ice cores in Paleoclimatology and how the issue of the climatic change communication is dealt in one of the most important research institute in that field, the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center at Ohio State University (http://bprc.osu.edu)

Certificate of Participation: To receive certificate of participation in this Master Class International program: Teachers must attend (or listen to archive) one of the two webinars. Those interested in receiving a certificate of participation will indicate this in their event registration. Teachers seeking a certificate will be paired with another teacher. Within 10 days of the webinars, teacher teams must work together to:

a.) schedule a virtual conversation about the webinar content (using technologies such as Skype or What’s Up)

b.) submit a one-page summary of the discussion to Master Class International organizers

All individuals seeking certificate of participation must complete registration before webinars and complete post-survey evaluation after summary is submitted.

All teachers and researchers from any country are welcome to attend the webinar. At this time, certificate of participation is only open to US and Italian teachers, but we intend to offer Master Class International (MCI) certificates to more countries in the future. Please contact organizers if you are interested in setting up a Master Class International for your country.

Presenters:

Paolo Gabrielli, Research Scientist, Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center at Ohio University (USA). Dr. Gabrielli will present in both English and Italian.

Jason Cervenec, Education & Outreach Director, Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center at Ohio University (USA)

Alessia Cicconi, PhD. Candidate at University of Camerino (Italy) and Visiting Scholar, Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center at Ohio University (USA)

Please contact Master Class International organizers for questions:

English – Sarah Bartholow sbartholow [at] arcus.org

Italian – Alessia Cicconi alessia.cicconi [at] unicam.it

The workshop sessions are:

• Physical interactions between ocean, atmosphere and land in the Arctic
• Biogeochemistry interactions between ocean, atmosphere and land in the Arctic
• Socioeconomic and ecological interactions in the Arctic
• Observations and methods: Remote sensing and measurement techniques

We cordially invite you to participate! The sessions will include talks, posters, and discussions. If you plan to attend the workshop, we kindly ask you to register until 31 January 2016:

https://www.clisap.de/research/b:-climate-manifestations-and-impacts/b1…

This will facilitate planning and give you the opportunity to sign up for presenting a poster!

In case of questions please contact nina.maass at uni-hamburg.de or lars.kaleschke at uni-hamburg.de

Speakers:
Paul Morin, University of Minnesota
Tracy Fuller, U.S. Geological Service
Brian Bates, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
Cathleen Williams, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency

This webinar will focus on the ArcticDEM project, which will produce the first very high resolution, publicly available digital surface model of the entire Arctic region above 60° North including all of Alaska, Greenland, and Kamchatka. The project converges civilian, high-quality sub-meter stereo imagery, petascale computing, and open source photogrammetry software. This webinar will provide information on their collaboration, the timeline, and the expected ArcticDEM products, as well as the data characteristics, acquisition status, and plans for the summer 2016 Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Rdar (ifsar) acquisition.

For questions, contact:
Jessica Rohde
Email: jrohde [at] arcus.org

Call of contributions for the 20th Alpine Glaciology Meeting AGM 2016
Munich 25/26 February 2016

The next Alpine Glaciology Meeting will be held again in Munich, an annual event that has found wide acceptance both among older “experienced” scientists and younger “enthusiastic” students from various disciplines related to glaciology. Research plans, work in progress and preliminary or final results are presented and discussed in an informal stetting, and all of this in English, a foreign language to most of us. As we share this same handicap, we also come to each other’s aid, if need be, to explain the latest advancements in research, while enjoying one another’s achievements.

Contributions (oral and posters) are welcome, please register and submit the abstract before 31st of January 2016 by email to post at keg.badw.de

Information about hotels and hostels are given below. Please book your accommodation early, because Munich is a very busy city.

Our sincere gratitude goes to the Carl Friedrich von Siemens Stiftung who graciously host our meeting in their wonderful house near the Nymphenburg Castle. We trust that this year’s AGM will be a memorable one – we hope to see you in Munich soon!

In recent years with rapid changes of climate and environment in the Arctic region and China’s economic growth, the interaction between China and the Arctic has been increasingly deepened, which calls for a coherent and sustainable development of the Arctic and China.

China-Nordic Arctic research cooperation has been intensified over the past few years and during that period Chinese institutes such as the Polar Research Institute of China (PRIC) and Shanghai Institute of International Studies (SIIS) have strengthened their ties with international counterparts.

