IASC 25 years | Page 75

3.2 Thinking about Strategy David J. Drewry (President 1997-2002) of Science and Technology at the Natural Environment Research Council). The meeting was in Roveniemi, and it was apparent to me how much IASC had matured and moved forward with a comprehensive slate of projects and in advancing its relations with other Arctic communities. Despite I was fortunate to be present at the IASC Found- such growth, and maybe because of it, the Council ing Meeting in Resolute Bay, NU, Canada in August decided that after five years it was important to 1990. I was one of several non-Arctic rim country review progress and map out directions for the fu- observers attending to witness the signing of the ture. I found myself appointed to chair the review Founding Articles. I was there on behalf of the group, a task only made tolerable by the strength UK alongside Claude Lorius from France, Gotthilf of the other members of the Review Group and the Hempel from Germany, Takao Hoshiai from Japan inestimable support of Odd Rogne! I discuss the and Maciej Zalewski from Poland -all of us repre- Review, what we discovered and how IASC imple- senting states with a history of and current involve- mented its recommendations in another section of ment in Arctic science. For me, that first step was this book. Also at Roveniemi there was a briefing on significant - it marked the creation of a new orga- the planning for the ICARP I meeting in Hannover, nization that would act as a forum for the discus- NH which was entering its final phase. In December sion and development of improved cooperation in that year, Dartmouth College hosted the meeting. research and facilitate better sharing of information It was a great success in covering the broad sweep and opportunities. of IASC interests and engaging both scientists and administrators. It also demanded, in the brief to the At that time I was much focused upon the other participants, that we should think ‘outside the box’ end of the Earth - the Antarctic - being Director of and look to future opportunities and innovations. the British Antarctic Survey. This duality of interest was a thread that ran, and indeed has continued Two years later, our Russian members - Igor Ser- to run, through the fabric of IASC - an inelucta- gevitch Gramberg and his colleagues - generously ble cross-fertilization between the Polar Regions. hosted the 1997 Council in St. Petersburg. At that Whilst both poles have their profound differences, meeting, I had the privilege to be elected IASC the very nature of scientific investigation assumes President. For me this was a great honor but it also no barriers, no artificial geographical separation. I demonstrated IASC’s focus on science and not sim- was also heavily involved in the workings of COM- ply geography, as I was from one of the non-Arctic NAP and SCAR which gave me, along with a number nations. During the meeting we also initiated the other colleagues, a perspective on how such organi- process which led to the formation of FARO. We rec- zations might best operate. This included, natural- ognized the essential role that logistics and related ly, the new hard-working Executive Secretary, Odd support activities play in the Arctic and the need to Rogne, who had been Director of the Norwegian have them better coordinated in support of the up- Polar Institute (NPI). It seemed at the time, in the and-coming science agenda. heady post-1989 political environment, that IASC had an opportunity to achieve much more than hith- Several other initiatives emerged during the next erto and forge deeper international cooperation in few years whilst I held the Presidency. In Tromsø in the North. 1999 we agreed to start ASSW. This was to give active scientists, as well as younger researchers, a It was a few years later, in 1995, that I found myself once more at the IASC Council table officially investigations in support of science being nurtured representing the UK (now in a role as the Director 74 chance to come together and present their latest by IASC, or areas that might lead to new projects. 03 Contributions of Former IASC Presidents