Authors:  

Angelika Renner*, Kim Jochum*, Loic Jullion*, Alexey Pavlov*, Daniela Liggett*, Gerlis Fugmann*, Jenny Baeseman*, the APECS Virtual Poster Session Working Group*

*Association of Polar Early Career Scientists, University of Tromsø, Norway

Conference Where Poster was Originally Presented: 

AGU Fall Meeting 2011

Abstract/Summary:

The Virtual Poster Session (VPS) of the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) was developed by early career scientists as an online tool for communicating and discussing science and research beyond the four walls of a conference venue. Poster sessions often are the backbone of a conference where especially early career scientists get a chance to communicate their research, discuss ideas, data, and scientific problems with their peers and senior scientists. There, they can hone their ‘elevator pitch’, discussion skills and presentation skills. APECS has taken the poster session one step further and created the VPS - the same idea but independent from conferences, travel, and location. All that is needed is a computer with internet access. Instead of letting their posters collect dust on the computer’s hard drive, scientists can now upload them to the APECS website. There, others have the continuous opportunity to comment, give feedback and discuss the work. Currently, about 200 posters are accessible contributed by authors and co-authors from 34 countries. Since January 2010, researchers can discuss their poster with a broad international audience including fellow researchers, community members, potential colleagues and collaborators, policy makers and educators during monthly conference calls via an internet platform. Recordings of the calls are available online afterwards. Calls so far have included topical sessions on e.g. marine biology, glaciology, or social sciences, and interdisciplinary calls on Arctic sciences or polar research activities in a specific country, e.g. India or Romania. They attracted audiences of scientists at all career stages and from all continents, with on average about 15 persons participating per call. Online tools like the VPS open up new ways for creating collaborations and new research ideas and sharing different methodologies for future projects, pushing aside the boundaries of countries and nations, conferences, offices, and disciplines, and provide early career scientists with easily accessible training opportunities for their communication and outreach skills, independent of their location and funding situation.

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Authors: 

Matteo Cattadori

Museo delle Scienze, Trento, Italy

Originally presented at:

AGU (American Geophysical Union) Fall Meeting 2011. San Francisco, US. December 2011

Abstract/Summary:

Italian citizens' perception of the seriousness of the issue of climate change is one of the lowest in Europe (Eurobarometer survey, 2008), running next to last among the 28 EU Nations. This has recently driven many national science institutions to take action in order to connect society with the complexities and consequences of climate change.

I-CLEEN (Inquiring on CLimate and Energy, www.icleen.museum) is a service that offers a new type of link between schools and the complexity of climate change. The project took off in 2008 thanks to the Trento Science Museum (former Tridentine Museum of Natural Science), one of the major Italian science museums that includes both research and science education and dissemination departments. The main aim is to create, using the tools of professional cooperation, a free repository of educational resources that can support teachers in preparing inquiry-based lessons on climate change and earth system science topics, making the task less of a burden.

I-CLEEN is inspired by many models, which include: the ARISE (Andrill Research Immersion for Science Educators), the OER (Open Educational Resources) models and those of other projects that have developed similar information gateways such as LRE (Learning Resource Exchange) and DLESE (Digital Library on Earth Science Education).

One of the strategies devised by I-CLEEN is to rely upon an editorial team made up of a highly selected group of teachers that interacts with the researchers of the museum and of other Earth system science research centres like the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV). Resource selection, production, revision and publication processes follow a specific procedure that was laid out in a selection policy document according to the guidelines established by the established standards. Thanks to this, all educational resources have a common layout and scientific relevance guaranteed by researcher review that both further facilitate users in taking them up.

All the parts that make up the project and their respective activities are fully dealt with using an open source web platform called LifeRay. This platform and the metadata structure made it possible to publish I-CLEEN resources in international project repositories, such as Scientix. The role of the service is thus twofold, gathering local educational practices and linking them to leading international excellences in this field

I-CLEEN won the first prize at the 2010 e-learning award and has also been evaluated to determine both the effectiveness of the service among teachers and also the user-friendliness of the Graphic User Interface of the project website.
This contribution illustrates several aspects of the I-CLEEN, the results of the two evaluation activities and those coming from the analysis of the project website access data.

