This version of the Handbook have been updated on Oct. 2, 2008
based on the new Rules of Procedure (Sept. 1, 2006)
Roles and Responsibilities of Chairmen and Members
of PICES Groups
Introduction
Formal definitions and rules concerning the authority,
responsibility, membership, and activities of the scientific groups
of PICES can be found in the Rules of Procedure. The Rules
of Procedure and the PICES Convention take precedence
over these Roles and Responsibilities, should any discrepancies
be discovered. This document is intended to provide basic information
and guidance on practical matters associated with the conducting the
scientific business of the Organization, and is expansion of Rule
18 in the Rules of Procedure.
The Secretariat maintains official lists of the members
of all PICES Committees and expert groups on its website (http://www.pices.int/members/default.aspx).
These lists are updated only after a formal notification by a national
Delegate. In accordance with Decisions 03/S/7(ii) and 04/S/7(ii),
national membership lists have also been included as Appendices in
the Annual Reports since 2003.
Science Board
The Science Board (SB) is one of two Executive Committees
under the Governing Council of PICES. SB is responsible for overseeing
the scientific activities of the Organization, and the position of
SB Chairman is the most senior scientific position in PICES. Details
on the functions, membership and leadership of SB and on the nomination/election
procedure for the SB Chairman are described in Rules 12 and 17 of
the Rules of Procedure.
In preparation for the Annual Meeting, the SB Chairman shall:
establish, in consultation with the Executive Secretary, a schedule
of SB meetings at the Annual Meeting;
develop, in consultation with SB members and the Executive Secretary,
a draft agenda for SB business; the draft agenda will take the
form of a briefing book (an annotated agenda with adequate description
and background to allow members to understand the discussion/decisions/actions
required at the meeting);
distribute the draft agenda to SB members at least 60 days prior
to the Annual Meeting to allow time for review and discussion;
advise SB members of topics requiring Committee/Scientific Program
discussion at the Annual Meeting;
provide provisional agendas for meetings of SB and all its subsidiary
bodies to the Secretariat for posting on the PICES website at
least 30 days prior to the Annual Meeting.
During the Annual Meeting, the SB Chairman shall:
chair all meetings of SB;
review the state of PICES science at the Opening Session;
introduce winners of the Wooster Award and the PICES Ocean Monitoring
Service Award at the Opening Session;
introduce a keynote speaker and chair, with other members of
SB, at the Science Board Symposium;
oversee scientific award procedures;
chair the Closing Session, including award presentations ( SB
Chairman presents the award for best oral presentation at the
SB Symposium), and provide participants with a short summary of
the major results of the Annual Meeting;
present and discuss SB activities and recommendations at a meeting
of the Governing Council.
After the Annual Meeting, the SB Chairman shall:
report decisions of the Governing Council to SB members;
compile the SB report for the Annual Report within 60 days of
the end of the Annual Meeting;
write an article for PICES Press describing the results of the
Annual Meeting within 30 days of the end of the Annual Meeting;
plan and chair inter-sessional meetings of SB, as required;
represent the general scientific interests of the Organization
at other meetings and events, as required.
Scientific and Technical Committees
The Committees of PICES are established by SB, with
the approval of the Governing Council, as ongoing groups and are organized
according to scientific or technical subjects. Scientific Committees
are responsible for the planning, direction, and overseeing of major
themes within the Organization’s general scientific aims, and
Technical Committees are responsible for facilitating the technical
and operational activities required to support the Organization’s
science. Each Committee is responsible for overseeing the activities
of their subsidiary bodies and for determining priorities for consideration
by the Science Board and the Governing Council. Details on the functions,
membership and leadership of the Committees and on the election procedure
for a Committee Chairman are described in Rules 13, 14 and 17 of the
Rules of Procedure. Regardless of membership, under normal
circumstances, all participants who are registered for an Annual Meeting
may attend meetings of PICES Scientific and Technical Committees and/or
their subsidiary bodies to participate in discussion.
