The sessions listed here are those NOT included in the ICARP IV Call for Abstracts. These include panels, workshops, and other engaging formats.
Sessions have been organized across eight thematic areas, seven of which correspond to the seven ICARP IV Research Priority Teams. This list of sessions and their descriptions are subject to change as organizers develop the ICARP IV Summit program throughout fall 2024.
Thematic Areas
1. The Role of the Arctic in the Global System
2. Observing, Reconstructing, and Predicting Future Climate Dynamics and Ecosystem Responses
4. Arctic Research Cooperation and Diplomacy
5. Co-Production and Indigenous-led methodologies
6. Education and knowledge-sharing in and about the Arctic: Research and Practice
7. Technology, Infrastructure, Logistics, and Services
8. Arctic Data
1. The Role of the Arctic in the Global System
Coupling of ocean-ice-atmosphere processes: from sea-ice biogeochemistry to aerosols and clouds
The polar oceans, sea-ice, and atmosphere form a tightly coupled system with poorly represented interconnected processes in climate models. Understanding these interactions is essential for projecting sea-ice impacts on atmospheric gases, aerosols, and cloud cover over polar oceans. These factors influence sea-ice melt, freeze-up, and biogeochemical activity through nutrient exchange and solar radiation scattering. With changing climates and sea-ice at both poles, focused attention from Earth system scientists is crucial.
Currently, communities studying individual components (ocean, sea-ice, snow, atmosphere) work in parallel rather than collaboratively, due to differing spatial and temporal scales of observations. This hinders our ability to describe key processes and develop coupled climate models. To address this, multiple research communities with expertise in the atmosphere, ocean, and sea within the polar and Arctic regions are collaborating. Their goals are to (1) refine the conceptual representation of relevant processes, and (2) address key uncertainties in biological and chemical controls on atmospheric chemistry, aerosols, and clouds.
CONVENERS:
- Jessie Creamean, Colorado State University
- Jennie Thomas, IGE/CNRS
- Megan Willis, Colorado State University
2. Observing, Reconstructing, and Predicting Future Climate Dynamics and Ecosystem Responses
Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program: Advice to improve biodiversity monitoring and to direct research to fill knowledge gaps
The Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program (CBMP) is an international network of professionals and organizations working to harmonize and integrate efforts to monitor Arctic biodiversity. It is the cornerstone program under the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF), the biodiversity working group of the Arctic Council. The CBMP’s goal is to facilitate more rapid detection, communication, and responses to the significant biodiversity-related trends and pressures affecting the Arctic. The CBMP has produced State of the Arctic Biodiversity Reports and associated Key Findings and Advice for Monitoring for the marine, freshwater and terrestrial environments. This session will review existing gaps in biodiversity monitoring and provide advice for monitoring and research needs to fill knowledge gaps. Information from the State of the Arctic Biodiversity Reports can be used to refine and adapt current and future biodiversity monitoring efforts in the Arctic and allows the CBMP to better meet the needs of decision makers. The State of the Arctic Biodiversity Reports build on the coordinated CBMP Arctic Biodiversity Monitoring Plans and associated processes of data compilation, analysis, and scientific publications. The session will address: ecosystem-based monitoring and reporting; monitoring methods and standardisation, monitoring design and assessment; improved coordination; use of Indigenous Knowledge, Local Knowledge, and citizen science; and knowledge gaps. The CBMP works to leverage monitoring activities of networks and nations and establish linkages to global biodiversity initiatives. The CBMP emphasizes data management (through the Arctic Biodiversity Data Service), capacity building, reporting, coordination and integration of Arctic monitoring, and communications, education and outreach.
