The Northern Research Forum (NRF) held its fifth Open Assembly “Seeking Balance in a Changing North” in Anchorage, Alaska on September 24-27, 2008. The NRF provides an open assembly biennially for policy-relevant discussion on the role of research in addressing issues relevant to the Circumpolar North. The NRF funded, through a competitive process, twenty NRF Young Researchers (YRs) from throughout the Circumpolar North to participate in this year’s Assembly.
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NRF and APECS Young Researcher Career Development Workshop Invited speakers. From left to right, Ms. Patricia Cochran (Alaska Native Science Commission), Dr. Susie Crate (Assistant Professor, George Mason University), Dr. Žaneta Ozoliņa (Professor, University of Latvia), Dr. Lassi Heininen (Senior Scientist, Lapland University), and Dr. Steven C. Bigra (Canadian Polar Commission) |
The NRF Young Researchers took part in a variety of activities starting with pre-assembly workshops that included team-building activities and an APECS and NRF jointly organized Young Researcher career development workshop. The career development workshop featured six speakers from the United States, Latvia, Canada, and Finland. They spoke with the NRF YRs about opportunities available through APECS and the NRF and offered their experiences with pursuing careers in the public sector, building networks between academics and local communities, and Native perspectives on science and what that means for the career development of Native and non-Native Early Career Scientists. The speakers also discussed how to balance following your own research interests with engaging the research issues that matter to the local communities you work with and funding agencies. The YRs and panelists engaged in lively discussion as many questions were discussed on the topics presented and other issues important to the Young Researchers.
| NRF and APECS Young Researcher Career Development Workshop speakers and participants |
The NRF YRs participated in various events and sessions throughout the Assembly. Evening events, a local community excursion, and open assembly dialogue with dignitaries, policy makers, community leaders, and scientists gave the YRs opportunities to converse with a wide variety of people. The numerous sessions at the Assembly provided the NRF YRs with an opportunity to present their own research as well as discuss critical issues, problems, and opportunities facing circumpolar peoples at the local, regional, national and international levels.
The YR presentations can be viewed on the Arctic Portal website.
