Who We Are
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 more just, inclusive, diverse, equitable and accessible polar science environment.
Recent News
PSECCO releases its 2023 BAJEDI Micro-grant Solicitation!
PSECCO is excited to announce the 2023 cycle of PSECCO Belonging, Accessibility, Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (BAJEDI) Microgrants! The deadline to apply is October 31, 2023. Read More
A Showcase of Projects Funded by PSECCO BAJEDI Micro-Grants in 2022
In the fall of 2022, PSECCO launched its first Belonging, Accessibility, Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (BAJEDI) Micro-grant Solicitation and ended up funding three different proposals to kick off the program. The BAJEDI Micro-grant program was created to support US-based early career researchers who had ideas of how to advance BAJEDI principles in polar science but needed a little funding to bring those ideas to fruition. These awards are flexible in what they can support, as long as the ideas proposed support the work of historically excluded scholars in the polar sciences, bring polar education to historically excluded communities in the polar sciences, or advance the work of a person, program or group that is already doing that work. Here we are excited to share two examples of funded BAJEDI Micro-grant projects that have been wrapped up over the past year. Read More
PSECCO's Fall 2023 Conference Travel Grant Applications Now Open!
The Polar Science Early Career Community Office (PSECCO)* Conference Travel Grant Program is now open for applications, due on September 15, 2023 at 11.59pm MT. Travel awards to attend and present polar-related work at a conference are open to polar early career scientists and educators. In this Fall 2023 funding cycle, PSECCO will be distributing $5,000 of awards. Applicants may request a reasonable amount of funding to support their travel to/from a conference, up to a value of $900 per person, with awards aimed at those with demonstrated financial need. An additional $100 is available for awardees who organize a PSECCO social event at the conference. Read More
Recording available: Navigating NSF & the Office of Polar Programs
On July 13, 2023, PSECCO hosted a workshop entitled ‘Navigating NSF & the Office of Polar Programs (OPP)’. The full recording for the event is now available! Read More
Next generation of polar scientists work toward more inclusive future
When twenty polar science postdoctoral researchers converged on CU Boulder and the university’s Mountain Research Station for a week-long leadership workshop in May 2023, some were skeptical about what they would walk away with. But after a week of topic deep-dives, discussions, and friendly hikes, the participants of the Polar Postdoc Leadership Workshop not only grew their skills and knowledge—they bonded over a shared vision to make the polar sciences more inclusive and welcoming. Read More
Recording available: An Introduction to Co-production: Lessons and resources for early career researchers to build a platform of long-lasting research relationships
On June 6, 2023, PSECCO hosted a panel discussion entitled 'An Introduction to Co-production: Lessons and resources for early career researchers to build a platform of long-lasting research relationships' featuring an incredible panel of experts on the topic (named below). The recording for the event is now available! Read More
PSECCO celebrates its first anniversary!
The Polar Science Early Career Community Office (PSECCO) was officially launched one year ago today! Engagement with the office has been fantastic, with 477 subscribers to our monthly newsletter, 310 ECRs on our PSECCO Community Slack, 1,028 subscribers on Twitter, and over 7,000 individual website users. Read on! Read More
PSECCO's Spring 2023 Conference Travel Grant Applications Now Open!
The Polar Science Early Career Community Office (PSECCO)* Conference Travel Grant Program is now open for applications. Travel awards to attend and present polar-related work at a conference are open to polar early career scientists and educators. In this Spring 2023 funding cycle, PSECCO will be distributing $5,000 of awards. Applicants may request a reasonable amount of funding to support their travel to/from a conference, up to a value of $900 per person, with awards aimed at those with demonstrated financial need. An additional $100 is available for awardees who organize a PSECCO social event at the conference. Read More
PSECCO's first panel on careers outside of academia a success!
On January 24, 2023, PSECCO held its first panel sharing careers outside of academia for polar scientists, featuring: Dr. Will Burt, Senior Marine Chemist at Planetary Technologies; Dr. Sam Dorsi, Science Project Manager for Polar Field Services / Battelle ARO; Dr. Morgan Seag, Global Mountains Director for the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative; Dr. Gifford Wong, a Research Staff member at the IDA Science and Technology Policy Institute; and Dr. Colleen Strawhacker, Program Director for the Arctic Sciences Section in the Office of Polar Programs at the National Science Foundation. Read More
NSF to host a Sexual Assault Harassment Prevention and Response (SAHPR) Virtual Listening Session *specifically for polar early career scientists*
The National Science Foundation Office of Polar Programs is hosting a Sexual Assault Harassment Prevention and Response (SAHPR) Virtual Listening Session *specifically for polar early career scientists* on February 15, from 12:00-1:30pm ET | 10:00-11.30am MT | 8:00am-9:30am AKT. PSECCO encourages any and all Antarctic early career scientists who have done or intend to do research in Antarctica to attend. Read More
PSECCO Launches its First Polar Postdoc Leadership Workshop!
