Institute of Arctic Studies at Dartmouth

Dr. Sappho Gilbert
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Fulbright Arctic Initiative Scholar (2024-2026)

Sappho Gilbert, PhD MPH is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Research Fellow with the Harvard Arctic Initiative.  Her mixed methods, community-partnered research focuses on social, environmental, and policy drivers of food security, nutrition, and health in the Arctic. Dr. Gilbert received her PhD from the Yale School of Public Health, Master of Public Health from The Dartmouth Institute of Health Policy & Clinical Practice, and Bachelor of Science in Biology (with a Minor in Political Science) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  She is currently also a 2024-2026 Fulbright Arctic Initiative Scholar.

The North American Arctic (NAA) - the region spanning Alaska, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Greenland - is increasingly recognized for its distinct landscapes, strong historic and cultural connections between communities and peoples, and rising opportunities for knowledge sharing. This speaker series invests in the people, opportunities, and strength of the NAA by providing a platform for knowledge sharing, networking, and international collaboration on pressing issues facing the region.

“It will take all of our collective knowledge to improve our understanding of the central Arctic Ocean ecosystem, to understand baseline conditions, to determine if fish stocks exist in the Agreement Area, and how future activity will impact the CAO ecosystem, its adjacent seas, and Inuit, as we live closest to the Agreement Area.”  - Marie Greene, ICC Vice Chair 

Panelists:

• Mr. Herb Nakimayak: President, Inuit Circumpolar Council (Canada)

• Ms. Vernae Angaboogok: Inuit Arctic Policy Director, Inuit Circumpolar Council (Alaska)

• Dr. Victoria Qutuuq Buschman: Marine Management Advisor, Inuit Circumpolar Council (Greenland)

• Ambassador (ret.) David Balton, Senior Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School (USA)

• Ms. Marisol Maddox: MOderator, Senior Arctic Fellow, Institute of Arctic Studies at Dartmouth

The North American Arctic Speaker Series is a Joint Project of Dartmouth and the US Department of State, co-hosted by the Institute of Arctic Studies in the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding and the Office of the US Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic Affairs.

Dr. Karen Everett
Senior Research Associate with the Louis-Edmond-Hamelin Chair, at Université Laval, Canada
Fulbright Arctic Initiative Scholar (2024-2026)

Security, particularly in the Arctic, is complex and includes more than traditional military concerns. This talk will explore some of these different security considerations, how they can intersect, and identify some of the actors that may be involved, using the Canadian North as an example.

No region is changing faster or has more to teach the world about climate resilience than the Arctic. This event will spotlight bold, on-the-ground climate innovations strengthening Arctic communities and reveal the green finance and policy tools driving sustainable, thriving economies that prioritize the well-being of Arctic Peoples, lands, waters, and communities. Together, these conversations offer a blueprint for urgent, equitable climate action in the Arctic and beyond.

Participants:

• Dr. Melody B. Burkins, Director of the Institute of Arctic Studies, Dartmouth

• Barbara Will, Vice Provost for Academic and International Affairs, Dartmouth

• Lars Kullurud, UArctic President

• Sari Multala, Minister of Climate and Environment, Finland

• Victoria Qutuuq Buschman (Inuit), Marine Management Advisor, Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) Greenland

• Charitie Ropati (Yup'ik & Samoan), Climate Justice Advocate, Youth Climate Advisor to UN-Secretary General

• Kristo Lehtonen, Director, Sitra International Programmes

• Avjaaja Karlshøj Knudsen, CEO Nunagreen A/S

• Hannah Payson, Executive Director, Center for Business, Government & Society, Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth

• Mads Qvist Frederiksen, Executive Director, Arctic Economic Council (AEC)

• Juhani Sirén, Director and Head of the North America Region, Business Finland

• Alana Petersen (Tlingit), Executive Director, Spruce Root

• Outi Snellman, Secretary General, UArctic

Dr. Kimberley Miner
Author & Affiliate Research Professor, Climate Change Institute, University of Maine

Dr. Kimberley R. Miner is an Earth Scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, where her research on climate risks has taken her to some of the planet’s most extreme environments—from the icy expanse of the North Pole to the rugged heights of Mt. Everest and the desolate cold of Antarctica.

