Three announcements from NSF Polar Programs

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

Job Opportunity: Interdisciplinary (Supervisory Environmental Scientist) position within the National Science Foundation Directorate for Geosciences (GEO), Office of Polar Programs (OPP) in Alexandria, VA. 

The Environmental Officer will lead the implementation, oversight and evaluation of policies and procedures related to environmental management, monitoring, protection, and conservation in polar regions. This position plays a critical role in supervising research activities from an environmental perspective, ensuring compliance with environmental protection standards and fostering stewardship of these unique ecosystems. 

The successful candidate will apply their expertise in environmental policy, science, and engineering, alongside a deep understanding of U.S. legislation and international environmental directives, to ensure NSF-funded research and support activities in polar regions adhere to the highest standards of environmental responsibility. 

For more information and how to apply, visit https://www.usajobs.gov/job/821953300. Deadline is December 18, 2024.

Dr. David Porter Joins OPP as Permanent Program Director for Antarctic Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences 

Dr. David Porter will serve as the permanent Program Director for the Antarctic Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences (AOAS) Program in the Section for Antarctic Sciences. Dr. Porter has been an IPA in the AOAS program since 2022. 

Dr. Porter holds a Ph.D. in Atmospheric and Oceanic Science from the University of Colorado – Boulder and a Bachelor of Science in Meteorology from Rutgers University. Before joining the U.S. National Science Foundation as an IPA, Dr. Porter was a research scientist at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University, where he studied how the atmosphere and ocean drive changes in the ice sheets, and how the resulting changing sea level affects coastal communities near and far. Dave has flown aerogeophysical surveys with NASA Operation IceBridge, the British Antarctic Survey, and aboard LC-130s with the ROSETTA-Ice project (including air-launching ocean profilers in the Ross Sea). He has sailed on the RVIB Nathanial B. Palmer to the remote East Antarctic coast and worked with local fishers and hunters in Greenland to collect ongoing temperature profiles in remote glacial fjords. 

While at NSF, Dr. Porter has been managing AOAS and co-leading the OPP Postdoctoral Research Fellowship program, sitting on multiple cross-GEO working groups such as P4CLIMATE, and liaising with domestic and international Antarctic partners. 

Request for Information (RFI): Development of an Antarctic Subsea Telecommunications Cable for Science 

The U.S. National Science Foundation has issued a request for information (RFI) to facilitate the concept definition of a proposed subsea telecommunications and science instrumentation cable to Antarctica with input from industry, academia, nonprofits, government, philanthropic and other interested parties. The RFI includes background information, links to relevant studies and research community reports and an electronic online submission form for the public to provide feedback. To read the full announcement and participate in the electronic online submission, visit https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/11/21/2024-27292/request-for-information-rfi-on-science-research-goalsobjectives-affecting-proposed-us-antarctic 

Please Note: The published closure for RFI comments has been extended from Nov. 5, 2024, to Jan. 15, 2025. Further announcements and information may be found on the NSF web page: https://new.nsf.gov/geo/opp/ant/antarctic-subsea-cable. 

Synopsis: The cable concept proposes to connect the largest research facility in Antarctica, the U.S. McMurdo Station, with either Invercargill, New Zealand, or Sydney, Australia, with the global telecommunications infrastructure. The cable would incorporate scientific sensors to provide an enduring observational instrumentation platform for the sparsely observed Southern Ocean. Specifically, the cable proposes to host the point science sensor concept promoted by the United Nations Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO - the Joint Task Force on Science Monitoring And Reliable Telecommunications (SMART) Cables. The cable would also leverage the rapidly evolving capability of distributed fiber sensing. 

The NSF directorates for Geosciences, Computer and Information Science and Engineering, and Technology, Innovation and Partnerships view the concept of subsea cable to potentiate transformational changes in the conduct and execution of science and innovative public-private partnerships linking science and technology for broad societal benefit. NSF encourages broad participation in the RFI from the communities represented by these directorates.

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Terri Edillon 
Lead Communications Specialist 
NSF Office of Polar Programs 
Office: 703-292-7521 | Mobile: 703-398-2201 
Email: tedillon@nsf.gov 

U.S. NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION 
2415 Eisenhower Ave, Alexandria, VA 22314, USA