ARCUS recently convened its first exclusively virtual Annual Membership Meeting. This meeting serves as an opportunity for the Arctic research community to come together every year to discuss issues that we face in advancing the understanding of the Arctic system. This year was particularly exciting because of the number of people that attended the meeting. We had more people in attendance (128) than at any other ARCUS Annual Meeting that I can remember! It was a chance for me to see old friends and remember what it is about our community that is so exciting. We are a community. We talk to each other. We read each other’s work. And most importantly, we value the insight that each of us bring to the understanding of the truly important issues that we work on. ARCUS does a fantastic job of cultivating this interaction and keeping us all connected.
I hope that after this year’s meeting you all walked away wanting more interaction. In the coming year, ARCUS will strive to continue providing opportunities for collaboration and the exchange of ideas. I encourage all of you to take advantage of these opportunities. Spread the word to your colleagues about what ARCUS does. Take the time to interact with the ARCUS staff and board (they are fantastic!). Become an individual member of ARCUS to help us continue to bring our community together. Encourage your institutions to become institutional members. All of these things will benefit the community and help advance our understanding of the Arctic.
I look forward to the coming year and the challenges that we will face and the discoveries that will be made. Most of all, I look forward to doing all of this with you, the ARCUS community!
David M. Cairns
President, ARCUS Board of Directors