26 March 2025 | 10:30 - 12:00 (MDT)
Open Session - HYBRID
Room: UMC Second Floor - 235
Organisers: Otto Habeck (Universität Hamburg); Tahnee Prior (Dalhousie University); Malgorzata Smieszek-Rice (UiT The Arctic University of Norway)
Session Description:
This session and roundtable will revise recent and ongoing activities related to gender, equity, diversity, and inclusion in polar research. We have come a long way discussing research labor conditions, implementing diversity and equity in the scientific community and in capacity building for future generations. These topics require further debate: how can they be incorporated and reflected in future research priorities? How can they be included in research funding frameworks? How do they tie into research policy making? We invite participants to reflect on research practices, research policies, and research agendas. We hope for the participation of Indigenous and local actors, early-career research organisations, queer activists in Polar research, IASC and SCAR working groups and committees, research funding agencies, polar research policy actors – beyond that, everyone interested is welcome! The aim of the session is to formulate input into ICARP IV and the International Polar Year 2032-33.
Oral Presentations:
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unfold_moreScience under pressure? Towards a more sustainable and inclusive science for ICARP IV and IPY-5 — Annette Scheepstra
Annette Scheepstra 1; Gertrude Saxinger 2; Sophie Elixhauser 2; Stanislav Ksenofontov 3; Michael Karcher 4
1 Arctic Centre, University of Groningen; 2 University of Vienna; 3 University of Northern Iowa; 4 Alfred Wegener InstituteFormat: Oral in-person
Abstract:
The next IPY (2032-33) is fast approaching and the ambitions are high. Under 5th IPY Polar Science needs to be carried out in a way that is inclusive, co-designed, decolonized and sustainable, to name but a few. In order to successfully advance this ambitious agenda, it is necessary to know more about how these high aspirations fit with the way research is currently funded, supported, organized and evaluated within the framework of academic institutions. To gain more insight, we will be sending out a survey to polar scientists in the fall and winter of 2024. In this presentation, we will present the results of this survey, which reflects the current conditions, institutional structures, and practices in polar research. Topics that will be addressed in the survey include the background of the researcher e.g. career stage, gender, discipline, Indigenous contexts, working conditions such as time pressure, workload, knowledge co-production with Indigenous and local communities and sustainability issues e.g. existence of unused (or under-used) data or travel practices (carbon footprint). Based on the results of the survey, we aim to propose improvements to the status quo of research structures and polar science to inform the discussion on how best to achieve the goals of IPY-5 and ICARP IV.
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unfold_moreAPECS’ views on enhancing diversity and equity in the polar community — Sarah Marie Strand
Sarah Marie Strand 1; Axel Schlindwein 1
1 Association of Polar Early Career Scientists International Directorate, UiT The Arctic University of NorwayFormat: Oral in-person
Abstract:
In this contribution, the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) will present challenges and possible solutions related to increasing diversity and equity in the polar community within the context of the approaching International Polar Year 2032-2033. We will cover topics including:
- Moving beyond siloed early career work packages and initiatives to designing meaningful engagement across projects and institutions
- Strong success of fellowship programs with our partners like IASC and SCAR
- Updating funding mechanisms to support prolonged project application and funding timescales in addition to diversity in project partnership; this includes broadening requirements for institutional eligibility and remuneration
- Consistent demand for fieldwork and conference-related funding and the need for predictability in these schemes
- The challenge of inherent instability in early career positions and thus retainment
- Finding ways to reach the wider community in DEI discussions and not just those who choose to be in physical or metaphorical room
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unfold_moreWomen’s experiences inform pathways to more gender-inclusive polar fieldwork and ethical research practice — Daniela Walch
Daniela Walch 1; Maria Dance 2; Rebecca Duncan 3; Marjolein Gevers 4; Eleanor Honan 5; Elaine Runge 6; Florina Schalamon 7
1 Département de Biologie, Chimie et Géographie, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Rimouski, Québec, Canada; 2 Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; 3 School of Life Sciences, University Technology Sydney, Broadway Rd Ultimo, Sydney, Australia, Department of Arctic Biology, University Centre in Svalbard, Longyearbyen, Norway; 4 Institutes des dynamiques de la surface terrestre (IDYST), Université de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; 5 Department of Geography, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom; 6 Danish Hydrological Institute, Marine & Coastal Field Services, Agern Allé 5, Hørsholm, Denmark; 7 Department of Geography and Regional Sciences, University of Graz, Graz, AustriaFormat: Oral in-person
Abstract:
Fieldwork allows polar researchers to connect deeply with the environment they study and is vital for collecting valuable data. There is increasing recognition that the inherent challenges of remote polar fieldwork are not felt equally across the polar research community, with women and minority groups facing barriers to equal participation. A diverse community is, however, imperative to address the challenges of unprecedented climate change.
