Council Project Groups

1. Full-Year Project Groups

• APECS-IPCC Project Group

  Project Summary: The APECS-IPCC Group project is an APECS full-year working group, composed by highly dynamic and motivated council members who organize and coordinate efforts to allow early career scientists to be involved in the reviewing process of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) special reports. During the Council term of 2017-2018, the working group went though the first Round of Review of the SROCC report, working with up to one hundred international selected reviewers. This first Round was a success, and allowed us to publish in Nature Correspondence in August (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-05956-7). 

  As you may have seen, the call for applications for the next round of review for this report is passing on to APECS membership, either through your email or social media, to be involved as reviewer. Even if you are more than encouraged to apply for this, do you know that as Council member, you are allowed to also join the effort by taking some responsibilities in the coordination of the reviewing ? 

  Our team is currently looking for some people to take lead for chairing the next chapter for this phase. Responsibility involves attending the meetings of the working group, responding to emails, participating in the applicant selection for the appropriate chapter, coordinating the participants' comments during the reviewing process, and being involved in the later reporting work for this round. A meeting for the volunteer will be held ahead of the council meeting, to review the inner workings of the group and familiarize everyone with the process. The main time-consuming effort will be in October and December, and later on January-April. Everyone is more than welcome to join our working group. If you are interested in joining the effort, or have any questions please free to contact the project group leader (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), and sign up for this working group by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

  Goals of the Project: Engage Early Career Scientists in the IPCC activities; Improve the quality and the diversity of the contents in IPCC reports; Train Early Career Scientists to tackle future challenges for their career paths; and Involve APECS in large international reports of the Scientific Community.

  How does the project benefit APECS and APECS members? Engage Early Career Scientists in the IPCC activities; Improve the quality and the diversity of the contents in IPCC reports; Train Early Career Scientists to tackle future challenges for their career paths; and Involve APECS in large international reports of the Scientific Community.

  Major Outcomes / Deliverables: Elaboration of a guide for reviewers (for SOD-SROCC and later for FOD-AR6); Sharing Workshop training (Videos available soon); Survey on participants about their experience; Presentation of the Survey results + experience on Conference, and maybe article publication following work conducted in the previous Council term 2017-2018.

  Project Group Members: Gwenaëlle Gremion (Chair); Marta Moreno Ibáñez (Chair); Maud van Soest; Jan-Lukas Menzel Barraqueta; Shridhar Jawak; Jhon Mojica; Priyanka; Laura Halbach; Hugo Guímaro; Christel Hansen; Rosaria Erika Pileci; Evelien Dekker; Valentina Savaglia; Sarah Shakil; Arthi Ramachandran; Florian Vidal; Deniz Vural; Prashant Pandit; Paul Rosenbaum; Jilda Caccavo; Mathieu Casado; Nicolas Champollion; Aino Kulonen; Daniel Killam; Onema Adojoh; Vincent Hare; Evan Wilcox; Helena Bergstedt; Isabel Prater; Matthew Whitley; Xiangbing Kong; Sebastian Ruiz; Anoruo Chukwuma; Faten Attig Bahar; Gabriel Ibeh; Manish Kumar; Shipra Jain; Valentina Rabanal; Gaby Langendijk; Juan Höfer (ExCom Contact); Gerlis Fugmann (Directorate Contact). You can read some of the bios on our Council page. 

• Non-Academic Careers Information

  Project Summary: It can be difficult to make the switch from academics to a non-academic career: What are the options? Where to find or how to get opportunities? What other things should you consider with regards to for example your CV? Non-Academics Careers Information (NACI) is a platform on which people who consider a career outside academics are able to find information. It includes profiles of (former) researchers who chose a non-academic path, webinars about people's experiences and recommended reading. We also hope to include Non-Academic Careers on the job board and fellowship pages of the APECS website this year, as well as creating a blogspace.

  Goals of the Project: Continue to create a platform on which people considering a career outside academics are able to find information and examples (https://www.apecs.is/career-resources/non-academic-careers.html). Besides following up on the work of previous years (profiles/webinars), we’d also like to include Non-Academic Careers on the job board and fellowship pages of the APECS website, as well as creating a blogspace.

