+ Early Career Forum
Periodically and the Early Career Forum will share research from, and opportunities for, early career researchers working in the polar regions. This regular round-up aims to highlight and celebrate the work being done by early career researchers in Arctic research. If you have information you would like to submit, please see the link below.
Are you or do you know an early career researcher who has recently published work related to the Arctic? We at and the Early Career Forum want to highlight your work! Please fill out this form with any Arctic publications, webinars, posters, etc. and we will share on the Early Career Forum and with our Twitter followers. Anyone who identifies as early career is eligible to submit! Any questions? Email usapecs@gmail.com for more information. Submit documents here: https://forms.gle/S1Gd3jpE4CtSoY6Y6
Publications
Duggan DiDominic, K. L., Melendy, T. D., Jr., & Charlebois, C. M. (2025). Compressed Snow Blocks: Evaluating the Feasibility of Adapting Earth Block Technology for Cold Regions. Glacies, 2(4), 14. https://doi.org/10.3390/glacies2040014
Duggan DiDominic, K. L., Melendy, T. D., Jr., & Charlebois, C. M. (2025). Compressed Snow Blocks: Evaluating the Feasibility of Adapting Earth Block Technology for Cold Regions. Glacies, 2(4), 14. https://doi.org/10.3390/glacies2040014
Events
10th Annual International Polar Film Festival
In conjunction with International Polar Week, the US Association of Polar Early Career Scientists () is hosting the annual international Polar Film Festival and celebrating its 10-year anniversary in March 2026! For five days, the Polar Film Festival will showcase short videos on topics related to the polar regions to the public and broader Polar research community. Films will be shared on our website each day during the International March Polar Week (March 16th-20th) and we will host an online panel discussion with filmmakers about their works.
Submissions of independently created films, typically 1-30 minutes in length, created by the submitter individually or as part of a group are welcomed. In the past, we’ve featured a range of works, such as academic documentaries, independently-produced videos, interviews, sneak peaks of upcoming full-length films, and news reports. We welcome a diversity of submission types and topics related to the Polar regions. Last year’s film festival can be viewed at:https://www.usapecs.org/polar-film-festival-2025.
Deadline for film submissions has been extended to February 13th, 2026!
*Submission reviews begin 9th of February, 2026, notifications end of February
If you would like to submit or suggest any short films or videos (typically 1-30 minutes long) for viewing, please submit them using this google form.
We are also looking for people to host in-person screenings this fall, so if you’re interested in doing so, please indicate this on the film submission form. We look forward to another exciting Polar Film Fest!
More information about the Polar Film Festival is available at: https://www.usapecs.org/polar-film-festival-1
Sea Ice Day – Workshop ahead of the Open Science Conference
February 8, 2026 in-person & online
We warmly invite the cryosphere community to Sea Ice Day, a one-day workshop taking place (in-person & online) immediately before the Open Science Conference.
The event aims to bring together researchers, early-career scientists, and operational services to strengthen collaboration across Arctic and Antarctic sea-ice research, foster exchange across disciplines, and help align observations, modelling, and community priorities.
Location: Rutherford House (RHMZ03), Wellington, New Zealand
Time: 08:15–17:00 (lunch self-catered)
Sea Ice Day is open and free to attend (maximum 50 participants, first come first served), with opportunities for both in-person and online participation.
The full agenda and practical details are available here: https://clic2026.com/sea-ice-day/
Registration is required for logistical planning. We encourage you to register early if you are interested.
We very much hope you can join us for a day of discussion, exchange, and community building around sea-ice science.
The Arctic Workshop & The Northeast Glaciology Meeting: Two conferences. One community.
March 18-21, 2026
Hosted by the University at Buffalo.
Venue: Downtown Buffalo campus.
The 53rd International Arctic Workshop and the Northeast Glaciology Meeting will run in parallel, with sessions in adjoining halls and shared breaks, meals, and poster hours. Both explore how Earth’s poles shape our climate, landscapes and future offering rich opportunities to connect across disciplines while keeping the small-group feel these gatherings are known for.
Evening activities include a keynote by Dr. Richard Alley and a screening and panel discussion of the film The Memory of Darkness, Light, and Ice.