CONVENERS:
- Fiona Danks, CAFF
- Tom Christensen, CAFF
- Cathy Coon, NOAA Fisheries
3. Understanding the dynamics and resilience of Arctic social-ecological systems to foster sustainable futures
Climate Change and Mitigation Measures: Impacts on Arctic Indigenous Peoples' Health
Climate change and climate change mitigation measures, such as energy and mining projects, when implemented without the free, prior, and informed consent of Indigenous Peoples, often leads to land encroachments and fragmentation that significantly impact the health and well-being of Arctic Indigenous Peoples, such as the Sámi and Inuit. These disruptions not only threaten traditional lifestyles but also contribute to physical and mental health challenges by limiting access to traditional lands, food, and cultural practices essential for Indigenous health and identity. This also impacts the transfer of Indigenous Knowledge between generations. This session will bring together Indigenous Knowledge holders and policymakers to explore the multifaceted health impacts of these changes. We will discuss matters that need to be taken into account in order for health studies to be culturally appropriate and address the specific needs of Indigenous Peoples’ communities. Participants will look at specific examples, share experiences and best practices, and bring suggestions for mitigating negative health impacts through a holistic approach to Arctic research that recognizes the integral connection between climate change, land rights, and Indigenous health, promoting resilience and well-being in Arctic Indigenous communities. By focusing on these critical issues, this session will contribute to shaping future Arctic research agendas that prioritize Indigenous health and rights-based approaches, ensuring that the next decade of Arctic research is inclusive, equitable, and responsive to the unique priorities and challenges faced by Arctic Indigenous Peoples.
CONVENERS:
- Aslak Holmberg, President of the Saami Council
Innovative Perspectives of Interdisciplinary Research on Health and Well-Being in the Arctic Co-Constructed with Indigenous and Local Communities
The impact of climate change in the Arctic is estimated to be, on average, four times higher than elsewhere in the world. The ongoing significant changes in the Far North, triggered by this phenomenon, raise numerous questions about health, environmental quality, and living conditions in the circumpolar regions. While many studies have explored various aspects of these changes, we currently lack multi- and transdisciplinary approaches that bridge the gap between natural sciences and humanities. Such a cross-disciplinary strategy aims to provide a holistic view of the complex challenges faced by societies and individuals in the North. By fostering collaboration between disciplines, we can better understand these challenges and develop sustainable, long-lasting solutions that are widely accepted in the Arctic. In this panel, four UArctic Chairs will discuss new perspectives on transdisciplinary cooperation, integrating natural sciences, health studies, humanities, and Indigenous expertise. The goal is to explore innovative approaches for the benefit of Arctic environments and local communities through co-constructed solutions.
CONVENERS:
- Jan Borm, UVSQ/University Paris-Saclay
- Hanne Hvidtfeldt Christiansen, UNIS Svalbard
Learning lessons for equitable marine research
Together, the chairs of the IASC Standing Committee on Indigenous Involvement, Marine Working Group, and Social and Human Working Group, will organize a session centered upon research planning for marine-themed topics. This session will take an interdisciplinary and holistic approach to identifying research questions and methods for equitable marine research. Speakers will be invited to share lessons learned from previous marine-themed projects, to reflect on research gaps in their specific fields of interests and expertise, and to offer advice for future research projects. In the end of the session, speakers will engage in a knowledge sharing discussion on similarities and differences between experiences and paths forward for future equitable Arctic marine stewardship and research that aid to mitigate and navigate environmental and lifeway changes. Marine research is holistic in nature and research includes food culture, subsistence fisheries, food security, commercial fisheries, the ocean in stories and story-telling, moving species, weather and safety at sea, growing ocean industries (i.e. cruise ships, aquaculture, energy), youth and connections to the sea, the ocean as home and a place for learning, shipping, sea ice, maritime heritage, gendered perspectives of ocean spaces, communities and harbors, ocean plastic, and much more.
A huge knowledge gap is understanding distinct worldviews and lifeways. J. Edward Chamberlin reminds us that the word subsistence for Indigenous Peoples “refers to all that is essential to their wellbeing, including their attachment to (spiritual as well as material) to their homeland…Indigenous Peoples talk about subsistence – that is, about shaping their lives according to patterns of sufficiency rather than of surplus.”
