As part of Polarforum, the annual conference for Swedish polar research, APECS Sweden had a whole afternoon of sessions for early career researchers on 23 November 2016 at the Maritme Museum in Stockholm.
We started with a panel discussion about careers in and outside of academia after a "polar" degree. Our speakers were Veijo Pohjola from the University of Uppsala and Karen Assmann from the University of Gothenburg, both academics; Åsa Lindgren from the Swedish Polar Secretariat who also works as a polar guide; and Sandrine Testaz who is responsible for scientific coordination and communication at the French embassy in Sweden.
Ulf Jonsell from the Swedish Polar Secretariat then gave an overview of upcoming calls and expeditions that students and early career researchers can apply to.
After a well needed coffee break (which actually was a poster session), we received some valuable polar safety training from Henrik Tornberg (how to plan your fieldwork, what to pack, life saving piece of kit...). In particular, we all want a harness and a bevvy bag now!
Finally, we reported on APECS Sweden's activities for 2016 and elected the 2017 Executive Secretary, Céline Heuzé from the University of Gothenburg.
