United States
Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research

US-SCAR News

Reminder: SCAR Open Science Conference abstracts due June 1

The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) Open Science Conference (OSC) is held every two years and will be a virtual meeting hosted by India from 1-10 August 2022. The SCAR OSC is an excellent opportunity to present, hear about and discuss the most recent and important results of Antarctic research in all disciplines in an international setting. Abstract submission is open until June 1. There is no abstract submission fee. Meeting registration will start June 2. The meeting registration fee is $25. US-SCAR, through support from NSF, will be able to reimburse US scientists to attend the SCAR OSC. Continue Reading


Webinar on Antarctic Soil Biodiversity

The polar desert of Antarctica continues to be impacted by climate change. What can we learn about the resilience of mosses, lichens and simple soil food webs to increased temperatures and wetting events? Are these ‘pristine systems’ now vulnerable to invasive species? What are scientists learning about the changing polar terrestrial ecosystems, their biodiversity and ecosystem functions that may apply to temperate soils? Join moderator Byron Adams (Brigham Young University, Utah, USA) and panelists Gemma Collins (Senckenberg Society for Nature Research, Frankfurt am Main, Germany Lowe Centre for Translation Biodiversity Genomics), Claudia Colesie (University of Edinburgh, UK), Jackie Goordial, (University of Guelph, Canada) and Jasmine Lee (British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK) for a discussion on hidden soil life, (microbes, invertebrates, cryptogams) and the changing terrestrial environment of Antarctica. May 25, 2022 07:00 AM in Mountain Daylight Time (US and Canada) Continue Reading


Temporary part-time position with SCAR Secretariat

The SCAR Directors are looking for someone to provide short-term contractual support to the SCAR Executive Director (3-6 months) while they are making a phased return to full time working following a period of medical leave. Tasks may vary depending on skills and experience but are expected to comprise largely of delivery of key elements of the SCAR Delegates’ Meeting in September. All interested colleagues with experience of project management, event management with an online component, and an understanding of SCAR’s activities and operations are encouraged to get in touch. Deliverables could vary from administrative tasks through to strategic advice, depending on the experience of the candidate. Remuneration will depend on skills and experience. Continue Reading


NSF Dear Colleague Letter: Opportunities to Participate in Construction & Operation of a new Antarctic Research Vessel

This Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) from the NSF Office of Polar Programs announces the opportunity to participate in a developing project. This announcement invites participation in the development and operation of this prospective Antarctic Research Vessel, through the issue of two Requests for Information, or RFIs. Deadline for responses is June 6, 2022. Continue Reading


Polar Impact Mentee Program - May 20 Deadline

Polar Impact, a network for racial and ethnic minorities in polar research, are thrilled to announce applications for the inaugural Mentorship Initiative are now open! This year-long program will be open to ten mentees who identify as racial or ethnic minorities in polar research and engage with the polar regions through academic research. The program offers opportunities for mentees to develop skills and build relationships through both peer-to-peer and one-to-one mentoring. Applications close on May 20, 2022, and programming will begin in August 2022. Continue Reading


OPP/NSF Update on Science Support and Infrastructure in Antarctica

Dear Colleague Letter: Update on Science Support and Infrastructure in Antarctica. This recently released Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) from the NSF Office of Polar Programs provides an update on the status and future of science support and infrastructure recapitalization in Antarctica as affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and projected information about the availability of field assets for future seasons. Continue Reading


Call for Nominations - SCAR Medals

Consider nominating someone for one of the following 2022 SCAR Medals: (1) The SCAR Medal for Excellence in Antarctic Research, (2) The SCAR Medal for International Coordination, or (3) The SCAR Medal for Education and Communication. Initial nominations for 2022 awards are open until 18 May 2022. Continue Reading


PSECCO Advisory Board Openings for Early Career Scientists

The Polar Science Early Career Community Office (PSECCO) invites US-based early career polar scientists with a research focus on the Antarctic, Arctic, or high alpine regions to apply to serve on the PSECCO Advisory Board. PSECCO is a new community-building and support effort for early career scientists focused on promoting accessibility, inclusion and diversity in the polar sciences, funded by NSF and housed at the University of Colorado. Please complete the short application form to indicate your interest by May 16, 2022. Continue Reading


NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) Available for Comment

NSF has published a notice in the Federal Register announcing the availability of a “For comment” draft of the Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 23-1). NSF is soliciting comments on the draft PAPPG until close of business on June 13, 2022. To facilitate review, revised text has been highlighted in yellow throughout the document and explanatory comments have been included in the margins, where appropriate. A notable change is a required supplementary document, "Plan for Safe and Inclusive Field/Vessel/Aircraft Research (PSI-FVAR)," for proposals to NSF that include fieldwork. Please use this opportunity to review the draft changes to the PAPPG and provide comments through the federal register process. Comments must be submitted through the Federal Register process. Any questions should be directed to the Policy Office at policy@nsf.gov. Continue Reading


Rotator (IPA) Program Director positions at NSF/OPP

The NSF Office of Polar Programs is recruiting for two Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) rotator Program Director positions: (1) Program Director (IPA) for the Office of Polar Programs, Organisms/Ecosystems, Antarctic Sciences; and (2) Program Director (IPA) for the Office of Polar Programs, Atmosphere/Oceans, Antarctic Sciences. Continue Reading