CONVENERS:
- Bridget Larocque, IASC Standing Committee on Indigenous Involvement
- Anita Lafferty, IASC Standing Committee on Indigenous Involvement
- Anna Heiða Ólafsdóttir, IASC Marine Working Group
- Catherine Chambers, IASC Social and Human Working Group
4. Arctic Research Cooperation and Diplomacy
Next-Generation Science Diplomats and the 5th International Polar Year
This panel dialogue with next-generation science diplomats will explore transdisciplinary possibilities of the 5th International Polar Year (IPY) 2032-2033 and outline a research agenda based in Haudenosaunee-inspired seven-generation thinking. By IPY-5, another generation of researchers will have developed their expertise to confront major challenges in the Polar regions. This panel session will provide an opportunity to empower early-career researchers to speak about their shared future and to establish common interests with research in science, governance and humanities. This panel dialogue will give voice to an intersectional group of younger stakeholders, rightsholders, and knowledge holders whose input into geopolitical and scientific processes has been limited, but is nonetheless essential to achieve needed breakthroughs for social-environmental well-being with sustainability. This session will serve as a “crucial milestone” to inspire and prepare early-career researchers to participate actively in Arctic research planning for the next decade and beyond. Panelists and participants will reflect on the following questions:
- How can early-career researchers contribute to building transdisciplinary IPY-5 projects and programs that integrate natural sciences, social sciences, Indigenous knowledge, and the arts?
- What values, principles, and methodologies do early-career researchers believe are necessary to achieve personal and societal goals in the area of international polar science?
- What lessons can be learned from past decades of international polar scientific cooperation, including IPY-3 and IPY-4 in view of convergent research with IPY-5?
This session is proposed by the Next-Generation Science Diplomat Committee established with the University of the Arctic (UArctic) Thematic Network on Science Diplomacy.
CONVENERS:
- Nicholas Parlato, Next Generation Science Diplomat Committee
- Zia Madani, Next Generation Science Diplomat Committee
- Susana Hancock, Next Generation Science Diplomats Committee
The 5th International Polar Year: Identifying Opportunities for Bi-polar Partnerships
For the 5th International Polar Year (IPY5, 2032-33) to be most effective, it is critical that research priorities that span both the Arctic and Antarctic are identified early and build upon ICARP IV and other related priority-setting activities for the polar regions. In addition, identifying research questions that are both shared and unique to the Arctic and the Antarctic will be vital for establishing the foundation for productive IPY5 partnerships and leveraging funding opportunities. This session will host a panel of Arctic and Antarctic researchers, including those involved in the International Arctic Science Committee and the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, who will provide an update on IPY5 planning; identify early examples of shared research priorities; address strategies to ensure broad and diverse engagement; and discuss what is needed to strengthen bipolar research coordination and planning in the lead up to IPY5.
CONVENERS:
- April Melvin, U.S. Polar Research Board
- Martin Jeffries, U.S. Polar Research Board (Chair)
Placing Governance at the Center of Arctic Research: A polycentric and multi-level lens to re-imagine Arctic governance for navigating change
Arctic governance for Arctic peoples occurs across a contemporary backdrop of transformational environmental and geopolitical change, colonial legacies, resurgent Indigenous sovereignty, and a crucial foundation of people-animal-landscape relationships. While climate change, marine transportation and geopolitical security concerns largely drive international narratives about the Arctic, processes of decision-making and governance will determine contemporary and future outcomes for Arctic and non-Arctic parties.
Academic and diplomatic framing of Arctic governance has been built on notions of nation-state and territorial sovereignty and rights. This hierarchical model is unrealistic given heightened engagement by sovereign Indigenous communities, and non-state actors, including corporations and non-profit organizations. Centering processes and dynamics of polycentric, multi-level governance in ways that enable novel governance arrangements to develop is critical. This requires re-imagining Arctic governance and power dynamics in ways that embrace diverse worldviews and knowledges, and understanding how entities navigate administrative rules to advocate for rights and decision-making that is equitable, just, flexible and dynamic.
This session brings together governance scholars across knowledge systems, disciplines, and local to global governance arrangements to engage with the roles, priorities and legal structures of diverse state and non-state actors with a focus on resurgent Indigenous sovereignty, and governance across a range of environmental and development contexts.
We propose a 90-minute curated panel consisting of 6 flash talks, that first define governance, then highlight key governance stakes across the RPTs, followed by a moderated discussion with the audience. Previewed speakers include Shauna BurnSilver, Tatiana Degai, Rauna Kuokkanen, Elana Wilson Rowe, Nicole Joy Wilson and Abigail York.
