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August 28, 2017
 
2017 University of the Arctic Rectors' Forum and Conference, August 27-29, 2017 (Aberdeen, Scotland). This conference will also consider how northern scholarship can add to discussions on the North into broader terrains of intellectual engagement. In so doing, it will challenge dominant paradigms of research in both the natural and the social sciences, above all by calling into question the very separation of the world of nature from that of human society which underwrites the distinction between these two branches of scientific inquiry. In its place the conference will seek to forge a new practice of interdisciplinary research, done in collaboration with northern residents and on their terms, which recognizes that every discipline is itself an ongoing conversation, or a way of knowing, rather than a compartment within an overarching, hierarchically organized system of knowledge. Conversations from the North will, then, help to generate a science that is more open-ended, responsive to environmental variation and respectful of the wisdom of inhabitants. 
Media
   
[Editorial] The Rush to Exploit the Arctic. The passage of a specially built Russian tanker carrying liquefied natural gas through the warming Arctic without an icebreaker escort marks a critical milestone in a centuries-old yearning for a shorter, faster route between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. But it is not without irony that trade in a fossil fuel should be a major beneficiary of the climate change for which fossil fuels are largely responsible. And that, in a nutshell, defines the challenge posed by the rapid thinning of polar ice: how to ensure that the newly exposed potential of the Arctic is exploited peacefully and without further damage to the environment. New York Times
 
blueberries Researchers Ask Citizens to Monitor Alaska Berries. A group of scientists from the University of Alaska Fairbanks are hoping to give pickers better data on when berries are ripening and how long they last through winter - by getting the data directly from them. The Winterberry Project asks Alaskans to help gather information about berries across the state to better predict how a changing climate is affecting the berries; when berries are ready for picking, and how they will survive through winter for the small animals that depend on them. Radio Canada International 

Canada Making Progress on Central Arctic's First Deep-Water Port. Canada's Nunavut territory is taking early steps toward building the first deep-water port in the Central Arctic, located at the mid-point of the Northwest Passage. The port would ease access to international markets for the territory's gold, copper, and diamond mines. Companies active in the region include MMG Ltd., currently developing a zinc and copper mine near Izok, TMAC Resources Inc., developing a gold mine at Hope Bay, and Tundra Copper Corp., which is exploring for copper near the proposed port's location. Bloomberg News
 
Arctic Council to Discuss Indigenous Minorities of Russia's North. Representatives of the Arctic Council's member-states will discuss in Sabetta (the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District) the problem of keeping way of life of the North's low-numbered indigenous peoples. "Special attention [at the Arctic Council] will be paid to strategy and approaches to maintaining way of life of the North's low-numbered indigenous peoples in the framework of the national Arctic programs," press service of the Russian Security Council said on Monday. TASS
 
Underwater Livestream From Arctic Ocean to be Canadian 1st. For the first time in Canadian history, a group of divers will broadcast live across the country from the Arctic Ocean. The "live dive," organized by two University of Victoria graduates in partnership with the Canada C3 expedition, will be streaming from the north dock in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut on Sunday. (The English broadcast is at 11 a.m. PT and the French is two hours later.) CBC News

Future Events
 
2017 University of the Arctic Rectors' Forum and Conference, August 27-29, 2017 (Aberdeen, Scotland).  This conference will also consider how northern scholarship can add to discussions on the North into broader terrains of intellectual engagement. In so doing, it will challenge dominant paradigms of research in both the natural and the social sciences, above all by calling into question the very separation of the world of nature from that of human society which underwrites the distinction between these two branches of scientific inquiry. In its place the conference will seek to forge a new practice of interdisciplinary research, done in collaboration with northern residents and on their terms, which recognizes that every discipline is itself an ongoing conversation, or a way of knowing, rather than a compartment within an overarching, hierarchically organized system of knowledge. Conversations from the North will, then, help to generate a science that is more open-ended, responsive to environmental variation and respectful of the wisdom of inhabitants. 

2017 Arctic Energy Summit, September 18-20, 2017 (Helsinki, Finland). The 2017 Summit will address energy in the Arctic as it relates to:
  • Small and off-grid community energy solutions
  • Oil and gas development
  • Renewable energy
  • Regulation and Financing
  • Transportation and transmission
The AES is a multi-disciplinary event expected to draw several hundred industry officials, scientists, academics, policy makers, energy professionals and community leaders together to collaborate and share leading approaches on Arctic energy issues.

Arctic Ambitions VI: International Business Conference & Trade Show, October 3-4, 2017 (Anchorage, Alaska USA). For the 6th year in a row, World Trade Center Anchorage will host the Arctic Ambitions Conference - an event focused on trade, commerce, and investment in the region. This year, the theme of the conference is New Arctic Realities: The Path Forward. With this theme, the following areas will be highlighted: transportation, technology and innovation, infrastructure development, natural resource exploration and production, international trade opportunities, finance and investment, pan-Arctic commerce, and the new political climate toward Arctic development under the Trump Administration.

108th meeting of the US Arctic Research Commission, October 10, 2017 (Anchorage, Alaska USA). Agenda coming soon...

5th Northern Oil and Gas Research Form, October 11-13, 2017 (Anchorage, Alaska USA). The United States is hosting the 5th Northern Oil and Gas Research Forum from  October 11-13, 2017,  in Anchorage, Alaska. This meeting will feature current research and highlight information needs for management of petroleum activities in the US and Canadian Arctic. Abstracts for poster presentations on research and how research is used in management actions are presently being solicited. Please visit the Forum's website ( here ) for additional details. Deadline for abstract submission is  September 10 . There is no registration fee for the Forum. Please use the website link above for information on registration, agenda, lodging and transportation.

