Our mission is to empower and elevate early career scientists in the Polar Sciences, support a vibrant community, provide opportunities and resources, offer skill trainings and work together towards a welcoming polar science environment for all. | | December 2025 PSECCO Updates | | |
Dear Polar Early Career Researchers,
Happy December! Whether you’re soaking up long days of austral summer light or settling into the cozy chill of the northern latitudes, I hope this month offers you space to breathe, reflect, and recharge before we all turn the page into a new year.
We at PSECCO are bustling with excitement as we prepare for the American Geophysical Union meeting coming up in New Orleans, Louisiana. Throughout the week, our team will be convening sessions, presenting talks, co-hosting a social for polar early career researchers alongside some wonderful partner organizations, and gathering with the community. Anne, Madison, and I will all be there representing PSECCO—so if you’re attending AGU and happen to spot us, please say hello! We’d love to connect with you in person.
In this month’s newsletter, you’ll find some fantastic opportunities from across our network, details on where to find PSECCO at AGU, and information on how to support our work through spring 2026 if you’re able. We’re grateful for this community—your curiosity, your energy, and your dedication to polar science continue to inspire us.
The PSECCO Team wishes you a joyful end to the year, moments of rest among the bustle, and a bright start to 2026. We can’t wait to continue growing, learning, and navigating the polar world with you.
With warmth and gratitude,
Mariama
| | Upcoming Events / Opportunities | |
Connect with PSECCO at AGU 2025!
We’re excited to conclude a roller-coaster year for U.S.-based polar scientists by gathering with fellow polar community members at AGU! Visit this webpage to see how you can engage with the events PSECCO is hosting, facilitating, or presenting at.
To make navigating AGU’s enormous schedule a little less daunting, the PSECCO team has compiled a document highlighting polar-, Arctic-, and Antarctic-related sessions and community events from the AGU agenda. We welcome the entire polar community to use this resource and encourage folks to share any events we may have missed by emailing psecco@colorado.edu.
Hope to see you there!
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Help keep PSECCO funded through Spring 2026!
PSECCO works to break down barriers for early career polar researchers by providing leadership trainings, professional development workshops, networking events, and funding for community-led initiatives. However, our current funding runs out in mid-spring—and we need your support to continue this work through the 2025–2026 academic year.
Your gift today directly strengthens the polar early career community:
• $25 supports a networking event.
• $50 enables participation in a workshop.
• $100 helps fund a community grant.
👉 Donate to PSECCO and help sustain this community for another year.
Every contribution makes a difference. Thank you for supporting early career polar researchers and the future of polar science.
| | Opportunities from Our Polar Partners | | |
Submit your bid to host and sponsor Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) initiatives
APECS is launching an international call for bids to host the APECS International Directorate and sponsor APECS’ activities starting in 2027. The host institution or consortium will provide the Executive Director and staff with options to sponsor activities or host a satellite office.
Hosting supports future polar leaders and raises your institution’s profile through a global network and partnerships with the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), IASC, and others. As part of the Fifth International Polar Year (IPY-5) 2032–2033 Planning Group, the Association anticipates growing opportunities.
For full details, please refer to the full call text and accompanying information package. Submit a non-binding statement by December 14, 2025 and a full bid by February 15, 2026. If you have any questions, please email info@apecs.is.
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Participate in the Synoptic Arctic Survey (SAS) Workshop
March 25–26, 2026
SAS is an international effort to collect pan-Arctic data and document the rapidly changing Arctic system through sustained observations. To support this mission, SAS is hosting an Early Career Researcher (ECR) Workshop during Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) 2026 in Aarhus, Denmark.
This two-day event will bring participants together to set science and training goals for an ECR-led research and training cruise planned for the next SAS campaign around 2030. Activities include presentations, breakout discussions, and collaborative writing to produce a white paper and proposal.
Travel funding is available through the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) Working Groups. Funding applications are due January 16, 2026. For more information, visit this website.
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Apply for Toolik Field Station’s 2026 early career Tundra Award
Toolik Field Station invites students and ECR's to apply for the Tundra Award for the 2026 field season. This competitive award sponsors independent and original Arctic research projects with up to 10 days at Toolik Field Station. Toolik will provide award recipients with housing, meals, access to facilities and common-use equipment, science support and transportation between Fairbanks and the field station.
The Tundra Award is open to current students and those who have been enrolled in a degree program within the past five years at any university. Toolik encourages researchers from all disciplines to apply. Joint awards are possible, and applicants should apply through one application. Proposed work can occur during any season.
Applications are due February 15, 2026. For more information, including how to apply, visit the this website or contact Haley Dunleavy at 907-474-6407 or uaf-toolik-communication@alaska.edu.
