PolarSTEP (UK Polar Network)
Our Role: Chloe is a training course instructor for PolarSTEP.
About the Project:
PolarSTEP is an intensive field-course for UK-based early career polar scientists and professionals. Based on survey feedback from the UKPN membership, we have put together a course schedule designed to provide training which fills recognised gaps in courses available through UK academic institutions.
- Basic outdoor skills (never pitched a tent or packed a rucksack? We’ll teach you!)
- Field hygiene (the lack of facilities on remote field camps can be intimidating for those who haven’t spent time outdoors, but we’re here to give you all the tips and tricks!)
- Carrying out science in the field (you’ll have the opportunity to deploy field equipment and learn best scientific sampling practices)
- Planning remote scientific sampling (before going into the field, we’ll run a session on planning and risk assessment tools that you can apply to your own science)
- Ethical and responsible science (we’ll help you to understand and mitigate the impacts of carrying out scientific fieldwork)
- Collaborative science and interpersonal skills (fieldwork can be intense, and we’ll provide tools for navigating interpersonal relationships from the field)
- Communicating science from the field (now more than ever, how we communicate polar science matters. Throughout the course, our experienced instructors will guide you on the best format and style for distributing your science, and you’ll come away with usable media for your own portfolio).
About the UN Polar Network:The UK Polar Network (UKPN) organises skill development workshops and education and outreach opportunities for early career polar research scientists. We are committed to making the polar sciences a welcoming and inclusive place for all. The organisation was established in 2007 as a result of the last International Polar Year and has since grown. UKPN is the UK national committee of the Association of Polar
Early Career Scientists (APECS). In 2025, the UKPN became a Community Interest Company (company number 16112719) to better serve our 600+ members. This evolution enables a step up in partnership and funding opportunities and recognises our trusted voice which frequently gets a seat at the table across UK polar and research policy discussions.
Want to work together? Tamar Coastal Lab has almost a decade of experience in coastal and community resilience projects. Can we help you with a project through consultancy services, partnership, collaboration, or something else?
