Early Career Researcher workshop and travel support for the IPICS 2026 Conference

Ice cores have revolutionized our understanding of Earth's past environmental evolution through detailed and well-dated records of polar conditions, aerosols, and atmospheric gases. The field of ice-core science remains highly relevant today and continues to make breakthrough scientific discoveries, including recent work that recovered 6-million-year-old Antarctic ice from a naturally warm period in the geologic past. Early-Career Researchers are central to ongoing and future success in polar research. This project would support US-based early-career participation in the International Partnership in Ice Core Sciences (IPICS) 2026 Fourth Open Science Conference. Attendance provides these researchers with opportunities to disseminate their research, grow their knowledge and expertise, and develop a professional network of collaborators. An additional one-day dedicated workshop provides tailored professional development activities. This project will contribute to the development of the US Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) workforce, and build capacity for polar-related science. The International Partnership in Ice Core Sciences (IPICS) open science conference is the premier meeting of the international ice core community, and brings together around 300 experts in polar, paleoclimate, geophysical, and glaciological research, as well as experts and professionals in engineering, logistics, science outreach and publishing. The five-day 2026 IPICS meeting includes a one-day workshop focused on early-career researchers. Surveys will be used to assess the impact of the workshop on the participant’s research and career path. Workshop activities are designed to encourage participants to engage in discussions and thinking around emerging research priorities, to identify ways in which their research can contribute to large-scale initiatives, and to answering the most pressing scientific questions to benefit society. This project will continue the long legacy of US leadership and excellence in ice-core science, through scientific training and career development for the next generation of US ice-core researchers. 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. NSF Award ID: 2625245 | Program: 0100CYXXDB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT | Principal Investigator: Christo Buizert | Institution: Oregon State University, CORVALLIS, OR | Award Amount: $58,322 View on NSF Award Search: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/show-award/?AWD_ID=2625245 View on Research.gov: https://www.research.gov/awardapi-service/v1/awards/2625245.html