Kimberley's book, Considering Climate Change, aims to empower younger generations to plan for climate change. She will share perspectives on the current state of Earth science and how to plan for a future with a changing climate. 

Michaela Stith
Author and Youth Justice Lead for Native Movement

Michaela Stith has traveled to all eight Arctic countries working in solidarity with Arctic Indigenous peoples’ climate change advocacy. She is the author of Welp: Climate Change and Arctic Identities, a travel memoir exploring the intersections of racism and climate change. 

Her career in environmental science and policy began as a Duke University student, where she studied the impact of cruise ships in Iceland and Alaska. She became a Hart Leadership Fellow at the Arctic Council Indigenous Peoples’ Secretariat in Tromsø, Norway, where her work supported the Council's meaningful engagement of Indigenous peoples in multilateral diplomacy. Upon returning to the U.S.A., she organized dozens of events including the first-ever Arctic Youth Summit in Washington D.C. as an employee at the Wilson Center. Born and raised in Alaska, she since returned home and joined Native Movement to build grassroots power and youth leadership in pursuit of climate justice. 

In her talk, Michaela Stith will discuss the ties between climate change, colonialism, and white supremacy, and how her experiences as a Black, mixed-race woman in Arctic spaces has informed how she approaches advocacy, activism, and organizing. 

The North American Arctic (NAA) - the region spanning Alaska, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Greenland - is increasingly recognized for its distinct landscapes, strong historic and cultural connections between communities and peoples, and rising opportunities for knowledge sharing. This speaker series invests in the people, opportunities, and strength of the NAA by providing a platform for knowledge sharing, networking, and international collaboration on pressing issues facing the region.

Join us for a timely and solutions-focused conversation with leading voices in shaping innovative Arctic energy futures. This one-hour webinar will feature Dr. Jeremy Kasper (Director, Alaska Center for Energy and Power), Ms. Heather Shilton (Director, Nunavut Nukkiksautiit Corporation), and Mr. Thomas Ravnshøj Davidsen (Senior Business Developer, NunaGreen), as they share insights on the future of community-driven renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure across the circumpolar North. From hybrid systems in Alaska to Inuit-led clean energy in Nunavut and Greenlandic business innovation, this panel will explore the technological, cultural, and policy levers needed to power a just energy transition in Arctic communities. The event will be moderated by Dr. Melody Brown Burkins, Director of the Institute of Arctic Studies at Dartmouth. 

The North American Arctic Speaker Series is a Joint Project of Dartmouth and the US Department of State, co-hosted by the Institute of Arctic Studies in the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding and the Office of the US Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic Affairs.

Dr. Kerim Hestnes Nisancioglu
Professor of Climate Dynamics
University of Bergen, Norway

Communities in Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland) are facing new challenges and opportunities due to climate change. The fjord systems and coastal areas are projected to undergo significant changes as sea ice and glaciers retreat. 

However, uncertainties in future projections pose challenges for everyday practices, including fishing, tourism, and infrastructure development. The scientific community increasingly recognizes the importance of involving local knowledge in defining research agendas and methodologies, as well as in data collection and analysis. Unfortunately, opportunities to share narratives and learn from each other remain limited.

In our case study we examine the local and far-field impacts of Greenland ice sheet melt, focusing on the complex processes taking place at the marine-terminating margin of Sermeq Kujalleq (Jakobshavn Glacier), one of the world’s largest and fastest-flowing marine-terminating glaciers, which frequently clogs the fjord with massive icebergs. Along with Qeqertarsuup Tunua (Disko Bay), this area hosts some of the most important hunting grounds, a vibrant fishing culture, and a growing tourism industry.

By combining observations and dynamical models with local and indigenous knowledge, we have designed a research project to address questions related to the impact of increasing Greenland melt and calving on fjord circulation, sea ice seasonality, ecosystems and fisheries. In this talk, I will highlight recent results of our study of the fjord system, as well as discuss how we can move forward in addressing the concerns of the local communities.