The 4th China-Nordic Arctic Cooperation Symposium (CNARC) will take place in the Arctic Centre, University of Lapland from the 6th to 9th of June 2016 under the theme "The Sustainable Arctic - Opportunities and Challenges of Globalization".

CNARC and the Arctic Centre, University of Lapland cordially invite proposals from researchers affiliated with Nordic and Chinese universities, research institutes, think tanks and organisations to the following sessions:

1) Arctic tourism
2) Arctic sustainability
3) The GlobalArctic: Globalization and the Arctic
4) China, Nordic countries and the Arctic

Deadline for submission of abstracts: 25 February 2016

Acceptance of abstracts: 20 March 2016

Please submit the abstracts (250-400 words) to:
Ms. Malgorzata Smieszek, Arctic Centre: malgorzata.smieszek [at] ulapland.fi
Mr. Deng Beixi, CNARC: dengbeixi [at] pric.org.cn

The call for abstracts with detailed descriptions of the sessions can be found here:
http://www.cnarc.info/images/dl_files/CNARC2016-Call-For-Abstracts.pdf

Registration for participants will open later.

In 2012, the Administration announced the National Big Data Research and Development Initiative to address some of the Nation's most pressing R&D challenges in extracting knowledge and insights from large, complex collections of digital data. To this end, NSF's Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) initiated the National Network of Big Data Regional Innovation Hubs (BD Hubs) program to foster multi-sector collaborations among academia, industry, and government. Four BD Hubs have been established, one each in the Midwest, Northeast, South, and West regions of the country (see Introduction for regional definitions). The BD Hubs are expected to serve a convening and coordinating role—helping to bring together a wide range of Big Data stakeholders in order to connect solution seekers with solution providers.

This Big Data Regional Innovation Hubs: Establishing Spokes to Advance Big Data Applications (BD Spokes) solicitation extends the BD Hubs network by establishing multi-institutional and multi-sector collaborations (i.e., across academia, industry, government, non-profits, etc.) focused on topics of specific interest to a given region, which build upon the capabilities and strengths of said region. Working in concert with the corresponding regional BD Hub, a BD Spoke would work on a particular topic that requires Big Data approaches and solutions. Each BD Spoke would function similar to a BD Hub—in that it will take on a convening and coordinating roll as opposed to primarily carrying out research—but with a narrower and goal-driven scope. The set of activities managed by a BD Spoke would ensure that progress is made toward providing solutions in the chosen topic area, including, for example, gathering important stakeholders via forums, meetings, workshops, etc.; engaging with end users and solution providers via competitions, community challenges, etc.; and forming multi-disciplinary teams to tackle questions no single field can solve alone. The regional BD Hub Steering Committee will provide general guidance to the BD Spoke and assist the BD Spoke in coordinating with the national BD Hub network, other BD Spokes, and the broader innovation ecosystem.

The Big Data activities of a BD Spoke will be guided by the following broad themes:

Accelerating progress towards addressing societal grand challenges relevant to regional and national priority areas;

• Helping automate the Big Data lifecycle; and
• Enabling access to and increasing use of important and valuable available data assets, also including international data sets, where relevant.

This solicitation covers one aspect of NSF's overall Big Data R&D portfolio, which includes: research; infrastructure development and provisioning; education and workforce development; and community engagement. Prior to preparing a proposal in response to this or any other Big Data-related solicitation, applicants are strongly encouraged to review the solicitation requirements and consult with cognizant NSF program officers to determine appropriateness of fit. For example, this solicitation funds the formation of BD Spokes, as well as planning grants for future BD Spokes proposals, which will primarily carry out collaboration and partnership building activities, and will require a topical and collaborative linkage with a specific BD Hub. This solicitation is not meant to fund proposals where fundamental research is the primary activity. If research is a substantial portion of the proposed activities, please consult with the cognizant NSF program officer of this solicitation. For example, the NSF Critical Techniques and Technologies for Advancing Foundations and Applications of Big Data Science & Engineering (BIGDATA) solicitation may be more relevant for those seeking basic research funding in Foundations and Innovative Applications related to Big Data. Similarly, basic privacy research proposals would be more suited to NSF’s Secure And Trustworthy Cyberspace (SaTC) program.

All proposals to this solicitation must include a letter of collaboration from a BD Hub coordinating institution. Any proposals not including a letter of collaboration from a BD Hub coordinating institution will be returned without review. No exceptions will be made.

