ARCUS at Arctic Science Summit Week 2023

ARCUS staff and Board members participated virtually and in-person at the Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) 2023 sessions, including an oral presentation on 21 February 2023 at 16:00 - 18:00 (GMT+1) and a panel on 21 February 2023, 08:30 - 10:00 (GMT+1).

Warburton, Janet and Wiggins, H. "Engaging Rural and Alaska Native Undergraduates and Youth in Arctic STEM"

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Session: Educational innovation and pedagogy for the Anthropocene Arctic

Abstract: The Arctic is undergoing rapid and significant changes. These changes require communities to be aware, informed, and involved to be able to address complex environmental, economic, and social challenges with their associated Arctic science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) needs. These challenges require a diverse workforce with different backgrounds, perspectives, and knowledge to develop responses to new and emerging issues. In particular, there is a greater need for better representation of rural and Alaska Native undergraduate students in STEM programs to ensure a more diverse Arctic STEM workforce. To address this issue, a virtual workshop was held from April 13–15, 2021. The goal of the workshop was to bring together rural and Alaska Native undergraduates and youth, federal agency representatives, researchers on Arctic STEM projects, Indigenous faculty and staff, those from the private sector, and rural Alaska 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. The workshop was unique in how it was structured including a series of Listen and Learn Sessions that were held before the workshop to set foundational themes and draft recommendations to be discussed and refined during the workshop; a diverse workshop planning team; and a structure that was conducive to bringing the attendees to together for discussion. In this presentation, we will share the workshop highlights and the final set of recommendations from the workshop report on how to better engage youth in Arctic STEM that is culturally relevant.

Diane Hirshberg (University of Alaska Anchorage, USA); Mhairi Beaton (Leeds Beckett University, United Kingdom); Janette Peltokorpi (University of Lapland / UArctic, Finland); Gregor Maxwell (UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Norway), Tuija Turunen (University of Lapland, Finland), "Education, Equity and Inclusion: Teaching and Learning for a Sustainable North."

Abstract: In this panel, we will share some of the findings from a new publication titled,"Education, Equity, and Inclusion: Teaching and Learning for a Sustainable North."

This book offers an extended essay on teaching and learning through various perspectives and experiences with the aim of creating a more sustainable North. It is structured around two main themes: 1) Supporting Teachers for Diversity and Inclusion in the Classroom including consideration of language and identity issues, and 2) Engendering community solutions to structural and geographical challenges in education in the circumpolar north.
Collectively, the chapters offer a sustained exploration of education provision - both current and future - in the north providing a comprehensive theorization of teaching and learning as distinctive in this geographical area. A distinctive feature of the book is that contributing authors are geographically situated across the north but are tied together through participation in the University of the Arctic Thematic Network for Teacher Education for Social Justice and Diversity. Long-standing research partnerships between the members of the network have permitted the development of insight into the potential and challenges of the North for education and a shared focus on and commitment to the necessary curricular and pedagogical changes in the educational provision to promote equity and social justice.