Education and Outreach
The NNA-CO Education and Outreach team supports NNA project teams in engaging with communities and audiences across the Arctic and outside the Arctic in culturally responsive ways. The Community Office Education & Outreach team:
- Builds capacity within Alaska and Arctic-interested educators to leverage NNA knowledge and research discoveries in their classrooms and empower youth engagement in Arctic issues.
- Builds capacity within NNA researchers for coordinated, impactful, and culturally appropriate Education & Outreach.
- Develops Education & Outreach engagement opportunities and resources in collaboration with local educators for NNA researchers.
Broader Impacts Network
The network fosters collaboration and learning across projects, shares practices across the network, connects NNA scientists to opportunities and increases visibility of NNA research. Together we will increase our capacity for culturally appropriate education and outreach. Join the NNA Broader Impacts Network for quarterly meetings and keep an eye out for network-wide events, outreach fairs, and science storytelling workshops.
AK STEAM Collaboration Newsletter
Sharing STEAM opportunities and resources through statewide collaboration
The NNA-CO and the University of Alaska Fairbanks International Arctic Research Center, in partnership with the Alaska Science Teachers Association, share STEAM opportunities and resources on a quarterly basis through this newsletter. We share Alaska and Arctic-focused opportunities and resources for educators in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math.
Subscribe to this newsletter here. Submit an item to the next newsletter here. Read past newsletters here.
NNA Research Experience for Undergraduate Students Program
The NNA-CO Education & Outreach team hosts an annual NNA Research Experience for Undergraduates Students Program for Alaska community college and university undergraduate students. Click here to learn more about the program, and check out past student participants here!
Arctic Scientists in the Classroom: Principles for Designing Community-Centered Educational Programs Resource
The best practices for science education and outreach in the Arctic has shifted dramatically over the past 30 years as “parachute scientists” presentations in classrooms have gradually been replaced by youth-centered approaches. This mini-course introduces you to principles of evidence-based, community-centered design of science outreach and education programming in the Arctic. Through concrete examples, the mini-course will demonstrate how instructional design theory and co-production of knowledge frameworks can guide and enhance outreach project development. Examples include projects from the NSF Navigating the New Arctic initiative and NASA Science Activation Arctic and Earth SIGNs project. You will leave with an outreach program planning guide incorporating the key considerations and evidence based design for their research in Arctic classrooms or communities. Access the course here.
Who We Are
The NNA-CO Education and Outreach team is located at CU Boulder and UAF and supports all NNA projects.
Education and Outreach Events
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AGU Session: ED13A - Arctic Education and Outreach: Effective Ways of Engaging Diverse Learners in Arctic Science II Oral
Dec 15, 2025 | 2:15 - 3:45 pm CT | Room 346 - 347 (NOLA CC) |
The changing polar environments have created important scientific and societal concerns in high and lower latitudes. In this session, we will share effective approaches, frameworks and examples of how to promote a broad understanding and awareness of the changing Arctic and the related societal implications.
Education and Outreach Past Events
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How can we create communities of care that sustain both ourselves and those around us? This workshop invites participants to explore Indigenous wisdom, healing-centered engagement, and practices that foster resilience, belonging, and connection.
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Join us for an engaging conversation exploring the intersection of climate change, mental health, and Indigenous perspectives, featuring two members of the Gen Z Climate Mental Health Network. This interactive session will feature a panel discussion and Q&A with youth voices reflecting on their lived experiences, challenges, and hopes for the future.
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Thursday, April 24th, 2025 | 2:00-3:00pm AKT / 4:00-5:00pm MT / 6:00-7:00pm ET
Please join the NNA-CO for a virtual student research showcase, featuring the 2025 NNA-CO undergraduate research students and other graduate and undergraduate students affiliated with NNA projects. In this showcase, students will briefly present their research, followed by Q&A with the audience. This is a great opportunity for students to present and receive valuable feedback from the research community.
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January 23, 2025 | 11am-12pm AKT / 1-2pm MT / 3-4pm ET
Research has shown that students with mentoring relationships are happier, successful, and more likely to stay in their chosen career. In this workshop, Dr. Anne Gold will talk about how to build a more inclusive research environment and provide you with the tools you need to foster meaningful mentoring relationships and build your own support networks.
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This workshop, taking place on the UAF Troth Yeddha' Campus and at the International Arctic Research Center in Fairbanks, AK, orients graduate students to core principles in community-based and collaborative Arctic research. Students examine their positionality, learn from Alaska Native Elders and scholars, become oriented with co-production of knowledge, learn what responsible allyship looks like in research and experience the Arctic in the deep of winter!
