Past Events

USAPECS (Association of Polar Early Career Scientists) announces a call for submissions of films for the Polar Film Fest, which will be held in connection with Polar Week, 19-26 September 2016.

To celebrate Polar Week 2016, USAPECS is bring together the best footage that the internet has to offer and showing off the Polar Regions to the world! Whether it is your own footage, a video you found while surfing the web, or something a you've seen at the cinema, as long as it shares the Poles with the world, then it can be featured in the Polar Film Fest. From silly to serious, one minute to feature-length, and Arctic to Antarctic, USAPECS wants to see it all!

All submissions should fit into one of four themes:

• Frozen Worlds:the Cryosphere;
• Partly Frozen, Mostly Cute: Polar Biology & Ecology;
• People at the Poles: The Human Dimension; or
• Climate and Connections.

To submit a suggestion for Polar Film Fest, please go to the link above.

Submission Deadline: 15 August 2016.

Please note that you do not have to be an early career researcher to submit a film.

USAPECS will post curated film playlists with submission information under each theme prior to the start of Polar Week, 19-26 September 2016. During Polar Week, join others online at #PolarFilmFest or plan your own in-person watch party to enjoy some of the best films in polar science!

For questions, please email:
usapecs [at] gmail.com

Teachers and researchers interested in learning more about participating in PolarTREC (Teachers and Researchers Exploring and Collaborating) are encouraged to participate in an informational webinar (web seminar), scheduled for Monday, 19 September, at 2:30 pm Alaska Daylight Time (3:30 pm PDT, 4:30 pm MDT, 5:30 pm CDT, 6:30 pm EDT).

The informational webinar will give an overview of the PolarTREC program, its goals and objectives, program components, the application process, and will address frequently asked questions. The webinar is scheduled to last one hour, but PolarTREC Project Managers will stay online to answer all participant questions.

Participation in the webinar is free of charge, optional, and is not a prerequisite for applying to the PolarTREC program. Anyone interested in participating in the webinar should register at:
https://www.polartrec.com/about/informational-webinar

Instructions will be sent to all registered participants, and the webinar will be archived and available online afterwards.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

PolarTREC—a program of the Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S. (ARCUS)—is a professional development program for educators, which pairs teachers with researchers to improve science education through authentic polar research experiences. The program integrates research and education to produce a legacy of long-term teacher-researcher collaborations, improved teacher content knowledge and instructional practices, and broad public interest and engagement in polar science.

PolarTREC teachers will spend three to eight weeks in the Arctic or Antarctic, working closely with researchers in the field as an integral part of the science team. PolarTREC teachers and researchers will be matched based on similar goals and interests, and teachers will be trained to meet the program requirements prior to the field season. While in the field, teachers and researchers will communicate extensively with their colleagues, communities, and students of all ages across the globe, using a variety of tools including online journals, photos, other multimedia, and web-based seminars.

Teachers and research projects will be selected and matched to fill the approximately 12-14 openings available. All major expenses associated with teacher participation in PolarTREC field experiences are covered by the program and program partners, including transportation to and from the field site, food, lodging, and substitute teacher costs.

The application period for teachers and researchers to apply to participate in PolarTREC begins on Monday, 12 September 2016 and ends Monday, 10 October 2016.

The U.S. Association of Polar Early Career Scientist (USAPECS) announces the virtual Polar Film Festival in celebration of Polar Week 2016.

Organizers have assembled a set of short films, and some longer ones, around a set of four themes: the cryosphere, polar biology and ecology, polar regions in the global context, and the human dimension. Each night scientists with relevant expertise will be watching the films and available to answer questions via Twitter using #PolarFilmFest.

Event schedule:

• Monday, 19 September: "Frozen Worlds: the cryosphere." These films include glaciers, sea ice, permafrost, brinicles, and more.
• Tuesday, 20 September: "Partly Frozen, Mostly Cute: polar ecology and biology." These films include penguins, polar bears, Arctic foxes, sharks, and more.
• Wednesday, 21 September: "Climate and Connections: polar regions in the global picture." These films talk about the roles the polar regions play in the global climate system.
• Thursday, 22 September: "People at the Poles: the human dimension."

The last day of the film festival explores how people live, work, and play in the polar regions.

For information about how to get involved, host an in-person showing or a virtual watch party, contact USAPECS via email: usapecs [at] gmail.com.

All short films are available for free streaming.

Further information including an event schedule, links to view the films, and locations and times for various in-person and virtual watch parties; is available on the Polar Film Festival website.

The Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy (ACCAP) will host a webinar entitled "Dynamical downscaling for Alaska: what is it and how to use it?" The webinar will be presented by Rick Lader and Peter Bieniek, University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Climate-scale variability and change often has local effects not resolved in spatially coarse reanalysis and global climate model output. Downscaling bridges this gap by providing locally-relevant climate information for your backyard. One method of downscaling uses a regional dynamical model to produce the needed higher resolution grids and is the focus of this presentation. The presenters will discuss unique value-added products such as rain-on-snow and extreme events as well as data-quality and uncertainty issues.

For more information or to register online, please follow the link above.

Participation in person is also available at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Akasofu Building, Room 407. Participants are welcome to bring
their lunch.

For questions, contact:
Tina Buxbaum
Email: tmbuxbaum [at] alaska.edu

On 22 September 2016, during the APECS International Polar Week Autumn, we organize an OPEN social and networking event for young scientists with an interest in polar research.

BSc, MSc, PhD, Postdoc and other young scientists are welcome!

Our aim is to get an overview of the polar research taking place in Göteborg and to stimulate interdisciplinary exchange and networking. The meeting will include oral presentations and a poster session accompanied by ‘fika’. In the evening, you are welcome to join us and continue with an informal social activities and dinner.

So please come and present your research, recycle your old conference poster or just come enjoy a day of polar science.

The event is free of charge, including the fika (but not the dinner).

To sign up, please follow the instruction found here before the 13th September 2016:

https://sunet.artologik.net/gu/Survey/825?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

Feel free to share the event.

The Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy (ACCAP) will host a webinar entitled "National Weather Service Alaska Climate Forecast Briefings, September 2016." The primary speaker will be Rick Thoman, National Weather Service Alaska Region.

Webinar Summary:

The tools and techniques for making monthly and season scale climate forecasts are rapidly changing, with the potential to provide useful forecasts at the month and longer range. Rick Thoman (Climate Science and Services Manager, Environmental and Scientific Services Division, National Weather Service Alaska Region) will review recent climate conditions around Alaska, review forecast tools and finish up with the Climate Prediction Center's forecast for the upcoming season.

Rick will also present a "Feature-of-the-Month" special addition in which each month he will highlight a topic relevant to the particular month.

For more information or to register online, please go to the link above.

Participation in person is also available at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Akasofu Building, Room 407. Participants are welcome to bring their lunch.

The National Weather Service Alaska Climate Forecast Briefings will be a monthly series generally taking place the third Friday of each month.

For more information, please go to: https://accap.uaf.edu/NWS_Briefings

For questions, contact:
Tina Buxbaum
Email: tmbuxbaum [at] alaska.edu

In collaboration with Arctic Portal, Arctic21, the Woods Hole Research Center (WHRC), PoLAR Partnership, EDU-Arctic, and the Consortium for Ocean Leadership, ARCUS is pleased to announce that we will be hosting a special side-event to the 2016 Arctic Science Ministerial meeting at the ARCUS office in Washington, D.C. on 27 September, 2016.

Scheduled to take place immediately before the opening events of the first White House Arctic Science Ministerial, this special event is intended to engage the international community of Arctic stakeholders in a constructive dialogue around one of the four key themes of the Arctic Science Ministerial: "Arctic Science as a Vehicle for STEM Education and Citizen Empowerment." It also provides a key opportunity for leaders participating in the Arctic Science Ministerial to engage with the wider Arctic stakeholder community and media on these topics before the closed meetings of the Arctic Science Ministerial begin.

The event has been organized into two sessions.

Session 1: Panel Presentations, 9-11:30am

Doors will open at 8:30am and the morning session program will take place from 9:00am to 11:30am. The morning session will feature two panel discussions by Arctic educators, researchers, and community leaders.Mark Brzezinski, Executive Director of the U.S. Government’s Arctic Executive Steering Committee will provide an opening keynote.

Max Holmes, a senior scientist at the Woods Hole Research Center, will lead the first panel discussion focusing on using Arctic science as a vehicle to encourage young people to become interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The panel will feature:

• Greenland's Minister of Education, Culture, Research and Church Nivi Olsen
• Chair of the US Arctic Research Commission Fran Ulmer
• An inspiring teacher from California who has been involved with the ARCUS PolarTREC (Teachers and Researchers Exploring and Collaborating) program John Wood

The second panel, focusing on empowering Arctic communities through research and education, will be led by veteran reporter on Arctic climate change issues Suzanne Goldenberg. The panel will feature:

• Chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Council Okalik Eegeesiak
• Chair of the Arctic Economic Council an Vice- President of Arctic Slope Regional Corporation Tara Sweeney
• Head of the Arctic and Environment Unit at the Sámi Council Gunn-Britt Retter
• Curator of the Arctic Studies Center at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History Igor Krupnik

The public is invited to attend the morning panel presentations via online streaming. Registration is required.

