Past Events

As part of the American Association for the Advancement of Science's Science and Society: Global Challenges series, Jed Hamilton, senior Arctic consultant with Exxon Mobil; Dr. Julieanne Stroeve of the National Snow and Ice Date Center; and Dr. John Farrell of the US Arctic Research Commission will discuss the Arctic as an emerging market.

The event takes place from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM in the AAAS Auditorium at 1200 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, DC. A reception will start at 5:00PM.

The world premiere for the award-winning telematic opera Auksalaq has been announced for October 29th at 5 pm EST, to be performed simultaneously between The Phillips Collection in Washington DC, the University of Alaska Museum of the North, Lu Magnus Gallery in New York, Tavel Center at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, CIRMMT at McGill University in Montreal, Grieg Academy of Music in Bergen Norway, and the OpenGrounds Studio and Clemons Library at the University of Virginia.

Auksalaq, the Inupiat word for “melting snow/ice”, provides an in-depth journey into the vast and remote, yet rapidly changing arctic regions of Alaska and Canada. Created by composer Matthew Burtner and producer/media artist Scott Deal, the work integrates artistic expression, scientific information, and social/political commentary into an interactive, multi-dimensional collection of narratives that provide a stirring and sobering commentary on the transformation of the Far North as a result of global climate change.

Performance ensembles will include Bit20 (Norway), UT Knox Ensemble (USA), McGill Percussion and Chamber Ensemble (Canada), EcoSono Ensemble (USA), and Telematic Collective (USA). An interactive audience-participation software called NOMADS enables engagement with the performance in real-time across all the stages. Audience members are encouraged to attend the concert with their mobile devices in order to participate. In October 2011, Internet2, the nation’s most advanced networking consortium, presented the Internet2 Driving Exemplary Applications (IDEA) Award to Scott Deal and Matthew Burtner for their creation of Auksalaq, which was described as “the single best and most important realization of meaningful opera for today’s world”.

October 29, 2012 at 1PM at the University of Alaska Museum of the North Auditorium.

Organizers announce that the first Interdisciplinary Research Symposium
will be held Monday, 29 October 2012 at the University of Alaska
Fairbanks (UAF) in the Wood Center Ballroom.

Hosted by the UAF Resilience and Adaptation Program, the event is free
and open to students, faculty, and the public -- anyone interested in
interdisciplinary research and arctic issues is welcome to attend. The
event includes a student poster session, keynote speaker with extended
question and answer session, and light refreshments.

The Law of the Sea Treaty aims to codify divers activities and the management of natural resources. Coming into force in 1994, the treaty has yet to be ratified by the US Congress. Proponents argue it protects US interests at seas, while opponents say argue it is an infringement of US sovereignty. Caitlyn Antrim of the Stimson Center will argue the treaty is in the United States' interests. Steven Groves of the Heritage Foundation will argue the treaty is not in the United States' interests. This program will be moderated by Edward Swaine, Professor of Law at The George Washington University Law School.

This event is co-sponsored with the American Academy of Diplomacy.

This event will take place from 6:30-8:30pm at the Jack Morton Auditorium at George Washington University.

The conference is devoted to important aspects of scientific studies of the shelf and archipelagos of the European Arctic, discussion of plans and research programs of further studies, and international cooperation.

Conference themes include:
- Current status of the arctic environment;
- Dynamics of climatic changes;
- Assessment of the state of ecosystems, and ecological and resources potential;
- Biodiversity of communities of arctic ecosystems;
- Dynamics of glaciers, periglacial events and processes;
- Geological and geophysical studies;
- Quaternary geology, paleogeography;
- Instruments and methods of studies; and
- Archaeological studies.

Registration deadline: 1 April 2012.
Abstract submission deadline: 31 May 2012.