As a group of female ECRs, we sought to obtain a holistic understanding of the key challenges women face in polar fieldwork in order to develop strategies for removing the barriers to and during participation and improving fieldwork experiences. We reviewed current literature and conducted an anonymous online survey to explore the lived experiences of those who identify as women in polar fieldwork.
Our results highlight the universality of negative experiences during fieldwork (79%, n = 320), and the perseverance of women intending to continue with fieldwork (93%, n = 317), recognising their potential to lead and create better conditions for participants. From the diverse range of issues raised, we propose a comprehensive set of strategies to improve fieldwork across personal to institutional levels as well as ways to implement them. Our work is a contribution to a wider and more in-depth conversation on ethical and sustainable polar research practice and planning in the spirit of ICARP IV and the upcoming International Polar Year 2032-33.
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unfold_moreMothers in the Field: considering motherhood in polar research planning and implementation — Christine Yiqing Liang
Christine Liang 1
1 Helmholtz Centre for Environmental ResearchFormat: Oral virtual
Abstract:
The intersection of motherhood and fieldwork presents unique challenges and opportunities for polar researchers. Both fieldwork and parenting require substantial time, effort, and emotional commitment, making the combination of the two a particularly monumental challenge that many mothers in academia must navigate. While progress has been made toward gender equity in polar research, and research institutes in general increasingly aim to assist researchers with caregiving responsibilities, a gap still exists in support that specifically targets the unique challenges of balancing motherhood with field research. This presentation will reflect on personal experience and strategies of parenting while conducting fieldwork in the Arctic, while presenting a call to action for institutional support mechanisms that facilitate the integration of motherhood and research implementation. The aim is to highlight diverse experiences and articulate best practices to discuss how motherhood and fieldwork can be integrated into future research planning and funding frameworks.
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unfold_moreWidening participation in Polar Science through institutional change: The Diversity in UK Polar Science Initiative (DiPSI) — Pilvi Saarikoski
PIlvi Saarikoski 1; Huw Griffiths 1; Beatrix Schlarb-Ridley 2; Samantha Buzzard 3; Martin Siegert 4; Jane Rumble 5
1 British Antarctic Survey, Diversity in UK Polar Science Initiative (DiPSI), SCAR EDI Action Group; 2 British Antarctic Survey, Diversity in UK Polar Science Initiative; 3 University of Northumbria, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom, Diversity in UK Polar Science Initiative; 4 University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom, Diversity in UK Polar Science Initiative; 5 Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, London, United Kingdom, Diversity in UK Polar Science InitiativeFormat: Oral virtual
Abstract:
For almost 200 years since its discovery, visitors to Antarctica were overwhelmingly white men. This historical context still has an impact on Polar Research today. The Diversity in UK Polar Science Initiative (DiPSI) was conceived and funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Polar Regions Department. Starting from a position of relative ignorance in terms of the demographics and experience of minorities within the UK polar science community, DiPSI set about quantifying the makeup of the existing community, identifying underrepresentation of ethnic minorities, disabled people and the LGBTQIA+ community. The ambition for this initiative has been to deliver a more diverse and inclusive future for UK polar science – a future that reflects the diversity in British society today. To work towards this, the initiative had planned key areas of impact with projects, advocating engagement across the UK polar community to encourage conversations around present culture and values and to highlight the need for action to address the lack of diversity and education towards new approaches.
DiPSI established a wide range of products including the flagship Polar Horizons programme, an EDI 101 training programme, targeted work experience and paid internship opportunities, a community guide on inclusive behaviours, race and socioeconomic background impact surveys and more. DiPSI serves as an example of what can be done with cross-organisational leadership and suitable investment of time and money to address inherited inequality, whilst emphasising that short term measures do not equate to long term progress.
Poster Presentations (during Poster Exhibit and Session on Wednesday 26 March):
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unfold_moreHow can we make polar research more inclusive for caregivers? — Melissa Ward Jones
Melissa Ward Jones 1
1 University of Alaska FairbanksFormat: Poster in-person
Poster number: #433
Abstract:
Polar researchers with caregiving responsibilities face additional logistical and financial burdens when trying to balance work activities like travel for fieldwork and conferences. Lack of support can eventually drive researchers, most often women, to leave and/or modify their careers. This can negatively impact polar research by not only losing researchers, but also by losing investments into their careers. This presentation focuses on the question, “How can we make polar research more family friendly?” to find ways to better support members of the polar research community that have caregiving responsibilities. The US Permafrost Association Family Care Program (FCP), launched in 2024, will be used as an example of one potential solution. The FCP awards caregiver grants and hosts events, such as a panel discussion event in April 2024 that discussed balancing childcare and work responsibilities. Providing more support for caregivers would increase accessibility and inclusion in polar research.