CONVENERS:
- Rauna Kuokkanen, University of Lapland (Finland) and University of Toronto
- Nicole Joy Wilson, University of Manitoba
- Shauna BurnSilver, Arizona State University
5. Co-Production and Indigenous-led methodologies
Indigenous Knowledge Sharing Circle: Emerging Indigenous Researchers and Knowledge Holders Perspectives on Research Ethics and Indigenous Policy
Research in Arctic Indigenous communities has a long history of applying poor ethical approaches and methodologies. There are multiple examples of extractive research that was built on bias and stereotypical understandings of what Indigenous communities in the Arctic need. Research for Indigenous Peoples is an act of self-determination based on the concept of “nothing about us without us.” The objective is to host an Indigenous-led Sharing Circle focused on research ethics that are inclusive of human rights, land rights, stewardship, responsibility, and cosmology that has informed Arctic Indigenous communities for millennia.
This session will gather Indigenous Knowledge Keepers, storytellers, and scholars in a sharing circle to offer their views on the research ethics in the Arctic. We will highlight the stories of success, lessons learned, mistakes, and gaps in the existing research ethics and approaches. The Sharing Circle will focus on research priorities projected by the Indigenous Peoples of the Arctic and offer guidance on how outside scholars and policymakers reorient their research to meet the needs and aspirations of Arctic Indigenous communities.
During the Circle we will rely on Indigenous methodologies that are deeply rooted in the land and connected to all animated and non-animated living beings. The inclusion of Indigenous philosophy represents ancient beliefs and values combined with land-based knowledge, language, culture, stewardship, reciprocity, and ceremony. It is a holistic teaching method representing ways of knowing, doing, and being with the land and community. Indigenous methodologies are fluid and are shaped by external pressures and geopolitical tensions impacting Indigenous communities in the Arctic.
CONVENERS:
- Bridget Larocque,IASC Standing Committee on Indigenous Involvement
- Tatiana Degai, University of Victoria
- Vivi Vold
Indigenous Arts as Science: Confronting Colonial Disciplinary Silos to Center Indigenous Knowledge
As Arctic science and research becomes more popular amidst a global climate crisis disproportionately felt by Arctic Indigenous Peoples, this session shifts power to Indigenous Peoples and their Knowledge Systems as methods for co-creating livable Arctic futures. Livable Arctic futures must prioritize the First Peoples of the Arctic and Indigenous Knowledge systems that already contain scientific adaptation strategies. Hegemonic institutional approaches that conduct Arctic science and research tend to leave out Indigenous Knowledge systems as irrelevant and inferior to “western” science, relegating Indigenous knowledge keepers and creators to “artisans” and Indigenous arts to “handicrafts” that contain no useful scientific information. This session confronts the colonial disciplinary silos that divide knowledge into confined categories to convey the strength of interrelated ways of knowing and sharing within Indigenous Knowledge systems while uplifting Indigenous arts as science.
Led by three Indigenous artists and scientists, we share the practices and praxes—ranging from visual arts, storytelling, and performance—to challenge colonial understandings of science. We identify how Indigenous practices from Alaska to Russia to Sapmi are scientific Indigenous methodologies guided by thousands of years of Protocol that has shaped our sustainable, continuous thriving presence in the Arctic since time immemorial. By centering Indigenous Knowledge systems, we dismantle colonial disciplinary silos that marginalize Indigenous perspectives in Arctic science spaces.
We invite researchers, Indigenous Knowledge holders, artists, policymakers, and community stakeholders to engage in dialogue aimed at advancing decolonized approaches to Arctic science, especially as it pertains to Research Priority Team 5: Co-Production and Indigenous-led methodologies.
