Pass It On: A New Approach to Polar Gear and Community Knowledge

Written by Marion McKenzie, Proposal Analyst, Colorado School of Mines

Author, Marion McKenzie.

Pass It On: A New Approach to Polar Gear and Community Knowledge!

During the 2023 West Antarctic Ice Sheet workshop at the University of Florida, early career members of the community came together to talk about shared wants, needs, and ways to build connections. One theme that came up repeatedly was access: who has access to information, field experiences, and the equipment needed to do research. In summary of those conversations, creating a central place for students and other early career polar scientists to share information about field resources seemed like a practical and actionable next step. The CryoCommunity landing page, which grew out of the cryosphere community URGE pod, felt like a natural home for this shared resource.

Working with colleagues, we created a new page on the CryoCommunity website that allows community members to contribute packing lists for the field, share information about gear discounts for field scientists, and provide contact information for support for those heading into the field. As part of this project, we also created pages where people can offer gear they have purchased in the past but are not currently using, as well as a page where people looking for gear can post what they need. This model is meant to connect people who have gear they are willing to share with those who need support accessing equipment for fieldwork.

 A screen grab of the CryoCommunity Gear Sharing homepage. Includes hyperlinks to other resource sharing sites.

In the early stages of the process, we conducted a survey that we shared across several community listservs to gather feedback on the page and the intended process. The responses were very helpful in shaping our approach and in identifying additional resources for gear-sharing and gear-borrowing pairs. One of the biggest concerns from potential gear sharers was uncertainty about the condition in which gear would be returned, or how lost or broken items would be handled. Another concern was who would cover shipping costs. Would borrowers be expected to pay? Were there existing resources that could help cover those costs? These were important questions that led to the development of the gear-sharing agreement template. Because the answers may vary from pair to pair, we created a document with mix-and-match language that can be tailored to different expectations. That agreement is also readily available on the gear-sharing page.

As part of this effort, the team also realized that third-party funding would help reduce uncertainty and strengthen the program. Funding could support gear sharing directly and act as a kind of insurance in case anything happened to the gear in the field. We were lucky enough to receive support from the Polar Science Early Career Community Office’s Belonging, Accessibility, Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion initiative, or PSECCO BAJEDI.

The first successful gear swap I was lucky enough to be part of was for a student attending the Juneau Ice Field Research Program, or JIRP. She is from Puerto Rico, so access to cold-weather gear was difficult to come by. While JIRP has incredible resources for outfitting participants, there were still a few items she needed. We were able to connect her with someone in Colorado who could lend her microspikes for the trek, and the shipping cost was covered by the PSECCO grant. That exchange felt like a really successful first test of the system.

After that first exchange, it became clear that some adjustments were needed to make the site more hands-off for the organizers. My main goal in developing this system was to make it self-sustaining. As an early career scientist, I know how much things can shift, and I wanted to make sure the system could continue beyond the point where one person is responsible for keeping it alive. This process is still ongoing and can always be improved, but I am excited about the potential it has.

 A photo of me and my fellow early career scientists as part of a Research Experience for Undergraduate Students in Alaska. This was my first time doing fieldwork and it was so overwhelming and exciting! 

In some ways, this resource is about reimagining polar data by recognizing the resources we collectively have: physical items, but also experience and knowledge about the places where we do research. In that sense, sharing these resources makes polar science a more inclusive space for everyone. If someone has knowledge from a difficult field experience that could help another scientist, or an opportunity to improve the safety and experience of others in the field, why wouldn’t we try to connect people? As early career scientists, we are often navigating change without the structure, stability, or seniority that can make field environments feel safe and welcoming. In that way, the gear-sharing page, through both its physical gear-sharing and informational support, aims to break down barriers and provide support across locations, career stages, and levels of experience.

If you are a reader and member of the polar community interested in checking out the website, I would welcome your feedback and ideas for improvement. The community will continue to grow stronger the more we invest in supporting each other, and that is exactly where this resource aims to land.

Author Bio:

Marion McKenzie is a glacial geomorphologist with an scientific interests in Earth surface mapping, carbon cycling, and past ice sheet behavior and non-scientific interests in reading, crocheting, and meeting as many dogs as she can. While currently at Colorado School of Mines, she's starting as an Assistant Professor of Geoscience at Colorado Mesa University in the fall.