  How does the project benefit APECS and APECS members? It can be difficult to make the switch from academics to a non-academic career: What are the options? Where to find or how to get opportunities? What other things should you consider with regards to for example your CV? We hope that with providing more information and examples from and for people from in- and outside APECS, it will be easier to make this step.

  Major Outcomes / Deliverables: The biggest thing this term will be to include non-academic jobs and fellowships (graduate/funding/fieldwork) on the job board and fellowship pages on the APECS website

  Project Group Members: Keechy Akkerman (Chair); Sean Horvath; Ellen Ahlness; Nicholas Szapiro; Keechy Akkerman; Evelien Dekker; Amy Kirkham; Elisa Seyboth; Nathaniel Young; Jenn Cooper (ExCom Contact); LIsa Grosfeld (Directorate Contact). You can read their bios on our Council page.

• Alpine Cryosphere

  Project Summary: An increasing number of APECS members work in the mid-latitude cryosphere (portions of Earth’s surface where water is in solid form) and high-altitude environments, not just the Polar Regions. This project group was therefore created to improve APECS’ resources for non-polar researchers (e.g. building partnerships & hosting webinars) and welcomes any ideas! Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

  Project Group Members: Carla Tapia (Chair); Elizabeth Orr; Kabir Rasouli; Dhanendra Singh; Florian Vidal; Arindam Chowdhury; Maximillian Van Wyk de Vries; Nadya Yanakieva; Rebecca Gugerli ; Jilda Caccavo; Kyle Mayers; Sebastián Ruiz Pereira; Greta Wells; Isaac Gurdiel Pérez; John All; Alfonso Fernández; Rodrigo L. Soteres; Lindsey Parkinson; Kyung In Huh; Carolynn (Carrie) Harris (ExCom Contact); Josefine Lenz (Directorate Contact). You can read their bios on our Council page.

• Polar Organisations Overview

  Project Summary:Many Polar Organizations carry on amazing research in Polar Regions aiming to understand the different aspect of these areas. As individual researchers, we collaborate with many of them and refer to them in a very familiar way. Most of the organizations carry complicated acronyms that are difficult to identify. Things become particularly complicated when we face a new study area or establish new collaborations. New organizations show up in our everyday research and many acronyms can be difficult to remember, even more for ECRs new in the field. We propose to create a database with a visual and user-friendly interface that works as a reference tool to the whole international polar community, and that can be updated overtime.

  Goals of the Project:The primary aim of this project group is to create an illustrative overview of the largest polar organizations as a visual tool for ECRs and the polar community. Specific objectives are: (1) Revise and update the polar organizations database existing in APECS website under ‘Who’s who acronyms list’; (2) Develop a visible and user-friendly interface as a tool for the database users

  How does the project benefit APECS and APECS members? Many Polar Organizations carry on amazing research in Polar Regions aiming to understand the different aspect of these areas. As individual researchers, we collaborate with many of them and refer to them in a very familiar way. Most of the organizations carry complicated acronyms that are difficult to identify. Things become particularly complicated when we face a new study area or establish new collaborations. New organizations show up in our everyday research and many acronyms can be difficult to remember, even more for ECRs new in the field. We propose to develop a reference tool in a visual format useful to the whole international polar community, and a dataset that can be updated overtime.

  Major Outcomes / Deliverables:The PG aim to deliver a visual and user-friendly database as an illustrative overview of the largest polar organisations.

  Project Group Members: Simone Stünzi (Chair); Ellen Ahlness; Marcos Tassano; Boris Stanimirov; Joana Fragão; Lara Perez (ExCom Contact); Josefine Lenz (Directorate Contact). You can read their bios on our Council page.

• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Polar Research

  Project Summary: This project group is an umbrella group that facilitates discussion and action related to diversity, inclusion, and equity in polar research. It is guided by the broad aim of supporting APECS members to thrive in their professional endeavors regardless of nationality, ethnicity, religion, race, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, economic class, disability, physical appearance, age, or career status. This project group cannot address all aspects of these broad and challenging topics. However, many of the challenges polar ECRs face in their careers – including widespread and high-profile issues like harassment, assault, and implicit bias – are interconnected and affect a range of individuals and groups. Therefore, this project group takes the form of an umbrella group that supports its members to lead activities related to the specific issues about which members are most concerned or passionate. Activities may focus on a single/narrow issue or on broad/overlapping issues: e.g., activities on international approaches to promoting inclusive field cultures, broadly; on combating harassment, specifically; or on combating sexual harassment in the field, more specifically. The goals of the group are to: (a) Facilitate international, interdisciplinary dialogue around diversity, inclusion, and equity in polar research; (b) Provide necessary and often hard-to-find resources for APECS members facing identity-related challenges, as well as bystanders, allies, and leaders in our communities; (c) Help ensure that the values of diversity, inclusion, and equity remain embedded in APECS and related communities now and in the future.

  Project Group Members: Sasha Leidman (Chair); Kara Layton; Ranjan Datta; Lauren Thompson; Stanislav Ksenofontov; Morgan Seag: Emily Choy; Juliana Souza; Aurora Roth; Alexa Hasselman; Philip Sontag; Alex Thornton; Nicolas Champollion; Kyle Mayers; Carrie Harris (ExCom Contact); Gerlis Fugmann (Directorate Contact). You can read their bios on the Council page.

• APECS Arts

  Project Summary: This project group will promote links between art and science, look for ways to raise the profile of interesting collaborative Art-Science projects in order to inspire others, and develop a networking framework to bring together artists and polar researchers. The group will set up and maintain an APECS database of artists and polar researchers and design and provide content to a project website that can, for example, showcase relevant projects and exhibitions. They will also organise a series of webinars to promote collaborative projects/provide advice on setting up collaborations.

  Project Group Members: Zoe Martos (Chair); Meghan Helmberger (Chair); Rodrigo Gomez Fell; Mia Bennett; Hans Harmsen; Kate Chenier; Clare Eayrs; Vikram Goel; Deniz Vural; Charne Lavery; Alex Thornton; Jill Diederich; Gabriela Roldan; Maximillian Van Wyk de Vries; Frederic Bouchard; Nuno Pereira; Sidhath Mysore; Tanja Giberyen; Ylva Sjöberg; Neelu Singh (ExCom Contact); Jenn Cooper (ExCom Contact); Josefine Lenz (Directorate Contact). You can read their bios on the Council page.  

• T-MOSAiC Vlogs

  Project Summary: Rationale: The public is increasingly aware of the Arctic and its relevance to climate and ecosystems, from local to global scales. While there is broad awareness of Arctic science, few people have experienced Arctic environments and scientific research, despite the interconnectedness that technology offers. Bringing the public on a journey into Arctic field research will foster a deeper appreciation for northern environments and science. Moreover, broader light in the community of Arctic researchers should be shed on current and proposed activities within T-MOSAiC project which is aimed to connect studies taking place throughout the Arctic and across disciplines in order to generate new insights into northern geosystems, ecosystems and human systems. Objective: With APECS, coordinate a series of vlogs by Arctic researchers, exploring their fieldwork environment, science, and its relevance.Goals: To increase public understanding of and interest in Arctic environments and science, by connecting field researchers with the public through field vlogs.

  Project Group Members: Ivan Alekseev (Chair); Rebecca Duncan; Elise Gallois; Jack Buckingham; Pedro Freitas; Sukun Cheng; Scott Zolkos; Carrie Harris (ExCom Contact); Gerlis Fugmann (Directorate Contact). You can read their bios on the Council page.  

• Indigenous collaborations

  Project Summary: This group is currently seeking to form partnerships with indigenous organizations that could help to set the group's priorities. These partnerships would lay out what organizations would want from APECS, and what they could provide to our members.