CONVENERS:
- Haliehana Stepetin, Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies
- Tatiana Degai, University of Victoria
- Beaska Niillas, Sami Parliament
Uplifting Indigenous Peoples and Knowledge Systems in the Arctic
The Tamamta program seeks to transform fisheries education, research, and governance systems in Alaska and beyond. We are motivated by deep systemic inequities, Indigenous erasure, racism, and continued violence against Alaska Native Peoples, and we strive to uplift Tribal sovereignty, Indigenous values, governance practices, and knowledge systems. We envision a future where Indigenous Peoples and our/their knowledge and governance systems steward land, fish, and animal relations. Our program supports three cohorts of Indigenous and allied students to pursue their graduate degrees in western and Indigenous fisheries and marine sciences. We are working to decolonize and Indigenize our curriculum, programs, and institutions. We are hosting difficult dialogues on racial equity, providing short courses, and cultural exchanges for state and federal partner agencies to join this collective transformation. In this work, we center deep relational work based on reciprocity, respect, and redistribution. In this session, a panel of Tamamta scholars, advisors, and fellows will discuss pivotal lessons learned, highlight best practices, and generate dialogue about topics including: colonialism and systemic racism, Indigenizing and decolonizing approaches, Indigenous and non-Indigenous partnerships, allyship, supporting Indigenous students, and inequities in fishery systems.
CONVENERS:
- Courtney Carothers, Tamamta / University of Alaska Fairbanks
- Jessica Black, Tamamta / University of Alaska Fairbanks
- Sonia Ibarra, Tamamta / University of Alaska Fairbanks
- Peter Westley, Tamamta / University of Alaska Fairbanks
Towards shared understanding of co-creative and Indigenous-led research for ICARP IV
There is a need to decolonize and Indigenize Arctic research. Recent co-creative projects have illustrated how improved collaboration between Indigenous and non-Indigenous partners benefits all. Increasingly, more funding guidelines explicitly require co-creative approaches; however, these terms risk becoming box-ticking, obscuring continued exploitative practices. Similarly, good intentions do not always amount to ethical projects. Dominant Arctic research requires a better understanding of what ‘co-creative’ and ‘Indigenous-led research’ mean and a clearer grasp on the structural and practical requirements required to uphold Indigenous Peoples’ right to self-determination.
A group of Indigenous and non-Indigenous co-authors recently developed two documents with recommendations to address challenges and ethical concerns in co-creative and Indigenous-led research: the Comprehensive Policy Brief to the EU Commission - Roadmap to Decolonial Arctic Research (Herrmann et al., 2023) and Towards Arctic Research Upholding Indigenous Peoples’ Rights: Recommendations for ICARP IV, the International Conference on Arctic Research Planning (Holmberg et al., 2024). Focusing on Arctic research, topics include Indigenous Peoples’ right to self-determination; ethics, methods, and methodology; Indigenous-led research in design and practice; Indigenous Peoples’ co-equal participation in funding structures and decision-making; and funding for co-creative and Indigenous-led research.
Recently, IASC funded a process to broaden and deepen exchange of expertise and discussion on these topics. Activities included conference sessions and questionnaires to gather feedback from more voices in diverse parts of the Arctic about their thoughts and experiences of implementing these recommendations. This session will present key messages from the documents and insights gained from this engagement process.
CONVENERS:
- Evie Morin, Research Institute for Sustainability
- Aslak Holmberg, Saami Council
- Ikaarvik
Frozen Arctic Phase 2: Introducing a co-produced assessment of interventions to slow, halt, or reverse the effects of climate change in the Arctic
This session will introduce the recently started second phase of the UArctic Frozen Arctic Report. The first phase of this project collected all proposed interventions to slow, halt, or reverse the effects of climate change in the Arctic and scored them on 12 different categories. This literature review provided clarity about which projects exist, and what their potential strengths, weaknesses, and risks are, but also found that knowledge about such interventions was severely lacking. In the second phase, leading scientists, indigenous representatives, and key knowledge holders will co-produce an evaluation system for the proposed interventions, and select relevant experts to assess or produce knowledge on several of the most promising interventions. After summarising the findings from phase one, and outlining the motivation of phase two, this session will place particular emphasis on the co-production of knowledge and the exploration of the ways an assessment can be designed and conducted in a fair and just way that is acceptable to and legitimate for local communities and indigenous peoples.
