The SCAR medal for 2014 for International Scientific Coordination is being jointly awarded to Dr Rasik Ravindra (India) - Panikkar Professor, MoES and Mahlon "Chuck" Kennicutt (USA)- for their collaborative and coordination roles in the science community and the leadership and vision they have both shown to the community. Also, the SCAR Medal for Excellence in Antarctic Research has been awarded to Dr Steven Chown, for his classical work in the field of biological sciences and biodiversity studies.

SCAR (Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research), the premier international science body devoted to the Antarctic Research and affiliated to ICSU, awards a medal once in two years for International Scientific Coordination.

Dr Rasik Ravindra, former Director, ESSO-NCAOR, has been very actively involved in SCAR activities at all levels. As the Vice-President of SCAR (2008-12), he led the Capacity Building, Education and Training Advisory group. He raised the profile of SCAR capacity building, bringing innovative ideas and bringing funds to support early career scientists, and provided critical input for the SCAR visiting professors scheme. He also played a key role in raising the profile of India in Antarctic research globally, as Chairman of the Asian Forum for Polar Sciences (AFOPS) as well as Vice Chair at both COMNAP and the XXIX ATCM. Furthermore, he was instrumental in building scientific collaborations between a wide range of European, South American and Australian-Asian countries.

The medal will be awarded during the banquet by the SCAR President, Jeronimo Lopez-Martinez during the SCAR Open Science Conference in Auckland, New Zealand later this month.