Written by Hugues Lantuit and Alexandra Taylor
Twelve APECS members were given the opportunity to meet with either the Norwegian Crown Prince Haakon or HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco on Tuesday the 8th of June, after the opening ceremony of the IPY Oslo Science Conference.
Meeting with Crown Prince Haakon of Norway
In a discussion lead by the Crown Prince, seven early career researchers (Harry Borlase, Anna Degteva, Gerlis Fugmann, Loic Jullion, Allen Pope, Alexandra Taylor and Jenny Baeseman) discussed their research and challenges they face while communicating their work with the public or media. Crown Prince Haakon also asked questions about how their work has been (or will be) affected by climate change and the importance of their work in a broader context. Throughout the discussion, the Crown Prince shared his own experiences and observations from expeditions he had participated in the Arctic regions.
Meeting with HSH the Prince Albert II of Monaco
After the projection of a short movie showing the expedition of HSH the Prince Albert to the Antarctic, the early career scientists (Jenny Baeseman, Hugues Lantuit, Nathalie Morata, Alexey Pavlov, Heidi Swanson and Jose Xavier) who met with HSH Prince Albert had the opportunity to exchange thoughts and experiences with the prince on their understanding of polar science, their scientific achievements and their vision of the future of polar research. The prince showed great interest in listening to stories of Antarctic wildlife, Inuit health, permafrost, marine biology and oceanography. HSH the prince Albert II praised the wide diversity of backgrounds of the early career scientists and expressed his great consideration for their achievements during the International Polar Year. The meeting ended with a group picture and friendly greetings of HSH the prince Albert II of Monaco wishing good luck to the early career scientists in their future endeavours.
