A Science Symposium in the Middle of the Bering Sea

SEARCH recently participated in a unique sharing of science in the middle of a wintery Bering Sea. In the midst of high winds and blizzards, several ARC NAV colleagues traveled to Gambell, Alaska—a Yupik village on St. Lawrence Island—to host a community science symposium. Originally proposed by the ARC NAV team’s research consultant in the community, the symposium showcased ongoing research with Gambell. Merle Apassingok, a dedicated SEARCH researcher and active Gambell community member, was our boots on the ground as he presented a poster describing our co-production process. This is only one of the more recent examples of Merle’s many important contributions to SEARCH (see this Highlight about an earlier example of Merle’s SEARCH work in his community from February 2023). Yet it turns out that getting a poster to a windy island midway between Alaska and Russia in the dead of winter is a tricky task. With our ARC NAV colleagues’ suitcases the best chance for the poster to arrive in a safe and timely manner, we had a ticking clock to get our poster printed and in their hands. With those colleagues attending the Alaska Marine Science Symposium in Anchorage the week before traveling to Gambell, we scrambled to overnight our poster from the lower 48 to Alaska as local poster printers’ turnaround times fell outside our rapidly closing window. But, after flight delays, weather warnings, and a near-4,000 mile trip, our poster was safely handed off to Merle. And the symposium also ended up being a hit, as Merle and others shared their research with the scientists and community members in attendance. The poster will now live in Gambell and continue to teach folks about our co-production process. Check out a picture of Merle with the jetsetting poster below!