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Authors: 

Sophie Weeks* and Allen Pope*

*Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge, UK

Originally presented at:

AGU Fall Meeting 2011

Abstract/Summary:

The Polar Museum Education and Outreach programme aims to bring the research work of the Scott Polar Research Institute staff to a wide audience. This multi-disciplinary research encompasses not only the natural sciences, and ice in particular, but also our work on the indigenous peoples of the Arctic and the history and governance of the polar regions. We are developing a new strand of learning activities called The Cool Club. Aimed at children aged 7-11 year olds – it is a series of holiday activities that offer children the chance to meet a researcher and learn about what they do in a hands-on creative way.

The museum itself, with a theme of Exploration into Science, is an important means of public outreach for both the Institute and the wider University. Our aim is to inspire young minds by adding a live element to the public outreach programme, where children can go ‘behind-the-scenes and engage with on-going, ground-breaking polar research.

Currently, the Education and Outreach Officer is working with researchers at SPRI to develop each session, exploring key concepts, new discoveries and the wider significance of their work. Five different researchers offered to share their research with children, on a wide range of topics from the use of remote sensing data to documenting aspects of Inuit culture and governance.

First the researchers identify what they find exciting about their research. They single out hot topics and key concepts, and focus on research methodologies they use. Each session begins with a short slide show, based on ‘who I am, where I go, what I do and why’ and ends with a plenary where children share what they have discovered. To explore concepts and methodologies we develop a combination of simple hands-on experiments, interpretation of visual imagery, enquiry and open-ended creative activity. In some sessions we can try out the equipment and methods the researchers use in the field. For example, in Cool Club 2: Beyond the Rainbow, we used a radiometer to tell the difference between real and fake grass, and software to analyze 2 pieces of remote sensing data.

The pilot of Cool Club consisted five 1.5-hour sessions for around 10 children ages 7-11, developed with 5 different researchers, exploring a range of research topics and learning methodologies, using expertise, resources and facilities at the Institute. We aimed to register around 40 children, with the option for them to come to all five sessions. To evaluate we have planned a 360 degree evaluation, gathering qualitative feedback from researchers, staff at the Institute, educationalists, children, parents and carers.

Our question is whether we can find a sustainable way to offer an enjoyable, memorable, high quality learning experience to children closely linked to polar science and genuine on-going research projects. Our poster will detail the development and delivery of all five sessions, together with anecdotal feedback and evaluation material.

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Authors:
Joel Heath* 

* The Arctic Eider Society

Originally presented at:
Various

Abstract/Summary:
This poster outlines the activities of one of the government of Canada’s largest education and outreach initiatives for the International Polar Year.
1) People of a Feather - a feature length documentary film based around the natural history of the arctic eider duck, the Inuit who rely on them for food and feathers, and their common struggle to adapt to environmental changes in sea ice ecosystems. www.peopleofeafeather.com.
2) The Arctic Sea Ice Educational Package links visual content and natural history accounts with real data sets collected by Arctic researchers. Made in collaboration with southern and northern educators, lesson plans are designed for high school students everywhere, bringing science and math curriculum to northern classrooms in a culturally relevant context, and allowing southern classrooms to explore the mysteries of the Arctic sea ice. www.thearcticseaice.com.
This outreach program is being produced on a not-for profit basis, with proceeds going towards Community Based Research and Monitoring Programs in eastern Hudson Bay. This ongoing work provides training and meaningful jobs for Inuit in ecological field techniques, using their knowledge and skills to address important issues of environmental change in sea ice ecosystems.

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Authors:
Jean Pennycook*

* Penguin Science, Calif. USA

Conference Where Poster was Originally Presented:
AAAS Feb 2011, EGU April 2011

Abstract/Summary:
Field research is exciting and engaging, but students rarely experience it. Through the use of an interactive website and multiple classroom activities related to the research, we change that. Students learn what scientists really do, how they gather and analyze data and what tools and skills are required to be successful as a field scientist. During the austral summer Dr. David Ainley and his team travel to Ross Island, Antarctica to study Adelie Penguins. Using the penguins as a hook we engage students in the research giving them an opportunity to use a field journal as they gather data on the penguin families. Students record weather, date of first egg, chick hatch, length of foraging trips of the adults and how many days until the chicks fledge, comparing data between breeding pairs and breeding seasons. Pictures and individual penguin information is posted daily on the website so students can record their own data and create their own graphs. In addition classrooms are given an opportunity to take part in the annual penguin count using satellite photos of the colony. Combining art and geography, classrooms create penguin postcards, self address and stamp them, then send them to us at the research station. We answer the questions and send them back with the official Antarctica Postmark. These outreach efforts engage over 300 classrooms during the breeding season encouraging students to follow educational and career pathways in the STEM fields.

