NNA Community Newsletter

October 2022 Issue

• NNA Annual Community Meeting Updates
• NNA Learn and Connect Series
• 2022 ARCUS Annual Meeting
• Training Opportunity with the Arctic Data Center
• NNA Project Highlight - Responding to the housing crisis in the Arctic: A transdisciplinary approach across physical, natural, and social systems
• Upcoming Events

NNA Proposal Solicitation Reminder: The next NNA proposal solicitation deadline is February 8, 2023. See solicitation details here.

Please consider donating to the Western Alaska Disaster Recovery Fund to support communities impacted by Typhoon Merbok.

NNA Annual Community Meeting Updates

We are just 3 weeks away from the start of the 2022 NNA Annual Community Meeting! 

Registration

Today, October 25, is the last day to register for the meeting, whether you will participate in-person or virtually. Please register before 11:59pm MT tonight to let us know you’ll be attending.

Call for Posters

The NNA-CO invites you to sign up to present a poster at the NNA Annual Community Meeting virtually, in-person, or both. The in-person poster session will occur on Tuesday, November 15th from 4:00pm-5:30pm Alaska time. The Virtual Poster Gallery will be available for viewing prior to, during, and after the annual meeting. In-person poster presenters are also encouraged to upload a PDF version of their poster to the Virtual Poster Gallery. 

We invite anyone who is interested to submit their poster information below. In particular, early career researchers and undergraduate students are encouraged to participate in the poster sessions as there will be awards for these categories.

You may view our poster guidelines here. Please submit your poster information to the NNA-CO by November 1 at 11:59pm MT by filling out the form linked below.

Hotel Block

If you will be attending in-person and would like to reserve a room in our hotel block at the Hilton Anchorage Hotel, please do so via the link below or by calling the Hilton (+1-888-225-9664) by providing Group Code "NAC".

NNA Learn and Connect Series

Looking for proven ideas to communicate your Arctic research to communities and other public audiences? Join our next NNA-CO Broader Impacts Meeting on November 2 at 10am AKT / 12pm MT to hear from four Alaska communications experts as they describe real-life experience engaging Alaskan audiences using print newsletters, local media, podcasts and ArcGIS StoryMaps. Our speakers include:

• Heather McFarland - Science Communications Manger at the UAF International Arctic Research Center. 
• Rod Boyce - Public Information Officer at the UAF Geophysical Institute. 
• Karli Tyance Hassell - Indigenous Engagement Coordinator at the NNA-CO. 
• Mike DeLue - Science Communicator at the International Arctic Research Center. 

Learn more and register here.

2022 ARCUS Annual Meeting

November 1, 2022 | 9:00 am - 12:00 pm AKT (virtual)

The ARCUS Annual Meeting is an important opportunity for ARCUS' Members, Board of Directors, staff, and other interested individuals to meet, talk, and connect with one another around key Arctic research and education issues and collaboration opportunities.

The meeting is open to all interested participants and there is no cost to attend. The meeting will focus on small group discussions to encourage sharing and networking.

Learn more here.

Training Opportunity with the Arctic Data Center 

Responding to the housing crisis in the Arctic: A transdisciplinary approach across physical, natural, and social systems

The current housing conditions in many Alaska Native villages present many challenges. Poor indoor air quality and low energy efficiency negatively impact the health of occupants. Additionally, housing durability is threatened by biophysical changes occurring as a result of climate-driven permafrost thaw and erosion. This research planning project, led by a diverse research team, sought to address the root causes of the housing crisis by bridging the divide between disciplines and communities to identify culturally appropriate solutions of housing challenges in Alaska. As a result, this project contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of housing vulnerability. 

The planning project resulted in two deliverables. First, the project identified issues related to infrastructure and housing design in the community of Unalakleet. Using community-based participatory research, the team worked closely with community members and the housing authority to gather perspectives on challenges and opportunities for improvement. Findings identified housing-design improvements including appropriate household floorplans, design for built-in storage, climate-appropriate building materials, culturally appropriate design and construction, energy-reliable modifications, and reliable water systems. Using additional funding, the planning team will create practical solutions through two projects that are starting in January 2023. The first project will focus on designing a more reliable water system using a novel wireless sensor network for water supply monitoring, paired with data-driven and model-based leak detection techniques. The second project will assess energy efficiency retrofit methods, and identify methods to reduce the long-term energy burden.

Project PIs include Cristina Poleacovschi (Iowa State University), Kristen Cetin (Michigan State University), Bora Cetin (Michigan State University), Bill Gallus (Iowa State University), and Michael Perez (Auburn University).

If you have any questions about this project or are interested in learning more, please contact PI Cristina Poleacovschi at poleacov@iastate.edu.

NNA Learn & Connect Series

• November 2, 2022 - 10am AKT / 12pm MT / 2pm ET

NNA Annual Community Meeting (meeting website)

• November 15-17, 2022

AGU Session on “Convergent Research in the Arctic: Addressing Complex Societal Challenges through Action-Oriented Coastal and Ocean Science” (OS006)

• December 15, 2022 - 8:00-11:30 am CT (poster session) & 3:45-5:15 pm CT  (oral session)

AGU Session on “Arctic Education & Outreach - Effective ways of engaging diverse learners in Arctic science” (ED004)

• December 16, 2022 - 10:00-11:30 am CT (oral session) & 1:45-5:15 pm (poster session)