The NSERC PermafrostNet & Canadian Permafrost Association Joint Virtual Annual General Meeting 2021
NSERC PermafrostNet was pleased to invite the permafrost community to our third network Annual General Meeting (AGM) and second virtual AGM (see past program for 2020 Annual General Meeting). The 2021 AGM was held in partnership with the Canadian Permafrost Association (CPA).
The three-day meeting consisted of keynote presentations and technical sessions focused on recent developments in permafrost science and engineering research in Canada, mentoring and career development sessions for early career researchers, a business meeting for CPA members and an awards ceremony.
When was it?
The NSERC PermafrostNet and CPA Annual General Meeting (AGM) took place from Monday 15 – 17 November 2021. The meeting agenda is available below. Times are in Eastern Time (UTC-5).
Who was the Joint AGM for?
All NSERC PermafrostNet and CPA members and affiliates were invited to participate in this joint virtual AGM. Please note that some sessions were restricted to members of CPA. To join the CPA, please visit the CPA website for more details
If you are not a CPA member you were welcome to attend the sessions on day 2 and 3 (16 and 17 November) at no cost.
What sort of sessions and activities did the AGM have?
The meeting consisted of keynote presentations, technical sessions, mentoring and career development sessions, the CPA business meeting, an awards ceremony and a closing session.
NSERC PermafrostNet and CPA provided a varied and stimulating program of research presentations, interactive activities, and breakout sessions to promote networking and group discussions between members of the Canadian permafrost community.
Where was it?
All sessions were held by videoconference using Zoom and in SpatialChat. Visit the Zoom website to download the app and find help on getting started with Zoom.
To ensure a safe and secure space during the meeting, all attendees must register beforehand to receive meeting details and access the event. Participation was managed with Zoom tools, such as a waiting room, and moderators. To help all participants during the meeting we have developed a Zoom etiquette guide, so that everyone finds the meeting useful and comfortable. We also use breakout rooms to provide networking opportunities and to ensure meetings run smoothly.
Calling in by phone?
If you call in by phone, please provide your name and phone number to permafrostnet@carleton.ca so we can recognize you in the Zoom meeting.
Who organized this event?
The event was hosted by NSERC PermafrostNet and the Canadian Permafrost Association (CPA). This partnership aims to amplify the impact of Canadian permafrost research in Canada.
Who can I contact?
If you have any questions, please feel free to email us at permafrostnet@carleton.ca
Networking
- Networking and socializing sessions The Zoom meeting was open for 30 minutes before each morning’s welcoming session to encourage socializing, meeting colleagues, and making new friends!
- We also used SpatialChat and ‘icebreaker‘ slides to enhance the online networking experience.
Icebreaker slides were shared with the attendees during breaks and are available via the link below.
Poster award
NSERC PermafrostNet was pleased to invite attendees to vote for their favourite poster presentation.
Winner
Congratulations to Alexandre Chaisson who was voted best poster presenter of the NSERC PermafrostNet & Canadian Permafrost Association Joint Virtual Annual General Meeting 2021 for his poster – Initial investigations of degrading peat plateaus in the central Mackenzie Valley, Northwest Territories.
Zoom support session
A drop-in session was scheduled prior to the meeting to answer any technical queries and to ensure attendees are comfortable with the features of the platform. If you have any technical concerns please get in touch so we can see how we can help you.
Schedule
Please note that all times are listed in Eastern Time (UTC -5)
The Northern and Indigenous Engagement session was held on Wednesday (14:30 Eastern Time) replacing the Mentoring session that was held on Tuesday instead.
