The UNOLS Arctic Icebreaker Coordinating Committee (AICC) has been established and the first meeting was held at NSF headquarters in Arlington during 11-12 September 1996. AICC membership includes:
| Lisa M. Clough | East Carolina University |
| Joe Coburn | WHOI |
| Glenn F. Cota | Old Dominion University |
| Kelly Falkner | Oregon State University |
| Lawrence A. Lawver | University of Texas at Austin |
| Dan Lubin | UCSD/California Space Institute [not at meeting] |
| James H. Swift (chair) | UCSD/SIO, 0214 |
| Tom Weingartner | University of Alaska [not at meeting] |
Business at the meeting included:
The meeting was considerably aided by the attendance and participation in forthright discussions by several senior Coast Guard officers and numerous senior NSF officials.
Discussions were fruitful and the intended business moved forward well. The openness of the Coast Guard in all discussions and their commitment to the process begun with establishment of ther AICC were commendable and perhaps the chief reason this meeting was successful. Progress can be laid to two factors: (1) The findings and recommendations found in the National Research Council report, "Arctic Ocean Research and Supporting Facilities, National Needs and Goals" clearly weighed on the minds of all participants and their parent agencies and constituencies. (2) The Coast Guard's commitment to change and to making the Coast Guard icebreakers, and especially the Healy, platforms of first choice for Arctic polar research were expressed from the top down and both respected and supported by all Coast Guard personnel present. This included not only support for the AICC but also an unprecedented degree of enthusiasm to make progress on the business at hand.
A summary of discussion and all Action Items will be included in the AICC meeting report. Particulars include placing scheduling of Arctic research aboard Coast Guard icebreakers into a UNOLS-like framework beginning immediately, acceptance by the AICC of its role in coordinating that research, and an accelerated effort by the AICC to gain an in-depth understanding of the detailed plans and specifications for all Healy science spaces and systems. To accomplish the last the AICC is preparing to review existing plans and documents and will undertake an intensive study session in New Orleans in early November. To help raise community awareness and participation the AICC recommended that the Coast Guard participate in a UNOLS commercial poster at the fall AGU meeting and that the AICC host a one-hour early evening information and discussion session at that meeting. There are, of course, a host of unresolved issues. However, the spirit of cooperation and progress was unmistakable. The AICC is grateful to UNOLS, NSF, and the Coast Guard for splendid support, interest, patience, and guidance.