Dr. Kerim Hestnes Nisancioglu received his degree from the Program in Atmospheres, Ocean and Climate at MIT in 2004 and is currently Professor of Climate Dynamics at the Department of Earth Science, University of Bergen, Norway. Until recently, he led the Polar Research group at the Bjerknes Center for Climate Research (also in Bergen). He is now on sabbatical at Scripps until the summer of 2025.

Dr. Kathy Snow
Distinguished 2025 Canada Fulbright Visiting Research Chair in Arctic Studies
Professor, Faculty of Education, University of Prince Edward Island

The Institute of Arctic Studies and the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding is delighted to introduce Distinguished 2025 Canada Fulbright Research Chair in Arctic Studies Dr. Kathy Snow. During her public talk Dr. Snow will share her research conducted with Inuit educators on the factors impacting choices to lead (or not) in educational spaces. Her work identifies cultural and gender biases in education and accreditation systems as well as the complexity of leadership entanglements for Inuit educators.

Dr. Kathy Snow is a Professor within the Faculty of Education at the University of Prince Edward Island. As a former K-12 Educator and Administrator who has worked in schools around the world as well as at home in Canada, Kathy's diverse research portfolio is unified through the exploration of issues related to the organization of schools and school systems for student well-being. As a former Science and Technology educator, as well as calling Nunavut her first home, her research is underpinned by understandings of place, land based education and issues of systemic (in)justice. As a qallunaat (non-Inuit person) who grew up in Nunavut, Dr. Snow has experienced the education system of the territory from multiple perspectives which has led her to research in service of her first home. She researches in the areas of Inuit student success, persistence and wellness as well as Inuit teacher education, and resilience.

The geopolitical landscape of the Arctic has shifted dramatically following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which paused over 25 years of traditional Arctic Council-informed and -guided cooperation with Arctic Indigenous Peoples, Arctic Nations, and Observer States. This break in Arctic diplomacy, particularly the cessation of scientific cooperation, raises crucial questions about the future of Arctic collaboration on challenges facing the Arctic and the planet. In light of this, our project seeks to present a series of informed scenarios that may help guide Arctic diplomacy and cooperation as we look toward 2032, a year that will also mark the 5th International Polar Year (IPY-5).

Panelists

• Ole Øvretveit, Manager & Researcher of Arctic Science Diplomacy Project, University of Bergen & Academia Europaea Bergen, Norway

• Volker Rachold, Head of the German Arctic Office, Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI), Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Germany

• Heather Exner-Poirot, Director of Energy, Natural Resources and Environment at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute; Special Advisor to the Business Council of Canada; Research Advisor to the Indigenous Resource Network, Canada

• Matthias Kaiser, Professor Emeritus at the Center for the Study of the Sciences and Humanities (SVT) at the University of Bergen; International Science Council Fellow, Norway

• Jenny Baeseman, Arctic and polar consultant; former Executive Director of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR); former Director of the Climate and the Cryosphere Project (CliC), USA 

Moderated by Melody Brown Burkins, Director, Institute of Arctic Studies, Dickey Center, Dartmouth

The Institute of Arctic Studies in the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding, in co-sponsorship with the Dartmouth Climate Futures Initiative, is honored to host White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi, for a conversation with Dr. Melody Brown Burkins on the future of US climate action.

• Ali Zaidi, White House Climate Advisor

• Tiernan Sittenfeld ('96), Senior VP of Government Affiars, League of Conservation Voters

• Melody Brown Burkins, Director, Institute of Arctic Studies (moderator)

Sponsored by the Institute of Arctic Studies in the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding, the Dartmouth Climate Futures Initiative, and the Dartmouth Department of Environmental Studies.

Indigenous peoples remain marginalized worldwide, despite decades of well-intentioned research. In Canada, effective advocacy by Indigenous scholars has entrenched requirements of funders in national ethical guidelines, obligating the research community to work in partnership with Indigenous organizations. In this presentation, Dr. Lavoie will compare ethical guidelines in place in circumpolar countries, explain how she applies the Canadian requirements in her own research with Inuit, and end with a discussion of opportunities for Dartmouth College. 