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Join the ADVANCEing FieldSafety (AFS) research and training program
The Center for Education, Engagement and Evaluation's (CEEE) AFS initiative is recruiting teams of field scientists to participate in its training program and its research component. The training provides strategies to build safe and supportive field teams, and the research aims to measure the effectiveness of the training and its impact on field culture.
As part of this research, field teams will complete surveys and participate in interviews or focus groups. Incentives are available for participating teams. If you are not part of a field team, you can still take the AFS Online Course and use resources in the AFS Toolkit.
If you think your field team might be interested in participating, please visit the AFS Research and Evaluation page or email fieldsafe@colorado.edu to learn more and to sign up.
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Attend the 10th Annual International Polar Film Festival
In conjunction with APECS International Polar Week (March 16–20, 2026), USAPECS will host the annual International Polar Film Festival, celebrating its 10-year anniversary this March. Submissions of independently created films on diverse topics related to the polar regions, typically ranging from one to 30 minutes in length, are welcome. USAPECS is also seeking individuals or organizations interested in hosting in-person screenings; if you're interested in hosting a screening, please email usapecs@gmail.com.
This year’s festival can be viewed here. More information will be provided soon.
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Explore the updated Atlas of Community Based Monitoring (CBM) in a Changing Arctic
Exchange for Local Observations and Knowledge of the Arctic (ELOKA) is pleased to announce that the Atlas of CBM and Indigenous Knowledge in a Changing Arctic has been updated with 100 new entries, and a refreshed interface! In collaboration with Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) Canada, this update showcases even more community-based monitoring projects across the Arctic.
The purpose of the CBM Atlas is to highlight the scope and diversity of these projects, support collaboration among projects, and raise visibility for funders and researchers.
Take a look and explore the atlas here.
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Help USAPECS understand challenges for polar early career scientists
USAPECS is inviting ECR's in polar and cryosphere science to participate in a survey aimed at understanding how recent changes in science policy, funding, and career opportunities are impacting the community. The survey is open to researchers based in the U.S. and affiliated with U.S. institutions, as defined by AGU Career Stages: students, recent graduates or postdocs within five years of completing a PhD, and researchers within ten years of earning a PhD.
The survey takes approximately 10 to 15 minutes to complete and includes demographic questions, rating statements, and opportunities for open-ended feedback. Responses will remain confidential, and participants are encouraged to review the informed consent page before beginning to learn how their data will be used and protected.
Take the survey here. For any questions, please email usapecs@gmail.com.
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Do you have thoughts or feedback you'd like to share with the National Science Foundation (NSF) about sexual harassment and assault within the United States Antarctic Program (USAP)? You can do that here.
Late in 2022, NSF released the USAP Assault Harassment Prevention and Response Needs Assessment Report and Implementation Plan which shared concerning anecdotal evidence of sexual assault and harassment, suggesting necessary culture change in Antarctica (a key findings summary can be accessed here). As individuals just starting out in relationship-building, gaining fieldwork experience, and building community down south, early career scientists are perhaps one of the most vulnerable communities with the potential to be affected by inappropriate behavior and sexual misconduct in such a remote environment. As such, voicing your comments, questions, and concerns to NSF (or indirectly via anonymous channels) is important for putting changes in place to shift culture on the ice for years to come.
PSECCO encourages you to share your thoughts and opinions with folks in a position to help make change happen. If you want to submit comments in writing to NSF, you can send them to sashort@nsf.gov, or you can reach out to a confidential victim advocate at usapadvocate@ldsscorp.com.
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Sign-up to the PSECCO Pro Deal program to get discounts on clothing, gear and equipment for fieldwork!
Need gear for upcoming fieldwork? Our partnership with Outdoor ProLink provides access to their Pro Deal program for our community. As a U.S.-based PSECCO member, you can now receive industry discounts on outdoor gear and equipment.
To learn more about and apply for the PSECCO Pro Deal Program, simply visit our website and fill out the application form.
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Join the PSECCO Community Slack Channel!
Are you a polar early career scientist looking to make informal connections, ask questions about polar science papers or data, plan meet-ups at conferences & more with other early career folks? Join the PSECCO Community Space on Slack!
Don't see a channel for what you'd like to connect with the community about? Let PSECCO know and we can make space for it or direct you to the best channel to post in!
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We'd love to hear from you!
Share your input on how PSECCO can best serve the polar early career community using this linked form.
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Would you like to see more opportunities for you as a polar early career scientist or to share some? Sign up to the PSECCO
Listserv, a lightly moderated listserv where anyone in the polar community can share conference opportunities, post jobs, ask questions and directly engage with this group.
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