NSF RCN-SEES ARCTIC-FROST: Research Coordination Network Arctic-FROST:

Arctic FRontiers Of SusTainability: Resources, Societies, Environments and Development in

the Changing North

Andrey N. Petrov University of Northern Iowa

• Research Coordination Network, Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability

• NSF charge: focuses on interdisciplinary topics that will advance sustainability science, engineering and education as an integrative approach to the challenges of adapting to environmental, social and cultural changes

• Arctic-FROST is the only RCN-SEES in Iowa, the only RCN focused on sustainability in the circumpolar region

• Partnering RCNs: RCN on Urbanization in the Russian North (GWU), ReSDA (Canada), Nordic-ReDSA (Nordregio)

• Project leads: Andrey Petrov, Timothy Heleniak, Jessica Graybill, Peter Schweitzer • RCN-SEES Arctic-FROST builds an international interdisciplinary collaborative network that

teams together environmental and social scientists, local educators and community members from all circumpolar countries to enable and mobilize research on sustainable Arctic development, specifically aimed at improving health, human development and well-being of Arctic communities while conserving ecosystem structures, functions and resources. It is first U.S.-based circumpolar initiative of this kind and magnitude after the International Polar Year (2007-08). The purpose of the project is to contribute to conceptual, applied and educational aspects of sustainability science about the Arctic and beyond.

Research Questions & Objectives

Arctic-FROST address three overarching questions: What does sustainable development in the Arctic mean, locally, regionally,

and globally? How is sustainable development attainable in a changing Arctic? What are the best ways of measuring achievements towards adaptation,

thrivability and sustainable development in the Arctic?

Network Objectives: (1)accomplish knowledge synthesis about Arctic sustainable development; (2)develop new theoretical frameworks providing integrated views of sustainability in

remote resource regions; (3)improve spatial understandings of sustainability at multiple geographical scales and

in divergent Arctic contexts; and (4)identify future research directions for Arctic sustainability

and sustainable development, focusing on ways to maximize resource development benefits and minimize economic, social, cultural and environmental costs.

Arctic -FROST Science Structure

• Four Knowledge Domains – Sustainable Environments, – Sustainable Economies – Sustainable Cultures – Sustainable Regions

• All domains are connected by overarching questions and crosscutting themes:

Arctic-FROST Network Organization

• Arctic -FROST Steering Committee

• Principal Investigators: • Andrey N. Petrov, University of Northern Iowa, USA • Jessica Graybill, Colgate University, USA • Timothy Heleniak, University of Maryland, USA • Peter Schweitzer, University of Vienna, Austria

• Steering Committee Members: • Gail Fondahl, Univ. of Northern British Columbia, Canada • Diane Hirshberg, University of Alaska Anchorage, USA • Lee Huskey, University of Alaska Anchorage, USA • Joan Nymand Larsen, University of Akureyri, Iceland • Vera Metcalf, Eskimo Walrus Comission/Kawerak Inc, USA • Rasmus Ole Rassmussen, Nordregio, Sweden/Denmark • Chris Southcott, Lakehead University, Canada • Tatiana Vlasova, Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia

• Administrative Support • Ann Crawford, University of Northern Iowa

Network Membership: Open to all scholars, students and community members with interests in Arctic sustainability and sustainable development

Activities & Products Core Activities:

Annual all-hands meetings Annual Young Scientists

Workshops Domain/theme focus meetings, Biannual Indigenous/community

workshops Side meetings/sessions at other

meetings. Arctic-FROST Education for

Sustainable Development in the Arctic (ESDA) forum

Products: Published proceedings and white

papers from meetings Peer-reviewed publications. Peer-reviewed volumes. Electronic media files and

materials from Young Scientists Workshops.