2017 Arctic Circle Assembly, October 13-15, 2017 (Reykjavi­k, Iceland).  The annual Arctic Circle Assembly is the largest annual international gathering on the Arctic, attended by more than 2000 participants from 50 countries. The Assembly is held every October at the Harpa Conference Center and Concert Hall and is attended by heads of states and governments, ministers, members of parliaments, officials, experts, scientists, entrepreneurs, business leaders, indigenous representatives, environmentalists, students, activists and others from the growing international community of partners and participants interested in the future of the Arctic.

5th Alaska Native Health Research Conference, October 16-18, 2017 (Anchorage, Alaska USA). This conference provides a forum to share current health research occurring in Alaska with Alaska Native people. The theme of the conference is "Strengthening Communities through Research for a Healthier Tomorrow". Health topics to be discussed include aging, suicide, health risks associated with added sugar in the diet, infectious disease, and cancer. The conference aims to engage attendees in a fruitful dialogue on the research currently happening in communities, and how to improve research so that it is respectful of and reflects the needs of the Alaska Native people and their communities. We will also identify the areas where research is not being conducted and discuss ways to address these research gaps. This event is sponsored by The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) Health Research Review Committee.

Maritime & Arctic Security & Safety Conference (MASS17) "Arctic Horizons," October 31- November 1, 2017 (Newfoundland & Labrador Canada).  Now in its fifth year, MASS has gained an international reputation as a must-attend event to gain a wide perspective on challenges, opportunities and policies related to the Arctic and North Atlantic maritime environments.  The aim of this Government of Canada and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador supported international conference is to promote stakeholder collaboration, technological innovation, harsh environment research & development, and world-class education efforts that are contributing to both Maritime and Arctic issues.   This two day conference will draw a diverse group of speakers and attendees representing government, military, Canadian and U.S. Coast Guard, industry, academic leaders, Northern Leaders, research and other key stakeholders. We hope you can join us to be a part of this important dialogue

Polar Law Symposium 2017 and Rovaniemi Arctic Spirit, November 13-16, 2017 (Rovaniemi, Finland). The purpose of the Polar Law Symposium is to examine, in detail, the implications of the challenges faced by the Polar Regions for international law and policy and to make recommendations on appropriate actions by states, policy makers and other international actors to respond to these emerging and re-emerging challenges. The Rovaniemi Arctic Spirit  Conference is integrated with the Polar Law Symposium, which will be organized by the Northern Institute for Environmental and Minority Law at the Arctic Center of the University of Lapland.
 
ArcticNet invites the global Arctic research community to Arctic Change 2017! This conference will bring together Arctic researchers and students with Inuit, Northerners and government, industry and NGO stakeholders. The world's foremost Arctic scientists will presen t research  findings and discuss impacts of climate change and modernization. With over 1500 participants expected, Arctic Change 2017 will be one of the largest trans-sectoral international Arctic research conferences held in Canada. We welcome students and early career researchers to participate in "Student Day" at the start of the Conference. See an excerpt from last year:  ArcticNet ASM2016 .
 
ISAR-5 Fifth International Symposium on Arctic Research, January 15-18, 2018 (Tokyo, Japan).  The fifth ISAR has been planned at the recommendation of the science steering committee of ISAR-4, which was held in Toyama, Japan in April 2015. The fifth ISAR will be devoted to discussions on environmental changes in the Arctic and their regional and global implications, to seek additional international scientific collaboration in this area by gathering, synthesizing and sharing information related to these changes occurring in the Arctic. Special emphasis will be placed on the fields of the social sciences and humanities, which were not included in the previous ISARs.  ISAR-5 will consist of general sessions and special sessions. The general sessions will address the following topics: atmosphere; ocean and sea ice; rivers, lakes, permafrost, and snow cover; ice sheets, glaciers, and ice cores; terrestrial ecosystems; marine ecosystems; geospace; policies and economy; and social and cultural dimensions. Special sessions will be solicited on cross-cutting themes.  

The Effects of Climate Change on the World's Oceans, June 4-8, 2018 (Washington, DC USA). 
The 4th International Symposium will bring together experts from around the world to better understand climate impacts on ocean ecosystems - and how to respond. The event is hosted by a variety of groups including International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES), Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC), and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
 
POLAR 2018, June 15-27, 2018 (Davos, Switzerland). POLAR2018 is a joint event from the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) and the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC). The SCAR meetings, the ASSW and the Open Science Conference will be hosted by the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL under the patronage of the Swiss Committee on Polar and High Altitude Research. The WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF is organizing POLAR2018.
 
17th International Congress of Circumpolar Health (ICCH17), August 12-15, 2018 (Copenhagen, Denmark). The ICCH congresses are held every third year in different locations in the circumpolar area and represent the largest scientific meetings worldwide on circumpolar health. The ICCH congresses serve as the primary source of information exchange and scholarly communication in issues relating to circumpolar health. More than 750 participants generally register and participate in each Congress, and more than 400 scientific papers or posters are usually presented.

Arctic Biodiversity Congress, October 9-11, 2018 (Rovaniemi, Finland). The second Arctic Biodiversity Congress is hosted by the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF), the biodiversity working group of the Arctic Council, and the Ministry of the Environment, Finland. The second Arctic Biodiversity Congress will build on the success of the first Congress, held in 2014 in Trondheim, Norway, and will bring together scientists, policymakers government officials, Indigenous representatives, Traditional Knowledge holders, industry, non-governmental organizations, and others to promote the conservation and sustainable use of Arctic biodiversity. 

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