Travel Scholarship Available
2009 Antarctic Treaty Summit
Polar Science Policy Essay Contest
Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS)
Application Deadline: Sunday, 15 March 2009
For further information, please go to:
http://arcticportal.org/apecs/antarctic-treaty-essay-contest
The Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) announces the
Polar Science Policy Essay Contest for travel to the 2009 Antarctic
Treaty Summit, to be held 30 November through 3 December 2009, in
Washington, DC. The deadline for applications is Sunday, 15 March 2009.
With the changing climate in the polar regions comes an increasing need
for better cooperation between scientists and policy makers. Early
career researchers have an important challenge not only to do great
science, but to find ways to work with policy makers to set the
direction of cooperation in the Arctic and Antarctic. Early career
researchers need to share their thoughts on environmental and political
issues with leaders so they can shape policy that will represent the
views of young people throughout the world.
As part of this challenge, APECS, together with the organizers of the
Antarctic Treaty Summit, are asking all young researchers to share their
thoughts and opinions in the form of an essay focusing on how to better
integrate science and policy, and on the needs for new policy dealing
with current issues in the Antarctic as well as the Arctic. Winners will
receive a travel fellowship to represent the new generation of polar
researchers at the Antarctic Treaty Summit, in Washington, DC.
The essays should address one of the following topics:
1. Describe a major lesson that has arisen from the last 50 years of
Antarctic Treaty System policy-making, and explain how it could be
applied to another global or international commons of your choice.
2. What is the largest challenge the Antarctic Treaty System will face
in the next 50 years, and how can scientists and policy-makers work
together to start overcoming that challenge?
3. What example of science-policy interactions from outside Antarctica
holds important lessons for the Antarctic, and how could those lessons
be applied?
4. What aspect of the 1991 Protocol on Environmental Protection to the
Antarctic Treaty do you think is the most significant for regulating
human activities in Antarctica and why?
5. What are the most important steps scientists and policy makers can
take together to increase international science collaborations and data
sharing?
Essays are limited to 1000 words, should be singled spaced, using at
least 10-point Times New Roman or Arial font, and written in English. If
English is not your first language, this will be taken into
consideration. Citations may be provided on a separate page if needed
and should not count against the word limitations. Each individual
participant may only submit one application and select only one essay
question to answer. Essays are to be submitted as a PDF file to
APECSinfo [at] gmail.com by Sunday, 15 March 2009.
For more information, please visit:
http://arcticportal.org/apecs/antarctic-treaty-essay-contest