On Tuesday, I ran an online ‘mini’ Model Arctic Council (MAC) for students taking Prof Heather Nicol’s third-year ‘Geography of the Polar Regions’ course at Trent University. Most of the participating students were from Trent, but they also included two students from Finnish universities taking the course through the UArctic Circumpolar Studies programme. The mini-MAC followed a similar one last academic year, as well as an initial one the previous year. Feedback suggests that students find them a valuable addition to their studies.

These online mini-MACs offer a course-based complement to my full, multi-day online and in-person MACs for universities and schools, such as the recent Trent-Yukon Model Arctic Council and Online Model Arctic Council conferences. Having now run three mini-MACs at Trent, I’m pleased to think that they’re becoming an integral part of Trent’s innovative online Circumpolar Studies Diploma programme. Indeed, I’m now finalising development of a second-year Trent Circumpolar Studies course on ‘The International North and the Arctic Council’, which will serve as the future home for Trent mini-MACs. The new course launches in May!

As ever, I’m grateful to Heather for inviting me into her class, and for our continued collaboration on many projects.