Nikan: The Future of the North

Organizers of the 10th National Student Conference on Northern Studies announce a call for posters and open registration for the meeting to be held 1-3 November 2012 at the Universite du Quebec en Abitibi-Temiscamingue (UQAT) in Val-d'Or, Quebec, Canada.

The 2012 conference, entitled "Nikan: The Future of the North," will include discussions on the future of the North in response to climate change, and major socioeconomic and geopolitical issues. Presentation topics will include northern people; the changing north; the economy, employment, and training; public health; the biophysical environment and natural resources; politics; and northern research.

Students enrolled in graduate and undergraduate studies at Canadian universities are invited to submit proposals for poster presentations in northern studies disciplines including human and social sciences, health sciences, and natural sciences and engineering. Limited financial assistance is available for students who are making presentations at the conference.

Submissions for proposed posters should include the title of the poster; name, positions, and full contact details of all authors; and an abstract of 400 words maximum. Proposals should be submitted by email to: sce2012 [at] uqat.ca.

The Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) and the Silverton Avalanche School are offering a three day workshop on Mountain Meteorology. Morning sessions will provide a basic understanding of meteorological principles applied to weather in mountainous areas. Afternoon sessions will focus on using publically available weather information to create a local forecast. Participants will interact with experienced weather forecasters and work in small groups to generate and present their own forecasts. The workshop is designed for avalanche practitioners and avid recreationalists. Anyone interested in mountain weather phenomena is welcome and no previous meteorological education is required. Participants are encouraged to bring their own laptop computer with wireless capability for the small group exercises.

The geoscience community throughout the Southeast is working hard to make this an exciting and stimulating meeting designed to meet your interests and needs.

The meeting, with a broad array of field trips, technical sessions, and short courses, will surely be a good investment in your career and in the education of the next generation of geoscientists. Field trips are planned to investigate recent advances in our understanding of the geology of the Coastal Plain, Piedmont, and Blue Ridge geologic provinces. Technical sessions have been proposed that cover the full range of geoscience research both at home and abroad. Short courses and workshops provide opportunities to learn research methods and skills in an intimate setting. The exhibit hall will have the latest publications and instrumentation on display, and will provide a venue to discuss research and policy initiatives with members of GSA Divisions, Associated Societies, and government agencies. And, of course, opportunities to meet with old and new colleagues will abound!

Given by Jess Grunblatt, GINA; Rob Boechenk, AOOS; Amy Merten, NOAA, this webinar is part of a series of Alaska Climate webinars given by the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment & Policy (ACCAP).

A number of data portals and mapping tools provide publicly accessible map-based data about Alaska's environment. Where might one find real-time information on weather and ocean conditions? Download satellite imagery? Or find data useful for spill response? This webinar will provide an introduction to the data resources available through UAF's Geographic Information Network of Alaska (GINA), the Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS), and NOAA's Environmental Response Management Application (ERMA). Each group will provide a brief demo of their portal or tools, helping viewers learn about the similarities and differences of these three systems, and how to find the information they need.

To hear the audio presentation during a webinar:

1. With a regular telephone dial: 1- (877) 594-8353
2. When prompted, enter the Participant passcode: 83847342

PLEASE MUTE YOUR PHONE DURING THE PRESENTATION and DO NOT put us on hold. The audio is very sensitive and your external conversations, typing, and hold music can be heard by other participants. Thank You.

To view the presentation during a webinar:

1. Point your web browser to: http://infiniteconferencing.com/Events/accap/
2. Enter Participant Code 83847342.
3. Enter the rest of the requested information (The name and organization you enter will be seen by other participants, but your contact information will remain confidential)
4. Click the blue "log-in" button

For support during a call, press *0 on your phone and a conferencing coordinator will assist you.

This software will work for both Mac and PC users. You may be prompted to turn off Pop-Up Blockers. In most cases you can right click on the pop-up blocker and click on the "Allow pop-up blocker" message.

For best results, please connect to the internet with Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, or Internet Explorer. Chrome users may occasionally experience instability.