Register Here.

In-person registration for the morning panel discussions is now closed, however, due to space limitations.

Session 2: Hands-On Activities and Resources, 1-4pm

Following the panel discussions, afternoon visitors are invited to spend time investigating the event's informational displays and learning about hands-on Arctic STEM activities and resources. Attendees will have the chance to explore tools ranging from mobile apps to scenario explorations to card and board games that help formal and informal educators, school administrators, lifelong learners, and families bring the Arctic into their homes and classrooms. Some of the activities and resources that will be featured include:

• Polar Explorer: Sea Level: a mobile app for diving into the causes and consequences of past, present, and future sea level changes.
• The PufferSphere: a 360 degree multi-touch interactive system that highlights some of NASA's Earth science data.
• Arctic SMARTIC: a role-playing exercise about the opportunities and challenges of managing resources in times of change.
• Online interactives from WWF that explore the implications of oil and gas development in the Arctic
• Test out your ocean science knowledge to see if you have what it takes to win the National Ocean Sciences Bowl
• A series of Arctic jigsaw puzzles that piece together changes in Arctic sea ice, ice sheets, and glaciers
• Extreme Cold Weather Gear: experience what it's like to work as a scientist in the harsh Arctic environment
• Plus, an opportunity to participate in an Arctic-themed mini-game jam and create your own Arctic STEM resource

Visitors may join the afternoon session of the event at any time between 1pm and 4pm. You do not have to be a registered for the morning session to be a participate in the event's afternoon activities.

Registration is required to attend the event's afternoon session.

Register Here

Event Press Release & Agenda

Event Press Release
Event Agenda

Event Organizers:

ARCUS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit, member-focused corporation with a mission to serve as a catalyst for interdisciplinary thinking, acting, and education leading to the development of highly collaborative partnerships among the global Arctic research community. ARCUS envisions strong and productive linkages among international Arctic researchers, educators, communities, and other stakeholders that promote discovery and understanding of the Arctic and inform sound decisions related to the Arctic. Academic, research, government, indigenous, and corporate organizations are eligible for membership in ARCUS, as are individuals who share an interest in connecting and advancing Arctic research. ARCUS members join in a common purpose of advancing knowledge of the Arctic through science, technology, indigenous knowledge, and other forms of knowing; promoting the application of this knowledge to circumpolar Arctic problems; and addressing in concert those questions that require the collaborative skills and resources of scientists, engineers, indigenous knowledge holders, and others throughout the world.

Arctic Portal is a not-for-profit organization based in Akureyri, Iceland which acts as a comprehensive gateway to Arctic information and data. In consultation and cooperation with members of the Arctic Council member states, observer states and organizations, its Working Groups, Permanent Participant organizations and other Arctic stakeholders, Arctic Portal works to increase information-sharing and cooperation among those who live, work and have an interest in the Arctic. The Portal has initiated and maintains a network of information and data-sharing services – including web-based services that translate scientific data into user-friendly maps that educators, policymakers, and the general public can understand and use. Arctic Portal also hosts more than 50 websites of Arctic organizations and institutions of high importance, prominently participates in international Arctic research projects, and is involved in a wide variety of international consortia such as the Northern Forum, the European Polar Board, EU-PolarNet, the Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks (SAON), the Arctic Data Committee (ADN), the International Permafrost Association (IPA), the China-Nordic Arctic Research Centre (CNARC), and the EDU-ARCTIC consortium. The Portal has also taken the lead in setting up the Global Terrestrial Network for Permafrost Database, the Arctic Maritime and Aviation Transport Initiative, and the Arctic Renewable Energy Atlas.

Woods Hole Research Center is an independent research institute where scientists investigate the causes and effects of climate change to identify and implement opportunities for conservation, restoration and economic development around the world. WHRC scientists conduct research from the Siberian permafrost to the Amazon rainforest. For three consecutive years, WHRC has been named the top climate change think tank in the world by the International Center for Climate Governance.

