Navigating the New Arctic (NNA) is one of NSF's 10 Big Ideas. NNA projects address convergence scientific challenges in the rapidly changing Arctic. The Arctic research is needed to inform the economy, security and resilience of the Nation, the larger region and the globe. NNA empowers new research partnerships from local to international scales, diversifies the next generation of Arctic researchers, enhances efforts in formal and informal education, and integrates the co-production of knowledge where appropriate. This award fulfills part of that aim by coordinating NNA projects and broader communities, focusing on interactions among social systems, the natural environment, and the built environment.
The Navigating the New Arctic Community Office (NNA-CO) provides leadership to support use-inspired convergence research that solves complex challenges related to the changing Arctic. This approach is crucial for addressing societal needs, such as food sovereignty, climate resilience, and environmental security. The NNA-CO builds awareness, partnerships, opportunities, and resources for collaboration and equitable knowledge generation within, between, and beyond NNA projects. The NNA-CO increases recognition of Indigenous knowledge and data sovereignty; promotes inclusive and collaborative research design and implementation; and coordinates effective knowledge dissemination, education, and outreach. The office builds capacity in early career researchers and provides unique opportunities to inspire and engage a wide audience toward a more holistic understanding of the Arctic—its natural environment, built environment, and diverse cultures and communities.
The NNA-CO is a distributed office with three parts located at the University of Colorado Boulder (CU), Alaska Pacific University (APU) and the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF). The Central Office at CU gains efficiency through affiliations with the co-located Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), and the Institute for Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR). APU, a tribally controlled, Alaska Native-serving institution, hosts a Community Extension Office for Arctic communities by facilitating local/regional NNA research partnerships and interfacing NNA research with Indigenous cultures, knowledge systems, and research needs. An Education and Outreach (E&O) Field Office at UAF facilitates connections among NNA researchers and communities, teachers, and students across Alaska to maintain coordinated, culturally appropriate, and place-based E&O activities. The NNA-CO serves the NNA community through enhanced communication, coordination, and learning, with a focus on (1) co-production of knowledge with Indigenous Peoples, (2) convergence research, (3) culturally responsive education and outreach, and (4) open science for greater integrity, data-sharing, and reproducibility within NNA projects. The future activities of the NNA-CO will be guided by research and Indigenous advisory boards. Rapid Response and Convergence Working Groups, focused on a range of research areas (e.g., food security, coastal systems, and global connections), bring together relevant NNA investigators and partners to serve as the primary organizing mechanisms. NNA-CO activities extend the impact of NNA projects by creating collaborative opportunities for applying knowledge and usable science to Arctic decision-making. The NNA-CO is essential to advancing knowledge and awareness of the role of the Arctic in the global system, including within biophysical, economic, and socio-cultural contexts.
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.
