Major Events and Exhibitions
March 25–28, 2025
University of Colorado Boulder, USA
The Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW)
Fourth International Conference on Arctic Research Planning (ICARP IV Summit)
Session Advancing Gender Equality in the Arctic: Challenges and Strategies for Community Resilience
Description:
Advancing gender equality in the Arctic is a critical topic and one of the important priorities for Arctic social research and Arctic community resilience planning. Recent gender studies, such as the Gender Equality in the Arctic Report, indicate that inequality persists across the Arctic regions and all spheres of engagement. Additionally, gender equality has been negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has had a devastating effect on different communities across the Arctic, making it critical to understand existing vulnerabilities and gendered issues in supporting community resilience and sustainable development. The session places special emphasis on Arctic Indigenous communities.
We invited researchers, especially Indigenous scholars and knowledge-holders, to discuss ways to address persistent gender inequalities, strategies for gender empowerment in governance, economies, and social realities, and Arctic community resilience planning through a gender lens.
The Session was organized by the Project "Understanding the Gendered Impacts of COVID-19 in the Arctic" (COVID-GEA), the ARCTICenter, UNI, the Project "Measuring Urban Sustainability in Transition" (MUST), and
and Project "Socio-Ecological Systems Transformation in River basins of the sub-Arctic under climate change" (SESTRA).


2023–2025
Audio-visual Exhibition
Arctic Women’s Voices: Standing Strong through
Unprecedented Times
2025
Harpa Conference Center (Reykjavik, Iceland)
&
March 5–7, 2024
The George Washington University (Washington, D.C.)
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October 25–26, 2023
The Municipal library of Akureyri (Akureyri, Iceland)
Húsavík Academic Center (Húsavík, Iceland)
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February 17–24, 2023
Arctic Science Summit Week-2023
University of Vienna (Vienna, Austria)
&
January 30, 2023
Arctic Frontiers 2023: Moving North
Fram Center (Tromsø, Norway)
Audio-visual Exhibition
Arctic Women’s Voices: Standing Strong in the Face of COVID-19
This exhibition presents women from Alaska and northern Iceland.
Among them – small business owners, scientists, healthcare providers, farmers, social workers, educators, government officials, and emerging youth community leaders. Inspired by their lives, we invited these women to share their stories to allow us to better understand the COVID-19 pandemic's complex gendered impacts on the Arctic communities and life in the Arctic as a whole.
Exhibition curator:
Marya Rozanova-Smith (The George Washington University).
Poster designers:
Laura Goodfield, Sophie Rosenthal, Polina Saburova, and Marya Rozanova-Smith.
Promo video/audio producer:
Emily Frisan and Nisha Gurung.

March 25–28, 2025
University of Colorado Boulder, USA
The Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW)
Fourth International Conference on Arctic Research Planning (ICARP IV)
Session Indigenizing Research Agenda and Methodology in Arctic Science
Description:
Indigenizing research agenda and methodology is an important priority to ensure that Arctic research is respectful and inclusive of Indigenous knowledge, is ethically conducted, and addresses urgent community needs and priorities.
We invite researchers, especially Indigenous scholars, to share their experiences in implementing the Indigenized and knowledge co-production approaches throughout the complete research process, including:
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The principle of community engagement at all stages of project implementation.
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FAIR, CARE, and other principles on Indigenous data sovereignty and governance.
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Local communities' cultural protocols for fieldwork.
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The Free, Prior, Informed Consent.
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The principle of transparency.
The Session hosted presentations on Indigenous leadership in Arctic research, data use and dissemination, with a special focus on community data ownership and sovereignty principles, as well as co-authorship/first-authorship with community members when publishing and disseminating research results.
The Session was organized by the Project Understanding the Gendered Impacts of COVID-19 in the Arctic (COVID-GEA), ARCTICenter, UNI, Project Measuring Urban Sustainability in Transition (MUST), and Project Socio-Ecological Systems Transformation in River basins of the sub-Arctic under climate change (SESTRA).


