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Notes from the SCAR (Past) President, number 49 (27 July 2012)
My Final Note
Colleagues,
It is with mixed emotions that I send my final Presidential Note! While I feel it is time for others to take on the leadership of SCAR, it has been one of the most satisfying roles that I have played in my career. I have greatly enjoyed working with all of you and making SCAR a better and more effective organization. I count all of you amongst my friends and hope that we will continue to see each other and work together over the coming years. Much has been accomplished but much remains to be done if SCAR is to build on a decade of momentum and be the force in Antarctic and Southern Ocean science and scientific advice it wishes to be.
Much was accomplished in Portland. The Open Science Conference was, by all measures, a great success and those who attended enjoyed the venue and listened to some of the most exciting science yet produced in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean (I do not have final numbers but I believe attendance at the SCAR and COMNAP meetings exceeded 900). The Plenary Keynotes were excellent (standing room only!) and the mini-symposia worked as we had hoped, attracting large crowds to listen to timely and thought provoking presentations. The cultural (a new dimension for SCAR) and social events were fantastic and enjoyed by all. All events were very well attended and more than 400 or 500 people attended the closing ceremonies even though they were at 5:00 PM on the last day of the Conference! There was a palpable buzz about the entire meetings with people gathered around computers, in restaurants, and in the hallways renewing acquaintances and making new connections while discussing research and science.
The Delegates meeting was productive. Several difficult, but I believe essential, decisions were made about the future of SCAR. SCAR Delegates approved an increase in national membership fee levels beginning in 2013. All 5 proposed Scientific Research Programs were approved and funded. Malaysia was selected by a majority vote of the Delegates as the location for the 2016 SCAR meetings (the vote was very close as Korea also volunteered to host). Jerónimo López (Spain) was elected President, Sergio Marenssi (Argentina) and Yeadong Kim (Korea) continue their terms for 2 more years as VPs, and Karin Lochte (Germany) and Bryan Storey (NZ) were elected as VPs rounding out the new SCAR Executive Committee. Many other decisions were made and these will be covered in the meeting report and the action list being generated.
I thank the Secretariat staff for their support over the years (Mike, Renuka, Rosemary and Eoghan) and I hope you feel as I do, that SCAR has one of the best Secretariats around! I was assisted by several able VPs (Ad, Sergio, Toni, Rasik, and Kim) during my Presidency.
I serve two more years as Past President on the SCAR Executive Committee so I am not completely gone yet! I wish everyone well in the future and look forward to even greater accomplishments by SCAR! As I end my Presidency, I am more convinced than ever that what SCAR does is needed, is of high value, and tangibly contributes to the success of the world-wide community it serves. Until we meet again . . . . .
Chuck Kennicutt,
Past President of SCAR
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