http://www.pyrn.org

1. New PYRN website
2. 2007 PYRN workshop in St.-Petersburg
3. List of senior scientists now available
4. Deadlines: NICOP, ATANS, NSF, Leverhulme
5. Jobs & Events: NICOP - PYRN meeting, EGU, SCAR
6. Permafrost in the news - Tundra Cats, eroding islands and economic booms

1. New PYRN website
PYRN’s new website has been launched (http://pyrn.ways.org or http://www.pyrn.org)in collaboration with the World Association of Young Scientists (WAYS). All members should have received an email providing login and password to access the website. Members will now be able to post pictures, blogs, comments, discuss science interactively on the web. In addition, you will find all our previous services improved and more accessible: Searchable member and bibliography databases, image galleries, etc. We will soon post a blog to detail all these new features. Enjoy!!

2. 2007 PYRN workshop in St.-Petersburg
From the 29th of November to 3rd of December, 50 young permafrost scientists from 13 countries gathered at the OSL-APECS-PYRN workshop in St. Petersburg. The workshop was a tremendous success with presentations by Katey Walter, Hanno Meyer, Oleg Anisimov, Stephan Gruber, Pavel Rekant and Alexander Kholodov. The presentations are now posted on PYRN’s website (http://pyrn.ways.org/activities/pyrn-meetings/2007-saint-petersburg) together with Katey Walker's protocol for PALIMMN and Margareta Johansson's presentation on the PYRN drilling project. Because of the workshop’s success, PYRN has already started to plan on organizing a similar workshop for the same time next year.

3. List of senior scientists now available
PYRN’s National Representatives have compiled a global list of senior scientists involved in permafrost research. This list was a request many times formulated by PYRN members and is now available on the new web site (www.pyrn.ways.org/senior).

4. Deadlines: NICOP, ATANS, NSF, Leverhulme
Extended abstracts for the Ninth International Conference on Permafrost (NICOP) should be submitted before January 15th , 2008 (http://www.nicop.org/). (Please note that the international permafrost conference only occurs every fourth year!
Young EU permafrost researchers can apply for grants for travel and accommodation to do fieldwork at the Abisko Scientific Research Station. Proposals are invited from researchers that relate to research on the natural environment of the Abisko area. Further information and application details can be found at: http://www.linnea.com/~ans/ans.htm. Deadlines for application: 1st of January and 1st of March 2008.
Recent PhDs can apply to the National Science Foundation (NSF) for Postdoctoral Fellowships in Polar Regions Research program. http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf08501, deadlines January 11 and August 18.
Funding for 20 participants is available for the Leverhulme Climate Symposium, 10-13 March 2008, University of Cambridge and the Royal Society, London. Deadline for 'early career scientists': 10th of January 2008, http://www.leverhulmeclimatesymposium.org/

5. Jobs & Events: NICOP - PYRN meeting, EGU, SCAR
An informal PYRN meeting will be organized at NICOP, Fairbanks, Alaska on the 1st of July. This can be a good opportunity to meet other young permafrost researchers in an informal setting, like the PYRN social or the PYRN award.. More information: http://pyrn.ways.org/newsblog/pyrn-events-nicop-june-july-2008 and http://www.nicop.org/pyrn.html
There is a nice PhD position at the University of Edinburg on dynamic modelling of discontinuous permafrost degradation. You can look at a more detailed announcement on the PYRN website: http://pyrn.ways.org/dynamic-modelling-discontinuous-permafrost-degradat...
The SCAR/IASC first IPY Open Science Conference, will take place on 8-11 July in St. Petersburg, Russia. The International Arctic Science Committee has made funding available for early career scientists wanting to attend the meeting and abstracts have to be submitted before January 8th (2008). Check out the website for more information: http://www.scar-iasc-ipy2008.org/site.php?go=89&page=982〈=ENG. This conference is THE major IPY event and permafrost should be duly represented during this conference.
Don’t miss the session on cold regions geomorphology at the EGU in Vienna (13th-18th of April, 2008): "GM 3.5 Cold regions geomorphology: present landforms and past climate". If you plan to attend, send your abstract to http://meetings.copernicus.org/egu2008/ before January 14th. More information on the session can be obtained from R. Frauenfelder ( reguinorge@gmail.com).

6. Permafrost in the news
Reach your field site on a Tundra Cat
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/nationworld/story/211712.html
Storm and permafrost erosion collaborate in threatening World Heritage site Hershel Island
http://www.thestar.com/ArcticInPeril/article/279376
Arctic warming potential economic boom in Siberia..
http://www.russiaprofile.org/page.php?pageid=Business&articleid=a1196421...

All of these items plus jobs, events, fellowships, blogs, discussions, image galleries, etc. available on the website
(www.pyrn.org)

Frida Keuper, on behalf of the PYRN core group