CONVENERS:
- Tiina Kurvits, Grid Arendal
- Julius Mihkkal Eriksen Lindi, Arctic and Environmental Unit, Saami Council
- Albert van Wijngaarden, Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge
From vulnerability - to action: centering Indigenous languages, knowledges, and observations in response to climate change
Climate change poses challenges to Indigenous coastal communities in the Arctic who are witnessing its impacts daily. Losing land and sea ice to the ocean along with changing subsistence seasonality heavily impacts the socio-cultural, economic, and mental well-being of Indigenous communities. This talking circle will bring together Indigenous knowledge keepers from the coastal communities of Alaska, USA and Northwest Territories, Canada to share their stories and lived experiences on addressing the challenges of changing landscapes and practices. This talking circle will focus on how reclaiming Indigenous languages and knowledges in combination with current community-based observations can support tackling environmental challenges. We argue that land-based education, language revitalization, and community observation practices set the foundation for short and long-term planning and designing coastal communities’ futures. By showcasing examples of successful initiatives that address community priorities and needs, this talking circle will foster community-to-community knowledge sharing and contribute to exploring forward looking thinking and collaboration among rightsholders.
This session originated as part of the AC3TION research project (Alaska Coastal Cooperative for Co-producing Transformative Ideas and Opportunities in the North) which is committed to problem-solving that is process-based and grounded in actionable community-driven science and education. AC3TION grew out of existing partnerships with eight Arctic coastal communities that are responding to increasing climate-driven coastal hazards and environmental change. These include the Chignik Intertribal Coalition, Nelson Lagoon, Atka, St. Paul, Hooper Bay, Gambell, Point Lay, and Tuktoyaktuk.
CONVENERS:
- Tatiana Degai, University of Victoria
- Casey Ferguson, University of Alaska Fairbanks
- Morgen Bertheussen, McGill University
Advancing Equity in Arctic Research through Institutional Innovation and Change
Recent calls for equity in Arctic research have pointed to numerous challenges, including institutional barriers presented by university administrative systems, agency processes, funding models, traditional practices of academic advancement, and the current peer review model for funding and publication in research. In this session, we will bring together thought leaders in the space of equity and Indigenous-led research to consider possibilities for transforming existing institutions as well as the potential for institutional innovation to develop more equitable organizations and funding models for Arctic research. This session will connect thematically with the session “Call for Highlights of Increasing Equity in Arctic Research” includes a call for abstracts for engagement with the broader community; both sessions together will incorporate diverse perspectives and offer the opportunity for engaged discussion on the topic of equity in Arctic research.
CONVENERS:
- Noor Johnson, University of Colorado Boulder
- Cana Uluak Itchuaqiyaq, Virginia Tech
- Mary Beth Jager, University of Michigan
- Sandy Starkweather, University of Colorado - CIRES/NOAA
6. Education and knowledge-sharing in and about the Arctic: Research and Practice
The Polar Early Career World Summit 2025 - early career perspectives on the future of polar research advancing from ICARP IV to the 5th IPY
The Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), the Polar Science Early Career Community Office (PSECCO), and the Early Career Ocean Professionals (ECOP) Programme have collaborated to organize a 'Polar Early Career World Summit' alongside the ICARP IV Summit, engaging early career individuals in discussions shaping the definition of polar research priorities and initiating the planning of activities for the next IPY. The summit fostered international collaboration across disciplines and encouraged discussions that many early career professionals are already spearheading within the scientific community, including emphasizing a need for diversity and equity within polar research, urging open science development, working across disciplines, furthering applied research, effective science communication, and equitably collaborating through co-production of knowledge.
APECS, PSECCO and the ECOP Programme are hosting this session as a space to present the synthesized output of the World Summit and invite the broader community to engage and discuss polar research priorities with early career professionals. Adding to an overview provided by the Organizing Committee, World Summit rapporteurs are presenting the perspectives of the early career community on the ICARP IV themes, polar research priorities and ideas to inform the structuring and planning of activities in the 5th IPY. The following dialogue with the audience will center around these topics and provide further insights into the perspectives of the next generation of polar professionals.