This webinar is open to all educators around the world. In a special partnership, Polar Educators International will host two webinars:

Tuesday, 23 February 2016 at 1700 GMT [6pm Italy, 8am AKST, 9am PST, 10am MST, 11am CST, 12pm EST] This webinar will be in presented in Italian.

Thursday, 25 February 2016 at 2300 GMT [2pm AKST, 3pm PST, 4pm MST, 5pm CST, 6pm EST] This webinar will be presented in English.

Topic:

Climatic change is one of the main topics of present-day scientific research but it is also one of the most debatable one in the media with a “not scientific” approach. How can scientists state that climate is changing? And which “time machines” enable them to reconstruct the climate of the past?

In this webinar we are going to explain the use of Ice cores in Paleoclimatology and how the issue of the climatic change communication is dealt in one of the most important research institute in that field, the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center at Ohio State University (http://bprc.osu.edu)

Certificate of Participation: To receive certificate of participation in this Master Class International program: Teachers must attend (or listen to archive) one of the two webinars. Those interested in receiving a certificate of participation will indicate this in their event registration. Teachers seeking a certificate will be paired with another teacher. Within 10 days of the webinars, teacher teams must work together to:

a.) schedule a virtual conversation about the webinar content (using technologies such as Skype or What’s Up)

b.) submit a one-page summary of the discussion to Master Class International organizers

All individuals seeking certificate of participation must complete registration before webinars and complete post-survey evaluation after summary is submitted.

All teachers and researchers from any country are welcome to attend the webinar. At this time, certificate of participation is only open to US and Italian teachers, but we intend to offer Master Class International (MCI) certificates to more countries in the future. Please contact organizers if you are interested in setting up a Master Class International for your country.

Presenters:

Paolo Gabrielli, Research Scientist, Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center at Ohio University (USA). Dr. Gabrielli will present in both English and Italian.

Jason Cervenec, Education & Outreach Director, Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center at Ohio University (USA)

Alessia Cicconi, PhD. Candidate at University of Camerino (Italy) and Visiting Scholar, Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center at Ohio University (USA)

Please contact Master Class International organizers for questions:

English – Sarah Bartholow sbartholow [at] arcus.org

Italian – Alessia Cicconi alessia.cicconi [at] unicam.it

Abstract:

This talk reviews community-based participatory research projects with indigenous people in Alaska, Guatemala, and Australia. The Alaskan project focuses on endocrine disrupting chemicals (PCBs, PFCs, PBDEs, pesticides) on St. Lawrence Island, and employs fish models to understand potential effects on human health. The Guatemalan project focuses on food web dynamics of pesticides and toxic metals in a crater lake, and also employs fish models. The Australian project uses a carnivorous marsupial to understand potential impacts of manganese mining on humans and wildlife.

About the Speaker:

Frank von Hippel was born and raised in Anchorage, where he graduated from East High School in 1985. He received his A.B. in biology from Dartmouth College in 1989 and his Ph.D. in integrative biology from the University of California Berkeley in 1996. From 1996-1999, Frank taught field courses in desert ecology for Columbia University in Arizona and Mexico, and then taught ecology field courses for the University of Pittsburgh on Semester at Sea - a semester aboard a ship that sailed around the world. Since 2000, Frank has been a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Alaska Anchorage.

He frequently teaches abroad - in 2005 he taught tropical rainforest ecology in Costa Rica, in 2007 he taught conservation biology and biogeography for a semester in Chile, in 2011 he taught about the history of the environmental movement in Argentina, and in 2013 he taught on the Semester at Sea program again, this time for the University of Virginia. Frank also teaches summer field courses in ecotoxicology for Alaska Natives in Norton Sound. At UAA Frank teaches courses in animal behavior, biogeography, conservation biology, and evolutionary biology.

Frank’s research focuses on two areas: evolutionary ecology and ecotoxicology, both using freshwater fishes as study animals and is primarily funded by the National Institutes of Health. Current ecotoxicology projects examine the following contaminants: perchlorate, toxic metals, PCBs, PBDEs, PFCs, and pesticides. Frank’s research incorporates molecular, organismal, and ecological approaches to solve problems in conservation biology and environmental health. A critical component of several of Frank’s research projects is community-based participatory research with indigenous people.

The North Pacific Research Board (NPRB) is currently accepting submissions to their 10th Annual Photo Contest. The deadline for submissions is Monday, 29 February 2016.

