At this NNA community meeting, the community office team introduced cohorts to support networking coordination among researchers, community members, and others interested in specific thematic topics. Attendees had the option to sign up for cohorts during the registration process and to indicate their first and second choice theme. Attendees were also asked during registration about their interest in giving a short flash talk; flask talks were scheduled during the first cohort meeting session. 

Cohort themes were selected to align with interest areas identified in surveys supporting design of the convergence working groups, including: community adaptation and resilience planning (local to regional scales), fostering Indigenous-led research, infrastructure futures (regional to pan-Arctic scales), observing systems and technology, and deepening cross-institution missions & commitments to meaningful, coordinated Arctic research. Each theme had a virtual and in-person cohort (community adaptation and resilience planning had two cohorts for both in-person and virtual participants); cohorts had 20 - 25 participants including two or three designated facilitators, who were recruited from the participants and included at least one early career and one more senior facilitator. 

While 134 in-person and 126 remote attendees were initially assigned to cohorts, actual participation was significantly lower, especially for virtual participants. Cohorts met twice for an hour and a half each time, and facilitators were given a facilitation guide that included discussion questions and a note-taking template.