Project Groups during the 2026-2027 term

Project Group Leader: Rose Leeger and Holly Ayres

The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) group is a multi-year project group first approved in 2016. Since that time, the project group has worked on a number of initiatives to promote inclusion within APECS and the broader polar science community. Previous work has included organizing several webinars (e.g., Bias in professional relationships, How polar funding agencies are changing their policies to be more inclusive, Harassment in the Field), creating DEI-related resources including collaborative workshops on tackling intrinsic bias and active bystander intervention, acting as liaisons for DEI-related issues within APECS, and developing a mentorship database for ECRs. The success of these tasks has stemmed from our structure as an “umbrella organization” in which each task has been tackled by different coordinating activity groups. Together, these activity groups work towards the common goal of promoting events and policies that increase the sense of community within our membership and polar science. By developing resources to engage ECRs in DEI topics, we hope to start conversations about how to reduce instances of discrimination and harassment in our field. This, in turn, serves to bring polar science to a place that highlights the voices of marginalized community members and reconciles its troubling association with prejudice, including but not limited to colonialism, racism, and sexism. Through these actions, the DEI group aims to follow APECS’ philosophy of building networks to aid ECRs through the burdens of systemic biases. 

Project Group Leader: Keeya Beausoleil and Joseph Rotondo

So…you like jazz (snow and ice)? From shattering crevasses to glacier mice and all the icy things in between, this podcast brings the cryosphere to life through fun episodes chatting with grad students, researchers, and enthusiasts passionate about cold places and cool adventures! As a project group member, you'll have the chance to edit episodes, write episodes, organize interviews, influence the creative direction of the podcast, participate in publishing and marketing the podcast, and select podcast topics. We would like to have a diverse team to help us create fun, informative and creative content. Are you sick of only getting the tip of the iceberg? Dive into the full story with the Polar Times podcast!

Project Group Leaders: Moriz Steiner, Jonathan Adams and Sudip Banerjee

This term, the project group will continue developing content piece resources for the Polar Earth Observation (EO) database. This digital resource aims to improve the accessibility and data-use insights for EO data across the polar regions and to break down traditional barriers to using such datasets encountered by Early Career Researchers (ECRs). The objectives of this project year will be to: 1) Populate the Polar EO database with numerous digital content piece resources and various examples of polar research topics and their use cases; 2) Provide all datasets within the database free of charge (Open Access) with associated ISO-compliant metadata to allow for unconstrained use, correct understanding and intended interpretation of the data examples provided; 3) Continue to enhance knowledge of the range of data sets accessible for polar research, as well as the potential and constraints of remote sensing sensors, particularly in the polar regions.

Project Group Leader: Eman Sobh and Adrían Macías Quintero

The ResponsIble SciEnce initiative (RISE) promotes responsible approaches to polar and alpine research by maximizing scientific value while minimizing environmental and social impacts. The group aims to develop practical projects, tools, case studies and open resources to promote responsible science practices for Early Career Researchers (ECRs). Activities may include assessing research footprints, improving fieldwork planning and logistics, applying Earth observation, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), data science and modelling to environmental monitoring, and developing practical guidance for ECRs. The group welcomes members from scientific, technical, organizational, communication and interdisciplinary backgrounds.

APECS RISE objectives:

Making an impact: Provide opportunities to influence and contribute to the current shift in sustainable scientific practices.

Capacity building: Provide ECRs with a framework and support to establish new methods for conducting responsible science within their institutes and projects (which is not easy as a “newcomer” in an established project). Offer education, guidelines, and awareness to the scientific community through ongoing discussions.

Collaboration: Create a network of environmentally and ethically responsible field researchers.

Project Group Leader: Mariah Seater and Pedro Freitas

Every year, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) hosts an international summit during which world leaders, NGOs, and other influential actors come together and discuss both the current state of climate change and steps that must be taken to mitigate future environmental damage. This project group aims to give APECS members the opportunity to participate in these landmark conferences. We will spend most of the term organizing and developing APECS-run booths, workshops, and/or panels to be held at the conference. Then, in November, members of the project group may have the chance to attend the UNFCCC's summit as part of an APECS delegation, giving them the opportunity to meet other climate professionals and take part in the world's largest climate summit. This project group is an exciting way for ECRs to make connections and get directly involved in the fight against climate change.

Project Group Leader: Manuel Tobias Blau and Leena Riekkola

The APECS Mentorship Award is designed to recognise the time and energy that mentors devote to supporting Early Career Researchers/Professionals and their efforts to build a community of support. Each year, one outstanding mentor is selected to receive the award. This Project Group prepares the call, collects nominations for the APECS Mentorship Award, organises the evaluation process and announces the new recipient. See more information on the selection process and past recipients on the APECS Website. 

