1. KICK OFF MEETING AND 

2. GLAciology meets Life sciences and expedition planning

Leads: AU, UiBK

Project month: 11 (6-12 September 2023)

This event was the first opportunity for newly recruited DCs to meet face to face with the supervisors from the various beneficiary institutions. The kickoff meeting started with a one day introductory event at University of Innsbruck in Austria followed by three days of field training including safety procedures when working in extreme environments.       

DCs were introduced to a variety of concepts in glaciology, including the understanding of physical processes and what makes these habitats conducive to microbial and biogeochemical processes, to influencers of crucial systems and services upon which people depend; from lucrative fisheries, to fertile croplands, to energy sources, and drinking water. The combined ICEBIO supervisory team has a well-established track record in glaciology, glacial chemistry, biology and ecology and have led field expeditions in remote locations. An agenda for the event is available here. 

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3. The World of Omics in the Cryosphere

Lead: AU/GFZ

Project month: moved to February 2024

Training in omics in the cryosphere was designed as part of the second ICEBIO network-wide training which took place in Grenoble, France in February 2024. In this course, DCs were introduced to state-of-the-art environmental genomics, metatranscriptomics and metabolomic tools, including ways to combine the results from different omics approaches. An agenda for the training event is available here. 

4. Experimental Design, Data Handling

Lead: ECL

Project month: Moved to February 2024

Training in omics in experimental design and data handling was offered as part of the second ICEBIO network-wide training which took place in Grenoble, France in February 2024. The goal of this course was to encourage doctoral candidates to think about how to design experiments taking into consideration the different uses of omics. The course mainly focused on working with state-of-the-art informatic and bioinformatics tools for data (pre-processing and statistical analysis, e.g., MZmine, XCMS, GNPS, Compound Discoverer, MatLab and R). An agenda for the training event is available here. 

5. Communication Toolkit

Lead: UiBK

Project month: 25 (October 2024 )   

This course will be divided into two components. 1) This component will address scientific writing with the main objective to motivate and provide a range of strategies that researchers can use to improve their scientific writing skills. The course focuses on creating a writing structure that enable researcher to analyse the style characteristics of the various sections of an academic paper, creating relevance for readers. We will observe coherence and flow, creating a common thread for the paper. 2) This component will focus on communication to the non-academic world. We aim to train DCs on the ability to deliver scientific contents to the general public ranging from young kids to the elder generation to raise awareness for the sensitivity of cryospheric habitats and to hand over responsibility.

6. Science-Based Policy Advice 

Lead: DCE

Project month: 25 (October 2024)

This training event will be delivered by one of the major players in Danish environmental public consultancy, i.e., the Danish Centre for Environment and Energy (DCE) based at AU. The aim of the course is to develop the skills and level of insight into institutional and professional best practices of scientists and advisors involved in sciencebased policy advice within the fields of climate and environment. Participants will gain new insights into some of the main characteristics of science-based policy advice and the principles, roles and dilemmas that are involved. Participation may also strengthen the understanding of organisational needs in order to engage in more science-based advice activities in a structured and coherent manner. For example, the DCs will learn about programmes, such as the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme, why they are important, how they were created and glaciological monitoring programmes. A major outcome of this training event will be the discussions of and recommendations for how to implement biological monitoring on glaciers. Those recommendations are a key element of ICEBIO and will, thus, become part of a deliverable document for policy makers 

7. Half way conference

Lead: AU

Project month: 25 (October 2024)   

The half-way conference will provide an opportunity for DCs to consolidate the ICEBIO activities and priorities based on the initial results obtained by them. There will be presentations by various team members but importantly by all DCs on their on-going research and training. The meeting will offer a chance to review the deliverables of the project and discuss any contingency plans.

8. POLAR AND ALPINE MICROBIOLOGY

Lead: All beneficiaries

Project month: 32 (May 2025)

At this international conference, all DCs will present their work to demonstrate the strength of Europe in glacial biology research.

9. Career Toolkit (start-ups, academic and non-academic jobs)

Lead: Hydreka / Dr. Brill / Clearwater

Project month: 40 (January 2026)

In this event, we will explore the skills and experiences ICEBIO doctoral candidates develop during their PhD and look at them from a non-academic perspective. We will also discuss individual interests and values as these also influence career choices. Using typical job adverts as examples, we will walk the researchers through the steps from reading and understanding the advert to dissecting which competences employers are looking for. We will match them with the skills and experiences DCs develop during their PhD. HYDREKA and DR. BRILL will coordinate with the AU Career Services for the delivery of this component.

10. Final conference meeting and Centre for Glacier Biome Research kick-off

Lead: AU

Project month: 40 (January 2026)

The final conference will be used to: a) communicate our findings and discuss future research and collaborations, b) hold round-table discussions establishing guidelines for exploitation of the ecosystem services provided by the glacier biome, c) establish the Centre for Glacier Biome Research. Key researchers outside ICEBIO will be invited to the final conference.