By Chloe Nunn and Maud van Soest
In March, the UK Polar Network teamed up with the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and Scott Polar Research Institute to tackle the question: what is the impact of polar research and should we be more rigorous in what and how we measure? Our workshop, facilitated by Emily Barrett, focused on equipping early career researchers (ECRs) with the tools and language to engage in conversations regarding research impact covering everything from carbon footprints to ethics.
We convened in Bangor at the UKCEH office from March 13th to 14th for two half day workshops. It was a busy schedule, and participants actively engaged in sessions on responsible fieldwork practices, ethics and impact, and evaluation methods. Through interactive discussions, case studies, and talks, participants deepened their understanding and contributed to the broader conversation on the impact and responsibility of researchers in the Polar regions.
Most attendees were in postgraduate programmes at universities and had a diverse range of involvement in polar research, from glaciology, permafrost, and microbiology to biogeochemistry and ecology, with many conducting fieldwork across Greenland, Svalbard, Antarctica, and the Arctic Ocean. Others’ work focused on things like outreach, events and community-based research. All participants brought a unique perspective to the discussions creating a rich dialogue. The openness and transparency with which participants shared also showed how welcoming and safe the space we created was.
Our key takeaway was recognising that all ECRs have common ground across disciplines, however the policy and guidance landscape in the UK around research impact is disaggregated and disconnected. The UK Polar Network is well positioned to address this moving forward given its focus on supporting ECRs and respect of the organisation within the UK polar policy community. The workshop organising team will be collaborating with members of the APECS RISE (Responsible Science Initiative) project team to publish a narrative on research impact topics alongside guidelines for advancing these dialogues.
This workshop, funded by a grant obtained from the NERC Arctic Office, builds on the UKPN’s track record of capacity building and facilitating networking within the ECR community. Based on training and membership surveys we will continue to deliver in person and online training across a variety of topics.
Photos by Chloe Nunn