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Authors:
Teodor Gheorghe Negoita* , Andreia Magdalin* , Daniel Iftimescu*
*Romanian Polar Research Institute

Conference Where Poster was Originally Presented:
2nd International Symposium of Polar Scientific Research - IPY 2007-2008, Bucharest, Romania
IPY Oslo Science Conference, 8-12 June, 2010, Norway

Abstract/Summary:
Activities developed within The 2nd International Symposium of Polar Scientific Research,IPY 2007-2008, and The European Polar Research Icebreaker „Aurora Borealis” FP7 Project, organized by Romanian Polar Research Institute (RPRI) Bucharest under auspices of Romanian Academy, 16-17 November 2007. The symposium highlighted the importance of polar research within the world efforts to preserve natural resources and biodiversity and to mitigate the climate change consequences on polar ecosystems. The Symposium sessions were:

• I.Workshop on European Polar Research Icebreaker "Aurora Borealis" FP7Project, coordinator Alfred Wegener Polar and Marine Research Institute, Germany,14 papers;
• II.Structuring an Integrated International Cooperation Research on Polar Ecosystem Biodiversity, Response to Environmental Changes and Applications, coordinator RPRI, 16 papers;
• III.Promotion of International Cooperation Research on Psychrophilic Microorganism Potential in Bioremediation, coordinator RPRI, 14 papers;
• IV.Promotion within an International Partnership of Biomedical Research under Extreme Life Conditions, coordinator Romanian Academy Virology Institute, Bucharest, 21 papers.

These sessions involved many early career scientists, and 85 specialists in most different research fields, 14 of which researchers in nine EU States: France (by the ESF representative, Director Dr. Paul Egerton), Germany, Belgium, Austria, Italy, Estonia, Czech Republic, Greece, Bulgaria; and Russian Federation. 19 Romanian institutions participated in the Symposium.

Romanian polar research prospects were mentioned in European framework (the competition in European Framework Program FP7 etc.) and the International Polar Year 2007-2008. Dr. T.Gh. Negoita, Director of RPRI, presented the document "Developing a Southeastern–Central European Action Plan for Polar Programs and Infrastructures", elaborated in collaboration by Romania, ESF and other countries which intend to participate in this regional agreement. Among this plan priorities: A stronger collaboration between national polar programs; Encouraging the innovative young researchers; research stages for Ph.D students in polar areas; Access to polar infrastructures.

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Authors:
J. Mård Karlsson* **, A.K. Taylor* **, K. Bäckstrand* ***, A. Bring* **, J. Vonk* **, S. Ingvander* **   

* Assn. of Polar Early Career Scientists
** Stockholm University, Sweden
*** Enact, Sweden    

Originally Presented At:
IPY Oslo Science Conference, 8-12 June 2010 in Oslo, Norway   

Abstract:
The Association of Early Career Polar Scientists (APECS) is an organization that aims to stimulate interdisciplinary and international research collaborations, in addition to developing effective future leaders in polar research, education and outreach. National Committees serve to carry out APECS’ mandate on a local level by enhancing networking and career development opportunities for early career researchers in their country.

APECS Sweden developed from the Swedish IPY Youth Steering Committee, which was formed in 2007 and enjoys a partnership with Vetenskapsrådet (VR), Swedish Research Council. This partnership with VR means we have been able to operate with a small budget, which has allowed us to enhance career development of early career polar researchers in Sweden through several means. The networking workshop held in May 2008 in the Stockholm Archipelago brought together 25 early career polar researchers from 13 nationalities. For three days they discussed their research, and identified career development needs for early career polar researchers in Sweden. This partnership has also allowed for a career development workshop: a career day held in January 2010. Professionals from academia, industry and government, all with experience in polar research, were brought in to provide advice on how to succeed in their respective industries. APECS Sweden has also been able to provide support for early career researchers to attend international conferences and events, such as the IPY International Early Career Researcher Symposium, held in Victoria, Canada in December. Finally, APECS Sweden strives to promote polar research throughout Sweden through Education and Outreach events and serves as a platform to promote Swedish polar research and successful career development events to APECS and other international polar organizations. In the future, we plan to increase mentorship opportunities prior to conferences in Sweden in addition to expanding the network of early career polar researchers throughout Scandinavia.

