APECS Career Development Workshop at the IPY Oslo Science Conference

This 2-day workshop will consist of plenary lectures, group discussions and hands-on breakout sessions. Several plenary lectures will be held together with the PolarTEARCHERS workshop, also held at the University of Oslo. Breakout sessions are lead by APECS members together with mentors from the polar research community. Each participant was able to select breakout sessions to participate in out of the list below:

Alternative polar careers
-- Session Leaders: Penelope Wagner, Graham Simpkins, Melissa Deets
-- Mentors: Renuka Badhe (SCAR), Georg Hansen (RCN), Sara Bowden (AOSB/IASC), Frank Rack (ANDRILL), Steve Rintou (CSIRO)
We know that everyone loves to do research, but have you ever wondered what other paths may be out there where you can still be involved with research, but not in the lab doing it or teaching at a University? In this session, mentors with job responsibilities outside of hands-on research and academic lecturing will help you to identify the important 'transferable' skills that you will need to find careers in industry, management, non-university education and outreach, business, government, and more. Information will also be shared on where to find and how to create these 'alternative jobs' that are best suited to your interests and talents.

Communicating with the Media
-- Session Leaders: Sian Henley and Helen Atkinson
-- Mentors: Mary Albert (Dartmouth College), Kristen Ulstein (RCN)
The challenge of effectively communicating science has never been so important. How are we, as scientists, going to get our message across to the general public? The media provides the link and we must use it effectively. This session will cover interview techniques, building up professional relationships with journalists and a discussion on how to make science more accessible. APECS members will also be given the chance to be involved in the science media centre in Oslo, to act as roving reporters, sit in on interviews and press releases, and to make contacts in the field of science journalism.

Influencing Policy and Policy Makers
-- Session Leaders: Harry Borlase and Jennifer Rhemann
-- Mentors: Mahlon 'Chuck' Kennikutt II (Texas A&M University / SCAR President), Martin Sommerkorn (WWF), Olav Orheim (RCN)
Policy has become a buzzword within the science community as a way of describing how research can have influence beyond academia. This is particularly true of polar research, where rapid environmental and social changes are putting additional stress on policy-makers to become familiar with scientific research. Yet, there is little knowledge about how the process works or who is involved. How does scientific research actually influence policy? And how does this process happen? This session will focus on helping young researchers understand this process, and how science is communicated to policy-makers. It will also help young researchers consider their research in new ways, by thinking of its policy implications.

International collaborations and field work
-- Session Leaders: Anton Van de Putte and Hauke Flores
-- Mentors: Jose Xavier (Portugal), Rahul Mohan (National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research, India)
International collaborations are becoming more and more important, but as an early career scientist it is sometimes difficult to find out how to start these collaborations, and how to manage them. This is especially important if no suitable collaborators exist at your own institution. Similarly, it is sometimes difficult to identify how to get involved in large field projects. In this workshop we will hear short presentations of these topics and then have group discussions with mentors to learn how to get started and how to manage international collaborations and field work.

Managing research projects and people
-- Session Leaders: Jennifer Lee, Mike Willis, Nicole Couture and Francisco Fernandoy
-- Mentors: Bjorn Johns (UNAVCO), Peter Convey (BAS), Gary Stern (Canadian Dept. of Fisheries and Oceans)
A key component of science research is effective management; this session will include a discussion and workshop on managing projects and people. This will include time management, resource allocation, interacting with colleagues and supervisors, supervising and evaluating people's performance, data sharing, and working with different organizations and institutions

Presenting your results at conferences
-- Session Leaders: Inga May and Hugues Lantuit
-- Mentors: Dave Carlson (IPY International Programme Office)
To get the most out of a conference, you need to know how to effectively communicate your research, but also how to talk to people, so that you can get feedback and ideas from other people at the conference, whether they are fellow students or experienced scientists. Through short presentations and some hands-on activities you'll learn how to best present a talk or poster and how to network effectively.

Outreach
--Session Leaders: Kristin Timm and Sélima Ben Mustapha-- Mentors: Margarete Pauls (AWI), Teodor Negoita (Romanian Polar Research Institute), Jean Pierre Laclau (Factotum, France)
Scientific outreach can take many shapes and forms; as an early career investigator it's not always easy to determine where to begin, who to talk to, and how to get started. This session will outline how to choose an audience and steps for planning three simple and specific types of events: public lecture, one-day event, Workshop for kids. Through facilitated small group planning, participants will leave the workshop with a plan in hand for science outreach to their community. Furthermore possibilities for activities to use in a classroom of student of any age will be shown.

Teaching
-- Session Leaders: Masha Tsukernik and Ryan Fogt
-- Mentors: Craig Tweedie (U Texas - El Paso), Jon Ove Hagen (U i Oslo), Pat Langhorne (U of Otago), Ross Powell (Northern Illinois University)
Teaching students at both undergraduate and graduate levels is an integral and rewarding part of an academic career. This teaching workshop will be conducted through an open question and answer panel session led by mentors from several countries and at various stages of their careers. As part of the panel, mentors will share their experiences in academia and offer their advice. Topics to be discussed include: how to secure a job in academia, how to find balance in academic life (both in teaching / research and professional / personal life), how to improve your teaching, how to advise and mentor undergraduate and graduate students, the tenure process, and many other topics specific to academia.

Writing proposals and funding
-- Session Leaders: Gerlis Fugmann, Nathalie Morata and Alexandra Jahn
-- Mentors: Larry Hinzman (IARC, Alaska, USA), Tim Naish (Antarctic Research Center, NZ)
Writing successful proposals and identifying the right funding sources is crucial for success in science. In this session experienced mentors that have evaluated proposals will give an overview about the funding process in different countries and specific sources of funding for polar research. Through group discussion you'll also learn how to avoid common mistakes and how to write a proposal that gets funded.

