2016 Arctic Science Ministerial Side Event

Event Participation

Thank you to our collaborators, co-sponsors, and participants!

Participant List: 164 Attendees (PDF - 355 KB)

• Total # In-Person Participants (AM Session): 71
• Total # Online Participants (AM Session) : 84-94*
• Total # PM Session Participants: 37+
• Total # of People/Orgs using the #ArcticSciEd hashtag during the event: 55

*There were 10 unidentified online "Guest" or call-in only participants that are not included in the event participant list attached above.

The &feature=youtu.be">archive video of the morning panels is now available on ARCUS' YouTube channel: &feature=youtu.be">Watch on YouTube

About the Event

In collaboration with Arctic Portal, Arctic21, the Woods Hole Research Center (WHRC), PoLAR Partnership, EDU-Arctic, and the Consortium for Ocean Leadership, ARCUS hosted a special side-event to the 2016 Arctic Science Ministerial meeting at the ARCUS office in Washington, D.C. on 27 September, 2016.

Taking place immediately before the opening events of the first White House Arctic Science Ministerial, this special event engaged the international community of Arctic stakeholders in a constructive dialogue around one of the four key themes of the Arctic Science Ministerial: "Arctic Science as a Vehicle for STEM Education and Citizen Empowerment." It also provided a key opportunity for leaders participating in the Arctic Science Ministerial to engage with the wider Arctic stakeholder community and media on these topics before the closed meetings of the Arctic Science Ministerial began.

The event was organized into two sessions.

Session 1: Panel Presentations, 9-11:30am

The &feature=youtu.be">archive video of the morning panels is now available on ARCUS' YouTube channel: &feature=youtu.be">Watch on YouTube

With doors opening at 8:30am, the morning session program took place from 9:00am to 11:30am. The morning session featured two panel discussions by Arctic educators, researchers, and community leaders.

9:00am: Opening Session

• Robert H. Rich (Executive Director, Arctic Research Consortium of the United States): Welcome and introduction from the organizers and a few words about ARCUS
• Mark Brzezinski (Executive Director of the US Arctic Executive Steering Committee): Welcome address from the US Arctic Executive Steering Committee
• Rafe Pomerance (Chair of Arctic 21): A few words about Arctic 21

9:20am: Panel discussion focused on the use of Arctic research as a vehicle for education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics

Max Holmes, a senior scientist at the Woods Hole Research Center, moderated the first panel discussion. The panel featured:

• Nivi Olsen (Greenlandic Minister of Education, Culture, Research and Church): Educational priorities for Northern residents
• John Wood (PolarTREC teacher from Talbert Middle School, Huntington Beach, California ): Bringing the Arctic to classrooms elsewhere in the world
• Halldór Jóhansson (Arctic Portal Director): The EDU-ARCTIC program
• Fran Ulmer (Chair, US Arctic Research Commission): Summary and next steps

Panel discussion with audience participation

10:10am: Break

10:25am: Joseph Cheek (Senior Communications Manager, Arctic Portal): A few words about Arctic Portal

10:30am: Panel discussion focusing on empowering Arctic communities through research an education

The second panel was moderated by veteran reporter on Arctic climate change issues Suzanne Goldenberg. The panel featured:

• Igor Krupnik (Curator, Arctic Studies Center, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History): What can we learn from Northerners about the impacts of Arctic environmental changes?
• Okalik Eegeesiak (Chair, Inuit Circumpolar Council): How do Northerners define empowerment?
• Gunn-Britt Retter (Head of Arctic and Environment Unit, Saami Council): How scientific research can empower Arctic indigenous communities
• Tara Sweeney (Chair, Arctic Economic Council): What kind of future do Northerners envision for the Arctic?

Panel discussion with audience participation

11:30am: End of panel discussions

The public was invited to attend the morning panel presentations via online streaming. In-person registration for the morning panel discussions closed prior to the event due to space limitations.

Session 2: Hands-On Activities and Resources, 1-4pm

Following the panel discussions, afternoon visitors were invited to spend time investigating the event's informational displays and learning about hands-on Arctic STEM activities and resources. Attendees had the chance to explore tools ranging from mobile apps to scenario explorations to card and board games that help formal and informal educators, school administrators, lifelong learners, and families bring the Arctic into their homes and classrooms. Some of the activities and resources that featured included:

• Polar Explorer: Sea Level: a mobile app for diving into the causes and consequences of past, present, and future sea level changes.
• The NASA Space Communications and Navigation PufferSphere: a 360 degree multi-touch interactive system that highlights some of NASA's Earth science data.
• Arctic SMARTIC: a role-playing exercise about the opportunities and challenges of managing resources in times of change.
• World Wildlife Fund Online interactives: explore the implications of oil and gas development in the Arctic
• Test out your ocean science knowledge to see if you have what it takes to win the National Ocean Sciences Bowl
• A series of Arctic jigsaw puzzles that piece together changes in Arctic sea ice, ice sheets, and glaciers
• PolarTREC Learning Resources: a free onlie resource library of articles, lessons, activities, interactive media, and more for educators, families, students, or anyone interested in teaching or learning more about the science of the Arctic and Antarctica.
• Extreme Cold Weather Gear: experience what it's like to work as a scientist in the harsh Arctic environment
• Frontier Scientists Arctic Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) Game app: a hands-on game challenge where you can navigate a flying quadcopter during stormy Alaska weather, catch the perfect aerial shot of rare wildlife, and uncover trails through rough sea ice.
• Plus, an opportunity to participate in an Arctic-themed mini-game jam and create your own Arctic STEM resource

Visitors were invited to join the afternoon session of the event at any time between 1pm and 4pm. You did not have to be a registered for the morning session to be a participate in the event's afternoon activities.

