Yesterday I had the very enjoyable experience of participating in an ‘Arctic/Antarctic Symposium‘ connected with the Centre of Gravity (CoG) contemporary art exhibition. Originally planned as an in-person event in the old Soapworks in Bristol, which was turned over to the CoG artistic collective for a month of artistic and creative outreach, the symposium unfortunately …
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 …
Student remarks on 2nd online mini Model Arctic Council for Trent University
I was very pleased recently to read a blog post from Stephanie Masterman, an undergraduate student at the University of Washington who participated in the second online ‘mini’ Model Arctic Council (MAC) that I ran this past July as part of a Trent University course on the Circumpolar North. Stephanie seems to have found her …
2nd Online Mini Model Arctic Council for Trent University
Today I ran a second online Model Arctic Council (MAC) for students at Trent University where I’m appointed as an adjunct professor, as well as from other universities around the world participating in the University of the Arctic Circumpolar Studies programme. This ‘mini-MAC’ follows a similar one last year, though slightly expanded and more deeply …
Presentation at MUN Impact Global Summit
I was delighted to give a presentation today on ‘Model Arctic Council for Sustainable Development’ to teachers and students attending the first ever Global Summit hosted by MUN Impact. MUN Impact is an exciting young organisation dedicated to using Model United Nations simulations to inspire secondary-school pupils to learn about sustainable development, and to take …
Lecture to AGATU International Summer School
It was a pleasure to give a lecture today on ‘The Moral Geography of the Arctic’ to faculty and students attending the International Summer School hosted by the Arctic State Agrotechnological University (AGATU, in Russian Arkticheskiy Gosudarstvyennuy Agrotekhnologicheskiy Universitet) in Yakutsk, Sakha Republic, Russia. Due to Covid-19, the summer school was held online. This was perhaps …
Norwich Model Arctic Council 5
Last week, the fifth annual Norwich Model Arctic Council (NORMAC) convened at Norwich School in the UK. Like last year’s conference, NORMAC 2020 spanned three days, from the afternoon of Thursday 5th March to the afternoon of Sunday 8th March. It was the largest NORMAC conference yet, involving 49 pupils visiting from seven secondary schools …
Model Arctic Council Bilbao 3
Last week, 24 pupils from 12 secondary schools gathered at Colegio Ayalde in Bilbao, Spain, for the second annual Model Arctic Council Bilbao (MAC Bilbao). They came from schools in France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the UK, and I was especially pleased to see one pupil attending MAC Bilbao for a third consecutive year! As at MAC Bilbao 2019, …
Wycombe Model Arctic Council
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 …