Coastal Carbon

 

The Coastal Carbon Research Coordination Network Now Accepting Nominations for our Steering Committee

 

The Coastal Carbon Research Coordination Network (CCRCN) is seeking nominations for three new members on our steering committee. The CCRCN is an NSF-funded 5-year project hosted at Smithsonian Environmental Research Center with the goal of accelerating the pace of discovery in coastal carbon science. We do this by serving a diverse user base of scientists and practitioners with synthetic data, workshops, and open source modeling tools. Learn more about our project here.

Steering committee membership is a volunteer position and is essential to CCRCN governance. There are myriad benefits for participation. Steering committee members advise CCRCN administrators and personnel on critical programs and initiatives, direct and participate in collaborative research, and the CCRCN recognizes steering committee institutions as partner organizations. This is an opportunity to take a substantial leadership role within the coastal carbon community. Committee membership is a one-year tenure minimum with potential to extend or expand into other CCRCN leadership roles.

Duties for all steering committee members include:
  • Attend a 1-hour monthly teleconference
  • Attend an annual Town Hall at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting
  • Contribute towards shaping the goals and timelines of CCRCN products
  • Give regular constructive feedback to CCRCN personnel to improve project implementation and governance
  • Network to identify potential new sources of funds or collaboration
  • Vote on major decisions such as changes to the CCRCN governance structure
 
Steering committee members may also take on additional duties such as:
  • Assist in the leadership and implementation of topical working groups
  • Write grants or raise other funds to further CCRCN goals
  • Speak on behalf of the CCRCN at meetings and conferences
 

We hope to address specific project needs with these new additions, but emphasize that we will take all nominees into consideration.

1. We will prioritize a nominee who can represent the U.S. Geological Survey, as our two representatives from that vital partner agency are currently stepping down.
2. We will prioritize a nominee willing to take a leadership role in planning and executing our Methane Working Group (“Improved process modeling and mapping of tidal wetland methane emissions”) starting in Summer 2019, with an in-person workshop in December 2019.
3. We will prioritize a candidate who can advise us on our product development on behalf of our stakeholder community. We strongly encourage students and early career scientists to apply, as well as women and people from underrepresented communities, so that our steering committee can better reflect the diversity of people within our growing field.
 

If you would like nominate yourself or a colleague please email CoastalCarbon@si.edu by December 1st. If nominating yourself please include a C.V. and a brief statement (no more than 300 words) indicating: 1. Your ability to execute the duties of an CCRCN steering committee member, 2. Any additional duties you would be willing to integrate into your CCRCN service, 3. How your participation would meet stated CCRCN needs, 4. Any ideas you have for pushing the CCRCN forward into 2019 and beyond.

 

The steering committee will meet to vote on nominations in December of 2019 and we will announce new members at our AGU Town Hall on Thursday December 13th.

 

Please email us at CoastalCarbon@si.edu if you have any inquiries regarding the priorities and initiatives of the CCRCN.

 

More about the CCRCN Steering Committee

The CCRCN is hosed at Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) staffed by two employees (James Holmquist, Manager; and David Klinges, Data Technician), supervised by two SERC principle investigators (J Patrick Megonigal, CCRCN Director, and Emmett Duffy), and advised remotely by five steering committee members (Lisamarie Windham-Myers, USGS; Kevin Kroeger, USGS; Jim Tang, MBL; Emily Pigeon, Conservation International; and Jorge Ramos, CI). Steering committee members serve for one year, but can be reappointed for one year at the discretion of the CCRCN Director. Candidates for the steering committee can nominate themselves or be nominated by their colleagues. The steering committee will vote on replacements, and members stepping down will help to choose their own replacement. Rotations are staggered so that no more than half of the rotating members on the Steering Committee are replaced in a given year. Learn more about CCRCN’s governance here and about current leadership here.