IASC Medals are awarded in recognition of exceptional and sustained contributions to the understanding of the Arctic. A maximum of one award is made each year, assuming that there is a nominee of appropriate quality. The award of medals will normally be by the President of IASC during the Arctic Science Summit Week, or exceptionally at another major international meeting.
Interested in putting forward a nomination? Download the IASC Medal Nomination Form
Igor Krupnik I Bridging Natural and Social Sciences
The International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) is proud to announce that the IASC Medal 2012 will be awarded to Dr. Igor Krupnik.
Dr. Igor Krupnik is one of our most diverse Arctic scientists. The reasons for awarding him are multifold, each of them worthy to be awarded by themselves. Igor is awarded the IASC medal for making scientist, decision-makers and the general public aware that the Arctic is not only about ice and polar bears but also about its inhabitants, for bridging between natural and social sciences as well as to the knowledge of the indigenous Arctic residents, and for invaluable contributions to the success of the International Polar Year.
The medal will be presented by the IASC President on Thursday 26th April 2012 at the IPY 2012 Conference in Montreal, Canada. The award ceremony will be followed by a 30 minute lecture given by the awardee.
Martin Jakobsson | A New Generation of Scientists
IASC is proud to announce that the 2011 IASC Medal has been awarded to Professor Martin Jakobsson. Martin Jakobsson represents a new generation of Arctic scientist for which multinational and cross-disciplinary science comes naturally. His view that data should be open and accessible for research, is part of his success as illustrated by the wide use of the IBCAO digital bathymetric map of the Arctic Ocean. This beautiful map has been used in several thousand publications in areas such as oceanography, tectonics and palaeo-climate and is fundamental for understanding the Arctic.
The medal was presented by the IASC President, David Hik, on 29th March 2010 at the Arctic Science Summit Week 2011 in Seoul (Korea). The award ceremony was followed by a 30 minute lecture from the awardee.
Patrick Webber | Medal for Arctic Science and Inspiring Mentorship
The first IASC Medal was awarded in 2010 to Professor Patrick Webber. Webber, Professor Emeritus of Plant Biology at Michigan State University. He was recognized for his life-long scientific contributions as well as for the promotion of Arctic research in general through inspiring mentorship and leadership.
The medal was presented by the IASC President, David Hik at the IPY Science Conference in Oslo. “He has inspired many young students," said David Hik in his introduction. Along with the medal, Professor Webber also received his old herbarium box from the 1960s which was found during a recent field trip. Colleagues had the lid framed and returned it to him with the award.
In his plenary talk, Professor Webber highlighted the role of mentors and the importance of the chance encounters in life. He talked about the influence of his father, who was a schoolteacher and an avid naturalist who was to be his first mentor. His quest to become a polar scientist began at the age of eleven after he saw a movie about polar exploration. "I was bitten by the polar bug", Professor Webber recalled.
Professor Webber struck an optimistic note when addressing the young scientists in the audience. "In spite of the dire predictions these days, I remain optimistic. We have such fine scholars. You young scientists can leave a legacy." He also addressed the more established scientists. "Your mentoring will be appreciated. We do not know who our mentors are until we look back. And often mentors are not aware that they are being mentors, they are just being themselves."
Professor Webber's final message was to the young scientists: "May you have excellent mentors. You have unprecedented opportunities. Life is full of surprises - may some of them be serendipitous."