  Project Group Members: Stanislav Ksenofontov (Chair); Ranjan Datta; Hélène Bresson; Kelly Kapsar; Lina Madaj; Tayana Arakchaa; Charlie Hewitt; Emily Choy; Alex Thornton; Jean Holloway; Jessica A Rohde; Neelu Singh (ExCom Contact); Josefine Lenz (Directorate Contact). You can read their bios on the Council page.  

• Guide on proper field communication and positioning systems

  Project Group Members: Andrea Schneider (Chair), Marta Moreno Ibáñez, Rebecca Duncan, Sinan Yirmibesoglu, Nathaniel Young, Christel Hansen, Rodrigo Gomez Fell, Charlie Hewitt, Priyanka, Sara Mollie Cohen, Gerlis Fugmann (Directorate Contact). You can read their bios on the Council page.  

• Guide on reducing the environmental impact of Arctic research

  Project Group Members: Laura Lønstrup Frendrup (Chair), Lauren Thompson, Maud van Soest, Gremion Gwenaëlle, Rebecca Duncan, Hugo Guímaro, Simone Stünzi, Sarah Shakil, Juliana Souza, Gerlis Fugmann (Directorate Contact). You can read their bios on the Council page.  

2. Temporary Project Groups

• APECS International Mentorship Award 2020

  Organize the APECS Mentorship Award 2020. See the website for the Mentor Award pages as an example.

  Project Group Members: Maciej Mańko (Chair), Maud van Soest, Kabir Rasouli, Arindam Chowdhury, Paul Rosenbaum, Juan Höfer (ExCom Contact), Gerlis Fugmann (Directorate Contact). You can read their bios on our Council page.

3. Event-Related Project Groups

• EGU Short Course

  Project Summary: Help plan the EGU short course "polar science career panel" during EGU 2020 (April 2020) together with the EGU Cryosphere team

  How does the project benefit APECS and APECS members? Networking, exchange of science and research topics, a key opportunity for cross-disciplinary networking.

  Major Outcomes / Deliverables:
  Social event, APECS advertising, compilation of polar-related sessions, photos and summary reporting.

  Project Group Members: Grace Shephard (Chair), Laura Halbach, Sarah Shakil, Elizabeth Orr, Prashant Pandit, Paul Rosenbaum, Jiangtian Xu, Juan Höfer (ExCom Contact), Gerlis Fugmann (Directorate Contact). You can read their bios on our Council page.

• APECS Online Conference 2020

  Project Summary: This group organises the annual APECS Online Conference and all associated activities. This includes call for and shortlisting of abstracts, planning and executing the programme and chairing the event.

  Goals of the Project: The goal of this project group is to plan and organise the Fifth APECS Online Conference and activities associated with it.

  How does the project benefit APECS and APECS members? The past APECS online conferences have been a success in providing ECRs around the world an opportunity to showcase their work to a broadly spread audience. It provides the organizing committee with the experience and know-how of organizing such events, a skill quite valuable in science and academia. It is also a good proof of concept of a completely decentralized, web-based scientific conference, and effective science communication and discussion. It is quite likely such web-based conferences/meetings will become more common in future and it is great that APECS and ECRs are leading this front.

  Major Outcomes / Deliverables:The major deliverable of the project will be the Fifth APECS Online Conference.

  Project Group Members: Jan-Lukas Menzel Barraqueta (Chair), Kara Layton, Kate Chenier, Hugo Guímaro, RAHUL DEY, Stanislav Ksenofontov, Joana Fragão, Dhanendra Singh, Meghan Helmberger, Arindam Chowdhury, Shipra Nagar, Jessica A Rohde, Jose Queiros, Gabriela Roldan (ExCom Contact), Carrie Harris (ExCom Contact), Lisa Grosfeld (Directorate Contact). You can read their bios on our Council page.