Dr. Josée G. Lavoie is an internationally renowned researcher with over 30 years of experience working in partnership with Indigenous communities and organizations to improve Indigenous peoples' access to health services. A Professor of Community Health Sciences at the University of Manitoba Rady Faculty of Health Sciences and Director of Ongomiizwin Research in the Indigenous Institute of Health and Healing, Dr. Lavoie’s scholarship focuses on improving access to primary health care for underserved and marginalized populations as she also studies health systems policy at the local, regional, and national level. 

Dr. Lavoie has particular interest in how western and Indigenous knowledge systems interface in the provision of health services in and for Indigenous communities in the Arctic and around the world. Since her work as a Fulbright Arctic Initiative Scholar (2018-19), she has also developed a strong interest in studies of both Arctic Indigenous Peoples’ governance and circumpolar diplomacy.

Dr. Lavoie’s research partners include First Nations, Inuit, and other Indigenous Peoples across Canada, in Alaska, Norway, Colombia, Australia, and New Zealand. She also maintains ongoing research partnerships with the First Nations Health and Social Secretariat of Manitoba and with the Manitoba Inuit Association.

This talk will explore the Arctic as a case study of the intersection of actorless threats-- such as climate change and ecological upheaval-- with conventional threats posed by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and tensions with China. Climate change is commonly referred to as a threat multiplier because of the way it intersects with already existing vulnerabilities to exacerbate fragility. The Arctic is warming up to four times faster than the global average with immense implications for global security due to its outsized potential to contribute to sea level rise, extreme weather, and biosecurity hazards, among other hazards. However, the nature of actorless threats differs in significant ways from actor-based threats, and as such demands a different analytical lens in order to effectively address the dimension of risk they pose. 

Marisol Maddox is a Senior Arctic Analyst at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and an Operational Research Analyst at PolArctic, LLC. She is an adjunct professor at Syracuse University's Maxwell School where she teaches an Executive Masters course on Environmental Security. 

Ms. Maddox's research considers the Arctic nexus of climate change, security, and geopolitics. She is particularly interested in convergence, and how the growing presence of actorless threats-- such as climate change and biodiversity loss-- interplays with traditional security challenges and strategic thinking.

Ms. Maddox is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a non-resident research fellow at the Center for Climate & Security. She regularly teaches at the Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies and the Geneva Center for Security Policy. 

Ms. Maddox previously contributed Arctic expertise through work with the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats and the Newport Arctic Scholars Initiative at the U.S. Naval War College. She frequently publishes and speaks on Arctic security, climate change, and geopolitics. Her commentary has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Bloomberg, Business Insider, and Science among other outlets. Ms. Maddox holds an M.A. in International Security with a concentration in Transnational Challenges from George Mason University’s Schar School. She holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies with a concentration in Ecosystems from Binghamton University.

The North American Arctic (NAA) - the region spanning Alaska, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Greenland - is increasingly recognized for its distinct landscapes, strong historic and cultural connections between communities and peoples, and rising opportunities for knowledge sharing.

This NAA Speaker Series, jointly hosted by the Institute of Arctic Studies in the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding at Dartmouth and the Arctic Office of the US Department of State, hopes to serve as a platform for advancing NAA knowledge sharing, networking, and collaborations.

Our second NAA Speaker Series event will be centered around Arctic youth and film, specifically about successes and challenges of engaging Arctic youth to advance Arctic and global knowledge sharing through film, storytelling, and documentaries that respect Indigenous knowledge and the centering of Arctic histories, cultures, and voices of the region’s next generation leaders.

Panelists:

• Aaluk Edwardson, Filmmaker, actor playwright, director, singer, novelist, and founder of Creative Decolonization (Utqiavik, Alaska)

• Inuuteq Kriegel, Photojournalist and videographer (Nuuk, Greenland)

• Nyla Innuksuk, Filmmaker, writer, and founder of Pinnguaq VR and Mixtape (Igloolik, Canada)

Moderated by Dr. Melody Brown Burkins, Director, Institute of Arctic Studies in the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding, Dartmouth

The North American Arctic Speaker Series is a Joint Project of Dartmouth and U.S. Department of State co-hosted by the Institute of Arctic Studies in the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding and the Office of the U.S. Coordinator for the Arctic Region

For science to advance, methodologies and approaches must evolve to consider the myriad social, economic, environmental, political, and human rights complexities of managing environmental problems, including those created by climate change. Who is “at the table” developing research questions also shapes how we conduct our research, and by including diverse knowledge holders and knowledge systems, we are better able to understand who will and will not benefit from how research is framed. This initial framing of complex global challenges in new, more inclusive ways is critical if we want truly sustainable, equitable, and ethical pathways toward climate solutions.