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Authors:
A. Jahn*, P. Wagner**, H. Borlase***, and J. Baeseman****

*National Center for Atmospheric Research, USA
**University of Delaware, USA
***University of Akureyri, Iceland
****Association of Polar Early Career Scientists, University of Tromsø, Norway

Originally Presented At:
IPY Oslo Science Conference, 8-12 June 2010 in Oslo, Norway

Abstract:
As an international and interdisciplinary organization managed by and for early career researchers, one of APECS’ (Association of Early Career Polar Scientists) primary objectives is to help early career scientists and students to better interact with their colleagues and with senior scientists. The purpose of these panels is to “break the ice” and help generate conversation and collaborations among those who know the field best: experienced scientists and professionals, and those who could benefit most from their experience and perspectives: young researchers and students.

The panels generally consist of four representatives from various backgrounds who work within the realm of polar science, engineering, education and policy. The mentors share their experiences and insights of Polar research, policy and logistical milestones that changed the course of Polar science and engineering, as well as their views on current gaps and future opportunities to explore the evolution of Polar science overall. Most importantly, these mentors provide insights, advice and guidance to assist early career polar researchers. When possible, each panel is audio recorded and shared with the ~2000 members of the APECS community as a podcast.

In the last three years, over 15 mentor panel discussions have been organized by APECS members, which were all very well received and benefited over 400 participants and many more thanks to podcasted sessions. APECS continues to plan more mentor panels and plans to have this activity be one of its major highlights for many years to come.

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Authors:
Kristin Timm*, Jenny Baeseman**,****, Karen Edwards***

* Arctic Research Consortium of the US (ARCUS), USA
** Association of Polar Early Career Scientists, Tromsø, Norway
*** IPY International Program Office, Canada
**** University of Tromsø, Norway

Originally Presented At:
IPY Oslo Science Conference, 8-12 June 2010 in Oslo, Norway

Abstract:
The several International Polar Day and Week events held during IPY4, were successful in reaching an international audience of educators, students, and others through online resources, multilingual lesson plans, real-time live events, and much more. Striving to reach a wider audience, including more members of the public and university students, the International Polar Year International Programme Office worked with the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) to facilitate an International Polar Lecture Series during the October 2009 and March 2010 International Polar Weeks. The International Polar Lecture Series activities not only provided tools and assistance to researchers interested in sharing their science and enthusiasm about the polar regions, but also helped to sustain the momentum of the IPY Days started in 2007.

Early career researchers were asked to give a presentation or arrange a guest lecture on polar research for a local group, such as Rotary, 4-H, Boy Scout/ Girl Scout troop, church groups, school associations, city councils, universities, or wherever their community gathers. Over 50 lectures were given in over ten countries as part of this series in October 2009 and March 2010.

Based on the education and outreach event planning experiences of several APECS members, a step-by-step checklist with steps and other considerations was provided to assist participating researchers. This included a template for a flier to advertise the presentation and a draft press release. Global participation and presentations were tracked on the APECS website which created an instant global network making one presentation feel like a part of a much larger international effort to educate the global public about the polar regions and to excite and engage the next generation of polar researchers.

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Authors:
A Dolan, A Banwell, A Pope, A Kirchgaessner, A Renner, A Jungblut, H Atkinson, J Hall, K Atkinson, E Jones, M Kunz, N Karlsson, N Land, R Gravelle, R Morris, S Henley, S Torres-Valdes, and T Gray

UK Polar Network Committee

Originally Presented At:
IPY Oslo Science Conference, 8-12 June 2010 in Oslo, Norway

Abstract:
One of the goals of the International Polar Year is to ensure that its legacy continues until the next IPY. As part of an effort to direct IPY activity at youth and early career researchers, the UK Polar Network (UKPN) was founded as the national branch of APECS but has also been represented in its own right on international scientific committees.

In this poster we present examples of past successful activities of the UKPN as well as events planned for the future. It is our hope that it will act as an inspiration for other early career scientists.

The aims of UKPN are 1) to provide networking between and support for early career polar researchers in the UK 2) to provide education and outreach regarding polar issues to young people and 3) to provide information via newsletters and the UKPN website (www.polarnetwork.org).