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Dr. Katie Spellman will talk about scenario storytelling, an innovative model for citizen/community science developed as part of the Winterberry project. This model turns data into stories and pathways to action, engaging youth and the broader community. This workshop will consist of 30 minutes of interactive presentation with opportunities for audience participation followed by Q&A.
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October 31, 2024 | 10-11am AKT / 12-1pm MT / 2-3pm ET
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The NNA-CO is hosting a series of virtual workshops on science storytelling, culminating in a presentation of stories at the NNA Annual Community Meeting in March 2024. This meeting with focus on creating virtual tours. Infiniscope will cover tips and lessons learned as well as demonstrate examples of virtual tours from a community-based project in Hawaii and Polar Explorer.
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The changing polar environments have created important scientific and societal concerns in high and lower latitudes. In this session we will share effective approaches, frameworks and examples of how to promote a broad understanding and awareness of the changing Arctic and the related societal implications. The session will highlight effective strategies to inspire learners in both formal and informal learning contexts as well as communities.
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Meeting Overview: Interested in knowledge translation and techniques for science communication? Join producer, script writer, videographer and editor Dr. Ryan Vachon (Provare Media) for a 90-minute filmmaking workshop. Ryan will work with attendees to identify a project mission statement, provide methods for storyboarding and communication, discuss camera and audio gear, approaches to filming, and provide an overview of basics in editing.
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Please join the NNA-CO for a virtual NNA student research showcase, featuring the 2023 NNA-CO undergraduate research students and other graduate and undergraduate students affiliated with NNA projects. In this showcase, students will briefly present their research, followed by Q&A with the audience. This is a great opportunity for students to present and receive valuable feedback from the NNA community prior to AGU 2023 and the 2024 NNA Annual Community Meeting.
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Meeting Overview: Join the NNA-CO education & outreach team in a hands-on session, practicing how to facilitate community storytelling and sharing with communities you work with on the science topic of your project. Lesson plans and techniques will be shared to help build your engagement and outreach toolbox.
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The NNA-CO is hosting a series of virtual workshops on science storytelling, culminating in a presentation of stories at the NNA Annual Community Meeting in March 2024. Our next event will help you find a compelling ‘hook’ to draw your audience into the story you want to tell. Join Lianna Nixon, award-winning photographer, filmmaker, and climate science educator, on July 19 as she guides you through the process of finding that hook and creating ‘stories that stick.’
In coordination with StoryCenter, the NNA-CO offered Part 1 of a Storytelling Workshop Series that provided an introduction to storytelling and utilizing story as a method for sharing and communicating science. This webinar focused an introduction to storytelling and ethics of storytelling.
The NNA-CO hosted an Inclusive Mentoring Workshop where participants learned about how to build a more inclusive research environment, foster meaningful relationships, and build support networks.
The NNA-CO hosted a Learn and Connect series meeting which focused on different mediums for communicating your research with Arctic communities. A panel of communication experts discussed when and how to use newsletters, local media, podcasts, and StoryMaps. The panelists included Heather McFarland, science communication manager at International Arctic Research Center, Rod Boyce, public information officer at the Geophysical Institute, Karli Tyance Hassell, Indigenous Engagement Coordinator at Alaska Pacific University, and Mike DeLue, science communicator at International Arctic Research Center.
The NNA-CO invited NNA researchers to the Broader Impacts Network (BIN) collaboration accelerator. The group used the Topia platform to break out into small groups facilitated by NNA project leaders. Groups were organized by geographic region and research interests across diverse knowledge systems and career levels. The focus of these breakout groups was to explore ways to leverage resources and efforts across projects.
The NNA-CO hosted a Broader Impacts Network (BIN) meeting on April 27, 2022, which focused on effective ways to use social media in broadening the reach of research and connecting with Arctic communities. A panel of communication experts discussed utilization of social media for sharing research with Arctic communities, impactful and culturally-relevant messaging, and actionable and tangible communication strategies. Panelists included Alice Glenn, Coffee and Quaq host and Alaska Native Media Group journalist, Sara Eckert, Communications from the Office of Polar Programs National Science Foundation, and Kristin Timm, expert in science and environmental communication from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
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Do you want an opportunity to connect your NNA project to Alaskan educators? Join the NNA-CO for the virtual Arctic Educators Fair on February 16, 2022. This year's fair will focus on Alaska, with outreach fairs with an international focus planned for future years.
The NNA-CO hosted a virtual NNA Arctic Outreach Fair that took place as part of the Alaska Forum on the Environment. The goal of this event was to share NNA projects with community members across Alaska to encourage new connections and community engagement.