INTERNATIONAL SUMMER SCHOOL IN GLACIOLOGY
organized by the University of Alaska (UAF)
at the Wrangell Mountains Center, McCarthy, Alaska
10-20 June 2012
Application deadline: 1 February 2012
More than 90 applications were received and participants have been chosen.
photo impressions from the 2010 summer school, download article in ICE here
Course content
The course is intended to provide glaciology graduate students with a comprehensive overview of the physics of glaciers and current research frontiers in glaciology. Key topics include, but are not limited to: (note that not all topics may be covered depending on instructor availability)
- Remote sensing in glaciology
- Glacier mass balance and glacier meteorology
- Response of glaciers to climate change
- Glacier dynamics, surging and tidewater glaciers, ice streams
- Ice-ocean interactions
- Ice-sheet modeling, Inverse modeling
- Glacier hydrology
- Glacier geology
- Current research frontiers in glaciology
Course location
The course will be held 10-20 June 2012 including 9 full days at the Wrangell Mountain Center in McCarthy, and 2 days of travel from Fairbanks to McCarthy. McCarthy is located a roughly 8 hour drive south of Fairbanks in the Wrangell Mountains, south central Alaska.
McCarthy is a small village (<100 inhabitants) in immediate vicinity to 5000 km2 glaciers originating in the Wrangell Mountains (up to 5000 m a.s.l.). Students will camp. All meals will be provided. Note, access to facilities like showers and electricity (computers) is limited. Internet access is restricted.
The course program starts in the morning of 11 June and ends at night on 19 June. Course participants can travel to McCarthy on their own and spend time before or after the course in McCarthy. Alternatively, we will offer transport by van from Fairbanks to McCarthy (10 June) and back to Fairbanks (20 June).
Course organization
Lectures will be given each morning. Material will be consolidated in computational exercises in the afternoon. In addition, each student will work on a glaciology computer or field project as a member of a small team together with an instructor and will present their results at the end of the course. In addition, all students will present their own research in short talks or posters during a ‘mini-conference’. One to two field trips to the glaciers nearby will be organized and will expose students to some hand-on experience in field methods. In general, the course will be organized in a workshop-type style providing ample opportunity for scientific discussions and interactions among the students and students and instructors, and to foster collaboration.
Principal organizer
Regine Hock, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Lecturers
Andy Aschanden, Ed Bueler, Mark Fahnestock, Regine Hock, Martin Truffer (UAF)
Bob Anderson (University of Colorado Boulder)
Roger Braithwaite (University of Manchester, UK)
Alex Gardner (University of Michigan)
Tad Pfeffer (University of Colorado Boulder)
All instructors are expected to be present during the entire length of the course to guarantee close interaction between students and instructors. Also, each instructors will design and supervise at least one of the student projects and prepare a summary of their lectures.
Course participants / Application and admission
The summer school is open to 25 graduate students worldwide world targeting primarily early stage PhD students who perform glacier related research.
Applications must be sent to Regine Hock (regine [at] gi [dot] alaska [dot] edu) latest on 1 February 2012. Students will be notified by the middle of February 2012.
The application should include
- a cover letter with a statement of motivation (1/2 (to max 1) page). Include why you want to take the course and how you would benefit.
- a short CV that includes a list of relevant experiences, relevant university coursework, university degrees, publications, presentations and glacier field experience (approx 1 page, max 2 pages). The CV should make clear what your background is in glaciology and math/physics/programming.
- a short description of your research project (max 1/2 page) including the name of your research supervisor
- whether or not you are a member of the International Glaciological Society
- whether or not you have participated in any of the Karthaus glaciology summer schools.
- whether or not you intend to attend the IGS meeting in Fairbanks.
Qualified applicants will be selected on the basis of their experience with, interest in, and commitment to glaciology. Secondly, we will consider diversity in terms of nationality, gender and academic background. All students are expected to participate in the entire course, i.e. it is not possible to come later or leave earlier.
Course prerequisites: Graduate standing (PhD or MSc student); some university level math and physics is highly recommended.
Application deadline: 1 February 2012
Students will be notified by the middle of February.
Course material
All lecturers are expected to compile a summary of lecture notes. These together with their presentations will be made available on the homepage.
Costs
Students will be expected to cover their travel to and from Fairbanks. In addition there is a course fee of approximately US $ 300 - 500 to cover part of the course expenses (including accommodation, meals, transport to and from McCarthy, course material). We are working on receiving additional external funding to reduce these costs, and to provide some travel grants.
The course is currently sponsored by
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
- University of Alaska Fairbanks, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (CNSM).
Note that we will also host the 2012 IGS symposium shortly after the summer school and encourage summer school participants to attend both events. We have funding to provide student travel grants for the IGS symposium.
