Gathering as a polar community at AGU

January 6, 2026

Mariama smiles in the aspens of Colorado
Mariama Dryák-Vallies

As I sit down to reflect on the American Geophysical Union (AGU) 2025 Meeting, three main themes come to mind: community, connection, and doing our best to make polar science safer and more welcoming to all.

If I’m completely honest, each year as AGU draws nearer, I’m flooded with a mix of feelings — the excitement of reconnecting with people across the polar community, and the overwhelm of knowing it will be a week of nonstop interactions. And for good reason: this year’s AGU in New Orleans brought together over 21,000 attendees and continues to be the “meeting not to miss” for anyone involved in the geosciences, including those of us working across the Arctic and Antarctic.

Yet every year, despite the scale of the conference and the inevitable stress of choosing between multiple events happening at once, I find myself filled with gratitude. There is something powerful about thousands of people gathering from all over the world to share science, strengthen community, and imagine better futures for our field.

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Polar Early Career Researcher Social organizers pose for a photo at the Rusty Nail in front of a web of twinkle lights. Pictures left to right includes: Madison Payne, Mariama Dryák-Vallies, Ellie Miller, Mohammed Afzal Shadab, Benjamin Maglio, and Neosha Narayanan.
Polar Early Career Researcher Social organizers pose for a photo at the Rusty Nail in front of a web of twinkle lights. Pictures left to right includes: Madison Payne, Mariama Dryák-Vallies, Ellie Miller, Mohammed Afzal Shadab, Benjamin Maglio, and Neosha Narayanan. 

This year, PSECCO showed up in several meaningful ways:

  • We brought people together at the Social for Polar Early Career Researchers, co‑hosted with Polar Impact, the United States Association of Polar Early Career Scientists, and the United States Permafrost Association Family Care Committee. It was energizing to see early‑career researchers from across disciplines and polar regions connect in such a vibrant space over delicious food at the Rusty Nail (courtesy of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, or CIRES).
  • We co‑convened a session on safety in cryosphere research with the United States Permafrost Association, continuing important conversations about how to make fieldwork safer, more welcoming, and more accessible. It was particularly wonderful to connect over lunch and a poster walk to learn more about everyone's work and potential synergies between them.
  • We joined the “Cryosphere for All” panel discussion, sharing thoughts on what it means to build a more welcoming cryosphere community and how early‑career voices can help shape that future in the 5th International Polar Year.
  • We held one‑on‑one conversations about early‑career involvement in the 5th International Polar Year, hearing directly from researchers about what support, representation, and leadership could look like in the years ahead.
  • We gathered our PSECCO Advisory Board in person — over a delicious New Orleans breakfast, complete with beignets — to reflect on the year and dream forward together. Meeting face‑to‑face added a depth and warmth that’s hard to replicate over Zoom.
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Photo of the PSECCO Advisory Board; pictured left to right is Mariama Dryák-Vallies (PSECCO Director), Asmara Lehrmann, Madison Payne (PSECCO Events Coordinator), Twila Moon, Gifford Wong, and Anne Gold. They stand inside a café with brightly painted walls behind them.
Photo of the PSECCO Advisory Board; pictured left to right is Mariama Dryák-Vallies (PSECCO Director), Asmara Lehrmann, Madison Payne (PSECCO Events Coordinator), Twila Moon, Gifford Wong, and Anne Gold. They stand inside a café with brightly painted walls behind them.

Throughout the week, we were reminded again and again that PSECCO’s strength lies in the people who show up — to share ideas, ask hard questions, build community, and support one another.

Thank you to every single person who engaged with PSECCO team members at AGU. It’s such a privilege to work with and support this brilliant, generous, and ever‑growing community. We’re already looking forward to the connections and conversations that will carry us into the year ahead.