PSECCO is excited to announce that our first Polar Postdoctoral Leadership Workshop (PPLW) will be taking place from May 15 to 19, 2023 at the CU Mountain Research Station, near Boulder, Colorado. The workshop will bring 20 US-based postdoctoral researchers studying Antarctic and Arctic topics together from across the country to activate leadership skills that they can bring into their future careers. Read More
Polar Data Accessibility Webinar shares a breadth of information/data with folks and how to access it!
Access a recording of PSECCO's Polar Data Accessibility Webinar sharing information on data and how to access it from: Polar Geospatial Center (PGC), National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) Arctic Data Center, United States Antarctic Program Data Center (USAP-DC), Exchange for Local Observations and Knowledge of the Arctic (ELOKA), and QGreenland! Read More
PSECCO releases its 2022 BAJEDI Micro-grant Solicitation!
As an organization committed to working towards building an inclusive and just environment in the polar sciences, PSECCO is excited to announce the solicitation call for individuals, groups, and organizations to apply for Belonging, Accessibility, Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (BAJEDI) Micro-grants! Read More
How to help new students, researchers and faculty feel welcome in new polar spaces: a short guide to starting the academic year out right
Each year new people join our academic and non-academic polar institutions to do exciting new [or old] science, and how those people are [or are not] welcomed into our labs and institutions makes a world of a difference to whether or not folks feel a sense of belonging in these polar spaces. Each of us has an important role to play in making those transitionary times easier on folks we are welcoming into the spaces we do science in. Here's a short guide for how each of us can make people feel welcome when starting out in new polar spaces. Read More
PSECCO announces its first BAJEDI Training for polar early career scientists!
The Polar Science Early Career Community Office (PSECCO) is excited to announce the launch of our first belonging, accessibility, justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (BAJEDI) training specifically designed for polar early career scientists. This workshop will be run by the excellent folks with THRIVE Lifeline in conjunction with PSECCO. Learn more about how to regsiter Read More
PSECCO Conference Travel Grant Program for polar early career scientists and educators is launched!
The Polar Science Early Career Community Office (PSECCO) is opening the PSECCO Conference Travel Grant Program to polar early career scientists and educators who need funding to attend an international or domestic conference at which they intend to present polar science-related content. Read More
Engage informally with other polar early career scientists on PSECCO's Community Space Slack space and monthly social hours
Looking to informally network with other early career scientists? Have a question that you could use help answering from others in a similar field? Heading to a conference and want to meet other folks early in their careers? Check out PSECCO's new Slack channel and monthly social hour made *just* for early career scientists! Read More
PSECCO / NSF Office of Polar Programs Chat with a Program Officer, for Early Career Scientists
PSECCO invites you to attend a call with National Science Foundation Office of Polar Programs (OPP) program managers, specifically designed for early career polar scientists. Attend to meet OPP program officers, learn the basics behind what program officers do, how they can be helpful, and to ask them questions about the process! Read More
Call for Early Career Scientists to Sit on the PSECCO Advisory Board
The new NSF-funded Polar Science Early Career Community Office (PSECCO) invites US-based early career polar scientists with a research focus on the Antarctic, Arctic, or high alpine regions to apply to serve on the PSECCO Advisory Board. The early career scientists serving on the advisory board will be compensated for work, and serve a two-year term. Read More
PSECCO Invites YOU to Attend a Community Meeting!
The Polar Science Early Career Community Office (PSECCO) invites you to attend one of our first two virtual community meetings on May 3rd at 1pm MT/3pm ET and June 9th, 11am MT/1pm ET. The community office will evolve to meet the needs and amplify the efforts of early career scientists in the polar community. To effectively do that, we would love to hear from you. Read More
New Polar Science Early Career Community Office is Launched!
As Earth’s poles are transforming, with climate change warming the Arctic, sea ice melting and glaciers rapidly retreating, a new community office to support the next generation of polar scientists is opening its doors at CU Boulder. The Polar Science Early Career Community Office (PSECCO), funded by the NSF and housed by CIRES and INSTAAR, will provide training opportunities, resources and funding to support and help build a community of polar early career scientists in the United States. Read More