The Tinker-Muse Prize is awarded to individuals who have demonstrated excellence in Antarctic science and/or policy and who show clear potential for sustained and significant contributions that enhance our understanding of Antarctic science and/or policy and promote Antarctica’s preservation for future generations.

The Tinker Foundation wished to establish a prestigious award recognizing excellence in Antarctic science or policy by honouring someone in the early- to mid-stages of their career. The Tinker-Muse Prize was inspired by Martha T. Muse’s passion for Antarctica and was established in her honour. It is a legacy of the International Polar Year 2007- 2008.

Individuals are nominated for recognition by members of the Antarctic community of scientists and policy makers. The goal is to recognize the leaders of tomorrow and to enhance the impact and scope of their leadership in the future.

The Tinker Foundation was created by Edward Larocque Tinker (1881-1968) in 1959 to increase friendship and cooperation between the United States and the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries of Latin America. Martha Twitchell Muse, the person to whom Dr. Tinker entrusted the development of the Tinker Foundation, was a founding director, served as the Foundation’s first executive director and assumed the position of president upon Dr. Tinker’s death.  It was her vision that guided the development of the Tinker Foundation’s programs for the first 40 years of its life. 

Over the years the Foundation’s funding programs have been adapted and redefined to meet the needs of Latin America. Today, the Foundation’s Institutional Grants cover democratic governance, education, and sustainable development. Additionally, it continues to support its long-term program of field research grants for pre-doctoral students in order to give them an initial research experience in Latin America.  

In 2009 the Tinker Foundation celebrated its 50th anniversary and also recognized the leadership of Ms. Muse as she retired from the Foundation by establishing the TinkerMuse Prize in Antarctic Policy and Science.

For more information visit the Tinker Foundation website.

Martha Twitchell Muse was a founding director of the Tinker Foundation in 1959 and subsequently served in various capacities, becoming Executive Director in 1965 and President in 1968. She became Chairman of the Board of Directors in 1975 at the Foundation’s incorporation, a position she retained until her retirement in 2008. 

Ms. Muse provided outstanding leadership over her years of service, both to the Tinker Foundation and others. She was the first woman to be elected to the Board of Trustees of Columbia University and served as a director on the boards of several organizations, including the Americas Society, the Council of the Americas, and the Spanish Institute. Her directorships included the New York Stock Exchange; the Cuba Policy Foundation; and many corporate directorships, including the American Smelting and Refining Company, the Bank of New York, ACF Industries (formerly named the American Car and Foundry Company), Sterling Drug Inc., Associated Dry Goods Inc., May Department Stores, and Irving Bank and Trust Company. In addition to her directorships, Ms. Muse was also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Inter-American Dialogue, and the US–Spain Council. For her many contributions to the field of Latin American and Iberian relations, she received various awards, including the Orden al Mérito por Servicios Distinguidos en el Grado de la Gran Cruz (Merit Order for Distinguished Services in the Rank of the Great Cross) from Peru, the Order of the Southern Cross from Brazil, the Order of Bernardo O’Higgins from Chile, and the Orden de Mayo al Mérito (May Order of Merit) from Argentina.

In 2009, the Tinker Foundation celebrated its 50th anniversary and, at this time, recognized the leadership of Ms. Muse as she retired from the Foundation by establishing the Muse Prize in her honour.

Martha Muse passed away on 9th February 2014.

International Polar Year (IPY) 2007–2008 was an intense, coordinated field campaign of polar observations, research, and analysis. It was one of the largest collaborative science programmes ever attempted, involving more than 200 projects and people from more than 60 nations. The ambitious agenda had a distinctly multidisciplinary approach, incorporating activities in the physical, biological, and social sciences and including a large education component. Themes included improving understanding of the status of the environment, change in the environment and social systems, global linkages, new frontiers in science, the polar regions as a unique vantage point, and the human dimension.

This IPY followed in a long tradition of polar scientific collaboration and achievement, dating back to the first IPY 150 years ago in 1882–1883, a second IPY in 1932–1933, and the International Geophysical Year in 1957–1958.

Formed in 1958, the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) is an interdisciplinary body of the International Council for Science (ICSU), and currently includes 43 member countries and 9 ICSU unions. SCAR’s mission is to advance Antarctic research, including observations from Antarctica, and to promote scientific knowledge, understanding and education on any aspect of the Antarctic region. To this end, SCAR is charged with initiating, developing and coordinating high quality international scientific research in the Antarctic region (including the Southern Ocean), and on the role of the Antarctic region in the Earth system.  It acts as the main international exchange of Antarctic information within the scientific community.

In addition to carrying out its primary scientific role, SCAR also provides objective and independent scientific advice and information to the Antarctic Treaty System and other organizations such as the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) and IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) on issues of science and conservation affecting the management of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean, and on the role of the Antarctic region in the Earth system.

SCAR strives to include new members, as countries not yet engaged develop an increasing interest in Antarctic science. At regular intervals, SCAR evaluates its achievements and adjusts its structure and strategy to improve its functioning and accommodate emerging issues. Involvement in SCAR science is open to all.

For more information on SCAR, please visit the SCAR website.