This past weekend, I was extremely pleased to launch my third Model Arctic Council conference for secondary schools, after the Norwich Model Arctic Council (NORMAC, launched 2016) and Model Arctic Council Bilbao (MAC Bilbao, launched 2018). The first annual Wycombe Model Arctic Council (WYCOMAC) saw 25 pupils from 8 schools gather at Wycombe Abbey in …
Presentation at UK-Russia Arctic Marine Science Workshop
Today I had the privilege of visiting Northumbria University in Newcastle to participate in a UK-Russia Arctic Marine Science Workshop. The workshop focused on collaboration with Lomonosov Moscow State University (LMSU), especially their White Sea Biological Station (WSBS). I was particularly pleased to be able to showcase my Model Arctic Council (MAC) programmes, such as …
Model Arctic Council at Secondary School
Growing interest in the Arctic Council amongst scholars and educators has recently stimulated a number of Model Arctic Councils (MACs). MACs are pedagogical simulations in which participants play the role of delegate to a cycle of Arctic Council meetings. MACs are normally aimed at university students, particularly postgraduates and advanced undergraduates, but since 2016 I …
Lecture to Royal Geographical Society East of England
The geography of the Arctic has long been a geography of fantasies—fantasies of manly heroism, of colonial exploitation, and especially today of climate disaster and redemption. But the real Arctic has even longer been a home to indigenous peoples and other northerners. Who pays the price when our Arctic fantasies meet reality? This talk will uncover the …
Presentation at 6th UK Arctic Science Conference
Last week I attended the 2019 UK Arctic Science Conference, the sixth in a series of biannual conferences sponsored by the UK Arctic Office and hosted this year by Loughborough University. It was a pleasure to see some familiar faces there—not only from the UK but also from Russia—to make many new acquaintances, and to …
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 …
Norwich Model Arctic Council for University
I’m delighted to announce that last week I launched the first Norwich Model Arctic Council for University (NORMAC University), in collaboration with Trent University in Canada and the University of East Anglia (UEA) in the UK. Twenty-three students from these two universities gathered together on the UEA campus for five days of learning about the …
Online Mini Model Arctic Council for Trent University
It was a real pleasure to spend a few hours today online with a group of students from Trent University taking an introductory course on the Arctic. I ran a very small Model Arctic Council (MAC) simulation for them, in which they played the roles of diplomats grappling with Arctic issues at a meeting of …
Presentation at 2nd Model UN Advisers Conference
Yesterday, I had the privilege of giving a brief presentation about my Model Arctic Council (MAC) initiative to a conference of Model United Nations (MUN) Advisers—secondary-school teachers who encourage and support their pupils as they prepare for and participate in simulated UN diplomacy. MUN has existed almost as long as the United Nations itself, and …
Presentation at 4th Polar Educators International Workshop
This week I had the pleasure of attending the fourth Polar Educators International (PEI) Workshop, co-hosted by the Scott Polar Research Institute and Christ’s College, University of Cambridge. PEI was founded in 2012 as a legacy of the Fourth International Polar Year. It serves the vital purpose of fostering dialogue between educators and researchers in order …