Responsibilities of the Chairman of a Scientific/Technical Committee
involve:
representing the interests of the Committee as a member of SB;
communicating with, and fostering communication among Committee
members;
maintaining an up-to-date Action Plan to indicate how the Committee's
activities are, or will, achieve goals under the PICES Strategic
Plan;
reviewing regularly the performance of the Committee with respect
to its Action Plan;
chairing Committee meetings;
developing a draft agenda for Committee meetings, in consultation
with its members, Chairmen of its subsidiary bodies, and with the
SB Chairman, for distribution at least 60 days prior to any meetings
and submitting the provisional agenda to the Secretariat for posting
on the PICES website at least 30 days prior to the Annual Meeting;
preparing an annual report for SB of the results achieved by the
Committee and its subsidiary bodies, their proposed and planned
activities;
providing the Secretariat a major comprehensive report of the
Committee's activities for the Annual Report within 30 days of the
end of the Annual Meeting.
The Chairman of a Scientific/Technical Committee shall, in consultation
with members of the Committee, prepare the following information for
SB meetings:
itemized summary of the work done and results achieved by the
Committee and its subsidiary bodies, with reference to terms of
reference and a Committee Action Plan;
recommendations for SB;
proposed themes for Annual Meetings;
proposed Topic Sessions/Workshops for the next Annual Meeting
(see Annual Meetings/Topic Sessions, below);
proposals for new expert groups (Sections, Working Groups, Advisory
Panels), including terms of reference and potential membership;
proposals for inter-sessional meetings, including description,
date and venue;
recommendations for publications for the next year.
Sections
A Scientific Committee, with the endorsement of SB
and approval by the Governing Council, may delegate responsibility
for oversight of a scientific discipline to a Section. The Section
is responsible to, and is reviewed regularly by, the parent Scientific
Committee. Details on the functions, membership and leadership of
the Section and on the selection of the Section Co-Chairmen are described
in Rules 13 and 17 of the Rules of Procedure.
Working Groups, Study Groups, Advisory Panels
Formation
A new scientific ad hoc group in PICES is
typically formed as a result of scientists in Contracting Parties
identifying a need, developing a proposal, and seeking the support
of one or more Scientific or Technical Committees for its establishment.
Should a recommendation to create a group arise from a Committee,
it will be discussed by SB and if endorsed, a recommendation is forwarded
to the Governing Council for decision. The initial list of potential
group members is usually, but not always, developed by the proponents
of a new group. The number of members in an expert group typically
ranges between 15 and 24. Subject to any restrictions on membership
identified in the Rules of Procedure, it is desirable to
have at least one member from each of the PICES Contracting Parties.
In cases where the organizers have not suggested members from a country;
the appropriate Delegates will be asked by the Executive Secretary
to do so. Membership by citizens of the Contracting Parties requires
the formal approval of their Delegate(s); noting that Delegates are
free to appoint members other than (or in addition to) those recommended
by the proponents of the group. Delegates will ensure that: a) members
appointed are interested and committed to working toward the goals
of the group; and b) funds are provided to members to attend scheduled
group activities.
A Working Group is established by a Scientific
Committee to undertake specific terms of reference and to report to
the Organization on their findings. An Advisory Panel is
formed to coordinate and provide scientific advice on a field or experimental
activities of a Scientific Committee or scientific program. A Study
Group is established by the Governing Council or Executive Committee
to consider any scientific, policy, advisory and/or financial issues
of interest to the Organization. Details on the functions, membership
and leadership of these ad hoc groups are described in Rules 13, 15
and 17 of the Rules of Procedure.
A Chairman (or Co-Chairmen) of an ad hoc
group is appointed by the Governing Council according to Rule 17(v)
of the Rules of Procedure. Accordingly, it is best to identify
leadership candidates in the initial proposal to a Committee. The
term of the appointment shall begin when the membership of the group
has been confirmed by the Executive Secretary. The Chairman or Co-Chairmen
will normally serve for the lifetime of the group. As is the practice
with most PICES ad hoc groups, any selection of two or more
Co-Chairmen should include leaders from Contracting Parties on opposite
sides of the Pacific. In the event that a group member must be replaced,
either by their own choosing or if, in the judgment of the (Co-)Chairman,
members are not contributing to the group, the Co-Chairmen must notify
the Executive Secretary of the situation and if possible, recommend
a replacement.
Chairmen are responsible for:
ensuring the successful completion of the terms of reference of
the group within the timeframe approved by the Governing Council;
maintaining good communication among group members;
maintaining good communication with the parent Committee(s) by:
preparing written progress reports for their parent Committee
(at most twice annually);
attending meetings of the parent Committee(s), as required;
planning and implementing activities of the group;
reporting, if requested, group activities in the PICES newsletter;
developing a draft agenda for distribution at least 60 days prior
to any meetings of the group;
providing a provisional agenda to the Secretariat at 30 days prior
to the meeting;
preparing final reports to the parent Committee(s) for review
at the end of the assignment; typically, these are published as
a PICES Scientific Report.
