COMNAP and SCAR have
again joined forces to launch fellowships for early-career researchers. SCAR will
offer 3 to 4 fellowships of up to USD $15,000 each for 2018 and COMNAP will
offer up to 1 fellowship with funding of up to USD $15,000. The fellowships enable early-career researchers
to join a project team from another country, opening up new opportunities and
often creating partnerships that last for many years and over many Antarctic field
seasons.
Note that the application process for SCAR and COMNAP fellowships are
now separate and the eligibility criteria differ.
The deadline for SCAR and COMNAP fellowship applications is 11
July 2018.
To view the eligibility criteria and review the checklist in order to make an application: 2018_COMNAP_Fellowship_Pack.docx
List of projects for 2018 are:
·
Operation
and management of Antarctic aviation capabilities, including, but not limited
to application of remotely piloted aircraft for scientific, operational or
conservation purposes.
·
Alternative
energy systems in cold climate and any cold climate engineering:
including, but not limited to buildings, mechanical, systems, remote autonomous
systems.
·
Best
collaborative use of new marine research vessels in support of science,
including advanced exchange of science voyage information.
·
Understanding
the environmental issues from direct human impacts arising from Antarctic
science and operations including cumulative impacts; Understanding plastic
waste introduction and removal options so as to eliminate introduction of
plastics including micro-plastics from the Antarctic environment; understanding
management implications of environmental change to National Antarctic Program activities.
·
Human
safety, including, but not limited to equipment, clothing, operating procedures
and search and rescue.
·
Legal/administrative
issues relating to COMNAP’s internal functioning and/or its relationship with any
other component of the Antarctic Treaty System.
·
Improving,
developing or exchanging information on education and outreach related to
National Antarctic Program / COMNAP activities.
To submit an application for the COMNAP Fellowship 2018: On-line Submission of COMNAP Fellowship Application
Note: be sure to have your Host Letter of Reference and your Home Letter of Reference ready to upload with your on-line application.
To submit an application to the SCAR Fellowship Scheme, go to www.scar.org/awards/fellowships/information/
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The COMNAP Antarctic Fellowship Background Information:
The COMNAP Antarctic Fellowship was offered for the first time in 2011. COMNAP is the international independent organisation of National Antarctic Programs. Formed in 1988, COMNAP has as its goal to develop and promote best practice in managing the support of scientific research in Antarctica.
The COMNAP Antarctic Fellowship is similar to the SCAR Fellowship Programme in that, it is designed to encourage the active involvement of early career Antarctic persons and to strengthen international capacity and cooperation in the spirit of the Antarctic Treaty. Both Fellowship Programmes allow the selected Fellow to become acquainted with recent advances in research and technology and/or to develop long-term linkages and international partnerships.
However, there are two primary differences between the SCAR and COMNAP Fellowship Programmes. First, the COMNAP Fellowship Programme is intended to allow people from a COMNAP Member National Antarctic Program country to undertake short-term visits to major international laboratories, field facilities, and/or home institutions in or operated by other COMNAP Member National Antarctic Programs (for a list of members, please visit the "Our Members" page of the COMNAP website).
Secondly, the proposed project should contribute to the objectives of the home or host National Antarctic Program's objectives. A list of projects have been prepared by COMNAP and the application must be
for one of the COMNAP projects as indicated in the 2018 List of projects; or, if the proposed project is not on list, the proposed project
must fit within COMNAP’s goals and purpose and should contribute to one or more
objectives of the home or host National Antarctic Programme.
In 2018, the award will be up to US$15,000, providing, as needed, economy-class round trip travel and a modest subsistence allowance for the fellowship period. The Fellow's home institute will bear all expenses incurred in his or her own nation (domestic travel, visa costs, etc.), and the host institute will waive any fees that they might normally charge.
Evaluation of applications received:
A review panel chaired by a representative of the COMNAP Executive Committee, and including expertise in the range of projects proposed, will evaluate all COMNAP proposals on the basis of the excellence of the proposed project. This evaluation will also take into consideration factors such as:
§ its relevance to the list of proposed project themes;
§ its achievability within the time frame allotted;
§ the extent to which links have already been established with the proposed host institution;
§ the extent to which it will strengthen the Antarctic science support capacity of the nations involved;
§ its "fit" with COMNAP's goals and objectives.
Completion of Fellowship:
At the end of each Fellowship, each candidate must provide a report to be published on the COMNAP website. Reports should cover the accomplishments and a budgetary report. These reports will be tabled and discussed at the COMNAP AGM. The COMNAP Fellowship scheme should be acknowledged in any resulting publications.
The COMNAP Antarctic Research Fellowship Recipients 2011-2017
The following were awarded COMNAP Fellowships. Their reports are also available below.
2014-2015 Keith Soal "Characterisation of Ice Structure.pdf", (Full title: Characterisation of Ice-Structure and Fluid-Structure Interactions on Polar Vessels using Operational Modal Analysis), University of Stellenbosch, South Africa to Germany and Finland
2015-2016 Alejandro Velasco Castrillon "Limno Terrestrial Microfauna.pdf", "100 years on: a re-evaluation of the first discovery of limno-terrestrial microfauna of the McMurdo Sound region", University of Adelaide/South Australia Museum to McMurdo Sound, Antarctica
2015-2016 Inka Koch (Awarded a joint SCAR/COMNAP Fellowship) "Airborne Ice Penetrating Radar.pdf", "Detecting marine ice internal layers and thickness in an Antarctic ice shelf with airborne ice penetrating radar", University of Otago, New Zealand to University of Texas, USA
2016-2017 Ronja Reese “Importance of ice
buttressing in Antarctica”, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research,
Germany, to the British Antarctic Survey
2016-2017 Blanca Figuerola “Vulnerability of Antarctic bryozoan communities to environmental change.pdf”, University of Barcelona,
Spain, to the Australian Antarctic Division
2016-2017 Christopher
Horvat (Awarded a joint SCAR/COMNAP Fellowship) " Modelling the
Antarctic Sea Ice Floe Size Distribution", Harvard University, USA, to the
National Institute of Water and Atmosphere, New Zealand
2017-2018 Maria Gabriela Roldan " Inviting Antarctica into your home: an evaluatoin of public engagement with Antarctic science, policy and technology", Gateway Antarctica, New Zealand, to the Institute Antartico Chileno (INACH), Chile
Other Opportunities
CCAMLR Scholarship Scheme
University of Canterbury Summer Scholarship Scheme
Each Austral summer, the Unviersity of Canterbury which hosts the COMNAP Secretariat in Christchurch, New Zealand, offers senior students an opportunity to work on a summer project. COMNAP has participated in two such projects and reports from each one are below.
2010/11 Max Gallagher "Impacts of Tsunami on National Antarctic Program Operations and Personnel in Coastal Antarctica".
FINAL Tsunami Report.pdf
2013/14 Hanne Nielsen "From Shelter to Showpiece: The Evolution of Antarctic Station design".