This talk will discuss the importance of developing specific methodologies or explanatory models before we even start the process of science. Dr. Eduard Ariza Solé will share his perspectives in the context of coastal climate solutions. By integrating different knowledge systems, it will ensure that the dialogue of different parties – stakeholders, rights holders, and knowledge holders – are included in the discussion. This talk not only notes new ways to develop research questions that are more inclusive in addressing complex global challenges, but share case studies of ongoing work to advance more sustainable, ethical, and inclusive management and governance of coastal areas in a time of rapid climate change.

Dr. Eduard Ariza Solé is an Associate Professor of Geography at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), and has joined us as a visiting scholar. 

Dr. Solé's research combines Human Geography and Environmental Science in the study of complex socio-ecological systems in coastal zones. His current research interests include drawing from complexity and post-normal science framework to study and inform the governance of the land-sea continuum.

Dr. Esther Brimmer will be in conversation with Dickey Center Director Victoria Holt on the subject of evolving geopolitics in the Arctic and beyond.

Dr. Brimmer is the James H. Binger senior fellow in global governance at the Council of Foreign Relations (CFR). Her primary areas of interest are international organizations and transatlantic relations. At CFR, she is writing a book about the need to craft new mechanisms of governance to manage human activities in outer space. She served as project director for CFR’s task force report, Arctic Imperatives: Reinforcing U.S. Strategy on America’s Fourth Coast. From 2017 through 2022, Dr. Brimmer was executive director and CEO of NAFSA: Association of International Educators, the largest nonprofit professional association dedicated to international education with around 10,000 members in over 160 countries. She previously led U.S. policy in international organizations as the assistant secretary of state for International Organization Affairs from 2009 to 2013 and served on the policy planning staff from 1999 to 2001.

Dr. Brimmer was the J. B. and Maurice C. Shapiro professor at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs. She was the first deputy director and director of research at the Center for Transatlantic Relations (CTR) at the Johns Hopkins University’s Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies from 2001 to 2009. While at CTR, Brimmer was also a visiting professor at the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium. Brimmer has served in the private sector as a senior advisor at McLarty Associates, and earlier as an associate at McKinsey & Company.

Early in her career, she was a senior associate at the Carnegie commission on preventing deadly conflict. Brimmer has published numerous articles and edited eight books on transatlantic relations, including Defending the Gains? Transatlantic Responses When Democracy Is Under Threat; Changing Identities, Enduring Values: Is There Still a Transatlantic Community?; and The Strategic Implications of EU Enlargement (with Stefan Fröhlich). Dr. Brimmer received her bachelor’s degree from Pomona College and master’s degree and doctorate from Oxford University.  She is a Life Member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

McGill University and Dartmouth College have been collaborating on a systematic review of the connections between water and Indigenous Peoples’ social and emotional well-being, and the potential roles of intergenerational dialogue and art-based practices in fostering social resilience. The speakers, Dr. Gordon Hickey and Dartmouth student Alyssa Noseworthy, will present their initial findings and consider how art and artistic practice and social movements may help to advance water justice and support Indigenous community well-being in the Arctic and Amazon.

Speakers

• Dr. Gordon Hickey, McGill University

• Alyssa Noseworthy, Dartmouth ‘24

The North American Arctic - the region spanning Alaska, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Greenland - is increasingly recognized for its distinct landscapes, strong historic and cultural connections between communities and peoples, and rising opportunities for knowledge sharing. 

This speaker series invests in the people, opportunities, and strength of the NAA by providing a platform for knowledge sharing, networking, and international collaboration on pressing issues facing the region.

Our first event focuses on climate change, bringing together expertise from across the North American Arctic to share knowledge about what is happening now, and what more might be done, to support ethical, equitable climate solutions for the Arctic and the world.