Both meetings are traditionally known for fostering collaboration and discussion among scientists at all career stages. This informal, student-friendly event encourages participants to share posters and talks in a relaxed, interactive setting. Registration is free for presenting students!
Registration and abstract deadline: February 20, 2026
Website: https://arts-sciences.buffalo.edu/geological-and-climate-hazards/news-events/workshop-meeting.html
Training
FAIR and Ethical Data Collection for Collaborative Polar Research: A Workshop
Join us online for a workshop on ‘FAIR and Ethical Data Collection for Collaborative Polar Research’ on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, 9am AKT | 11am MT | 1pm ET!
This interactive workshop, entitled 'FAIR and Ethical Data Collection for Collaborative Research' and co-hosted with the Arctic Data Center, is designed to equip polar researchers with the knowledge and resources necessary to navigate the complexities of ethical data collection and management and open data sharing. We’ll be covering topics and facilitating discussions regarding the FAIR data principles, open data practices, and upholding ethical standards while ensuring transparency, accessibility, and collaboration. If you work with data in the polar science space - this workshop is for you!
To register for this workshop, visit this webpage.
Planning Safe and Effective Field Campaigns
Join " Ice-Shelf Rumpling" and online for a panel discussion on ‘Planning Safe and Effective Field Campaigns’ on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, 10am AKT | 12pm MT | 2pm ET!
More details and registration information to come!
Website: https://psecco.org/index.php/outreach/psecco-eventopportunity/planning-safe-and-effective-field-campaigns
Call for Input
Share your experience as a US-based polar early career researcher!Share your experience as a US-based polar early career researcher!
You are invited to participate in a research survey titled “Assessing Challenges for Polar Early Career Scientists During Science Policy Upheaval.” This short (10-15 minute) anonymous survey seeks input from early career researchers based in the U.S. who work in polar cryosphere science. Anyone from an undergraduate researcher to early-stage faculty (within 10 years of terminal degree) are eligible to take the survey.
Participation is voluntary and completely anonymous. No identifying information will be collected. You may also choose to enter an optional raffle for gift cards via a separate, unlinked form after completing the survey.
Take the survey here: https://princetonsurvey.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4Zqm1AiW6ajNZvE
This study is being conducted by the U.S. Association of Polar Early Career Scientists () and Center for Oldest Ice Exploration (COLDEX) (Princeton University IRB #18449).
Questions? Please contact @gmail.com.
Thank you for contributing your perspective to this effort!
Opportunities
Call for Blog Guest Authors
The EGU Cryoblog (https://blogs.egu.eu/divisions/cr/) is currently looking for guest authors. Posts on the blog cover a wide range of topics such as scientific news, fieldwork experiences, reviews of cryo-books or profiles of inspiring individuals in the cryosphere community. Creative ideas welcomed!
The blog is a fantastic opportunity to share your research and cryo-related updates with a broader audience. Also, if you are interested in getting involved with the blog on a more regular basis, we are always looking for people to join our editing team.
If you are interested in joining the team or writing a post as a guest author, please reach out to our new chief editors Mack Baysinger (mbaysinger@agro.au.dk) and Leah Muhle (leah-sophie.muhle@student.uni-tuebingen.de), who took over the blog from Lina Madaj, Maria Scheel and Emma Pearce this January. We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to them for their work for the blog over the last years.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Best regards,
The EGU Cryoblog Chief Editors
Call for blogs
This year, is hosting a blog series entitled “Reimagining data in polar science”! We are looking for US-based scientists, fieldwork organizers, and professionals with any polar/alpine/cryosphere connection for this series. Our goal is to showcase advances and new applications in research methods and frameworks being used across disciplines in the polar research community, and how researchers are adapting to social, economic, and environmental change. Potential topics include: advances in methodologies, datasets, and instrumentation; fieldwork design and conduct aligning with Indigenous research protocols and safety considerations; data reuse and archiving; and other related topics of your choice. We invite you to share your experiences with the community by submitting a blog post proposal.
If you are interested in participating, please email usapecs@gmail.com with your name, affiliation, polar discipline, career field (academia, government, , private sector, etc.) and a short (1-3 sentence) pitch by February 20th, 2026.
https://www.usapecs.org/post/2025-26-call-for-blogs