This workshop is intended to provide a forum to present and discuss all topics related to the exploitation of the CryoSat mission and to identity novel scientific challenges. The objectives of the workshop are:

• To inform users about mission performance, product status and data access with an outlook to future improvements
• To review the major scientific results and consolidate the roadmap to achieving the primary mission objectives before the end of the first three years of - operations
• To review novel scientific applications and identify opportunities of exploiting CryoSat data beyond its primary objectives
• To present and discuss the latest calibration and validation results
• To identify synergies and potential use of data and products with other Missions (e.g. Envisat, GOCE, Sentinel-3, etc.)
• To review the synergies with national and international programmes from other space, research and development, and operational Agencies
• To review the current tools available to PIs including documentation, processing and training.

This conference aims to provide a forum for world-class scientists to present new research results and focus on and discuss future challenges on EO technology for cryosphere science.

The wide variety of satellite remote sensing techniques used in cryosphere research, and the increasing observational capacity provided by current and future optical, radar, laser altimetry, interferometry and gravimetry observations, provides a major opportunity to advance our knowledge about one of the most rapidly changing parts of the Earth’s global climate system. The conference aims to review the latest developments in this critical scientific domain as well as defining the coming challenges in cryosphere science where EO could play a major role.

The specific objectives of this topical conference are:

(1) To assess recent progress in the full range of cryosphere relevant EO-based observations and techniques;
(2) To review the major scientific advances in cryosphere science with special attention to the understanding of cryosphere-atmosphere-ocean interactions and impacts in climate change;
(3) To discuss the challenges and opportunities in cryosphere science offered by the new generation of EO satellites as well as the major observational gaps for the coming decades;
(4) To consolidate a scientific roadmap outlining the main priorities and challenges for the cryosphere community in terms of novel observations, enhanced EO-based products and techniques and innovative scientific results.

The North Slope Science Initiative and the U.S. Department of the Interior is hosting, in partnership with our counterparts in Canada and the United States, the third United States - Canada Northern Oil and Gas Research Forum from November 13 to 15, 2012, at the Hilton Hotel, Anchorage, Alaska. The Forum will showcase the value of Northern scientific research in support of sound decision-making for oil and gas management.

The Northern Oil and Gas Research Forum is a biannual event with representation from government, industry, academia, Aboriginal groups, and northerners from both Canada and the United States. The forum provides an opportunity for United States and Canadian decision makers, regulators, Aboriginals, industry members, non-governmental organizations and scientists to discuss current scientific research and future directions for northern oil and gas activities. The focus is on technical, scientific, and engineering research that can be applied to support management and regulatory processes related to oil and gas exploration and development in the North.

Arctic Days 2012 is an international workshop focusing on arctic marine ecology and ecosystems. The workshop, organized by the European Institute for Marine Studies (IUEM), aims to facilitate exchanges and collaborations between French and international experts in arctic research.

"Governance and Sustainable Development in the Changing Arctic" is a special seminar hosted by the European Institute. The event will be at the Cosmos Club, Washington, DC. Contact Natalie Fahey, 202-895-1670 for details.

The AGU Fall Meeting is the largest worldwide conference in the geophysical sciences, attracting more than 20,000 Earth and space scientists, educators, students, and other leaders. Attendees will have the opportunity to present research, learn about the latest geophysical breakthroughs and connect with their peers. The 2012 meeting dates are Monday, 3 December – Friday, 7 December.

For 45 years, energized and passionate Earth and space scientists from around the world have been gathering at AGU’s Fall Meeting to connect with colleagues, broaden their knowledge base, and embrace the joy of science. We hope to see you there!

Response Capacity and Sustainable Development in the Arctic

Organizers announce a conference entitled "Arctic Transportation Infrastructure: Response Capacity and Sustainable Development in the Arctic." It will be held 3-6 December 2012 at the Icelandair Hotel Natura in Reykjavik, Iceland.