Panelists:

• Dr. Nikoosh Carlo, US Arctic Research Commissioner; Founder & Chief Strategist, CNC North Consulting (Alaska/US)

• Dr. Greg Poelzer, Fulbright Arctic Initiative Co-Lead Scholar; Professor, University of Saskatchewan (Canada)

• Dr. Anna-Sofie Hurup Skjervedal, Head of Secretariat, Arctic Hub (Greenland)

• Kate Guy, Senior Advisor and Managing Director, Climate Security and Cross-Cutting Issues (Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate Change)

Moderated by Dr. Melody Brown Burkins, Director, Institute of Arctic Studies in the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding, Dartmouth

The North American Arctic Speaker Series is a Joint Project of Dartmouth and U.S. Department of State co-hosted by the Institute of Arctic Studies in the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding and the Office of the U.S. Coordinator for the Arctic Region

What does community-led Arctic research and scholarship really look like? Examples and stories from Nunavut Territory, Canada.

The presentations will focus on explaining and sharing Inuit research processes, share a story from an Inuit center for early career health researchers, and provide examples of programs that are derived from Inuit pathways to wellbeing. Learn more about Qaujigiartiit Health Research Centre here.

Speakers:

• Dr. Gwen Healey Akearok, Fulbright Canada Research Chair in Arctic Studies at Dartmouth College, and the Executive and Scientific Director of the Qaujigiartiit Health Research Centre

• Ceporah Mearns, Director of the Nunavut Network Environment for Indigenous Health Research

• Nancy Mike, Research Associate for Family and Community Health

Sponsored by Fulbright Canada and the Institute of Arctic Studies at the Dickey Center for International Understanding. 

To fully understand the implications of COVID-19 in the Arctic Indigenous knowledge and local knowledge was required to supplement data collected using western scientific methods. Identifying community-driven models and evidence-based promising practices and recommendations are key to informing pan-Arctic collaboration and decision-making in public health during times of global emergencies. 

Speakers

• Dr. Gwen Healey Akearok, Executive and Scientific Director, Founder, at Qaujigiartiit Health Research Centre and Assistant Professor, NOSM; 2023 Fulbright Canada Research Chair in Arctic Studies at Dartmouth

• Dr. Arja Rautio, Vice-President of Research at the University of the Arctic, University of Oulu

• Dr. Làra Jóhansdóttir, Professor at University of Iceland - Háskóli Íslands

• Dr. Katie Cueva, Assistant Professor of Health Policy with the University of Alaska, Anchorage

• Dr. Christina V.L. Larsen, Professor of Public Health with the University of Greenland, Denmark/Greenland

Dr. Margaret Willson is a cultural anthropologist whose current research interests focus on issues relating to Arctic and Northern concerns, including fisheries, gender and small-scale communities. She is affiliate associate professor of anthropology and Canadian studies at the University of Washington. Her previous books include Seawomen of Iceland: Survival on the Edge and Dance Lest We All Fall Down: Breaking Cycles of Poverty in Brazil and Beyond.

Woman, Captain, Rebel: The Extraordinary True Story of a Darling Icelandic Sea Captain tells the daring and magnificent historical nonfiction account of Iceland’s most famous female sea captain who constantly fights for women’s rights and equality – and who also solved one of the country’s most notorious robberies. Captain Thurídur, born in Iceland in 1777, lived a life that was both controversial and unconventional. Her first time fishing, on the open unprotected rowboats of her time, was at age 11. Soon after, she audaciously began wearing trousers. She later became an acclaimed fishing captain brilliant at weather-reading and seacraft and consistently brought in the largest catches. In the Arctic seas where drownings occurred with terrifying regularity, she never lost a single crewmember. Renowned for her acute powers of observation, she also solved a notorious crime. In this extremely unequal society, she used the courts to fight for justice for the abused, and in her sixties, embarked on perilous journeys over trackless mountains. Weaving together fastidious research and captivating prose, Margaret Willson reveals Captain Thurídur’s fascinating story, her extraordinary courage, intelligence, and personal integrity. Through adventure, oppression, joy, betrayal, and grief, Captain Thurídur speaks a universal voice. Here is a woman so ahead of her times she remains modern and inspirational today.