April 16–20, 2024
Honolulu, Hawai'i
Session Indigenizing Research Agenda and Geography Research Methodologies
Description:
Indigenizing research agenda and research methods is an important priority to ensure that geographical research is respectful and inclusive of Indigenous knowledge, is ethically conducted, and addresses urgent community needs and priorities.
Presentations:
• Global change impacts on the sustainability of Indigenous communities in Sakha Republic
Stanislav Saas Ksenofontov, ARCTICentre, University of Northern Iowa
Andrey Petrov, ARCTICenter, University of Northern Iowa
• "It is always about land”: Co-management as a pathway to homelands access for California Native Tribes
Dylan Moore, University of California Davis
• Co-Production of Arctic Sea Ice Knowledge: Bibliographic Review
Maria Monakhova, Arizona State University
Abigail York, Arizona State University
Shauna BurnSilver, Arizona State University
Tatiana Degai, University of Victoria
• Indigenizing STEM
Ulla Hasager, University Hawai'i
Hokulani Aikau, University of Victoria
Amy Sprowles, California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt
Amy Shachter, Santa Clara University
• Bridging Generations: Digital Storytelling in the Rarámuri Community
Rafael Gonzalez, University of Kansas.
Chairs/Organizers:
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Dr. Stanislav Ksenofontov, ARCTICenter, University of Northern Iowa
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Dr. Marya Rozanova-Smith, The George Washington University
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Prof. Andrey Petrov, ARCTICenter, University of Northern Iowa.
The Session was organized by the Project Understanding the Gendered Impacts of COVID-19 in the Arctic (COVID-GEA), the ARCTICenter, University of Northern Iowa, Measuring Urban Sustainability in Transition (MUST) Project, and the Socio-Ecological Systems Transformation in River basins of the sub-Arctic under climate change (SESTRA) Project.

Photos courtesy of Marya Rozanova-Smith.

Audio-Visual Exhibition
Arctic Women’s Voices: Standing Strong in the Face of COVID-19
March 5–7, 2024
The George Washington University (Washington, D.C.)
The legacy of the COVID-19 pandemic is still present in many Arctic communities. This exhibition presents women from northern Iceland and Alaska. Their stories introduce powerful narratives of grief and resilience, reflect on feelings of isolation and moments of despair, as well as project boundless optimism and self-empowerment. Presented narratives allow us to better understand the COVID-19 pandemic's complex gendered impacts on the Arctic communities and life in the Arctic as a whole.
Exhibition curator:
Dr. Marya Rozanova-Smith (The George Washington University).
Poster designers:
Laura Goodfield, Sophie Rosenthal, Polina Saburova, and Marya Rozanova-Smith.
Promo video/audio producer:
Emily Frisan.
Organizer: The Project "Understanding the Gendered Impacts of COVID-19 in the Arctic (COVID-GEA)."
October 20, 2023
Reykjavík, Iceland
Session Urban Youth and Resilience of Arctic Cities.
In October, the COVID-GEA Project team participated in the Arctic Circle Assembly, the largest annual international gathering on Arctic affairs, with over 2,000 participants from more than 60 countries. It is attended by heads of states and governments, ministers, members of parliaments, officials, experts, scientists, entrepreneurs, business leaders, Indigenous representatives, environmentalists, students, activists, and others from the growing international community of partners and participants interested in the future of the Arctic.
The COVID-GEA co-organized a Session Urban Youth and Resilience of Arctic Cities that brings together Arctic mayors, Arctic Indigenous leaders, and expert community to discuss current and future prospects of the Arctic urban youth:
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Rebecca Alty, Mayor, City of Yellowknife, Canada
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Carina Sammeli, Mayor, City of Luleå, Sweden
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Ásthildur Sturludóttir, Mayor, City of Akureyri, Iceland
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Dickie Moto, Mayor, The Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska
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Daniel Smirat, Chairman, Municipal Council of Luleå, Sweden
- Zakary Myers, CEO & Founder, Golo-Sah Consulting; Indigenous leader, Young Arctic Leaders in Research and Policy (YALReP) project, Canada.
Chairs/Experts:
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Prof. Andrey Petrov, Professor; Director, ARCTICenter, University of Northern Iowa, USA
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Dr. Marya Rozanova-Smith, Research Professor, The George Washington University, USA.
We would like to thank our distinguished panelists and partners for their excellent contribution that made the Session a great success, and we hope to participate in the upcoming Arctic Circle Assemblies of the highest significance for the entire Circumpolar region and beyond.
Session organizers:
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Understanding the Gendered Impacts of COVID-19 in the Arctic (COVID-GEA) Project, The George Washington University
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ARCTICenter, University of Northern Iowa
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Arctic-COAST Project, University of Northern Iowa
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Measuring Urban Sustainability in Transition (MUST) Project, The George Washington University.

October 22, 2023
Reykjavík, Iceland
Session Gender and Disaggregated Data in the Arctic Region
Our deep gratitude to the Session organizers for the invite to join a discussion on gender equality issues and disaggregated data in the Arctic regions and our special thanks to all distinguished panelists for an excellent conversation.
Session organizers:
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Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Iceland
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Crown Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs, Canada
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Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network (IACN)
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Directorate of Equality, Iceland
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Arctic Athabaskan Council.