CONVENERS:
- Axel Schlindwein, Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) International Directorate
- Mariama Dryák-Vallies, Polar Science Early Career Community Office (PSECCO)
- Conor Savage, Early Career Ocean Professionals (ECOP) Programme
Inspiring Northern and Indigenous Youth into Health and Social Services Careers through Boundary Work and Relational Research
This session seeks to explore ethical research practices in the development and implementation of community-based action research (CBAR) with youth, trying to do it " in a good way". Researchers conducting such studies face several documented challenges and dilemmas. Specifically, we aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of the integration of Indigenous knowledge, care ethics, and research ethics into CBAR initiatives. We aim to contribute to this reflection by sharing lived experiences from a project conducted in the Northwest Territories from 2022 to 2025, entitled "Spark Inspiration". This CBAR initiative focuses on understanding how to inspire northern and Indigenous youth (grades 8-12) to pursue careers in northern health and social services. This case study is particularly noteworthy because the project took place within a community college in a vast territory that spans 500,000 square miles and has an estimated population of approximately 45,000 people. The area is home to various Indigenous groups, including the Dene, Gwich'in, Inuvialuit, Métis, and other First Nations. This college, like many educational institutions in Canada, has historical and ongoing ties to colonial practices that impact and marginalize Indigenous knowledge and perspectives. As such, any initiative within such institutions must approach its work with sensitivity, humility, and a commitment to decolonizing practices that support Indigenous self-determination and sovereignty. The research team included social science and education researchers, nursing students, Indigenous and non-Indigenous community members, and nursing faculty. This diverse composition enriched the depth of the project. Indigenous knowledge systems, care ethics, and foundational research ethics principles intertwined to guide and shape the development of the project. Key themes such as trauma-informed approaches, community consent, confidentiality, inclusivity, and accountability were central to the process. In this session, we will discuss how these ethical considerations were navigated and integrated into the CBAR process, highlighting lessons learned, challenges faced, and implications for researchers, the community involved, and research outcomes.
CONVENERS:
- Andréanne Robitaille, Aurora Research Institute
- Antonia Lafferty
- Anita Lafferty
Education for a Sustainable, Inclusive North in the 21st Century
Education provision in the broadest sense is fundamental for preparing present and future generations living in the Arctic. However, for too long, institutional education systems at all levels, from early years to tertiary education, have been marked by colonialist pedagogies. Looking to the future, it is key that Arctic education institutions allow students, whether Indigenous, settlers, or recent arrivals, to grow up grounded in their own cultures and languages, while also preparing them for participation in the wider world.
This panel discussion will explore the tension between local and global in education policy and practice across the Arctic whilst acknowledging ongoing issues of identity, diversity, and inclusion in education systems across the Arctic. Much has changed in the Arctic in recent years; growing access to technology permits young people to engage with the wider world but also increases the need for education to be grounded in place, local culture, languages, and the shared history held by their communities.
Bringing together key actors and rights holders within education provision across the Arctic, the panel will include Indigenous youth representatives, policymakers including representatives from the Permanent Participants of the Arctic Council, and academics from three UArctic Thematic Networks focused on some element of education provision. The resultant diversity of experiences and perspectives will allow the panel to explore and offer novel proposals for more sustainable and inclusive educational practices across the north.
CONVENERS:
- Mhairi C. Beaton, Carnegie School of Education, Leeds Beckett University
- Diane Hirshberg, University of Alaska Anchorage
Bridges of the Arctic - extending the impacts of polar education pedagogies, practice-based research and public engagement in polar science
This session will provide a unique bridge for practitioners and researchers to discuss education topics within the ICARPIV RPT6 research planning context, connecting with current research, indigenous knowledge and impactful approaches, techniques and resources for reaching a diverse range of learners.
