Search for: All records

In early August 2022, a multidisciplinary, intergenerational, and cross-cultural group of participants converged on Utqiaġvik, Alaska to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Naval Arctic Research Laboratory (NARL) and to take part in a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded workshop focused on Enhancing Arctic Science and Engineering (EASE). The foundation of the EASE workshop was grounded in a legacy of promoting sustainable Arctic science in Utqiaġvik, as a model for the circumpolar north, being guided by the important role of the Inupiat in furthering scientific understanding of climatic and social-ecological change in the rapidly changing Arctic. The five-day event focused on summarizing science and engineering in Utqiaġvik and the greater North Slope region over the last 75 years, an assessment of the current state of the science and engineering being conducted, and a prospectus on science and engineering in the Arctic over the next 25 years. The workshop included oral and poster presentations and featured keynote speakers that focused on key achievements and past research endeavors to provide the framework for envisioning the trajectory of Arctic science, engineering, and education in the future. Specific themes of the EASE workshop included marine and coastal research, terrestrial and freshwater research, atmospheric research, social science research, co-production of knowledge, convergent research, and education and outreach opportunities. The gathering included more than 140 participants from academia, federal agencies, nonprofit organizations, industry, community members, and local-to-regional governments and corporations. Participant expertise included natural and social scientists from the range of disciplines reflected in the workshop’s themes, as well as engineers, planners, students, and local and Indigenous leaders and knowledge holders. U.S. government representatives came from the National Science Foundation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Arctic Research Commission, Department of Energy’s Arctic Energy Office and Office of Science, Sandia National Lab, Pacific Northwest National Lab, Lawrence Livermore National Lab, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies, and the U.S. Navy. Senator Murkowski’s and Senator Sullivan’s offices each contributed introductory remarks that provided context for the importance of this event in the State of Alaska’s history. The data archived here includes PDF documents for each of the presentations at the event as well as the accompanying zoom recordings of each presentation where documented. There are also zoom recordings of panel summaries and interviews with several past Arctic researchers. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under NSF grant no. 2224192. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. Material from the event is also available at https://narl75.alaska.edu/