Moscow, 10 March 2015
APECS Russia national committee has been established in 2008, and currently consists of members from different regions of Russia. This week, APECS Russia, officially named as Russian Youth Polar Initiative (RYPI), held a round table at the Faculty of Geography, Lomonosov Moscow State University bringing together APECS Russia members and mentors, students, early career and senior researchers interested and working in Polar regions. The greeting and endorsement letters to participants of the meeting and APECS Russia activities were sent from APECS International Directorate, International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), the International Network for Terrestrial Research and Monitoring in the Arctic (INTERACT) and number of existing APECS National Committees in other countries. Russian Youth Polar Initiative (RYPI) will further consolidate a community of polar researchers in Russia with a suit of activities aimed at a popularization of polar sciences among general public and at a career development of polar early career researchers. While many great examples of activities led by APECS International and various APECS National Committees exist, a special focus of Russian members will be made on adopting internationally successful projects taking into consideration rich traditions in polar research and exploration in Russia. Representatives from the Permafrost Young Researcher Network (PYRN) and European Geography Association for Students and Young Geographers (EGEA) also shared their experience with activities and projects on a national level in Russia. Concluding open discussion created a platform for developing new joint ideas on future activities. At the end of the meeting, a Letter of Agreement between APECS International and Russian Youth Polar Initiative (RYPI) was signed, thus recognizing and endorsing Russian Youth Polar Initiative (RYPI) as a self-maintaining committee at the national level functioning within APECS.
