IASC

The PRB serves as the U.S. National Committee to the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC). IASC is a nongovernmental scientific organization established to encourage and facilitate international consultation and cooperation in all aspects of arctic research, in all countries engaged in arctic research, and in all areas of the arctic region. The mission is to encourage, facilitate, and promote basic and applied interdisciplinary research in or concerned with the Arctic at a circumarctic or international level and to provide scientific advice on arctic issues. IASC was founded in 1990 by national scientific organizations representing all the Arctic countries; the next year, membership was opened to any nation undertaking substantial research in Arctic regions. Currently, 14 nations are members. IASC is multidisciplinary, covering the full range of natural and social sciences. It conducts its business through the IASC Council, a Regional Board, and various Working Groups and Core Groups. The IASC Council is the policy and decisionmaking body within IASC, and its members are selected by appropriate scientific committees in the participating countries, with the Polar Research Board serving in the role of the U.S. National Committee to IASC.

At this writing, Dr. Jacqueline M. Grebmeier, University of Tennessee, is the U.S. representative to the Council. The full Council meets once a year, and its Executive Committee meets in the period between Council meetings. The Regional board includes the eight arctic countries, and its members are appointed by appropriate government agencies; at this writing, Dr. Karl Erb of the National Science Foundation is the U.S. representative to the Regional Board. Working Groups, composed of representatives appointed by their countries to cover specific disciplinary issues, provide the main forums form developing IASC scientific programs and activities; these originally formed on an ad hoc basis, but it is IASC's intention that over time the U.S. National Committee will take on a nomination and selection role similar to that used for SCAR. Core Groups are small groups of leading scientists appointed by IASC to perform specific tasks.

Important Arctic Science links:
http://www.arcticsciencefunding.org

For general IASC information, contact:
IASC Secretariat
Lilla Frescativägen 4
PO Box 50003
S-10405 Stockholm, Sweden
Phone: +46- 8 6739613
Fax: +46- 8 152057
E-mail for Executive Secretary, Volker Rachold: iasc@iasc.se
website: http://www.iasc.se/