US-SCAR News

The XIV International Symposium on Antarctic Earth Sciences (ISAES), organized by the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), is an event that brings together experts from around the globe to share their latest research and insights on geology, climate, and ecosystems of the Antarctic region. The XIV ISAES will be held 18-23 August 2025 in Punta Arenas, Chile. US-SCAR will provide travel support for US scientists to attend ISAES (funding from NSF Polar Programs/Antarctic Sciences). Information on the application process will be sent out soon. Continue Reading

(US-SCAR is distributing this message as a public service, SCAR is not affiliated with this program.) The Polar Impact Mentorship Initiative (PIMI) warmly invites the polar research community to join us as we explore what contributes to “successful” collaborations! During this hour-long panel discussion, we will consider collaborations through multiple lenses and embrace the benefits that come from engaging with interdisciplinary research groups, policy and decision makers, and Indigenous and local community members. Whether you are building a career in polar research, have decades of polar experience, or want to learn more about how communities, scientists, and decision makers can better work together to solve complex problems, this panel discussion will offer insights and inspiration for all! The event will take place on February 28 from 10-11a EST | 3-4p GMT, and registration is required to receive the Zoom link. Continue Reading

The Antarctic Environments Portal (AEP) is looking to renew its Editorial Board. The Editorial Board supports the AEP Editor in overseeing the review process of Information Summaries and ensuring information available through the Portal is accurate, apolitical and up-to-date. Members of the Editorial Board are asked to review Information Summaries usually aligned with their area of expertise, two to three times a year. Applications from Early Career Researchers (ECRs), women, and developing nations are encouraged. Do not hesitate to share with colleagues. Please register your interest by Friday 21st February 2025. Continue Reading

Antarctic Geospace and ATmosphere reseArch (AGATA) is a new SCAR Scientific Research Program. AGATA is a coordinated, worldwide effort to monitor, investigate and better understand the physics of the polar atmosphere and the impact of the Sun-Earth interactions on the polar regions. AGATA will take advantage of existing and planned instrumentation in Antarctica, but also in the Arctic and satellite-based observations, and it will aim for coordinated research efforts and data exchange. This bi-polar perspective will allow the study of significant interhemispheric asymmetries in the atmospheric response observed in the polar regions. The AGATA program is holding a series of kick-off meetings for those interested in learning more about the program. Continue Reading

US-SCAR is happy to announce the next installment of our US Antarctic Interview Series. This feature of our website provides the opportunity for us to highlight a pair of researchers involved in the US Antarctic Program - someone with an established career along with an early career collaborator. The newest interviews are with Chris Cheng and Julia York. Chris Cheng is a professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a well-known Antarctic researcher studying the molecular biology and evolution of cold adaptation in Antarctic fish, and a member of the US National Academies Polar Research Board. Julia York is a post-doc working with Chris, and she is a Fulbright Scholar who is collaborating with Chilean scientists to investigate Antarctic fish adaptations. Continue Reading

The Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research (SCAR) is an international scientific organization that promotes and facilitates cooperation in all aspects of Antarctic research. The Polar Research Board of the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine serves as the U.S. National Committee to SCAR and is responsible for selection of U.S. representatives. We are currently seeking nominations for candidates to fill one representative position in the Life Sciences Scientific Group.We seek candidates who have some existing understanding of SCAR’s structure and goals, have a strong commitment to SCAR’s vision for international research cooperation, are well-respected in their fields of work, and have a broad understanding of polar-region research more generally. Please submit your nominations by Friday, February 14 to April Melvin (AMelvin@nas.edu). Continue Reading

Please join the NSF Office of Polar Programs (OPP) Section for Antarctic Sciences (ANT) for a community office hour on Thursday, January 16, from 3:00 – 4:00 pm EST. During this office hour, staff will discuss news from the section, two new Antarctic solicitations NSF 25–525: Antarctic Research Requiring U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP) Support for Fieldwork and NSF 25–526: Antarctic Research Not Requiring U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP) Field Support, the Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (PRF) program and other updates. Time will be set aside to ask questions. Continue Reading

The NSF Office of Polar Programs Antarctic (ANT) Sciences Section has released two solicitations for Antarctic research. Planning is underway to host office hours to discuss the new solicitations and other Antarctic sciences updates. Details will be announced on the OPP updates web page. Continue Reading

The Juneau Icefield Research Program (JIRP) is an 8-week summer field course for students interested in undergraduate-level Polar sciences. Participants receive a wide range of training in Earth & climate sciences, alpine travel and safety skills, and science communication while traversing the Juneau Icefield from Southeast Alaska to northern British Columbia. Teaching Faculty at JIRP are volunteers who are eager to share their passion and knowledge with students. We cover all expenses for our Teaching Faculty once they arrive in Juneau, including food, lodging, and helicopter flights. Faculty members are responsible for funding their own flights to Juneau. Continue Reading

Recent announcements from NSF Office of Polar Programs: 1. Job opportunity: Interdisciplinary (Supervisory Environmental Scientist) position within the National Science Foundation Directorate for Geosciences (GEO), Office of Polar Programs (OPP) in Alexandria, VA. 2. Dr. David Porter Joins OPP as Permanent Program Director for Antarctic Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences 3. Request for Information (RFI): Development of an Antarctic Subsea Telecommunications Cable for Science Continue Reading