Social Media

The online conversation surrounding this event used the hashtag #ArcticSciEd

Event Documents & Resources

• Agenda (PDF - 73.6 KB)
• Speaker Bios & Photos (PDF - 1.4 MB)
• STEM Resources Featured at the Event (PDF - 1 MB)
• Info from Woods Hole Research Center (PDF - 5 MB)
• Info from ARCUS (PDF - 5.9 MB)
• Info from Arctic Portal (PDF - 347 KB)
• Featured Video 1: "POLARIS Project"
• ">Featured Video 2: "EDU-ARCTIC - Engaging students in STEM education through Arctic Research"
• ARCUS Report to Members on the White House Arctic Science Ministerial and Related Events

The &feature=youtu.be">archive video of the morning panels is now available on ARCUS' YouTube channel: &feature=youtu.be">Watch on YouTube

Event Organizers:

ARCUS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit, member-focused corporation with a mission to serve as a catalyst for interdisciplinary thinking, acting, and education leading to the development of highly collaborative partnerships among the global Arctic research community. ARCUS envisions strong and productive linkages among international Arctic researchers, educators, communities, and other stakeholders that promote discovery and understanding of the Arctic and inform sound decisions related to the Arctic. ARCUS has developed a portfolio of activities that engage a wide variety of audiences including its signature education program, PolarTREC (Teachers and Researchers Exploring and Collaborating). Academic, research, government, indigenous, and corporate organizations are eligible for membership in ARCUS, as are individuals who share an interest in connecting and advancing Arctic research. ARCUS members join in a common purpose of advancing knowledge of the Arctic through science, technology, indigenous knowledge, and other forms of knowing; promoting the application of this knowledge to circumpolar Arctic problems; and addressing in concert those questions that require the collaborative skills and resources of scientists, engineers, indigenous knowledge holders, and others throughout the world.

Arctic Portal is a not-for-profit organization based in Akureyri, Iceland which acts as a comprehensive gateway to Arctic information and data. In consultation and cooperation with members of the Arctic Council member states, observer states and organizations, its Working Groups, Permanent Participant organizations and other Arctic stakeholders, Arctic Portal works to increase information-sharing and cooperation among those who live, work and have an interest in the Arctic. The Portal has initiated and maintains a network of information and data-sharing services – including web-based services that translate scientific data into user-friendly maps that educators, policymakers, and the general public can understand and use. Arctic Portal also hosts more than 50 websites of Arctic organizations and institutions of high importance, prominently participates in international Arctic research projects, and is involved in a wide variety of international consortia such as the Northern Forum, the European Polar Board, EU-PolarNet, the Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks (SAON), the Arctic Data Committee (ADN), the International Permafrost Association (IPA), the China-Nordic Arctic Research Centre (CNARC), and the EDU-ARCTIC consortium. The Portal has also taken the lead in setting up the Global Terrestrial Network for Permafrost Database, the Arctic Maritime and Aviation Transport Initiative, and the Arctic Renewable Energy Atlas.

Woods Hole Research Center is an independent research institute where scientists investigate the causes and effects of climate change to identify and implement opportunities for conservation, restoration and economic development around the world. WHRC scientists conduct research from the Siberian permafrost to the Amazon rainforest. For three consecutive years, WHRC has been named the top climate change think tank in the world by the International Center for Climate Governance.

Arctic 21 is a network of non profit advocacy organizations, research institutions and scientists supporting the US decision to make climate change in the Arctic and its consequences a focus of the US Chairmanship of the Arctic Council. Arctic 21 has two priorities in the second year of the US Chairmanship. First, Arctic 21 will continue to communicate the unraveling of the Arctic including trends in sea ice, snow cover, the Greenland Ice Sheet, Arctic glaciers and permafrost. Second, Arctic 21 is working to establish a framework for considering Arctic policy through the question, “what is the Arctic we have to have?" Arctic 21 is administered by the Woods Hole Research Center.

The PoLAR Partnership (The Polar Learning and Responding: PoLAR Climate Change Education Partnership) seeks to inform public understanding of and response to climate change through the use of innovative educational approaches that utilize fascination with the shifting polar environments and are geared towards lifelong learners. Supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation, the PoLAR Partnership has developed a portfolio of activities and resources that engage a wide variety of audiences and are exciting to use in homes, museums, classrooms, and communities.  Based out of the Columbia Climate Center at the Earth Institute, Columbia University, the PoLAR Partnership is an interdisciplinary collaboration that includes experts in climate science, formal and informal education, learning theory, game design, and communication.

EDU-ARCTIC is an EU-funded project focused on using Arctic research as a vehicle t ostrengthen science education curricula all across Europe. It aims to encourage students aged 13 to 20 to pursue further education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), setting them on a path to perhaps one day work in one of these sectors. The EDU-ARCTIC project uses a mix of different tools to bring a fresh approach to teaching STEM subjects, including online webinar lessons with polar scientists (during which students enter a virtual classroom that allows them to experience polar science firsthand), a “citizen science” environmental monitoring program, teacher trainings and workshops, an online “Polarpedia” portal with loads of useful information, and a chance for students to win a trip to an Arctic research station!

Consortium for Ocean Leadership is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization that represents more than 100 of the leading public and private ocean research and education institutions, aquaria and industry with the mission to advance research, education and sound ocean policy. The organization also manages ocean research and education programs in areas of scientific ocean drilling, ocean observing, ocean exploration, and ocean partnerships.