Arctic 21 is a network of non profit advocacy organizations, research institutions and scientists supporting the US decision to make climate change in the Arctic and its consequences a focus of the US Chairmanship of the Arctic Council. Arctic 21 has two priorities in the second year of the US Chairmanship. First, Arctic 21 will continue to communicate the unraveling of the Arctic including trends in sea ice, snow cover, the Greenland Ice Sheet, Arctic glaciers and permafrost. Second, Arctic 21 is working to establish a framework for considering Arctic policy through the question, “what is the Arctic we have to have?" Arctic 21 is administered by the Woods Hole Research Center.

The PoLAR Partnership (The Polar Learning and Responding: PoLAR Climate Change Education Partnership) seeks to inform public understanding of and response to climate change through the use of innovative educational approaches that utilize fascination with the shifting polar environments and are geared towards lifelong learners. Supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation, the PoLAR Partnership has developed a portfolio of activities and resources that engage a wide variety of audiences and are exciting to use in homes, museums, classrooms, and communities.  Based out of the Columbia Climate Center at the Earth Institute, Columbia University, the PoLAR Partnership is an interdisciplinary collaboration that includes experts in climate science, formal and informal education, learning theory, game design, and communication.

EDU-ARCTIC is an EU-funded project focused on using Arctic research as a vehicle t ostrengthen science education curricula all across Europe. It aims to encourage students aged 13 to 20 to pursue further education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), setting them on a path to perhaps one day work in one of these sectors. The EDU-ARCTIC project uses a mix of different tools to bring a fresh approach to teaching STEM subjects, including online webinar lessons with polar scientists (during which students enter a virtual classroom that allows them to experience polar science firsthand), a “citizen science” environmental monitoring program, teacher trainings and workshops, an online “Polarpedia” portal with loads of useful information, and a chance for students to win a trip to an Arctic research station!

The Administration will host the first-ever White House Arctic Science Ministerial, bringing together leaders from foreign governments around the world to expand joint collaborations focused on Arctic science, research, observations, monitoring, and data-sharing.

In conjunction with the Ministerial, the White House is issuing a call-to-action for individuals, organizations, and institutions from all sectors to take new, specific, and measurable steps to help all people better understand, adapt to, and address the changing conditions in the Arctic. In particular, new work could include actions that align with the four key themes of the Ministerial:

• Understanding Arctic-Science Challenges and their Regional and Global Implications.
• Strengthening and Integrating Arctic Observations and Data Sharing.
• Applying Expanded Scientific Understanding of the Arctic to Build Regional Resilience and Shape Global Responses.
• Using Arctic Science as a Vehicle for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Education and Citizen Empowerment.

Tell us what you are doing to respond to this important call to action to address the changing conditions of the Arctic. If applicable, your response may be included in material, similar to the fact sheet for the 2015 White House Science Fair, released in conjunction with the White House Arctic Science Ministerial.

For more information follow the link above.

We are pleased to announce the first IGLOOS (Interactions at the interface of glaciology, oceanography and sea ice) Workshop to be held at the School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University on the 28-30th September 2016. The workshop aims to foster new collaborations within Wales and beyond, focused on challenges in cryosphere-ocean interaction science in a changing climate.

Climate change in the polar regions has become synonymous with the striking response of the cryosphere. The decrease in extent and thickness of Arctic sea ice, the acceleration and recession of Greenland glaciers, and the destabilisation of Antarctic ice sheets have all been linked to warming by the ocean. The resulting freshwater input to the ocean impacts local stratification, circulation and the ocean's ability to transfer heat towards the cryosphere, with the potential to feed back
onto ocean overturning. Understanding how the enhanced transfer of energy between ocean and ice in a warming world is driven by interactions at the ice-ocean interface is critical to our ability to accurately predict future climate change. The IGLOOS workshop will focus on the mechanics governing interactions at this interface, and identify promising avenues for improved measurement and modeling of these interactions.

The workshop will follow an afternoon-full day-morning format and feature talks from contributors on glaciology, oceanography and sea-ice science including invited keynote speakers:

• Prof. Doug Benn (University of St Andrews, Scotland)
• Dr. Luc Rainville, (Applied Physics Lab, University of Washington Seattle)
• Prof Danny Feltham (Reading University and Centre for Polar Observation and Modeling)

There will be no workshop fees, but to ensure a productive meeting conducive to the exchange of ideas and effective discussion, there is a limit on the total number of attendees. Talks-by-discipline will be allocated on a first-come first-served basis.

