Fulbright Finland News 1/2017

Page 8

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


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