International Global Atmospheric Chemistry International Project Office (IGAC-IPO) 2021-2024

This project supports the International Project Office (IPO) of the International Global Atmospheric Chemistry (IGAC) Project, a project of the international Commission on Atmospheric Composition and Global Pollution and a Global Research Project under the umbrella of Future Earth. The three focal areas of IGAC activity are (1) Fostering Community, (2) Building Capacity, and (3) Providing Leadership.

The IGAC IPO facilitates international scientific collaborations, cultivates the next generation of scientists, builds capacity in developing countries, and fosters a cohesive international community of atmospheric scientists working together across disciplines and geographical boundaries to address global change and sustainability issues. This project is jointly supported by NSF, NASA, and NOAA.

IGAC’s priorities and activities are determined and guided by an international volunteer Scientific Steering Committee (SSC). The main responsibility of the IGAC International Project Office’s (IPO) is to implement these priorities in collaboration with SSC members and other members of the international atmospheric chemistry community. The responsibilities of the IPO include: administering projects on a day-to-day basis under the guidance of the SSC; supporting the SSC in planning and carrying out IGAC’s mission and goals; working with the SSC and the community on coordinating IGAC activities and national and regional working groups; serving as a channel of communication between scientists working in different countries on various aspects of global change and sustainability; organizing events, workshops, and capacity building activities; promoting IGAC activities and events via newsletters, email lists, website, social media, presentations, etc.; interacting with relevant policy and stakeholder communities; serving as liaison with scientific sponsors, funding agencies and host institutions; and creating and maintaining an archive of key core project documents.

For developing country scientists, IGAC fosters the creation of a strong cohesive community of atmospheric scientists in under-represented regions of the world and also connects the scientists to the larger IGAC community in order to foster international collaborations.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.