Please contact Tom Holt to register interest and intention to attend:
toh08 at aber.ac.uk

Funds are available for projects that protect, restore, or enhance fish and aquatic habitats or otherwise directly support habitat-related priorities of the Southwest Alaska Salmon Partnership. Proposals are due September 30th, 2016. The announcement and scoring criteria can be found at the link above.

Successful proposal will address one or more objectives in the Partnership’s Strategic Plan which you can read here:
http://www.southwestsalmon.org/home-2/strategic-plan

Objectives include:

• Protect water quantity and flow
• Protect habitat connectivity
• Protect water quality
• Protect habitat from fragmentation
• Prevent establishment of invasive species
• Respond to climate change
• Education and outreach around salmon

Funding will be announced and awarded in the form of a cooperative agreement by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). It is highly recommended to discuss your project ideas with contacts listed on page two of the announcement. You are also welcome to contact the Western Alaska LCC staff or Steering Committee members to discuss ideas that meet the shared objectives linked to climate change science/information and salmon habitat needs.

The 2016 WAIS Workshop will be held in Sterling, Virginia, in the Washington, DC, area at Algonkian Regional Park. This multidisciplinary Earth system science workshop will focus on the distinctive glaciological, geological, oceanographic, and climatic aspects of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.

Registration for the 2016 WAIS Workshop is open! For details about the meeting and to register, see the WAIS site above.

Registration fees:

• Professional fee (includes Post docs): $225
• Active students fee (pre PhD): $175

The abstract submission deadline has passed and lodging at the venue is full. A hotel option remains.

August 29 is the deadline for registration.

September 6 is the last day for Conference Rates at the local hotel.

Join us for a PolarConnect Event with PolarTREC teacher Cara Pekarcik and the team studying Southern Ocean Diatoms.

This is a real-time event with Boston teacher Cara Pekarcik and the researcher team looking at Southern Ocean Diatoms. They will be sharing experiences and observations of their work aboard the R/V N.B. Palmer in the Southern Ocean off the tip of the Antarctic peninsula. Read more about the research and what Cara is learning here:

https://www.polartrec.com/expeditions/southern-ocean-diatoms

This event is hosted through the PolarTREC PolarConnect program, and participants will have a chance the learn from the scientists, ask questions, and chat with others during the presentation.

The FRISP meeting is for scientists working with various aspects of ice shelf processes meeting in an informal setting and exchanging ideas, results and field plans. This year there will be a special focus on under ice observations, including information and feedback with the SOOS under ice working group presently being formed. The meeting includes an APECS mentor panel discussion, prizes for best student presentations, and a guided excursion to the historical station Bornö situated in the Gullmar fjord, famous for its geology and marine life. Travel support for students is provided.

The deadline for registration is on June 15th, 2016.

Arctic Ambitions V conference focuses on commercial opportunities in the Arctic, such as engineering, construction, architecture, natural resource development, environmental services, maritime shipping and logistics, and international trade.

Arctic research spans disciplinary, institutional, national, and sector boundaries in pursuit of improved understanding and decision making for this vital region. In order to work effectively across these boundaries, it is important to focus on effective communication, coordination, and collaboration. This interactive session will explore what is being done, and what could be done, to bridge boundaries and advance research. For example, the Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S. (ARCUS) is an
international organization that connects across boundaries through the Sea Ice Prediction Network, Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH), and PolarTREC programs, among others. The session is designed to inform those engaged in research, decision-makers interested in a more effective research enterprise, and others interested in better understanding of the Arctic.

The theme of Geosciences conferences is “Geosciences and Policies: Economy & Culture in a Changing World” which extensively covers all aspects on scientific and technical advances in the field of geosciences and geomatics ranging from the integration of instruments, methodologies and technologies to their use in earth sciences, environmental engineering and other natural sciences.

The main objective of the conference is to bring together leading Academicians, Scientists, researchers, graduate students from the field of Geosciences, Geological Sciences, Meteorology, , Atmospheric Sciences, Global warming, Environmental Sciences, GIS & Remote Sensing and others whose interest is to promote Earth Science education at the school, college and university levels, and among the general public.

The Arctic Circle is an annual open assembly that takes place in mid-October in Reykjavík, Iceland. The annual program is designed in collaboration with partnering organizations. The Arctic Circle facilitates working meetings across issues and organizations and provides a forum for discussions hosted by different international and Arctic institutions. Following meetings, participating organizations are invited to contribute ideas for the next year's Arctic Circle assembly.