'Balancing Childcare and Work Responsibilities in Permafrost Research' was a Success!

This panel discussion was co-organized with the USPA DEI Committee and the Polar Science Early Career Community Office, and the following content is from the USPA website. 

At the USPA’s Annual Meeting in December, the USPA announced the launch of the USPA Family Care Program (FCP). The FCP was created to support and recognize the additional financial and logistical burdens placed upon families within the permafrost community.  

As part of this initiative, the FCP hosted a panel discussion on families in the permafrost community with a focus on balancing childcare and work responsibilities, including travel for conducting fieldwork and attending conferences. The event was held on April 11th, 2024 at 2-3pm EST. It included an engaging discussion on the unique experiences and challenges faced by families conducting permafrost research. Our panelists shared their personal experience, insights, and strategies for balancing career aspirations with family life.  

This event also offered an opportunity to ask questions regarding USPA’s new Family Care Program including caregiver awards to support travel-related work such as fieldwork and attending conferences. Note that while the panel focused on childcare the awards are eligible to support any type of human care, please visit the webpage for more information or reach out to program chair Melissa Ward Jones (mkwardjones@alaska.edu) to answer questions. 

Panelists: 
Melissa Ward Jones, University of Alaska Fairbanks 
Jessica Ernakovich, University of New Hampshire 
Sarah Evans, Appalachian State University  
Eva Stephani, United States Geological Survey (USGS) 
Liz Hoy, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) 

Thank you to the USPA DEI Committee for hosting such an important panel discussion and thank you to all who attended! 

Be sure to check out our upcoming events as well, and we hope to see you soon!