US-SCAR is happy to announce the next installment of our US Antarctic Interview Series. This feature of our website provides the opportunity for us to highlight a pair of researchers involved in the US Antarctic Program - someone with an established career along with an early career collaborator. The newest interviews are with Liz Sikes (Rutgers University), recipient of the 2022 SCAR Medal for Excellence in Antarctic Research, and Ryan Glauber (University of Arizona). Continue Reading

The Juneau Icefield Research Program (JIRP) is an 8-week summer field course for students interested in undergraduate-level Polar sciences. Participants receive a wide range of training in Earth & climate sciences, alpine travel and safety skills, and science communication while traversing the Juneau Icefield from Southeast Alaska to northern British Columbia. Student applications are open for the 2025 Juneau Icefield Research Program field season! Continue Reading

We are pleased to announce the 2025 SCAR Science-Policy Fellowship Programme for early-mid career researchers (EMCRs). These fellowships are sponsored by one of the current SCAR Scientific Research Programs, Integrated Science to Inform Antarctic and Southern Ocean Conservation (Ant-ICON), and the SCAR Standing Committee on the Antarctic Treaty System (SC-ATS). The aim of the fellowship programme is to provide the opportunity for EMCRs to gain experience in the science-policy interface from participating in Antarctic policy forums through the preparation and potential submission of a science/policy paper based on their research, in collaboration with SC-ATS. The fellowships are open to EMCRs from all SCAR member countries. Preference will be given to researchers who have not previously participated in these meetings and are actively seeking to contribute. Continue Reading

The deadline to apply to a PSECCO Belonging, Accessibility, Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (BAJEDI) Micro-grant is rapidly approaching on October 31, 2024! Do you have an idea that will advance BAJEDI in the Arctic and Antarctic regions but need a little funding to bring that idea to fruition? PSECCO is looking to support people or organizations based in the US with plans that will lead to tangible impacts in these areas. Continue Reading

REMINDER: US-SCAR is hosting a public Zoom meeting to recap decisions made at the SCAR 2024 business meetings for Geosciences, Life Science and Physical Sciences Groups along with updates from the SCAR Standing Committees on Antarctic Geographic Information and Antarctic Data Management; and a report from the 2024 SCAR Delegates Meeting. Continue Reading

US-SCAR is hosting a public Zoom meeting to recap decisions made at the SCAR 2024 business meetings for Geosciences, Life Science and Physical Sciences Groups along with updates from the SCAR Standing Committees on Antarctic Geographic Information and Antarctic Data Management; and a report from the 2024 SCAR Delegates Meeting. Continue Reading

The NSF Office of Polar Programs (OPP) is hosting an office hour on the OPP Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (OPP-PRF) program on November 14, 3-4 pm EST to discuss the program, eligibility, the application process, and NSF review criteria. Program officers will go over frequently asked questions and there will be plenty of time for attendees to ask their own questions. Continue Reading

The SCAR Delegates meeting recently approved a programme planning group for a proposed new SCAR scientific programme concentrating on all areas of biology and ecology, Changes in Circumpolar Antarctic Gradients in Ecosystems (C-CAGE). We now have two years to flesh out a full proposal. The aim of C-CAGE is to use the natural environmental gradients in temperature, ice cover, and other physical drivers that exist in different parts of Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic (with latitude, longitude, altitude, and depth) to better predict the likely outcomes for life as the region’s habitats change. More reliable predictions of future ecological change will enable better management and conservation of Antarctica’s unique biodiversity and ecosystems (including marine, freshwater, ice, terrestrial, snow habitats). C-CAGE is at the programme planning group stage and looking for input from the scientific community. Continue Reading

Please note: US-SCAR was asked to make this announcement, but neither SCAR nor US-SCAR are involved with any aspect of this survey, or have any opinion about the survey outcomes. This information is provided as a public service to the US Antarctic community. This American Physical Society -Division of Particles & Fields (APS DPF) survey is intended to collect information regarding the impacts on science and the U.S. scientific workforce stemming from the National Science Foundation's Antarctic Infrastructure recapitalization plans, the associated delay of the Cosmic Microwave Background Experiment Stage Four (CMB-S4), and potential impacts to other physics research requiring Antarctic access. The information collected in this survey will be curated by the APS Office of Government Affairs and shared with the U.S. House of Representatives' Science, Space, and Technology Committee to help inform future decisions on Antarctic science. Responses received before October 4 would be most useful. Continue Reading

The National Science Board (NSB) U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Commission on Merit Review recently published a Request for Information to gather input from the public on perceptions and experiences with the NSF Merit Review process, criteria and policies. Responses will be accepted until 5:00 PM Eastern time on Friday, September 20, 2024. Responses will help the Commission robustly consider potential recommendations and suggestions to the NSB and NSF to keep NSF's Merit Review at the forefront of innovation and meet evolving challenges and opportunities of the research landscape. Continue Reading