• APECS International Polar Week March 2020

  Project Summary: The polar regions support a rich array of life, inlcuding northern communities. Whether it's in the Arctic or Antarctic, scientists from all over the world are working together to increase our knowledge of the cryosphere and its inhabitants. It is for this spirit of international cooperation and the excitement of scientific discovery that the APECS proudly organizes International Polar Week. APECS uses this opportunity to plan & develop polar science, education and outrach related activities alongside teachers, educators and those interested in polar education for the equinoxes of each year. The equinoxes in March and September are the only time when everywhere on earth the day length is 12 hours, a perfect opportunity to celebrate the poles on a global scale! Polar Week is organized in both March and September and internationally coordinated by an APECS Council Project Group. This year we are setting up two groups, one for the planning of the March and one of the September Polar Week. The groups will work on a) developing the APECS international education and outreach activities for the week, and b) work in close cooperation with the APECS National Committees to encourage them to contribute activities of their own.

  Project Group Members: Hélène Bresson (Chair), Elise Gallois, Nicholas Szapiro, Keechy Akkerman, Alex Borowicz, Rosaria Erika Pileci, Jean Holloway, Jill Diederich, Neelu Singh (ExCom Contact), Lisa Grosfeld (Directorate Contact). You can read their bios on our Council page.

• APECS International Polar Week September 2020

  Project Summary: The polar regions support a rich array of life, inlcuding northern communities. Whether it's in the Arctic or Antarctic, scientists from all over the world are working together to increase our knowledge of the cryosphere and its inhabitants. It is for this spirit of international cooperation and the excitement of scientific discovery that the APECS proudly organizes International Polar Week. APECS uses this opportunity to plan & develop polar science, education and outrach related activities alongside teachers, educators and those interested in polar education for the equinoxes of each year. The equinoxes in March and September are the only time when everywhere on earth the day length is 12 hours, a perfect opportunity to celebrate the poles on a global scale! Polar Week is organized in both March and September and internationally coordinated by an APECS Council Project Group. This year we are setting up two groups, one for the planning of the March and one of the September Polar Week. The groups will work on a) developing the APECS international education and outreach activities for the week, and b) work in close cooperation with the APECS National Committees to encourage them to contribute activities of their own.

  Project Group Members: Zoe Martos, Mia Bennett, Madeleine Brasier, Simone Stünzi, Rahul Dey, Lina Madaj, Dhanendra Singh, Claudia Maturana, Deniz Vural, Shipra Nagar, Zambra Lopez, Jean Holloway, Jose Queiros, Simone Stünzi, Lara Perez (Ex Com Contact), Heike Midleja (Directorate Contact). You can read their bios on our Council page.

• APECS Workshop at UArctic Congress 2020

  Project Summary: Planning an APECS Workshop at the University of the Arctic Congress 2020 (5 - 8 October 2020, Reykjavik, Iceland). The Congress will be right before the Arctic Circle Conference 2020.

  Project Group Members: Sean Horvath, Hans Harmsen, Kelly Kapsar, Charlie Hewitt, Arthi Ramachandran, Juliana Souza, Florian Vidal, Deniz Vural, Ranjan Datta, Lara Perez (ExCom Contact), Gerlis Fugmann (Directorate Contact). You can read their bios on the Council page. 

• APECS Workshop at SCAR 2020

  Project Summary: Help plan the APECS workshop at the SCAR 2020 conference in Hobart, Tasmania (3 August 2020)

  Project Group Members: Alyce Hancock (Chair), Priyanka (Chair), Rebecca Duncan, Shridhar Jawak, Jhon Mojica, Rodrigo Gomez Fell, Madeleine Brasier, Marcos Tassano, Jack Buckingham, Alex Borowicz, Clare Eayrs, Christel Hansen, Vikram Goel, Claudia Maturana, Alexa Hasselman, Zambra Lopez, Hanne Nielsen, Elisa Seyboth, Jiangtian Xu, Lara F. Pérez, Nathaniel Young, Svenja Halfter, Roshni Subramaniam, Darren Koppel, Abigail Smith, Vicki Heinrich, Natalia Ribeiro Santos, Tyra Kruger, Jess Melvin, Katie Marx, Juan Höfer (ExCom Contact), Jenn Cooper (ExCom Contact), Neelu Singh (ExCom Contact), Gabriela Roldan (ExCom Contact), Gerlis Fugmann (Directorate Contact). You can read their bios on the Council page.