In this upcoming book talk, Dr. Willson talks about this incredible historical figure and her story.

Ore Choir: The Lava on Iceland is a collection of poems that artistically explore lava about the terrifying beauty and power of lava, and delves into the inner self as much as the impact of climate change on the world around us.

Part miracle, part oracle, in these poems lava speaks “with the focus of a burning glass,” lighting lyric core samples through geo-historical and cultural texts about Iceland. Shifting the ground so “nouns are never still,” the lava reveals how language itself is a record of collisions: poem as matter, sound as forge, form as friction. And what does it mean to be human in the face of such ancient forces, especially as climate change unsettles the earth that anchors us? By the light of the “sphere’s credo,” can we, too, be remade?

Dr. Katy Didden is the author of Ore Choir: The Lava on Iceland (Tupelo Press, 2022), and The Glacier’s Wake (Pleiades Press, 2013). Her poems, essays, and reviews appear in journals such as Public Books, Poetry Northwest, Ecotone, Diagram, The Kenyon Review, Image, 32 Poems, The Spoon River Poetry Review, The Sewanee Review, and Poetry.  She has received fellowships and residencies from The Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, Sewanee Writers’ Conference, the Virginia Center for Creative Arts, the Hambidge Center, MacDowell, and the Listhús Residency in Ólafsfjörður, Iceland. She was also a 2013-2014 Hodder Fellow at Princeton University. Collaborating with members of the Banff Research in Culture’s Beyond Anthropocene Residency, she co-created Almanac for the Beyond (Tropic Editions, 2019). Her work has been featured on Verse Daily and Poetry Daily. Katy is an Associate Professor of English and Creative Writing at Ball State University. www.katydidden.com

Sponsored by the Institute of Arctic Studies at the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding and the Environmental Humanities Initiative, Dartmouth College. Book signing hosted by Still North Books and Bar of Hanover.

The Institute of Arctic Studies in the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding, in partnership with the Stefansson Arctic Institute of Iceland, is honored to host Dr. Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, President of Iceland, for the 2022 Stefansson Memorial Lecture. As the Arctic has increasingly become the center of political, economic, environmental, and strategic discourse, the nations and peoples have had to contend with rapidly changing times. The President offers his reflections on this subject, and how Iceland continues to maneuver through the challenging political waters of a transforming world.

Dr. Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, prior to taking office as president in 2016, taught history at the University of Iceland as well as Reykjavik University. He earned his Ph.D. in the subject at Queen Mary University of London in 2003, and previously studied at Oxford University as well as the University of Iceland. He has published books and articles on modern Icelandic history, the presidency, economics, and other extensive subjects.

Climate change disproportionately threatens Arctic ecosystems and ways of life. In this talk, Dr. Jeff Kerby will discuss these dynamics, the vital role of collaboration across diverse communities and scientific disciplines, and how this interfaces with his work as a photographer. Drawing from projects in Canada, Russia, and Greenland, he will discuss current challenges, lessons learned, and future opportunities in collaborative ecological research in the Arctic among indigenous community members, scientists, and other engaged stakeholders.

Dr. Jeff Kerby received his PhD in ecology at Penn State University, and was a Neukom Fellow at Dartmouth College before moving to Aarhus University in Denmark in 2020. His work as an ecologist explores ecological scaling and climate change responses, particularly in highly seasonal environments like the Arctic. His documentary photographs aim to reveal insights about diverse people and places impacted by and responding to environmental change, and have in the past been featured in National Geographic Magazine. Increasingly his work explores the boundary between narrative and computational photography to advance both scientific and societal collaborations.

Dr. Dorough will discuss the global leadership roles, perspectives, and knowledge that Inuit and other Arctic Indigenous Peoples bring to climate change solutions and decision-making within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Paris Climate Agreement, and the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Dr. Dorough will also discuss the importance of Indigenous-led climate solutions in the future of Arctic research and planning.