Increased resource extraction to support economic and community development and increased shipping traffic through arctic waters have resulted in the corresponding need for an increased capacity to respond by sea and air. Arctic ports and airports serve as an important base for response, acting as a gateway to support SAR, resource extraction and development activities, pollution prevention and environmental safety, and community health and security.

The Arctic Council's Sustainable Development Working Group approved a project during the Swedish Chairmanship (co-led by the United States and Iceland) to assess transportation infrastructure. The Arctic Marine and Aviation Transportation Infrastructure Initiative (AMATII) seeks to evaluate Northern infrastructure--ports, airports, and response capability--by inventorying maritime and aviation assets in the Arctic.

The Arctic Transportation Infrastructure conference is part of this project. Invited participants include policy makers and government officials; aviation and marine subject matter experts from the private, public, independent and academic sectors; and community leaders and Permanent Participants.

During the first part of the conference, arctic experts will meet in both plenary and work sessions to discuss infrastructure vis-a-vis response, technology, and investment. Case studies and illustrative stories of northern aviation and marine infrastructure--contributed by participants--will serve to highlight the challenges of infrastructure development in the Arctic and its role in facilitating sustainable development.

Participants will also have a chance to view and evaluate the Arctic Port and Airport Database and web-based map, which is the primary deliverable of this project. Subject matter expert input will help refine and strengthen this tool.

The workshop will end with an interactive plenary session, discussing next steps and outlining areas of consideration for a Guidance Document, a deliverable for this Arctic Council project.

The burgeoning Arctic arena offers a host of opportunities for companies that can solve the complex environmental, physical and regulatory challenges it presents. ATC 2012 will include a highly specialized technical program, education courses, networking events, and an exhibition - all deisgned to help ensure that oil and gas professionals throughout the world are prepared to succeed in these challenging Arctic arenas.

ATC 2012 will include:

• Technical program including oral and poster presentations
• Panel sessions
• Topical Breakfasts and Topical Luncheons
• 70+ exhibitors

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory and University of California at Irvine will be hosting the second ISSM workshop on December 10-12th, 2012. The workshop will feature invited talks, a poster-session, technology oriented presentations, and tutorials on the Ice Sheet System Model software. The invited talks and poster session will address issues and challenges specific to modeling of Cryospheric processes. The tutorials will be directed toward beginners and first-time users on day 1, and toward more advanced users and applications on days 2 and 3. Everyone is welcome to attend all sessions, or just a subset of them.

The British Society for Geomorphology runs a workshop for new research students in December each year and we encourage you to attend. The workshop has been running at the fantastic Cumberland Lodge in Windsor Great Park for over 30 years - many notable researchers and academics have been and benefited from this course!

The content is non-technical, but provides training in project management, group work, dealing with large data sets, fieldwork, lab and numerical modelling. But one of the most important aspects is meeting other new researchers, finding out how the PhD is working for others in different Universities and often making friends and contacts that can last a career. You'll also meet a wide variety of academics and facilitators who are practicing researchers as well as the BSG postgrad representatives.

The cost is a heavily subsidised £110 for BSG research students (we require non members need to join the BSG, at the postgraduate rate of £45 for three years).

Organizers announce that the 2012 International Conference on Sustainable Mineral Processing will be held 10-13 December 2012 at the University of Oulu in Oulu, Finland.

The conference gives an overview of the trends in the research of sustainable mineral processing as well as in mining industry opportunities. It will focus on sustainability within two themes:

• Economic, Environmental, and Social Aspects; and
• Base and Critical Metals.

There will be an excursion to the northern part of Finland, which offers an opportunity to see advanced technology in an arctic environment. Attendees are welcome to present posters relevant to the conference themes.

Poster abstract submission deadline: Wednesday, 31 October 2012.

For questions about posters, or to submit an abstract, please contact: Ritva Isomaki at ritva.isomaki [at] oulu.fi.