Project Group Leader: Girija Kalyani Burada and Pratik Kad

APECS Mountain and Polar Research aims to connect early-career researchers (ECRs) working in alpine, Arctic, and Antarctic environments. The project group will provide an interdisciplinary platform for participants from diverse geographic and disciplinary backgrounds to exchange knowledge, share their work, establish collaborations, and strengthen international connections.

The group will explore climate and environmental dynamics across mountain and polar systems, with particular attention to cryospheric processes such as glaciers, snow cover, sea and land ice, and permafrost, together with their interactions with ecosystems and communities. Scientific themes may encompass climate variability and long-term trends, cryosphere–climate interactions, elevation-dependent climate change, polar amplification, climate feedbacks, and associated environmental and societal impacts.

A key objective will be to foster comparative approaches that bridge mountain and polar environments. By bringing together ECRs from major mountain systems—including the Himalayas, Andes, Alps, Scandinavian Mountains, and Rockies—as well as the Arctic and Antarctic, the group will create opportunities to identify common scientific questions, examine similarities and differences in processes and responses, and develop multidisciplinary projects across geographic boundaries.

Activities will include networking and research-exchange sessions, webinars and seminars, science communication initiatives, and the circulation of relevant opportunities, including conferences, workshops, training programmes, fellowships, and collaborative projects.

Ultimately, the group seeks to establish an international, interdisciplinary community focused on mountain and polar systems. Through stronger connections among ECRs, it will support knowledge exchange, scientific cooperation, and professional development while advancing understanding of the environmental and societal transformations occurring across these rapidly changing environments.

Project Group Leader: Aakriti Srivastava and Vandana L

This group connects students, researchers, and artists who work or plan to work in Svalbard. It provides a space to share research projects, connect with peers, and exchange experiences related to working in Svalbard and the Arctic. The group also welcomes Early Career Researchers (ECRs) who are interested in Svalbard but do not currently work there or use data collected there, including those whose work focuses more broadly on the Arctic. 
The aim of the group is to support networking, knowledge exchange, and community-building among ECRs involved and interested in Svalbard and Arctic-related work.

We run a monthly Seminar Series where members and invited speakers present their interdisciplinary research and projects, creating opportunities to learn about the diverse work being carried out in and around Svalbard and to connect across research areas. In addition, the group meets once a month as a community to share news, discuss current work, exchange conference updates, and propose new activities that strengthen collaboration and foster connections across disciplines.

Project Group Leader: Sanjeef Kumr Subramaniam and Agata Lowczynowska

APECS Art is focused on polar art and promoting links between art and science. APECS Art is not limited by specific disciplines of art, areas of science or territorial belonging of its members or collaborators. The main thing that unites APECS Art is a passion for polar areas, and curiosity about how modern art or cultural heritage reflect changes in polar regions. We want to enable more precise and targeted collaboration between polar artists and scientists as well as enhance visibility of art as a tool for scientific outreach. Our group has organized several polar art & science webinars, collaborated with the APECS International Online Conference, and provided polar art related content for Polar Weeks. The group also hosts an art blog on the APECS website to showcase artwork and more detailed interviews with artists.

Project Group Leader: Moriz Steiner and Arvind Kumar

The Polar Weeks seek to celebrate the Arctic and Antarctica twice per year, in March and September. In addition, each year on 1 December, the international polar community celebrates Antarctica Day to commemorate the signing of the Antarctic Treaty in 1959, considered one of the most successful international agreements, particularly for preserving and promoting global peace, stability, and cross-cultural collaboration in Antarctica.

These events aim to showcase the importance of polar regions through diverse voices from polar communities. In this interdisciplinary project group, you can brainstorm with fellow group members and implement your ideas to foster fruitful networking and an engaging set of events to come. While preparing, promoting, and broadcasting these events, we are also not limited to one type of media; we can host webinars, post videos or interviews, and collaborate with other project groups (e.g., the Podcast Project Group, Art Group) to produce something highly captivating. Join us with your curiosity, perspectives, and enthusiasm about the poles, and let's create an inspiring Antarctica Day in 2026 and awesome APECS Polar Weeks in 2027! The overarching purpose of the group is to promote the worldwide celebration of the beauty of the frozen continent and the importance it has in the global climate and ocean. Thereby, conveying awareness of whatever happens at the poles doesn’t stay at the poles, but influences each and every one of us on a global scale in one way or another, particularly in times of rapidly accelerating climate change.