Educator Liza Backman Heading to Toolik Field Station, Alaska Education
Teacher Liza Backman from Brooklyn Emerging Leaders Academy in Brooklyn, New York, will be traveling to Fairbanks, Alaska in mid-May to prepare for field work before heading to Toolik Field Station, north of the Brooks Range. She’ll be joining researchers Dr. Steve Oberbauer and Dr. Jeremy May as part of the Phenology and Vegetation in the Warming Arctic 2021 expedition. The team will study environmental variability and increased temperature on tundra plant phenology, growth, species composition and ecosystem function. Follow Liza's expedition to the Arctic by learning more about the expedition and following her journals!
Arctic Research Seminar with Dr. Emily Choy Webinar
ARCUS invites registration for the next Arctic Research Seminar featuring Emily Choy, postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Natural Resource Sciences at McGill University and Environment and Climate Change Canada. Dr. Choy’s presentation, titled “Marine Predators as Sentinels of Environmental Change in Arctic Ecosystems,” will be held via Zoom on Friday, 23 April 2021 at 9:00 a.m. AKDT (1:00 p.m. EDT). Registration is required for this event.
Witness Community Highlights Publication
The March 2021 issue of Witness Community Highlights is now available online. This issue includes three articles: President Biden Changes Leadership of US Arctic Research Commission, providing background information on David Kennedy, recently appointed Chair of the USARC; Appointment of Dr. Jennifer Mercer as Acting Section Head for NSF Office of Polar Programs Arctic Sciences Section, a summary of her broad scientific background and related field experience; and Request for Public Comment on the Draft Arctic Research Plan 2022–2026, an overview of the IARPC draft plan and guidelines for providing input.
For questions, or to suggest topics for future articles, please contact Betsy Turner-Bogren, ARCUS (betsy [at] arcus.org).
2020 Sea Ice Outlook Post-Season Report Now Available Report
The 2020 Sea Ice Outlook (SIO) Post-Season Report is now available online. The SIO is a community network activity led by the Sea Ice Prediction Network-Phase 2 (SIPN2) Project Team with contributions from key partners. This report includes in-depth discussions and analysis of factors impacting sea ice this past summer, the SIO contributions, regional observation, predicted spatial fields, Antarctic contributions, seasonal sea ice forecasting for the Alaska marine shipping industry, and a summary from the Sea Ice Drift Forecast Experiment (SIDFEx). This report also includes a discussion of lessons learned from the SIO Contributors Forum, and discussions regarding probabilistic assessment of the 2008-2020 Outlooks and an evaluation of SIO forecast skill relative to control forecasts.
Sea Ice for Walrus Outlook Season Begins Announcement
The 2021 Sea Ice for Walrus Outlook (SIWO) season will begin this Friday, 23 March. SIWO is a resource for Alaska Native subsistence hunters, coastal communities, and others interested in sea ice and walrus in the Bering Strait region. The SIWO provides weekly reports during the spring sea ice season with information from the National Weather Service, local observers, and other sources on weather and sea ice conditions. Outlooks are available on our webpage and on Facebook.
Citizen Science Conference Meeting
Save the date! This online event is scheduled for October 5-7, 2021.
This virtual conference, integrated with social media, will focus on sharing best practices and challenges of conducting citizen science research in the Arctic. This conference is in response to a growing community of Arctic researchers, Arctic communities, and Arctic visitors that are becoming more engaged in citizen science research. Although there are many resources regarding citizen science available online, they are not specific to the Arctic. A virtual conference will enable participants from across the Arctic to participate. A post-conference white paper, as well as archived presentations, will contribute to the overall citizen science community’s shared knowledge base, long-term goals, and a growing community of practice.
Engaging Rural and Alaska Native Undergraduates and Youth in Arctic STEM Workshop
Announcing an upcoming workshop: Engaging Rural and Alaska Native Undergraduates and Youth in Arctic STEM, to be held online April 13-15, 2021.
The goal of this workshop is to bring together rural and Alaska Native undergraduates and youth, federal agency representatives, researchers on Arctic STEM projects, Indigenous faculty, and community members to discuss the gaps, challenges, opportunities, and successful practices to increase and support the representation of rural and Alaska Native undergraduates and youth in STEM education and career pathways. To ensure this process of learning doesn't replicate the top-down, outside-in model that can be extractive, our virtual workshop will include a collaborative process with all participants and interested organizations. This effort will produce recommendations for systemic change focused on increasing rural and Alaska Native and undergraduates and youth to consider entering STEM fields in Arctic Alaska.
Submit your interest form no later than Monday, March 8, 2021, by 5 PM AKST, if you'd like to participate in this online workshop.
Arctic Research Collaboration Workshop Workshop
Join UCIrvine, the Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S. (ARCUS), and IARPC Collaborations for a virtual Arctic Research Collaboration Workshop on Friday, 16 April from 9am-1pm AK/1-5pm ET. Learn from experienced interdisciplinary researchers as they share examples of successful collaborative research projects and reflect on the processes that support project conceptualization, disciplinary integration, and effective engagements with local communities. The workshop will also include a hands-on collaboration sprint to help stimulate new project ideas. Individuals and teams are invited to apply by Wednesday, 17 March.
The Arctic Research Collaboration Workshop is the second activity in a new collaborative research event series designed to provide participants with the opportunity to:
- Network with potential project partners
- Workshop interdisciplinary research ideas
- Meet with Arctic research funders
ARCUS Board Update Announcement
Congratulations and lots of gratitude to our re-elected Board members, Peter Webley (University of Alaska Fairbanks), Diane Hirshberg (University of Alaska Anchorage), Kaare Erickson (UIC Science), and Pips Veazey (University of Alaska Fairbanks), who were elected for a new term ending 2023.
ARCUS 2020 Annual Meeting Report Report
A meeting report on the 2020 ARCUS Annual Meeting, held virtually on 29 October 2020, is now available. The meeting brought together more than 128 individuals from the Arctic research community, including 41 attendees from ARCUS Member Institutions and 26 ARCUS Individual Members. This annual open meeting serves as an important opportunity for the ARCUS community to share updates, explore common issues, and discuss collaboration opportunities.
Image Spotlight
Eroding coastline and beach debris. Lisa Sheffield Guy: "There is still a lot of garbage left behind from the old base at Northeast Cape, plus lots of garbage that washed onshore from Russia and Asia." Northeastern St. Lawrence Island, Alaska.
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Arctic Research Seminars
The ARCUS Arctic Research Seminar Series invites leading Arctic researchers and community leaders to share, both in person and via simultaneous webinar, the latest findings in Arctic research and what they mean for decision-making. The events are free and open to the public, and will be of particular interest to interest to the international Arctic research community, federal agency officials, congressional staff, non-governmental organizations, Arctic educators, and the public.
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