June Update

Season ahead
Owing to superhuman efforts, Antarctica New Zealand’s logistics and science teams have developed a comprehensive plan to support as much science as possible for the 2021/22 field season. Each Platform event heading to the ice is now in full planning mode. They're firming deployment schedules, finalising team compositions, and adjusting science plans. The teams have worked hard to streamline their logistics footprint, combining efforts where possible, and planning overall for longer deployments. This is to accommodate pre-season isolation requirements, a longer no-flight gap period over the Christmas/New Year period, and overall fewer flights between New Zealand and Antarctica. Each team is meeting for a workshop in Wellington; Project 2 held their hui at the start of the month, with Project 1, 3, and 4 to follow at the beginning of July.

Cool jobs
An awesome opportunity has arisen to work as a Project Manager alongside Richard Levy and the Project 1 – Ice Sheet Dynamics team at the Project Management Office at GNS as part of the SWAIS2C project. Click here for more information.

Congratulations
A big congratulations to Professor Steven Chown who was awarded the Medal of the 30th anniversary of the Madrid Protocol on the Protection of the Antarctic Environment. The organisers said his commitment to the Madrid Protocol is exceptional, with an entire career devoted to the protection of the Antarctic environment. The medal was presented at the opening of this year’s Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting on the 15th of June; you can read more here.
It’s a privilege to have Professor Chown as a member of the Platform’s Independent Science Panel.