Working Environment
Ad hoc groups are free to establish a schedule for their
activities. Meetings or workshops will typically be held in conjunction
with the PICES Annual Meeting as most members are expected to attend.
Inter-sessional meetings, if required, should be recommended to, and
endorsed by, the parent Committee(s) at the Annual Meeting. The PICES
Secretariat typically provides logistical support to organize these
activities.
Keys to Success
At the inter-sessional PICES Science Board Meeting in April 2005,
Dr. Michael Foreman was asked to assess the performance of all PICES
Working Groups, Study Groups, and Task Teams. Letters were sent to
past and present Chairmen or Co-Chairmen asking them to address the
following issues: i) specific successes, failures and impacts of the
group; ii) the overall working group concept, processes, procedures
and how they could be improved; iii) the influence of the working
group on the direction of the science that was its focus; iv) the
key ingredients for a successful working group; and v) other relevant
comments.
The key ingredients for a successful working group were found to
be:
A clear mandate;
Resources (funding and time);
Collaboration with other organizations outside PICES;
Leadership;
Enthusiasm;
Active and dedicated members;
Frequent communications. The PICES website maintains e-mail address
lists for all groups and has created a facility for sending correspondence
to all group members. Password-protected web-pages can be created
to facilitate the exchange of opinions, files and data.
Funding
Contracting Parties are responsible for the financial
costs of sending members to meetings. Requests by a group to offset
the travel costs of invited speakers to meetings/workshops (either
annual or inter-sessional) should be identified by a parent Committee(s)
for endorsement by SB and approval by the Governing Council. Alternatively,
funds for inter-sessional meeting/workshop and for research specified
in the terms of reference may be raised independently by the group
members, either by submitting proposals to national or international
agencies, or from available resources at their home institutions.
Deliverables
Ad hoc groups are required to submit an annual summary
report of their activities and progress made to their parent Committee
for discussion at the Annual Meeting. This written summary will be
included in the PICES Annual Report. The results of inter-sessional
meetings or workshops should be described in an article for the PICES
Press newsletter and, depending on the nature of the results, considered
for publication in the PICES Scientific Report Series. A final report
must also be submitted for publication at the end of the group's lifetime.
Publishing a group's best results in the primary peer-reviewed literature
is encouraged, and Committee Chairman should be advised of any intentions
by a group to do so.
Integrative Scientific Programs
The Governing Council has the responsibility to identify
research priorities and scientific problems pertaining to the area
concerned, as well as appropriate methods for their solution. Coordinated
research programs and related activities of common interest shall
be undertaken through national efforts of the Contracting Parties.
Scientific Programs are major initiatives of the Organization on topics
of significant importance to the Contracting Parties.
(Roles and responsibilities to be determined for Integrative Scientific
Program)
Annual Meetings
Theme: SB, in consultation
with the Delegates of the host country and the Executive Secretary,
will select a theme for an Annual Meeting at least 2 years before
that meeting will take place. The theme selected will be a topic of
broad interest to the scientific community and will form the basis
of the Science Board Symposium of that meeting.
Program: SB will develop
a program of activities for an Annual Meeting (typically 5 days in
duration) based on recommendations brought to it by its members. Activities
currently include Science Board Symposium, Topic Sessions, Paper Sessions,
and Poster/E-Poster Sessions.
Keynote Speaker: The host
country will identify a Keynote Speaker at least 1 year prior to an
Annual Meeting.
Topic Sessions: Chairmen
of Scientific/Technical Committees and Scientific Program are responsible
for developing, either jointly with other committees/programs or individually,
proposals for Topic Sessions.
Each proposal to SB shall include:
title;
convenor(s) names and contact information;
blurb (background and objectives of the session - 250 words);
duration;
invited speaker candidates - Speakers are invited with the understanding
they will make an important contribution to the session and potentially,
to the Annual Meeting. In general, they should not be national appointees
to subsidiary bodies of the Organization.
Chairmen of Scientific/Technical Committees and Programs
are responsible for finalizing the details of Topic Sessions sponsored
by their committee/program within 1 month of the close of an Annual
Meeting to facilitate the preparation of the next Annual Meeting announcement
by the Executive Secretary.
