OSC 2024: SCAR EDI AG Plenary Talk by Prof. Meredith Nash


The 11th Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research Open Science Conference (SCAR OSC) was held in August 2024 in Pucón, Chile. Around 1 500 international scientists, educators, and policymakers engaged in a week of talks, meetings, and workshops.  

This first in-person OSC in over 6 years provided the SCAR Action Group on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (SCAR EDI AG) with an incredible opportunity to improve its visibility and engage the community. This included the first ever EDI-themed plenary in the history of the OSC, as well as parallel sessions, a workshop (see the report for details), and an open business meeting.  

On Friday the 23rd of August the final plenary lecture of the OSC was organized by the SCAR EDI AG and given by Professor Meredith Nash: “The reckoning: how #MeTooAntarctica is changing fieldwork”.  Meredith’s moving speech traced the conditions that gave rise to #MeTooAntarctica, and her experiences working with women around the world involved in the movement, often at significant personal cost.  

This unprecedented and powerful talk, delivered over 45 minutes without slides, captivated the entire audience with thought-provoking and often shocking descriptions of a culture of sexual harassment within Australian polar science and beyond. Meredith ended her lecture with recommendations for National Antarctic Programs to seize the opport

unity for robust prevention and response measures that underpin safe and respectful fieldwork environments. The talk received a standing ovation and sparked important and ongoing conversations within the international audience. 

The full plenary lecture can be viewed on the link below. Please be aware that it contains references to harassment that some may find upsetting:

SCAR EDI plenary at youtube  

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