Incorporating Alaskan Native Voices in Arctic Research
We have a special Colloquium this week that addresses a challenge many of us face in our research: How do we integrate local voices and perspectives in the research we do around the world? This is particularly important for research that involves indigenous communities that have been historically marginalized or sidelined by Western researchers.
Livestream this event on YouTube: https://youtu.be/51xDQ8sDXMg
Our Lamont colleagues Chris Zappa and Ajit Subramaniam, their lab groups, and their colleagues provide an excellent example of how to address this question through their research in the arctic where they collaborate with the Iñupiat community in Kotzebue, Alaska on a project that seeks to understand climate change in the Arctic and its impact on local communities. Join us for discussion this Friday, moderated by the Earth Institute’s Andy Revkin, that will feature Kotzebue community members and project scientists who will tell us about their project, Ikaaġvik Sikukun, or Ice Bridges. The abstract below provides additional information. To learn more about the Ikaaġvik Sikukun project.
The Colloquium at Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory on the 5th February will present a discussion panel with the members of the research team where they will discuss the impact of climate change on the indigenous people and their way of life and collaborative modes of generating new knowledge. The discussion will be moderated by Mr. Andrew Revkin, an experienced environmental journalist who has written on climate change for more than 30 years, reporting from the North Pole to the White House, the Amazon rainforest to the Vatican - mostly for The New York Times. He has held positions at National Geographic and Discover Magazine and won the top awards in science journalism multiple times, along with a Guggenheim Fellowship. The members of the panel are Mr. Alex Whiting, the Environmental Director of The Native Village of Kotzebue, Mr. Bobby Schaeffer, an Elder in the Village of Kotzebue, Dr. Chris Zappa, PI of the project, and Dr. Andy Mahoney, CoPI on the project.
