Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program and UAF Northwest Campus host IPY speaker series in Nome
01/08/2008
Contact: Heidi Herter, Agent, Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 907-443-2201, ffhlh@uaf.edu, MAP profile
Nome, Alaska—As part of International Polar Year (IPY) 2007–2009, the Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program and University of Alaska Fairbanks, Northwest campus, have launched a speaker series in Nome, Alaska. This series is meant to facilitate discussions of current polar issues between local residents and academic experts.
Topics include the effects of climate change on fisheries and the sea ice pack, storm systems and coastal erosion, and preservation of Native languages and art. Despite the importance of many of these topics to the northwest Alaska region, experts rarely have the opportunity to interact with local residents because of the remote location of these communities and limited communication systems.
The series is being videoconferenced to reach rural communities and schools of northwest Alaska through the Bering Strait School District.
Upcoming series speakers include:
- Amber Lincoln, “Bering Strait Artifacts, European Museums, and World History,” January 15, 2008
- David Atkinson, “Bering Sea Storms: Not Just Leftover Typhoons,” January 29, 2008
- Igor Krupnik, “The Changing Arctic: IPY and Northern Residents,” February (day to be announced)
- Terrence Cole, “Mutiny, Murder and Cannibalism: The Tragic Tale of A.W. Greely,” February 29, 2008
- Gay Salisbury, “Inspiration for the Iditarod: Leonhard Seppala, Nome and the 1925 Serum Run,” March 1, 2008
- Larry Kaplan, “Eskimo Languages of the Bering Strait and Beyond,” April 15, 2008
- Jean Carlo, “Arctic Voices: Contemporary Art from the Circumpolar North,” April 29, 2008
Each speaker event will take place at 7 p.m. at the Nome Elementary School.
For more information, contact Heidi Herter, Agent, Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 907-443-2201.
Watch video clips of MAP-IPY Nome Speaker Series on the Bering Strait School District Web site.