Paper/Poster Sessions: Chairmen
of Scientific/Technical Committees and Programs are responsible for
convening the Paper Sessions and/or Poster Sessions sponsored by their
group.
Schedule: The Executive Secretary,
in consultation with the SB Chairman, is responsible for the schedule
of events.
Convenors and Session Chairmen
Convenors are responsible for:
the organization, execution, and reporting of a session;
the selection of invited speakers and, in consultation with the
sponsoring Committee Chairman, the allocation of any funds earmarked
for the session among invitees;
identifying co-sponsors (organizations with similar interests
who are prepared to support the session);
reviewing contributed abstracts for consistency with the topic,
and returning those which are not to the Secretariat;
selecting oral and poster presentations, including the identification
of "backup" oral presentations from among the posters in case of
last minute cancellation (a not uncommon occurrence);
advising the Secretariat of any unique technical requirements
for the session;
editing abstracts accepted for their session;
preparing a preliminary schedule of oral presentations, in consultation
with the Executive Secretary, and returning the outcome to the Secretariat
by the deadline set by the Secretariat (typically July 31 for Annual
Meetings);
ensuring that invited speakers register for the meeting and submit
an abstract via the PICES website before July 31;
confirming the final schedule and list of oral presentations at
the Annual Meeting with the Secretariat.
Chairing the Topic Session includes:
ensuring that all electronic presentations are filed with the
Secretariat;
designating a rapporteur(s) to record discussion, if required;
recruiting Co-Chairmen for the session, if desired;
introducing speakers;
keeping to the timetable to maintain the synchrony of parallel
sessions;
organizing questions/comments from the audience;
providing the Secretariat with a summary of the important results
and discussion that occurred at the session, preferably before leaving
the Annual Meeting.
determining the degree of interest of the participants in publishing
the papers presented at the session as a special issue of a primary
journal or as a PICES Scientific Report (optional); if yes, in consultation
with the Executive Secretary, developing a formal recommendation
for SB (via by the parent Committee(s)), including the names of
Editors of the volume.
PICES Awards
Wooster Award (Decision 00/S/6)
The PICES Wooster Award is named in honour of Professor
Warren S. Wooster, a principal founder and the first Chairman of PICES,
and a world-renowned researcher and statesman in the area of climate
variability and fisheries production. The award is given annually
to an individual who has made significant scientific contributions
to North Pacific marine science, such as understanding and predicting
the role of human and climate interactions on marine ecosystem production.
The award consists of a plaque with the recipient's
name engraved on it. The recipient will also receive financial support
to attend the next PICES Annual Meeting at which the award is given.
A large plaque is maintained at the PICES Secretariat with the names
of all the award winners over the years.
The main criteria for choosing recipients are sustained
excellence in research, teaching, administration or a combination
of the three in the area of North Pacific marine science. Special
consideration is given to individuals who have worked in integrating
the disciplines of marine science. Individuals who were, or are, currently
actively involved in PICES activities are preferred but the award
may be given to any suitable candidate, including those from outside
PICES member countries.
Nominations are solicited annually from the PICES
community although the award may not be given every year if a suitable
candidate is not found. The Selection Committee consists of the PICES
SB and the PICES Chairman, and the Award is given by the PICES Chairman
at an Opening Session during the PICES Annual Meeting. Nominations
of individuals not selected are rolled over to the next year in order
to keep a large pool of potential candidates.
Nominations must be received no later that May 1
of each year and include the following information: nominee's name,
institutional affiliation and title, address and biographical resume,
and statement of justification for the nomination.
PICES Ocean Monitoring Service Award (Decision 07/A/9)
Background
Progress in many aspects of marine science is based
on ocean observations, monitoring, and the management and dissemination
of the data provided by these activities. Long-term monitoring observations
are particularly critical to detecting and understanding ecosystem
changes. It is widely recognized that these fundamental activities
often lack the glamour and respect that typically accompanies scientific
achievements that rely on monitoring and observation. Unfortunately,
the consequences are that monitoring activities are often taken for
granted or even targeted for budget cuts when PICES member countries
experience financial constraints. With this in mind, it was proposed
at the 2006 Annual Meeting in Yokohama, Japan, that a new PICES award
be established to acknowledge monitoring and data management activities
that contribute to the progress of marine science in the North Pacific.
