US-SCAR News

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Save the date for “The Cold is Getting Hot! – Scientific Symposium: From Arctic to Antarctic” on the 24th and 25th February 2022 – an event convened by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation with the Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) and the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) as co-conveners, in collaboration with the Oceanographic Institute, Prince Albert l of Monaco Foundation. The event will be held in person at the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco and available to watch online through a live stream. Continue Reading

The Antarctic Science International Bursary provides annual awards for up to £6000 (~$8000) to support PhD or early career researchers to extend the scope of an existing research project. The 2022 application deadline is March 18. APECS and the journal Antarctic Science are holding two webinars on Friday, February 11 at 3:00 pm and 8:00 pm UTC. 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 and provides science advice to the Antarctic Treaty System for Antarctic policy and environmental management decisions. The Polar Research Board of the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is responsible for selection of U.S. representatives to SCAR - a team consisting of a Lead Delegate, Alternative Delegate, and members of the three main SCAR Science Groups (Geosciences, Physical Sciences, Life Sciences). A list of current U.S. representatives can be found on the US-SCAR website. We are seeking nominations for people to fill three spaces on this US-SCAR team - including one candidate for the Geosciences Group, and two candidates for the Physical Sciences 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. Continue Reading

US-SCAR has created the US Antarctic Scientists Directory and you are invited to register! The intent of the Directory is to have a list of scientists who work in the US Antarctic Program (USAP). Currently the only list readily available is through the NSF Awards Database, and this listing is only of NSF principal investigators. There are many more scientists (e.g., students, post-docs, staff scientists, etc.), including those funded by other agencies, who are involved in USAP. The US Antarctic Scientists Directory will provide a means for people currently involved in USAP activities to find potential collaborators, will serve as a resource for new Antarctic proposers, will allow the general public to learn more about USAP activities and accomplishments, and provide a number of other benefits to the US Antarctic community. Continue Reading

On December 16, 2021, at 07:00 PM EST, join oceanographer Oscar Schofield as he chats with researchers aboard the Research Vessel Nathaniel B. Palmer as they study the marine ecosystems of the West Antarctic Peninsula. Their research, part of the National Science Foundation’s Long-Term Ecological Research program, catalogs the effects of climate change on the environment around the Antarctic Peninsula, one of the fastest-warming regions on Earth. In this live Zoom event, learn how the Antarctic Peninsula has changed over the past several decades and how these changes affect life at every level of the food web, from tiny crustaceans to penguins, seals and whales. Pre-registration is required. Continue Reading

The SCAR Open Science Conference 2022 will take place 1-10 August 2022. The conference will be held online. The theme of the conference is Antarctica in a Changing World. The SCAR Open Science Conference 2022 will will feature a comprehensive schedule of meetings, symposia, virtual side events and social activities, daily plenary lectures and poster sessions in an innovative online format. The conference includes a wide range of parallel sessions from the Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, Geosciences, Humanities and Social Sciences and Cross-Disciplinary Topics. For the latest updates and information, visit the conference website at https://scar2022.org/. Continue Reading

Second Announcement. The US Biological Adaptations to Environmental Change in Antarctica – An Advanced Training Program for Early Career Scientists has grants available for research and travel to enhance participation in the US Antarctic Program. Funding is available to augment current research, or to offset costs to attend in person or remote meetings. Applicants can be already involved in Antarctic research or be interested in getting involved in the study of any aspect of Antarctic science (does not have to be biological). Applications are invited from (1) students currently enrolled in MS or PhD programs, (2) postdoctoral researchers, and (3) early-career faculty and research scientists. “Early career” is defined here as pre-PhD or within five years of earning a PhD. Applicants must be enrolled or employed at a US university or institution. Review of applications will start December 15, 2021. Applications submitted after December 15 will be reviewed until all available funds are fully allocated. Continue Reading

On December 10, at 1pm EST, join marine biologist Amy Moran and her team live from McMurdo Station, Antarctica as they conduct research in the coldest ocean water on the planet! In this live Zoom event, learn how researchers dive under sea ice to collect sea creatures and discover how animals like sea spiders and sea urchins survive in the frigid waters of the Southern Ocean. Pre-registration is required. Continue Reading

The workshop, which is scheduled from February 2-4, 2022, for both in-person participants (as well as others who would prefer access via Zoom) at the National Museum of Natural History (Smithsonian Institution) in Washington D.C., will explore potential benefits and challenges of such a biological repository. Prior to the workshop, the organizers are reviewing the current state of Antarctic collections in the U.S., including both personal and museum collections. To assist in this effort, please complete a short survey by November 15, 2021, to provide the organizers information about your sample collection, and your thoughts on the need for an Antarctic biological repository. Continue Reading

SAVE THE DATE! Polar Research Board (PRB) Fall Meeting. The PRB Fall Meeting open sessions will take place as a series of online sessions on November 15, 19, and 30. Continue Reading