Monday 15 November
| 11:00 | Zoom opens | ||
| 11:30 | Welcome | Lukas Arenson | |
| 11:40 | Keynote 1 | Richard Boudreault and Pooneh Maghoul - Planetary Permafrost | Keynote |
| 12:15 | Session 1 Theme: Data Synthesis Chair: Peter Morse | Ali Fatolahzadeh Gheysari - An AI-based data-driven framework for forecasting long-term ground surface temperatures Andres Felipe Perez Murcia - Deep Learning For Tracking Of Northern Infrastructure Affected By Permafrost Degradation Using Satellite Imagery Elise Devoie - Synthesizing Measured Soil Freezing Characteristic Curves Yifeng Wang - Field investigations in support of peatland permafrost inventorying activities in coastal Labrador | Four presentations of 10-minutes and a 20-minute question period at the end. |
| 13:15 | Break | ||
| 13:30 | Session 2 Theme: Big data Chair: Lukas Arenson | Mishelle Wehbe - Multi-method approach to inventorying rock glaciers and features of interest in Banff and Jasper National Parks, Alberta, Canada Peter Morse - Permafrost mapping and geotechnical data synthesis, Grays Bay - Yellowknife Corridor Derek Cronmiller - The Yukon Permafrost Database Teddi Herring - Developing a Canadian database of electrical resistivity tomography surveys of permafrost | Four presentations of 10-minutes and a 20-minute question period at the end. |
| 14:30 | Break | ||
| 14:35 | CPA | Business Meeting | |
| 16:30 | Closing |
Tuesday 16 November
| 11:00 | Zoom opens | ||
| 11:30 | Welcome | Kumari Karunaratne and Stephan Gruber | |
| 11:40 | Keynote 2 | Discussion on 2022 CPA Meeting in Dawson, Yukon | Keynote |
| 12:15 | Session 3 Theme: New research Chair: Jen Humphries | Trevor Anderson - Long-term (2000-2017) response of lake-bottom temperatures and talik configuration to changes in climate at two adjacent tundra lakes, western Arctic coast, Canada Yifeng Wang - Thermal modelling of post-fire permafrost change under a warming coastal subarctic climate, eastern Canada Alejandro Alvarez - Characterization of Permafrost Cores from the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Corridor Steve Kokelj - Permafrost capacity development in the Northwest Territories | Four presentations of 10-minutes and a 20-minute question period at the end. |
| 13:15 | Break | ||
| 13:25 | Session 4 Theme: Applied research Chair: Cedelle Pereira | Emma Stockton - 1 year of road surface temperatures along the Dempster-ITH corridor Pat Jardine - Investigating Snowpack Compaction as a Method of Preserving Permafrost beside Highway Embankments Samuel Gagnon - Air-convection-reflective sheds: a mitigation technique that stopped degradation and promoted permafrost recovery under the Alaska Highway, south-western Yukon, Canada Lukas Arenson - Thermal Performance of Diavik’s A21 Dike after 4 Years | Four presentations of 10-minutes and a 20-minute question period at the end. |
| 14:25 | Break | ||
| 14:30 | Mentoring session | Help Me, Help You - Using the knowledge of the group: What advice do you seek? What support can you offer? | Discussion and networking |
| 15:30 | Poster session | Virtual poster session | SpatialChat |
| 16:30 | Networking | Virtual networking | SpatialChat |
Wednesday 17 November
| 11:00 | Zoom opens | ||
| 11:30 | Welcome | Teddi Herring | |
| 11:40 | Keynote 3 | Stephan Gruber and network theme leads News from the Network: who we are and what we are working on | Keynote |
| 12:15 | Policy session | Transforming Permafrost Knowledge into Policies Panelists: Dipika Deol - Swiss Reinsurance, Canadian Branch Thomas Homer-Dixon - Cascade Institute Susan B Vanek - Binghamton University Chris Gruben - Inuvialuit Land Administration Moderator: Jeff Kinder | Moderated Panel |
| 13:15 | Break | ||
| 13:20 | Strategy session | Stephan Gruber and Janet King How do we want permafrost research to evolve in Canada? | Information and discussion |
| 14:20 | Break | ||
| 14:30 | Engagement session | Marianne Falardeau-Côté, Allyson Menzies and Gwyneth Anne MacMillan - Northern and Indigenous Engagement | Presentation and discussion |
| 15:30 | Break | ||
| 15:45 | Joint closing | Lukas Arenson and Ryley Beddoe Ceremony and awards | |
| 16:30 | End of AGM |
Partner
Thanks to our partner the Canadian Permafrost Association.