APECS Career Development Workshop

Preparations for the APECS Career Development Workshop to be held in Oslo in June 2010, just before the IPY Oslo Science Conference, are well underway. This workshop will bring together 120 early career polar researchers from around the world to learn from each other and from more senior APECS mentors. A combination of talks, breakout sessions, group discussions and a cruise on the Oslo fjord, a mixture of APECS members, mentors, polar teachers and media officers, the event promises to be interdisciplinary, wide ranging and exciting. A schedule is below.

Saturday, 5 June 2010
16:00 – 18:30 Welcome at the Anker Hostel.
----Get information on how to get to the Research Council of Norway and let us know you've arrived
18:00 - 19:00 Workshop Registration at the Research Council of Norway
19:00 – 22:00 Welcome Reception at the Research Council of Norway
---- Together with Teachers Workshop
---- Stensborggota 26, Oslo

Sunday, 6 June 2010
09:00 – 09:15 Welcoming Remarks
-- APECS and PolarTEACHERS Workshop Organizers
-- Research Council of Norway Representative
-- IPY Norway Representative
---- Together with PolarTEACHERS Workshop
09:15 - 09:55 The Urgency of Polar Research
-- Dave Carlson, IPY International Programme Office Director
09:55 - 10:15 An Introduction to the IPY Polar Resource Book:
Polar Science and Global Climate: An International Resource for Education and Outreach
-- Karen Edwards, IPY IPO and IPY Canada
10:15 - 10:20 ---- Workshops Separate
10:20 - 11:10 Group Discussion on Science Communication and 'ClimateGate'
-- Moderated by Helen Atkinson (BAS) and Kristen Ulstein (RCN)
11:10 - 11:30 Break and Networking
11:30 - 13:15 Morning Breakout Session
-- Writing Proposals and Finding Funding
--- Moderated by Gerlis Fugmann and Nathalie Morata
-- Teaching at a University level
--- Moderated by Masha Tsukernik and Ryan Fogt
-- Influencing Policy and Policy Makers
--- Moderated by Harry Borlase and Jennifer Rehmann
-- Managing Research Projects and People
--- Moderated by Jennifer Lee, Mike Willis, Nicole Couture and Francisco Fernandoy
-- Presenting Your Results at Conferences
--- Moderated by Hugues Lantuit and Inga May
13:15 - 14:15 Lunch
14:15 - 16:00 Afternoon Breakout Sessions
-- Writing Proposals and Finding Funding
--- Moderated by Gerlis Fugmann and Nathalie Morata
-- Teaching at a University level
--- Moderated by Masha Tsukernik and Ryan Fogt
-- Influencing Policy and Policy Makers
--- Moderated by Harry Borlase and Jennifer Rehmann
-- Managing Research Projects and People
--- Moderated by Jennifer Lee, Mike Willis, Nicole Couture and Francisco Fernandoy
-- Presenting Your Results at Conferences
--- Moderated by Hugues Lantuit and Inga May
16:00 - 16:20 Break and Networking
16:20 - 16:45 Overview of APECS
-- Gerlis Fugmann, APECS President
16:45 - 17:10 So Much Data, So Little Time
-- Taco de Bruin
17:10 - 17:15 Summary and Announcements
17:15 - 18:30 Travel to Oslo Harbor / Break
18:30 - 23:00 Dinner Cruise on the Oslo Fjord
---- Together with PolarTEACHERS Workshop
---- DRESS WARM!

Monday, 7 June 2010
09:00 - 09:05 Introduction and Announcements
---- Together with PolarTEACHERS Workshop
09:05 - 10:00 Will Polar Bears Survive Climate Change?
-- Jenny Bytingsvik, Bear Health
Impact of Polar Bear Decline on Northern Communities
-- Dominique Henri, Oxford University
10:00 - 10:05 ---- Workshops Separate
10:05 - 10:35 Group Discussion on ethical issues behind polar research
-- Moderated by (TBC)
10:35 - 11:00 International Opportunities in Polar Research
-- Mare Pitt, IASC and Renuka Badhe, SCAR
11:00 - 11:20 Break and Networking
11:20 - 13:05 Morning Breakout Sessions
-- Writing Proposals and Finding Funding
--- Moderated by Gerlis Fugmann and Nathalie Morata
-- Communicating with the Media
--- Moderated by Helen Atkinson and Sian Henley
-- International Projects and Developing Collaborations
--- Moderated by Anton Van de Putte and Hauke Flores
-- Education and Outreach
--- Moderated by Kristin Timm and Sélima Ben Mustapha
-- Alternative Careers in Polar Research
--- Moderated by Penny Wagner, Graham Simpkins, and Melissa Deets
13:05 - 14:05 Lunch
14:05 - 15:50 Afternoon Breakout Sessions
-- Writing Proposals and Finding Funding
--- Moderated by Alexandra Jahn
-- Communicating with the Media
--- Moderated by Helen Atkinson and Sian Henley
-- International Projects and Developing Collaborations
--- Moderated by Anton Van de Putte and Hauke Flores
-- Education and Outreach
--- Moderated by Kristin Timm and Sélima Ben Mustapha
-- Alternative Careers in Polar Research
--- Moderated by Penny Wagner, Graham Simpkins, and Melissa Deets
15:50 - 16:10 Break and Networking
16:10 - 16:50 What Have We Learned and How Can We Use It?
-- Moderated by Helen Atkinson, BAS and Alexandra Jahn, NCAR
16:50 - 17:20

Inspirational talk


-- Craig Tweedie
17:20 - 17:30 Closing Announcements
17:30 - 20:00 Travel to Oslo Town Hall / Break
20:00 - 21:00 IPY Oslo Science Conference Icebreaker at the Oslo Town Hall