ARCTIC COOPERATION
Widening Perspectives in Alaska
Fulbright Finland Study Tour on Sustainable Arctic Futures At the 10th Arctic Council Ministerial
organization’s research at the workshops
Dave Shirokauer (second from left), Chief
Meeting in Fairbanks, Alaska, in May
and at the Fulbright Finland delegation’s
of Resources for Science in Denali National
2017 the United States handed over the
exhibit at the main venue of the public
Park guided the delegation’s visit in the part.
chairmanship of the Arctic Council to
events of the Week of the Interchange.
Finland. To kick off Fin-
“The
land’s Chairmanship in the spirit of collaboration and partnerships, the Fulbright Finland Foundation brought a ten-member
multi
Study
Tour
acted as a door for my
The Study Tour acted as a door for my university to participate more actively in research and actions related to the Arctic.
university to partici-
all became friends,” says Kirsi Latola,
pate more actively in
Research Coordinator and Director of
research and actions
UArctic Thematic Networks at the Thule
related to the Arctic,
Institute, University of Oulu.
for example through
Alaska’s science, policy and business
UArctic activities,” says
community had put together a compre-
Elina Oksanen, Profes-
hensive week-long program in Fairbanks
sor and Vice Dean of the
to address the work to be done to meet
Department of Environ-
the goals of environmental protection,
mental and Biological
sustainable development, inclusion of
key
Sciences at the Univer-
indigenous peoples and international
strategic priority areas,
sity of Eastern Finland.
cooperation.
disciplinary expert delegation on a study tour to Alaska for the week of the interchange. The tour addressed one of the
Foundation’s
the Artic, as well as the Foundation’s fun-
In addition to Professor Oksanen, the
“It was interesting to see how much is
damental purpose of promoting a wider
delegation included experts from Aalto
happening, not only at the policy level but
exchange of knowledge and professional
University, Turku University of Applied
on the ground level,” says Outi Koskinen,
talents through educational and scholarly
Sciences, Finnish Meteorological Insti-
who works as a Communications Offi-
contacts between Finland and the United
tute, and the Finnish Ministry for For-
cer at the Finnish Ministry for Foreign
States.
eign Affairs. The tour provided a fruitful
Affairs. The various forums during the
opportunity for the delegation members
Study Tour specifically strived to cross
New Networks for Collaboration
to get to know each other and their orga-
geographic, disciplinary and cultural
The Study Tour took the delegation from
nizations.
borders and include various perspectives
Anchorage to Healy, to Denali National
from indigenous to academic to business.
Park, and finally to Fairbanks for the
From Policy to Practice
Week of the Arctic Interchange providing
“For me equally important to interna-
and to learn from the representatives
an opportunity for Finnish and American
tional networking was to build new con-
of indigenous groups, as well as talk to
experts and leaders in Arctic issues to
nections and network with the Study Tour
people who are not engineers but working
share best practices and to develop new
participants themselves. These connec-
on related things,” says Arttu Polojärvi,
networks for collaboration. The Finnish
tions are important also in our national
Assistant Professor of Ice Mechanics from
delegation members had the opportunity
collaboration between organizations.
the Department of Mechanical Engineer-
to share and showcase their own and their
After the tour, I can honestly say that we
ing at Aalto University.
8 — WWW.FULBRIGHT.FI
“It was good to widen perspectives