We Invite informative, interactive and collaborative presentations from all kinds of polar educators, education researchers and Arctic Indigenous knowledge holders that explore and develop interest in Arctic science engagement and
- Knowledge exchange - including innovative, thoughtful and fair ways to share polar knowledge and pedagogies
- Practice-based research to inspire and include diverse learners of all ages,
- Interdisciplinary collaboration to amplify the impact of Arctic knowledges and science research in local, national and international communities
Presentations will examine how practice based polar education research enables
- Teaching about the polar regions by educators outside the Arctic
- Education practitioners working Inside the Arctic circumpolar (language, i methods,
- Arctic educators engaging audiences beyond the Arctic
A facilitated panel discussion and interaction with participants will
- define key areas of need for educator practice-based research
- define the need for an evaluation framework for Arctic polar science impact through pedagogical practice in the Circumpolar and beyond
- Map the Interdisciplinary relationship between Polar education practice and education research for in and about the Arctic
CONVENERS:
- Sophie Weeks, Polar Educators International
- Alona Yefimenko
- Ramcharan Vijayaraghavan
7. Technology, Infrastructure, Logistics, and Services
Putting scientists in the field: 14 years of Transnational Access provision in INTERACT, the legacy and impact of ICARPIII and directions for ICARP IV
INTERACT is an EU funded circumarctic network of 74 terrestrial research stations linking local scale observations and international science and governance organisations. In addition, 21 research stations in Russia are currently on pause. The main objective of INTERACT is to build capacity for identifying, understanding, predicting and responding to diverse environmental changes throughout the wide environmental and land-use envelopes of the Arctic. The observing capacity of the Arctic is currently still limited, and INTERACT seeks to leverage that by offering access to the network of research stations for excellent science through its Transnational Access (TA) program. The program has been running for over a decade and here we report how the TA Programme has contributed to achieving the ICARP III targets and how it can help to shape the future research priorities for ICARP IV to achieve impactful and sustainable research in the Arctic.
The session will report results of two unique analyses:
- A survey among the INTERACT TA Users on how their research has contributed towards the ICARP III research priorities, and how has INTERACT TA impacted their research.
- Content analysis of over 550 TA project reports from 2011-2023 on ICARP III research priorities and the Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) keywords.
The analyses focused on trends in the science supported by TA, demographic and geographic trends among TA users, and on the use and impact of research results by TA users in post-project time, e.g. the impact and contribution for ICARP III, funders and policy makers.
CONVENERS:
- Anastasia Emelyanova, University of Oulu
- Hannele Savela, University of Oulu
- Elmer Topp-Jørgensen, Aarhus University
Developing an optimal infrastructure platform and logistical services to facilitate arctic science and implementation ICARP IV research priorities
Science is key to document and understand climate and ecosystem change and implications for societies on local to global scales. ICARP IV develop research priorities for the next decade and there is a need to ensure that infrastructures and logistical services are in place to accomplish science aims and provide the knowledge needed to support sustainable development in a region already impacted by climate change. Improved linkages between science organisations, infrastructure and logistics organisations and funders are key to developing a circumarctic platform that can facilitate access to relevant arctic environments. This session will explore current linkages and efforts to align science and infrastructure services and discuss what is needed to enable representative sampling across the Arctic and provide access to achieve scientific aims set out by ICARP IV, Arctic Council working groups and scientific networks in general.
CONVENERS:
- Dirk Mengedoht, AWI
- Marie Frost Arndal, Aarhus University
The Tara Polar Station: Identifying changes in the Arctic to anticipate future impacts and solutions
The speed of change and the fact that what happens in the Arctic impacts the entire planet, makes it a real sentinel. A Global Arctic…The objective of Tara Polar Station mission is to document and understand the dynamics of these transformations, objectify scientific data and identify the wealth of local biodiversity. The requirements and adversity of this extreme and dynamic environment have never allowed scientists to carry out year-round research at the heart of the polar pack ice. This will be the mission of Tara Polar Station. This project marks the beginning of a new scientific exploration that will last more than 20 years at the heart of the Arctic Ocean and we would like to share it and welcome the whole Arctic community. Speakers at the session will:
- Highlight the importance of studying life in the frozen world, the component of the Arctic ecosystems being currently the most at risk under climate change, and as such one of the best sentinels of global change;
- Present Tara Polar Station and its scientific objectives. One of the main goals is to explore the most crucial, yet most fragile component of the central Arctic ecosystem: the sea ice microbiome;
- Share the importance of international interdisciplinary efforts and cooperation.
CONVENERS:
- Clémentine Moulin, Fondation Tara Océan
8. Arctic Data
No sessions currently fall within this theme.