The network is run by volunteers at various career levels from different research institutions across the UK, and since its foundation has grown to over 260 members. Regular UKPN Network Days encourage polar early career researchers to get to know each other and share their science. In addition, the UKPN Education & Outreach team has been active in national science festivals, regional science centres, and local schools by hosting events as well as providing resources for outreach activities. A recent initiative has been the UKPN Career Skills Workshops, a series of three multi-day events (Polar Atmospheric Chemistry, Arctic Marine Sciences, and Cryospheric Sciences) aimed at the professional and scientific development of attendees through sessions dedicated to research, practical skills, and outreach skills. In the future, the UKPN hopes to continue this workshop series, expand the field skills training it provides, and continue to bring together polar scientists from the UK as effectively as possible.

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Authors:
D. Liggett*, J. Baeseman**, P. Berkman***, J. Davis****, A. Fedchuk*****, and S. Preston******

* Gateway Antarctica, University of Canterbury, New Zealand
** APECS/University of Tromsø, Norway
*** Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
**** Ohio State University, U.S.A.
***** National Antarctic Scientific Center, Ukraine
****** WFED, U.S.A.

Originally Presented at:
IPY Oslo Science Conference, 8-12 June 2010 in Oslo, Norway

Abstract:
With the changing climate in the polar regions comes an increasing need for better cooperation between scientists and policy makers. Early-career researchers have an important challenge not only to do great science, but to find ways to work with policy makers and inform policy decisions regarding polar issues. Early-career researchers need to be encouraged to share their research results and educated thoughts on environmental and political matters with political leaders and the wider public as these thoughts represent important indicators of the directions polar research and ethics will take in the future.

This poster will report on the approach and results of the APECS Antarctic Treaty Essay Contest, which gave early-career researchers the opportunity to communicate their views of contentious polar issues with the polar academic community and the wider public.
This essay contest was organized with the support of the International Board for the Antarctic Treaty Summit and was publicized in conjunction with the Summit. As part of this contest, young polar researchers were asked to discuss one of five essay questions focused on how to better integrate science and policy and on the needs for new policy dealing with current issues in the Antarctic as well as the Arctic.

The winning essay dealt with the principles of the Antarctic Treaty's Article IV to the Siachen Glacier in the disputed region of Kashmir. The second and third prizes were given to a young researcher analyzing the spread of commercial exploitation into Antarctica through bioprospecting and a high-school student applying the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) principles to the high seas. As will be shown by this poster, young researchers do not only appreciate and embrace opportunities given to them to present their ideas and analyses but have the potential to view existing issues from promising new and creative angles. Suggestions will be offered concerning the options policy makers and the academic community have to make the most of the capability of early-career researchers to view matters from a different perspective.

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Monday, 12 July 2010 05:56

Authors:
H. Kassens*, H. Lantuit**, C. Wegner*, J. Baeseman***, M. Johansson****

* Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences (IFM-GEOMAR), Kiel, Germany
** Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine research, Potsdam, Germany
*** Association of Polar Early Career Scientists, Tromsø, Norway
**** University of Lund, Lund, Sweden

Originally Presented at:
International Polar Year - Oslo Science Conference. 8 - 12 June 2010. Oslo, Norway.

Abstract:
During the IPY, two international hands-on training workshops were held at the Otto-Schmidt Laboratory for Polar and Marine Research at the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute in St. Petersburg, Russia. These workshops were under the conference heading of IMPETUS, meaning to be the catalyst for new collaborations between young Russian researchers and their international counterparts. The workshops were mostly funded by the German Ministry for Research and Education.

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Authors:
Kári Fannar Lárusson*, Kirsi Latola**, Halldór Jóhansson*, Scott Forrest**, Peter Weiss***

*Arctic Portal
**UArctic
***University Centre of the Westfjords
** Ocean Biogeochemistry and Ecosystems Department, National Oceanography Centre, SO14 3ZH Southampton, UK

Originally Presented at:
Arctic Frontiers, January 2010, Tromsø, Norway

Abstract:
The virtual learning tools project requirement study, conducted fall 2009, suggests that distance learning will gradually move towards a more open sourced multimedia-oriented approach. Results show that modern distance learning solutions need to offer options for both synchronous and asynchronous communication, equally in actual teaching as well as student-to-student interaction. There are technical and financial challenges in providing modern distance learning solutions to Arctic residents: internet connection quality, equipment availability, financial strength, difference in time zones and language barriers emphasizing the importance of affordable and user-friendly Virtual Learning Tools.

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