| NSF Org: |
OPP Office of Polar Programs (OPP) |
| Recipient: |
|
| Initial Amendment Date: | August 27, 2014 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | April 10, 2015 |
| Award Number: | 1445426 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Peter West
OPP Office of Polar Programs (OPP) GEO Directorate for Geosciences |
| Start Date: | September 1, 2014 |
| End Date: | March 31, 2015 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $76,452.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $47,276.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
|
| History of Investigator: |
|
| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
3090 CENTER GREEN DR BOULDER CO US 80301-2252 (303)497-1000 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
|
| Primary Place of Performance: |
1850 Table Mesa Drive Boulder CO US 80305-5602 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
|
| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
|
| Parent UEI: |
|
| NSF Program(s): | Antarctic Education |
| Primary Program Source: |
|
| Program Reference Code(s): | |
| Program Element Code(s): |
|
| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.078 |
ABSTRACT
The PI?s hope to build hold a weeklong symposium to help develop a long-term, collegial peer network of young polar researchers (those within 5 years of receiving their doctorates) who would benefit from mentoring and other interactions with established polar scholars through a common experience at a symposium. Participants also will receive an introduction to communication, team-building and leadership skills, and elements of interdisciplinary research.
They expect to develop a core cadre of approximately 30 young scientists.
The proposed symposium would build upon, and also act as a follow on to, a similar symposium organized by the PI?s during the International Polar Year, the "IPY: Next Generation Polar Research (IPY NGPR) Symposium".
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
Established professionals tend to think of the Ph.D. as the end of the educational process. Yet, for interdisciplinary researchers, it is often just the beginning. After years of disciplinary specialization, graduates must expand their knowledge and establish connections with colleagues in distant disciplines. Early career polar researchers face even greater challenges due to the remote location and special logistics required for polar regions.
Though difficult, due to the importance of polar regions for global change, polar research should return enormous benefits to society.
This project is an investment in human potential. The symposium provides a very special opportunity to provide a new generation of polar researchers with a sense of their place in history and a broad overview of emerging polar research, in a setting designed to catalyze the establishment of a collegial peer network to engage and energize them throughout their professional career. At the same time, this new generation can be provided with a set of professional skills to enable them to work more effectively on the interdisciplinary questions at the intersection of many research threads, and to communicate and interact more effectively beyond the ivory tower.
The NGPR model has been committed to providing new scholars with a foundation that motivate and allows them to engage in interdisciplinary research earlier than might otherwise be possible and more effectively throughout their careers. Historically, interdisciplinary research has been conducted by senior scholars who have earned their credentials through decades of top-flight disciplinary work. Though slowly changing, the incentive systems of most disciplines and institutions, whether in the natural or social sciences, continues to reward disciplinary depth over interdisciplinary breadth. Unfortunately, this implies that top scholars are likely to engage in interdisciplinary research only after many of their most productive years are behind them. By providing motivated young scholars with the skills, resources, and insights they need to conduct interdisciplinary research earlier in their careers than would otherwise be possible. This should catalyze the study of polar regions and systems as an integral part of the Earth system, including the human dimension.
Last Modified: 10/02/2015
Modified by:
Please report errors in award information by writing to: awardsearch@nsf.gov.