Arctic-FROST web portal Collaborative research proposals. Educational products. Training of future scientists. Future science agenda and

planning

Funding Opportunities Faculty/Researchers • Funding for groups and

themes • Support of workshops • Support of thematic

sessions at meetings • Collaboration with ReSDA,

Nordic initiatives • Participation in book

projects • Collaborative publications • ArcSEES NSF grants

Early-Career Scientists & Students • Travel support: workshops,

meetings, major conferences, “meet the guru”

• Communication, listserv • Publications Arctic Residents • Community workshops Iowans • Information sharing, curriculum • Know and understand the Arctic,

its environment, people and change – IArctic initiative

Membership by location

eu

us

rus

ch

CA

PL 0%

AU 0%

BE 0% SE

0%

VI 0%

FR 0%

GL 0% HU

0% IT

0% CN 1%

NL 1% AT

1%

DE 3% DK

3% GB 3% RU

4% NO 5%

FI 5%

CA 15%

US 55%

Membership by country

Membership by region

220 members as of 09.15.2014 20 countries: 55% USA 29% Europe and Russia 15% Canada

Membership by type

Community Member

2%

Other 3%

Student 24%

Early Career Scholar (<10

years after PhD) 34%

General 37% 0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

CommunityMember

Other Student Early CareerScholar (<10years after

PhD)

General

58% students and early career scholars

Plan of work Table 1. Proposed schedule of networking and collaboration activities

Event* Location* Dates* Proposed Theme/Activity* Steering Committee Launch Meeting Cedar Falls, IA 10/2013 Development of RCN activities plan

Annual Meeting (AM)

Anchorage, AK Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Russia Vienna, Austria Archangelsk, Russia Cedar Falls, IA

04/2014 03/2015 05/2016 03/2017 05/2018

Unraveling the Meanings of Sustainable Development in the Arctic Sustainability, Adaptation and Natural Resource Development in the Arctic Global Sustainable Development and the Arctic TBD TBD

Steering Committee Meeting Follow AM annual Assessment of network activity, plan for the following year

Young Scientists Workshop TBD annual Training and development opportunities for early career

scientists Side meetings TBD, 2-3 per year TBD Side meetings and sessions at other events Domain meetings TBD, 2-3 per year TBD Domain and theme-based special workshops Indigenous/Community Workshop

Nome, AK TBD (Russia)

2015 2017

Workshop oriented to knowledge exchange and outreach to Indigenous and local communities

Education for Sustainable Development in the Arctic Anchorage, AK 2017 Forum on education for sustainable development as pertains to

Arctic communities

3 side meetings/mini-conferences

2014 Activities “Unraveling Meanings of Sustainable Development in the Arctic”

Arctic-FROST co-hosted a plenary “From Staples to Sustainability” and 3 session at the ICASS VIII Price George, Canada (May 26)

Arctic-FROST hosted Arctic Sustainability session at ERSA Meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia (August 27)

Arctic-FROST inaugural Steering Committee Meeting, Cedar Falls, IA

Arctic-FROST Annual Meeting and Early Career Scholars Workshop

Anchorage, September 18-20

Arctic-FROST co-sponsored the Arctic Sustainable Development

session at he AAG Meeting Tampa, FL (April 10)

2015 Activities “Sustainability, Adaptation and Natural Resource Development”

• Arctic Sustainability Workshop – White Paper for ICARP III (co-sponsored with IASC): WINTER 2014-2015

• 2 Arctic sessions (paper and panel) at ICARP III/ASSW, APRIL 2015

• Sessions at AAG, APRIL 2015 • Special panel at IGU Moscow Meeting, JULY 2015 • Annual Meeting: AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2015 • Open opportunities for thematic and side meetings • Book Arctic Sustainability: Meanings and Means

JOIN Arctic-FROST!

• Contact Arctic-FROST: & become a member: • Web portal: www.uni.edu/arctic/frost

• Email: andrey.petrov@uni.edu or

ann.crawford@uni.edu

• 348 Innovative Teaching and Technology Center • 1227 W 27th Street • University of Northern Iowa • Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0406