Polar Early Career Chief Scientist Training Program

Non-technical: The National Science Foundation supports ships dedicated to oceanographic research in the Arctic and Antarctic regions. Conducting successful research cruises on these ships requires that scientists (particularly those in supervisory roles on the survey trips – or “chief scientists”) understand the logistics of how to request time on ships, how to coordinate personnel and equipment, how to plan for operations and survey tasks at sea, and how to work with vessel crew and staff – as well as how to deal with unexpected issues which may arise. To maintain a robust scientific workforce that can effectively request, plan, and lead this type of work, early career scientists need to gain training and experience, with consideration for some of the unique challenges faced at both poles such as planning routes through sea ice. There is a particular need for this training and capacity-building at the present time, given increasing arctic research interests and a lag in research cruises (and thus junior scientist training) during the COVID-19 pandemic. To equip and motivate a new generation of seagoing polar oceanographers to use these assets, the project team will host a training cruise on USCGC Healy for approximately twenty early career participants with support from four science mentors and one or more community observers. Participants will participate in virtual pre-cruise meetings, a one-day pre-cruise workshop, and a variety of training modules on the cruise to develop proficiency, build confidence, and become part of an early career polar oceanographer cohort. Technical: The Arctic and Antarctic are hotspots for environmental change and cutting-edge research on oceanographic processes spanning an array of disciplines. Presently the U.S. science community uses a limited suite of vessels for polar oceanographic research, including USCG icebreakers as well as some foreign and private contract research vessels. The barriers to entry for using these platforms are relatively high for junior scientists. Investigators must be familiar with protocols and procedures for requesting these specialized vessels, must have knowledge of how to effectively plan and lead cruises (which sometimes involve multiple and multi-national project teams), and must effectively interface with polar community needs and sensitive ecosystems. As a result, new investigators may be hesitant to propose and lead such cruises, which in turn may limit the amount of novel research being proposed for the U.S. fleet. To equip and motivate a new generation of seagoing polar oceanographers to use these assets, the project team will host a training cruise on USCGC Healy for approximately twenty early career participants with support from four science mentors and one or more community observers. The proposed early career “Chief Scientist” training program will be conducted on an opportunistic transit of Healy through the Northwest Passage, to train participants about the complexities of planning international research cruises and working with multiple specialists including officers, community observers, crew, and technicians as well as interdisciplinary colleagues. Participants will collect measurements and data along the route to use for educational purposes and/or provide pilot data for new proposals. The program will emphasize training in seagoing logistics, cohort building, a positive and supportive at-sea culture, communication with other leaders and specialists, problem-solving skills, and operational awareness and planning. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.