Collaborative Research: The Polaris Project - Catalyzing Change in the Arctic Research Community

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The Polaris Project engages a diverse group of undergraduate students in cutting-edge arctic research and provides them encouragement, mentoring, and opportunities to continue pursuing arctic studies. The program, which is designed to address the lack of racial and ethnic diversity in the polar geoscience workforce, will also train students in the process of co-production of knowledge with local communities in the Arctic. In addition to the inherent benefit of linking scientific progress to societal needs, undergraduate students' scientific motivations are increasingly focused on a desire to 'make a difference' that extends beyond collecting, synthesizing, and reporting data. The Polaris Project will develop an undergraduate student research and mentoring model that supports this need. The central element of the Polaris Project is the month-long summer experience, which includes a field expedition to the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta in Alaska, during which students will complete a research project of their own design. Expedition participants tackle an issue of great scientific and societal importance, the impacts of fire and permafrost thaw on the vulnerability of the Arctic landscape. As part of the expedition, students and faculty will also spend time interacting with and learning from local and indigenous residents of Alaska who are experiencing the effects of the changing environment first-hand. Engaging with local and indigenous Arctic communities in the generation of scientific knowledge is critical to understanding the Arctic system and to applying this knowledge to effectively address societal needs at local to global scales. The project will develop a model for undergraduate education that includes conducting scientific research combined with invaluable expertise, training, and input from local and indigenous communities. Evaluation of the model will improve our understanding of how to design projects that engage undergraduates in research that encompasses co-production of knowledge with local communities, and particularly in arctic-related science in Alaska. This proposal is supported by the Office of Polar Programs and by the Division of Undergraduate Education.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.