Dr. Dalee Dorough Sambo (Iñupiat), is the past International Chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC), serving from 2018-2022 and representing approximately 180,000 Inuit from Canada, Greenland, Russia and the United States on the Arctic Council and diverse United Nations fora. Currently a Senior Scholar and Advisor at the University of Alaska Anchorage, she has also served as an expert member of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, is former co-Chair of the International Law Association Committee on Implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and was recently appointed to the Expert Panel on the Future of Arctic and Northern Research in Canada. She is also co-Chair of the Lancet Commission on Arctic Health and the recipient of the 2022 International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) Medal for outstanding achievements in advocacy for the rights of Indigenous peoples, service to Arctic communities, and influence as a legal scholar. 

Dr. Lill Rastad Bjørst is an Associate Professor in Arctic Studies with Aalborg University and the 2022 Fulbright Arctic Initiative III Visiting Researcher with the Institute of Arctic Studies at Dartmouth. For over 15 years, she has been researching climate change in Greenland as a scholar within the human and social sciences. At Aalborg, she also serves as the Head of Research for the Centre of Innovation and Research in Culture and Living in the Arctic (CIRCLA), a member of the Aalborg Arctic Coordination Board, and on the Steering Committee of IKL Green Transition. Her work is co-funded by grants from the Independent Research Fund Denmark and the EU Horizon 2020 research and innovation program.

In 2021, the Government of Greenland made an active shift in the political discourse regarding Greenland’s development and is now pursuing a green transition. Greenland sees itself as a “state in formation”, and looks to other nation-states for inspiration. The question is: to whom, to what, does Greenland compare itself in the process of finding a fitting model for future green development? This discussion will further explore two additional topics: first, Greenland’s ambition to be an exporter of hydropower and mining rare earth minerals, which would support the technology for the green transition; and secondly, the political conversation about joining the Paris agreement.

Dr. Brendan Griebel is the 2022 Canada Fulbright Research Chair in the Institute of Arctic Studies (IAS) at Dartmouth. A cultural anthropologist working with and for Arctic Indigenous communities, his Fulbright work includes a systematic review of collected information of Inuit knowledge in Dartmouth's Stefansson Polar Collection and how that knowledge can be digitally returned to Inuit communities to assist with contemporary cultural revitalization. Dr. Griebel holds a diversity of roles in Canada, including Senior Researcher at Pitquhirnikkut Ilihautiniq / Kitikmeot Heritage Society in Nunavut, Principal of Intuit Research in Alberta, and the Co-founder and Director of the Museum of Fear and Wonder, also in Alberta.

The Canada Fulbright Research Chair in Arctic Studies at Dartmouth is an annual visiting scholar program established in 2016 and hosted by Dartmouth's Institute of Arctic Studies (IAS) with generous support from the Dean of the Faculty and Canada Fulbright.

In early March 2022, the Arctic Council called for a "pause" in all engagement with the Russian Federation due to their egregious and unprovoked aggressions in Ukraine. What does this "pause" mean for the future of Arctic collaboration, diplomacy, and security? And, given the importance of Arctic Indigenous Peoples to the workings of the Arctic Council and Arctic cooperation, what might we learn from Arctic Indigenous leaders who have worked and lived in Russia?

Speakers

• Troy Bouffard, Director, Center for Arctic Security and Resilience (CASR), University of Alaska Fairbanks  

• Pavel Sulyandziga, former leader of Russian Arctic Indigenous Peoples, scholar, and activist

• Ainsley Morse, Professor, Department of Russian at Dartmouth (translation)

• Melody Brown Burkins, Director, Institute of Arctic Studies (moderator)

The latest IPCC report tells us that we need global, coordinated, and immediate efforts to mitigate climate change if we are to keep temperatures from rising to catastrophic levels for our planet and people. With Arctic lands and peoples at the front lines of experiencing climate change - and a world challenged by increasing geopolitical tension and resource competition in the North - what is the outlook for future international cooperation on global climate research and policy? 

Speakers

• Renuka Badhe, Executive Secretary of European Polar Board 

• Ross Virginia, Distinguished Stefansson-Nef Arctic Faculty Fellow and Myers Family Professor of Environmental Science at Dartmouth; Member of US National Academies' Polar Research Board 

• Melody Brown Burkins, Director, Institute of Arctic Studies (moderator)