Spotlight on EMCR groups—APECS

Hanne Nielsen
PhD Candidate, University of Tasmania and President, Association of Polar Early Career Scientists
@WideWhiteStage @Polar_Research
www.apecs.is and www.apecsoceania.com

Penguins and polar bears never meet—unless they’re members of APECS!

The Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) is an international and interdisciplinary organisation for undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, early faculty members, educators and others with interests in polar regions and the wider cryosphere.

Over the past 10 years we have had over 8,000 members pass through APECS, and many now serve as mentors for emerging early-career researchers.

APECS’ goals and objectives

APECS’ goals include creating opportunities for the development of innovative, international and interdisciplinary collaborations among current early-career polar researchers, as well as recruiting, retaining and promoting the next generation of polar enthusiasts. Specifically we aim to:

• create a network of polar researchers across disciplines and national boundaries to meet, share ideas and experiences, and develop new research directions and collaborations
• provide the opportunity for career development for both traditional and alternative polar and cryosphere professions
• promote education and outreach as an integral component of polar research and to stimulate future generations of polar researchers.

About APECS Oceania

APECS Oceania is the local APECS Committee for Australia and New Zealand. We run workshops and icebreaker events prior to conferences, arrange training sessions for members, and liaise with local scientific and Antarctic organisations to create opportunities for early-career researchers. We also promote networking among polar early-career scientists, and run events that help showcase the cutting-edge research that is taking place in this part of the world.

The inaugural APECS Oceania Symposium was held on 18–19 September 2017. Twenty early-career researchers attended the symposium in person, with at least another dozen attending remotely. Keynote presentations from Dr Gwen Fenton, the Chief Scientist at the Australian Antarctic Division, and Dr Aleks Terauds, from the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) Standing Committee on the Antarctic Treaty System, outlined future priorities in local polar research, and helped explain why it is important to have an understanding of strategic priorities when planning large projects.

Get involved

To find out more about APECS, head to www.apecs.is and www.apecsoceania.com

We welcome new members—if you have a polar-related idea and would like to find support to make it happen, please do get in touch!

You can also follow us @APECSOceania or @Polar_Research, or on facebook at www.facebook.com/APECSOceania or www.facebook.com/APECS4u