The principles of the award were approved at the 2007 inter-sessional
Science Board/Governing Council meeting, also in Yokohama, and the
name and description of the award were finalized at the 2007 Annual
Meeting in Victoria, Canada.
Aims
The PICES Ocean Monitoring Service Award (POMA) aims
to recognize organizations, groups and outstanding individuals that
have contributed significantly to the advancement of marine science
in the North Pacific through long-term ocean monitoring and data management.
The award also strives to enlighten the public on the importance of
those activities as fundamental to marine science. It draws attention
to an important aspect of the PICES Convention that is not so much
in the limelight: "to promote the collection and exchange of information
and data related to marine scientific research in the area concerned."
Eligibility
The award is given for significant contributions
to the progress of marine science in the North Pacific through long-term
monitoring operations, management of data associated with ocean conditions
and marine bio-resources in the region, or both categories. Recipients
may include, for example, research vessels, research or administrative
institutes or portions thereof, or technical groups involved in monitoring,
data management and dissemination, or a combination of these activities.
Outstanding individual efforts may also be recognized.
Nomination and Selection
Nominations from individuals or groups from PICES
member countries should be sent with supporting documentation to the
Executive Secretary (bychkov@pices.int)
by the deadline specified in the Call for Nominations at the PICES
website (http://www.pices.int/awards/POMA_award/POMA_award.aspx).
The Technical Committee on Monitoring (MONITOR) and Technical Committee
on Data Exchange (TCODE) will evaluate independently the documents
submitted with each nomination, and recommend some or all of the nominations
for consideration by SB. Evaluations will include the relevance, duration
and balance of activities (ocean observation, resource monitoring,
data management, etc.). If more than one nomination is considered
worthy of recognition by MONITOR or TCODE, rank preferences will be
provided to SB by each Technical Committee. A maximum of one award
will be given each year. To keep a large pool of potential candidates,
SB will reserve any surplus of recommendations for review in subsequent
years. Those nominated but not recommended by a Technical Committee
must be re-submitted if they are to be considered for the next year.
Award and Presentation
The award consists of a certificate signed by the
PICES Chairman and the PICES SB Chairman, which will be presented
to the recipients (or their representative) at the Opening Session
of the PICES Annual Meeting. No financial support from PICES will
be provided to the recipient to attend the Annual Meeting where the
award is given. Should any representative be unable to attend the
Annual Meeting, a Delegate of the recipient's country will be asked
to accept the award on behalf of the recipient.
Best Oral Presentation and Best Poster
Awards at the Annual Meeting
(To be finalized after PICES XVII)
Guidelines for co-sponsorship of scientific meetings/symposia
The subject of the scientific meetings/symposia must contribute to fulfilling PICES objectives.
Formal requests by organizations to co-sponsor events must be sent to the Executive Secretary.
In consultation with the SB Chairman, the request will be sent to the appropriate Committee for review and recommendations.
Committees will review the requests and forward their recommendations to the SB Chairman.
SB will review Committee recommendations, forwarding endorsements, with suggestions on the degree of financial and scientific commitment by PICES, to the Governing Council for approval.
The Executive Secretary will advise the organization(s) of the decision.
Guidelines concerning formal requests for advice from PICES (Decision 93/A/5)Procedure for responding to requests for scientific advice
received from Contracting Parties:
Upon receiving a written request for advice, the Chairman of PICES
will refer the question to SB, who will form an ad hoc
committee to respond to the question.
The advice from this ad hoc committee will be referred
to SB for review, and forwarded by the Chairman for consideration
by the Governing Council before sending it to the requesting party.
If there were a need for establishing a permanent mechanism for
providing advice to a certain party, then the ad hoc committee
could be made permanent and it could be empowered by the Governing
Council to respond directly to requests.
Procedure for responding to requests for scientific advice
from other organizations:
Upon receiving a written request for scientific advice from another organization,
the Chairman of PICES will refer the question to SB, who will propose a process
(e.g., refer to existing Committee or to an ad hoc working group as appropriate) to address the request.
The question and SB proposal for addressing it will be then referred to the Governing
Council for approval before action is undertaken.
The advice generated will be handled in the same manner as advice offered in
response to a request from Contracting Parties (reviewed by SB, and considered by
the Governing Council before being sent to the requesting organization).
Publications
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