Mentor Database

Association of Polar Early Career Scientists

Mentor Database

date time

2021-11-07 11:47:00

Name (First, Last)

Mieke Sterken

Job/ Position Title/ Classification

Outreach & Education Coordinator

Department/ Unit/ Branch

University/ Institution/ Organization/ Employer

International Polar Foundation

City

Brussels

Country

Belgium

Telephone Number (please include country code)

Website

Please check the major focus area that best fits your interests.

Atmosphere and Climate
Marine
Education and Outreach
Interdisciplinary
Career Development

Primary Discipline

Education & Outreach

Please list a few keywords that describe your work and interests Separate the words with a comma ( , ).

Climate Change, paleo-ecology, Education, Outreach, Citizen Science, Polar Research, Aquatic Ecology

Please indicate the main regions where you work or conduct your research.

Both Polar Regions

Photo

Please provide a short biosketch (1000 characters)

Mieke works at the International Polar Foundation as an Education & Outreach Coordinator and is a mentor to APECS-Belgium. She's happy to share her experience with other APECS members too.

Mieke studied Geography (2002) and Marine Sciences (2003) at Ghent University, and completed her PhD in paleoclimatology of the Southern Hemisphere (Chile & Antarctic Peninsula) in 2009. She worked at several environmental and science outreach institutes - such as Flanders Marine Institute, the Flemish Knowledge Center on Citizen Science Scivil, Flanders Environmental Institute and the University of Leuven - promoting citizen science, data literacy and environmental awareness. She worked for IPF between 2010 and 2013, and has returned to the institute in October 2021.

Mieke has a special heart for APECS, as she founded the Belgian Youth Steering Committee, the predecessor of APECS-Belgium, in the framework of the International Polar Year (2007-2008). She resided in the international APECS Council from 2007 till 2009, and happily saw her idea of creating an APECS Polar Resources Book becoming reality in 2010 thanks to the tremendous efforts done by editor Bettina Kaiser (Germany) and a great team under leadership of a.o. Melianie Raymond (New Zealand) and Jenny Baeseman (USA & long-time APECS director).

Mentoring activities you are interested in participating in (check all that apply).

Mentor Panels
These panels are held at major international conferences and are coordinated by
APECS members. Participation involves a 2-3 hour commitment on the day
of the panel meeting.
Career Development Presentations
Short presentations at conferences/workshops with a question/answer period.
Career Development Workshop Sessions
Helping in the coordination and facilitation of sessions at major conferences
One-on-One Mentoring
Email correspondence with APECS members regarding career advice (including
alternative careers in polar/cryospheric issues), research skills, data
management and occasional research-specific discussions/questions.
Participation in live online discussions
This will be advertised to all APECS members and will be facilitated by an
APECS Council or Executive Committee Member. Transcripts will be
posted online for future reference.
Reviewing Resumes/CVs and Assisting with Cover Letter Development.
Reviewing papers and posters
Helping to improve presentation and communication skills

Preferred method of mentoring (check all that apply)

Online seminars
Email Exchange

Conferences you normally attend (check all that apply)

SCAR Open Science Conferences
Arctic Science Summit Week
Arctic Frontiers
Other

We would very much like to include you in the online mentor database that is available to our members, but we also understand that you might only want us to use your information for our internal purposes. Please let us know if we can include your information on our website.

Sure, include me in your list online