Each year, NPRB conducts a photo contest featuring beautiful images of sea life, seascapes, coastal scenes, and marine research within the waters of the North Pacific Ocean. This area includes the Gulf of Alaska, Prince William Sound, Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands, Bering Strait or Chukchi/Beaufort Seas.

Professionals, amateurs, adults, and youth are all encouraged to apply. NPRB awards up to $3,300 in cash prizes to the top finalists in adult and youth categories.

The contest is open to photographers of all skill levels who are residents of the United States, except employees of NPRB or their families, members of the NPRB Board of Directors and their immediate families, and members of NPRB Science Panel or Advisory Panel. International residents are welcome to participate in the contest but will not be eligible for a cash prize.

Organizers remind the Arctic community that registration is available for the 2016 Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) and Arctic Observing Summit (AOS). The meetings will be held 12-18 March 2016 in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Participants of the 2016 Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) and Arctic Observing Summit (AOS) are encouraged to save 20% and register online by Tuesday, 1 March 2016. Onsite registration will begin on Friday, 11 March 2016.

Several registration options are available:

• One-day registration;
• Only ASSW, 12-15 March 2016;
• Only AOS, 15-18 March 2016; and
• Full Week, 12-18 March 2016.

For more information on ASSW/AOS 2016, go to: https://assw2016.org

The goals of the Science of Learning (SL) Program are to: advance fundamental knowledge about learning through integrative research; connect the research to specific scientific, technological, educational, and workforce challenges; and enable research communities to capitalize on new opportunities and discoveries. The program supports projects that emphasize consilience of knowledge, adopting diverse disciplinary approaches to shared research questions. The program seeks to develop robust and integrated accounts of contexts, mechanisms, and effective strategies of learning.

This solicitation invites proposals for the creation of new research networks to address important integrative questions in the science of learning. Each network must identify an integrative research goal involving convergence of evidence from the diverse disciplinary approaches represented by participants in the network. The proposed research must substantially advance understanding of learning in more than a single discipline. Networks may focus on advancing basic research through experiments and theory, as well as translating findings from basic research on learning to applications in order to benefit society and further inform fundamental theories of learning. This solicitation is for proposals that do not fit into existing NSF programs, by virtue of the emphasis on interdisciplinarity in service of knowledge consilience and integration.

Each network is expected to engage in both of the following activities:

• Partnership-building activities among the network participants to optimize scientific exchange for the co-design and execution of network goals; and
• Collaborative, integrative research to be conducted by the network participants. Integrative research must address questions of genuine significance across multiple disciplines, or multiples levels of analysis.

This 1-day meeting will be held just prior to the start of ICOP (http://icop2016.org/) in Potsdam, Germany. The program and exact location on the Telegrafenberg campus (building and room) will be announced soon.

Researchers are invited to participate in a one-day side meeting on Arctic Coastal Permafrost in Transition (CPiT). We seek to energize and connect the coastal scientific community, to continue the legacy of the IPA-sponsored Arctic Coastal Dynamics group (ACD, an IASC network and LOICZ-affiliated project). The meeting seeks to coordinate research efforts on coastal dynamics along circum-arctic permafrost coasts, with a focus on physical processes.

The specific objectives of the this one-day meeting are to:

• Unite researchers from diverse geographic backgrounds and career stages
• Explore future research and data needs
• Discuss best practices for a range of methods
• Solicit suggestions from participants regarding next steps for ACD
• Identify funding sources for future networking opportunities

Invited speakers will open the meeting providing an overview of the history of coordinated arctic coastal dynamics research, the state of ACD, and knowledge gaps in the field. *Following a joint lunch break, discussions focussing on current research, and future coordination will follow. We seek participants willing to give brief presentations on insights into cutting edge methodologies for data collection and analysis in Arctic coastal settings.

We strongly encourage participants in the following sessions to join the Coastal Permafrost in Transition (CPiT) discussion:

• Session 22. Integrating hydrology and biogeochemistry along the land-to-ocean continuum
• Session 23. Advances in our understanding of submarine permafrost, Arctic gas hydrate deposits, and greenhouse gases in Arctic coastal waters
• Session 24. Polar coastlines in transition
• Session 28. Hazards and risks related to changing mountain, low-land and coastal permafrost

We hope to see you there. Please register by March 1, 2016.