United Kingdom SCOR committee – terms of reference (TOR)
TOR1: The UK SCOR committee has the following remit:
1.    To represent the UK at SCOR meetings
2.    To assess and provide feedback on SCOR working group applications
3.    To apply for funds to pay the SCOR annual subscription
4.    To communicate and publicise SCOR activity to the UK community
5.    To encourage and support engagement of UK scientists with SCOR activity
6.    To promote equity, diversity and inclusion via its membership and activities

TOR2: The exact number of members of the UK SCOR committee is not fixed, but it must contain at least: one chair, one co-chair and two early career members (based on the Challenger Society definition: https://www.challenger-society.org.uk/ecr_definition).

TOR3: The responsibilities of the chair are to (i) manage the assessment of the SCOR working group applications, (ii) represent the UK at the annual SCOR meeting (and others that may require UK involvement on an ad-hoc basis), (iii) sit on the Royal Society Global Environment Research Committee, (iv) represent SCOR on Challenger Council and (v) apply for the 49% contribution towards the SCOR annual subscription from the Royal Society each year. If the chair is unavailable, then the co-chair or a deputy will be nominated to represent UK SCOR at meetings.

TOR4: The responsibilities of members are to support the chair in ensuring the committee delivers on the remit outlined in TOR1 and TOR3, as well as deputising for the chair if required.

TOR5: The UK SCOR committee will rotate and new members will be approved by the Challenger Council, with input and advice provided by the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility sub-committee. Initial terms will be for up to 3 years. Terms can be renewed for one year or three years for early career members. Chairs are recruited from current committee members and serve a three year term.

 Agreed by UK SCOR committee meeting (4th of July 2022)

Latest News

Workshop on the contribution of UK Arctic Ocean science to the International Polar Year 32/33

12:00 11th June – 16:00 12th June 2025: NOC Southampton (In-person with online option): Registration deadline 16th May

REGISTER HERE

Pre-meeting questionnaire (open to all)

The purpose of this workshop is for the UK Ocean Science community to discuss and then draft a prospectus document outlining the priority Arctic research questions the community would like to address during the run up to, throughout and beyond the International Polar Year 32/33. Additionally, to identify what unique strengths and technologies the UK has to help fill these knowledge gaps.

The second day of the workshop will be dedicated to writing groups, one for each of the priority research questions identified - from both the pre-meeting questionnaire (HERE) and day one discussion. By the end of the meeting, each group will have produced draft text and sourced supporting figures for the prospectus.

Post meeting, the draft will be opened for comments and suggestions from everyone, regardless of whether they were able to attend the workshop or not. It will then be shared with UK funders (UKRI, FCDO, DSIT, ARIA) and potential international programmes with whom we would like to collaborate (e.g. Arctic 2050, Norway). It will form a basis from which wider integration with terrestrial, atmospheric and cryosphere communities can be built, e.g. at the UK Arctic Science Meeting in September in Northumbria.

To ensure balanced community and ECR representation, and to ensure that the size of the writing groups is efficient and effective, if the number of registrations from individual institutes becomes overwhelming, we may contact individuals or teams and ask that each institute selects a smaller number of individuals to attend in-person. Please wait for confirmation of in-person attendance before finalising travel arrangements.

The workshop will be open to hybrid attendance and contributions on both days.

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Challenger Society Council Position Vacancy

The Challenger Society for Marine Science (CSMS) are pleased to announce an exciting opportunity to support the next generation of ocean scientists and innovators. CSMS are looking for a new Council member to fill the Student Travel Awards and Stepping Stones Portfolio. The successful applicant will administer the travel and research grants available for Early Career Researchers.

The role involves:
-          Receiving applications for the two schemes and responding to applicant inquiries
-          Soliciting and compiling input from the rest of the Council for assessing the applications
-          Communicating with successful and unsuccessful applicants for the two schemes
-          Working with the Honorary Treasurer on allocating funds to successful applicants
-          Following up with award winners on their reporting requirements
-          Attending Council meetings four times a year (in person or online) and contributing to discussions and decision making for CSMS

The usual term for Council members is three years.

For more information about the CSMS Council, please follow this link: https://www.challenger-society.org.uk/The_Council

For more information about our Early Career Researcher grants and awards, please follow this link:
https://www.challenger-society.org.uk/Stepping_Stones
and
https://www.challenger-society.org.uk/Travel_awards

If you are interested in applying or have any questions regarding the role, please contact kathen@bas.ac.uk

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NOC Association (NOCA) AGM 2025


The 14th AGM of the NOC Association will be held on Thursday 15th and Friday 16th May 2025. This free, on-line event will take place on Zoom, across two consecutive mornings, each starting at 10:00 and ending at 12:30. The agenda will focus on national capability (NC) science, ships, and autonomous vehicles, and how the community can engage. There will be an update on AtlantiS and on the new marine science scoping group. All are warmly welcome to join.

To participate, please complete your registration here.

For enquiries: Jackie Pearson, Secretary to NOCA: jfpea@noc.ac.uk

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