Content:

Report no. 31, November 2009

From: IPY International Programme Office

To: IPY Project Coordinators

cc: IPY Community Google Groups

1. Oslo Science Conference, 8-12 June 2010

Full programme, Second Circular and Call for Abstracts now available @ www.ipy-osc.no.

A timely and auspicious gathering of the full polar community to celebrate the remarkable accomplishments of this IPY, to display and explore the richness of IPY data, and to chart future directions for polar and global science. A polar festival in the city, a programme for international teachers, a film festival, a barbecue at the Fram Museum, polar exhibits, awards, the IPY closing ceremony, and an exciting and interconnected science programme - one of the most important events of this IPY.

Notable Features:

Breadth - The Oslo Science Conference will include a broad mix of researchers, from anthropology to astronomy, genomics to glaciology, psychology to physiology, and ecology to economics.

International - More than 30 IPY national committees, 19 countries produced new polar research funding, participants from more than 60 countries. All member nations of the Arctic Council (8) and of the Antarctic Treaty system (28) play key roles.

Diversity - Visionary data managers, international networks of science educators, members of northern communities, a vigorous association of young polar scientists, exhibition designers and filmmakers - all these partners in IPY’s success will join the Oslo Science Conference.

Urgency - Disappearing snow and ice, world-wide impacts of the polar changes, and the vulnerabilities of northern cultures and communities - these compelling issues remain prominent and timely to the international press and to global citizens.

2. IPO at AGU Fall Meeting

In partnership with the Office of Polar Programs of the USA National Science Foundation, the IPY International Programme Office will again operate a booth and exhibit at the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco, 14 to 18 December 2009. We will highlight the Oslo 2010 Science Conference, APECS, and the Polar Information Commons. We try to keep our exhibit and materials as 'digital' as possible, but if IPY National Programs or IPY Projects have high-quality printed materials to share, especially those with fine polar images and illustrations suitable for teachers or the general public, we welcome the opportunity to display and distribute such materials. We find that language does not represent an insuperable barrier: last year the very nice summary reports from Denmark, in Danish, proved very popular! We ask you to ship such materials directly to the AGU conference warehouse; please contact Melissa Deets for information - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

3. Seventh Meeting of the Heads of Arctic and Antarctic IPY Secretariats (HAIS-7)

Heads of Arctic and Antarctic IPY Secretariats met 16 October 2009 in Oslo, Norway. Part of the meeting was held jointly with the IASC/SCAR Bipolar Action Group (BipAG) as IASC and SCAR are expected to carry IPY legacies forward. The IPY legacies both at national and international level have been a concern and continuing issue at all recent HAIS meetings.

The joint meeting agreed on a number of recommendations which you can study at:

http://classic.ipy.org/national

At this web site, you also will find the HAIS-7 Minutes and a selection of agenda papers.

4. APECS Report

A new group of enthusiastic and committed early-career polar researchers have been elected to lead APECS during 2009-2010. Serving on the Executive Committee 2009-2010 will be: Francisco Fernandoy (Chile/Germany), Gerlis Fugmann (Germany), Daniela Liggett (New Zealand), Kate Sinclair (New Zealand) and Alexandra Taylor (Sweden/Canada). Gerlis Fugmann has been elected APECS President for 2009-2010. Please visit our website at www.apecs.is/leadership to get more information on all new Executive Committee members.

We are excited to report that we are currently working on a “Polar and Cryosphere Mentor Database” that will be released in the next couple of months and that will allow supportive and productive mentor-relationships between senior scientists and early-career researchers to be established. Since its inception, APECS activities have aimed to help provide a continuum of knowledge in polar and cryospheric research. We are very grateful to the many senior researchers and professionals that have served as mentors for our many activities. In an effort to assure a broad representation of mentors at our events, and to help young researchers around the globe develop relationships with senior mentors, APECS is creating a database of those people willing to serve as mentors to young researchers in a variety of ways. This may include meeting students at conferences, answering email enquiries and providing general career guidance for young scientists. Information on this new initiative will be released on our website (www.apecs.is) soon, so please keep visiting our website updates.

As is our tradition, APECS is planning several meetings and events over the coming year. The IPY International Early Career Researcher Symposium in December 2009 in Victoria, Canada, an APECS luncheon dialogue at the Antarctic Treaty Summit also in December 2009 in Washington, D.C., the APECS activities at the IPY Oslo Science Conference in June 2010 in Oslo, Norway or events organized by our National Committees like a Polar Careers’ day in January 2010 and a Mentor Panel at the international glaciological conference VICC-2010 in Chile organized by APECS Sweden and Chile, respectively, are just a few examples of a long list of exciting events that we are planning. Please visit www.apecs.is/events for opportunities to get involved.

5. IPY Education and Outreach Update

EOC sub-committee - held successful meeting in Edmonton at the end of October where they further developed plans for the education, outreach and communication portions of the Oslo science conference including an associated teachers' conference; began planning for the next Polar Week; and discussed documenting and sustaining global IPY EOC activities.

The Polar Resource Book - is in the final stages of review, editing, and design as the editors prepare for final submission to the publishers at the end of December. The Polar Resource Book will be officially released at the Oslo 2010 science conference and will serve as a focal resource for the associated teachers' conference.

March 2010 Polar Week - is scheduled for March 15-19, 2010 and will focus on the same theme of 'What Happens at the Poles Affects Us All'. This Polar Week will be the last major IPY specific event before the Oslo conference and we encourage all our IPY partners to begin thinking now about what type of activities they may be able to host. Further details for the March Polar Week will be available before the end of the year.

If you have any questions about EOC activities please feel free to contact Karen Edwards at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .