• Acronym: AP-ECOP
• Parent Committees: SB, FUTURE-SSC
• Term: PICES-2021 –
• Mailing List

To remain vibrant and relevant over the long-term, professional organizations must attract, integrate and retain diverse perspectives, especially of early career professionals. The connection between organizations and early career professionals is mutually beneficial. Engaging ECOPs in PICES promotes diversity, initially generationally, but eventually by incorporating a greater number of disciplines and sectors and by developing and strengthening relationships with countries and organizations located in different ocean basins; provides expertise in new research techniques and greater emphasis on science communication, outreach, and enhances organizational capacity. Complementary to this, ECOPs benefit by engaging in knowledge sharing, training, and mentorship and getting direct experience in relevant professional skills such as international collaborations, intergovernmental engagement, science communication, and conference organization, as well as employment, funding, or other professional opportunities. A survey conducted by the previous SG-ECOP demonstrated how willing and keen both ECOPs and later career ocean professionals (LCOPs) were towards the institution of a mentorship program and towards greater inclusion and engagement of ECOPs within PICES organizational development, scientific agenda, communication strategy and multi-stakeholder partnerships.

The goal of the proposed Advisory Panel is to facilitate the incorporation and engagement of diverse early career ocean professionals (ECOPs), across regions, sectors, disciplines, and other axes of diversity into the PICES scientific activities and organizational structure, including expert groups and the Secretariat. This includes identifying opportunities for participation, recruiting diverse ECOPs, and sustaining their engagement. The AP will support and direct ECOP engagement within PICES and the North Pacific, as well as encourage ECOP participation in organizations, programs, and activities of interest to the PICES community, such as associated with the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (e.g., SMARTNet).

While PICES currently defines ECOPs as early career scientists who are less than 36 years old, or who obtained their PhD within the last 5 years, the Advisory Panel intends to expand and update this definition further so as to be more inclusive of ECOPs coming from different sectors and career backgrounds (e.g., graduated at an older age but still self-identify as early career).

1. Explore opportunities for ECOP representation in PICES through enhanced demographic data collection and assessment. The AP will continue to assess opportunities to enhance representation in PICES expert groups and organizational structures and ensure that there is cross fertilization among the existing Expert Groups, such as the proposed Science Communication Advisory Panel. This could include identifying reasonable, quantitative benchmarks for ECOP participation, both within PICES as a whole and in specific expert groups, decision-making bodies, and other key organizational structures and improving demographic information to track the demographics of the PICES annual meeting and community.
   
   
2. Recruit diverse ECOPs through revitalized communications and existing networks. The AP will actively work to recruit diverse ECOPs, from different regions, sectors, and disciplines, into PICES by revitalizing communication and connecting with existing networks. This could include supporting with the PICES website, developing an ECOP section on the PICES website, and asking existing PICES members and national members of expert groups to actively invite ECOPs to the annual meeting and expert group meetings.
   
   
3. Engage ECOPs through professional opportunities in expert groups, programs, and other aspects of PICES structure. Incorporate ECOPs into all levels of PICES including participation in expert groups and the Secretariat and ultimately leadership roles within the organization. For example, this could include post-docs or interns that support Expert Groups or the Secretariat. In addition, ECOPs could see which Expert Groups (EGs) align with their areas of interest, join the EG meetings, and contact the EG chair.
   
   
4. Foster inter-generational exchange through mentorship programs and activities. The AP will continue to foster inter-generational exchange and mentorship between experienced PICES members, ECOPs, and emerging ECOPs (e.g. youth), such as by encouraging later career ocean professionals (LCOPs) to mentor ECOPs that are eager to participate in expert groups and other organizational bodies.
   
   
5. Collaborate with partners to develop and advance inclusive engagement in the North Pacific and internationally. The AP will work with other international, regional, and national organizations, initiatives and/or countries to further ECOP engagement, especially those related to mentorship, diverse engagement, and early career professional recruitment, retention, and participation. This could include developing a North Pacific ECOP network to connect within and across regions globally and within the context of international processes, like the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030), and across the associated programs (e.g., SMARTNet, GEOS, ECOP).