I mentioned in my wrap-up note on the first Scotland Model Arctic Council (SCOTMAC) that faculty at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), where the simulation was held in March 2022, seem to have found the experience just as inspiring as the participating students did. It was amazingly gratifying enough for me that my …
Category: Asides
Participation in Circumpolar Civic Education Workshop
This past week, I was excited to travel to Rovaniemi and Ánar/Inari, Finland, to participate in the first in-person workshop of the University of Washington’s (UW’s) ‘Co-designing Civic Education for the Circumpolar North‘ project. It’s an honour for me to collaborate on this educationally important project, led by Jason Young, Nadine Fabbi and Michelle Koutnik of UW, and funded by the …
Polar Aspect Statement on Ukraine
Polar Aspect strongly condemns Russia’s unjustified, unprovoked and immoral attack on Ukraine. We deeply deplore the immense suffering that Russia’s war is now visiting upon the people of Ukraine, and we salute their courage and resilience in the face of it. Polar Aspect is dedicated to promoting understanding and dialogue in the Arctic and around …
Appointment to UEA School of Environmental Sciences
I’m very pleased and honoured to announce my appointment as Honorary Lecturer with the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia. I’ve been working with colleagues there over the past few years, especially Dr Martin Mahony, and it’s a privilege to be officially welcomed into their academic community. I’m looking forward to …
Collaboration with University of Washington
Polar Aspect congratulates Jason Young, Nadine Fabbi and Michelle Koutnik of the University of Washington on their ‘Navigating the New Arctic‘ award from the US National Science Foundation for their project ‘Co-Designing Civic Education for the Circumpolar North‘. We were pleased to be able offer a letter of support for their application for funding, and …
Lecture at University of Northern British Columbia
On Monday, I had the privilege of delivering a guest lecture to third- and fourth-year undergraduate students at the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC). The students were all taking part in the UNBC Geography Department’s course ‘Changing Arctic: Human and Environmental Systems’, convened by Prof Gail Fondahl. My lecture was entitled ‘”Greenshit go home” …
Launch of UArctic Læra Institute for Circumpolar Education
I’m pleased to share the press release below, announcing the launch of the Læra Institute for Circumpolar Education, a new part of the international University of the Arctic, to which I’m honoured to have been appointed Managing Director. Our work formally began in early September, and I’m looking forward to collaborating with my UArctic colleagues …
Appointment to Trent School for the Study of Canada
I’m honoured and delighted to announce that today I’ve been appointed to the School for the Study of Canada at Trent University as an Adjunct Professor. This appointment follows recent collaboration with Trent on Model Arctic Council initiatives, both online as part of a Trent course and in-person as a stand-alone five-day simulation for students …
A letter from Greenpeace
My recent Northern Public Affairs column, “Arctic saviour complex,” seems to have caught the attention of Greenpeace. In my column, I criticized Greenpeace for failing to cooperate with arctic states and indigenous peoples in its campaign to “save the Arctic” from oil pollution and overfishing. As I wrote in a later summary of my column: Greenpeace …