Meet the SEARCH co-production teams
SEARCH hosts three co-production teams, each broadly focused on how the changing Arctic environment impacts people and society. Each team includes a balance of scientific, Indigenous, and decision-making experts who are sharing how the Arctic is rapidly changing, what these dramatic changes mean for communities, cultures, and the rest of the planet, and what we can do about it. The teams meet and collaborate in a variety ways, both in person and virtually, and are working together to make their findings available in diverse formats tailored to specific audiences.
See the latest publications from SEARCH, and scroll down to learn more about each team and how you can get involved.
Drivers and Ecological Consequences of Arctic Environmental Change
Changes observed in sea ice, glaciers, ice sheets, permafrost, and life in the ocean & on land; how these changes impact Arctic people from local to global scales
Co-chairs:
- Vera Kingeekuk Metcalf, Eskimo Walrus Commission
- Marika Holland, National Center for Atmospheric Research
Human Well Being in the Changing Arctic Environment
Food security and sovereignty, cultural heritage, community resilience, human health, and well being from local to global scales
Co-chairs:
- Jackie Qataliña Schaeffer, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium
- Jamie Donatuto, Swinomish Indian Tribal Community
International Cooperation and Economic Decision-Making
Implications of environmental change on international cooperation; impacts on international, regional, and local government policies and industry
Co-chairs:
- Francis Wiese, Stantec, Inc.
- Evan Bloom, Wilson Center
What are the teams up to?
SEARCH teams and contributors continue to meet monthly in dedicated team meetings, every other month as part of the SEARCH Integration Group, and every other week for the SEARCH Reading Group.
SEARCH co-production team members and co-chairs have also met twice in person, once in Anchorage (June 2022) and once in Nome (October 2022).
Through these various occasions, an important conversation is emerging that gives way to new understandings of how the Arctic is changing and what those changes mean for people.
Since the start of the latest phase of SEARCH in September 2021, we have provided written and spoken testimony to help inform government committees, published essays, book chapters, and podcasts. To see everything, go straight to our Products page.
In December 2022, 41 contributors to SEARCH co-produced a written chapter for the annual Arctic Report Card, published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Learn more about SEARCH's chapter in the Arctic Report Card, and be sure to listen to Ahtna Dine' Storyteller Wilson Justin's oral history, which informed our written chapter.
Want more?
Read the latest news from SEARCH.
Listen to the SEARCH podcast, Out of the Arctic. Our latest episode features SEARCH team member Cyrus Harris from the Native Village of Kotzebue sharing how he provides traditional subsistence foods to Indigenous Elders in care homes.
Peruse the latest media coverage of SEARCH, such as these stories from Alaska Public Media and the New York Times.
While our co-production teams offer a broad structure to share knowledge across different ways of knowing, the conversation reaches beyond the teams and into the wider Arctic community. We welcome Arctic experts and enthusiasts to join the conversation in both our Integration and Reading Groups.
What's the quickest way to get involved in SEARCH?
Consider joining our SEARCH Integration Group or our Reading Group! Our Integration Group meets every other month, and our Reading Group meets every other week to discuss a pre-assigned essay or article. Both of these groups are open to all. To join, please email Athena Copenhaver: aecopenhaver@alaska.edu.
Nominations for future team members are always open.
You can either:
- Complete and submit a Google Form online
OR - Download, complete, and submit a nomination form using MS Word.
For more information, contact:
- Brendan P. Kelly, Science Director and Principal Investigator, bpkelly@alaska.edu
- Athena Copenhaver, Executive Director, aecopenhaver@alaska.edu
- George Kling, Chief Editor, gwk@umich.edu
- Or, contact any of the team co-chairs listed in the teams above.
Co-producing Understanding of the Drivers and Consequences of Arctic Environmental Change
Invitation to join the effort
Why
Local people, governments, and businesses need to understand the changing Arctic environment to make sound decisions.
Who
The combined knowledge of Indigenous, scientific, and decision-making experts is needed to inform decisions made in and about the Arctic.
This project was co-designed and is led by the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, the Eskimo Walrus Commission, the National Center for Atmospheric Research, Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, Oregon State University, Stantec, Inc., the University of Michigan, and the Wilson Center.
We are recruiting for three co-production teams, each including Indigenous, scientific, and decision-making experts.
How
Indigenous, scientific, and decision making experts consistently and reliably work together to share their collective knowledge and to create new outcomes. Doing so will require new practices of mutually respectful collaboration. Travel support will be provided as well as stipends for Indigenous experts.
When
Co-production teams will meet, converse, share their knowledge, and co-design new outcomes in 2022–2025.
What
Clearly written, spoken, and visual explanations of expected environmental changes and their consequences shared with diverse audiences. Improved ways of working together, of co-producing knowledge (bringing together diverse groups to create new knowledge and practices), and of sharing these important new understandings with wide audiences.
Contact
SEARCH Executive Director: Athena Copenhaver, aecopenhaver@alaska.edu
SEARCH Principal Investigator & Science Director: Brendan Kelly, bpkelly@alaska.edu