New US Representative to SCAR SC on Antarctic Geographic Information

US-SCAR is happy to announce Cole Kelleher (Satellite Tasking Coordinator at the Polar Geospatial Center, University of Minnesota) as the new US representative to the SCAR Standing Committee on Antarctic Geographic Information (SC-AGI). Cole has been a member of SC-AGI for a number of years and we look forward to him taking on this new role. Other US members of this Standing Committee are Kimberly Casey and Roger Payne, both with the US Geological Survey. The outgoing US representative is Paul Morin, who was also the co-Chief Officer of SC-AGI. We would like to thank Paul for his many years of service to SCAR and SC-AGI. Continue Reading


Polar Science Early Career Community Office (PSECCO)

The Polar Science Early Career Community Office (PSECCO) is officially launched (see press release)! PSECCO is a community-building and community-support organization for polar early career scientists. Its mission is to empower and elevate early career scientists in the Polar Sciences, support a vibrant community, provide opportunities and resources, offer skill training and work together towards a more just, inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible polar science environment. The office will be building partnerships and offering support to early career organizations already doing great work, working to build community, and offering unique professional development and funding opportunities of its own. Help us to shape and evolve the office to best support polar early career scientists by attending a community meeting on May 3 at 11am AK/1pm MT/3pm ET or June 9, 9am AK/11am MT/1pm ET. Learn more about the office and sign up for our mailing lists at psecco.org, or join us on Twitter @polarsecco. Continue Reading


Launch of the Southern Ocean Action Plan for the UN Ocean Decade

The Southern Ocean Task Force is pleased to announce the Launch of the Southern Ocean Action Plan. For this occasion, we will be hosting a webinar on April 12th 2022, at 12:00pm UTC to present the content of the Action Plan and the future of the Southern Ocean community’s engagement in the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. Continue Reading


New US Representatives to SCAR

US-SCAR is happy to announce three new US representatives to SCAR Standing Science Groups (SSGs) on the Geosciences and Physical Sciences. Lu Lu, Assistant Professor, Physics Department and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin, and Kirsty Tinto, Lamont Associate Research Professor, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University join Physical Sciences. And Julia Wellner, Associate Professor, Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Houston joins Geosciences. Continue Reading


Workshop: Detecting Adaptive Evolutionary Events in Genomes of Polar Species

A two-day workshop will be held at the Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience (University of Florida) during July 24 – 27, 2022. Participants are encouraged to work with their own NGS-based datasets, but sample datasets will also be provided and analyzed using a bioinformatics platform. Applicants with transcriptomic datasets that span ecological boundaries (e.g., high vs. low latitudinal habitats, marine vs. freshwater habitats, deep vs. shallow water habitats, etc.) will be given priority. However, anyone who is interested in learning these techniques is encouraged to apply. Application deadline is June 1, 2022. Continue Reading


Update on COVID-19 Protocols for the NSF Office of Polar Programs (OPP)

The Office of Polar Programs has released a set of Frequently Asked Questions on COVID-19 protocols related to funded research projects and research stations in the Arctic and the Antarctic. These FAQs can be accessed at https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2022/nsf22066/nsf22066.jsp. Continue Reading


Invitation to Register and Contribute Input to a National Academies workshop on "Technology Developments to Advance Antarctic Research"

Doing scientific research in the remote, often dangerous conditions of the polar regions can pose extraordinary challenges. The National Science Foundation, which helps the scientific community address these challenges, has asked the National Academies to organize a workshop to foster community-wide discussion about harnessing cutting-edge technological innovations to (1) advance, facilitate, and transform Antarctic and polar research; (2) increase the reach of Antarctic and polar research while reducing the environmental footprint of these operations; and (3) facilitate broader, more diverse participation in Antarctic and polar research. (While focused primarily on Antarctic science, the workshop will also explore lessons/solutions from Arctic science as well.). As input to this workshop, we invite your creative ideas regarding: existing technologies that hold potential to advance some key aspect of Antarctic/polar research, but have not yet been applied for this purpose; and/or new technological advances that could plausibly (technologically, operationally) be developed to advance some key aspects of Antarctic/polar research. Idea Submission Deadline: April 20, 2022 Continue Reading


Fellowships for Early Career Researchers

US-SCAR would like to bring to your attention three sources of fellowships for early career researchers: (1) SCAR INSTANT Scientific Research Programme (Instabilities and Thresholds in Antarctica), (2) Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP) and the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO), and (3) SCAR Fellowship Scheme. Continue Reading


US National Academies Mid-Term Assessment Report of Antarctic and Southern Ocean Research

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recently released the new report: Mid-Term Assessment of Progress on the 2015 Strategic Vision for Antarctic and Southern Ocean Research. This report assesses National Science Foundation (NSF) progress in addressing three priority research areas identified in a 2015 National Academies report*: (1) understanding the linkages between ice sheets and sea-level rise, including both a focus on current rates of ice sheet change and studies of past major ice sheet retreat episodes; (2) understanding biological adaptations to the extreme and changing Antarctic environment; and (3) establishing a next-generation cosmic microwave background (CMB) program, partly located in Antarctica, to study the origins of the universe. Continue Reading


SCAR 2022 Open Science Conference Call for Abstracts

The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) Open Science Conference (OSC) is held every two years and will be a virtual meeting hosted by India from 1-10 August 2022. The SCAR OSC is an excellent opportunity to present and discuss the most recent and important results of Antarctic research in all disciplines in an international setting. Abstract submission opened this week and will close 1 June. There is no abstract submission fee. Meeting registration will start 2 June. The meeting registration fee will be $25. US-SCAR, through funding from NSF, will be able to reimburse US scientists attending the SCAR OSC. Continue Reading