A DAY FOR NORTHERN SCIENCE
With some thirty scientific presentations lined up, INQ Science Day 2017 had a full program in store for participants. Were we to be hit with a wave of depressing news about the health of northern ecosystems or the social problems plaguing the population? Not at all! Instead, an extraordinary sense of hope had the one hundred or so participants riveted to their seats at the Roland-Arpin Auditorium at Musée de la civilisation. The range of topics discussed, and the infectious enthusiasm of the speakers, were testament to the vitality of the northern research community, which is readier than ever to support the harmonious development of the North, despite the upheaval caused by climate change.
After welcome addresses by Maryse Lassonde, the director of Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies, and Société du Plan Nord CEO Robert Sauvé, Louis Fortier set the stage with a shocking photo of a group of walruses crowded onto a tiny chunk of pack ice – a reminder of the challenge posed by the speed at which changes are occurring in the Arctic. However the INQ science and innovation director quickly shifted into "solution" mode, presenting an overview of Institut nordique du Québec, which was created in 2014 to pool research on the North in all its aspects, with a view to serving decision makers and local populations alike.
One or two researchers from each of INQ's five research priorities then presented their work during the course of the day. It was an opportunity to hear about a host of topics, including the imagery of circumpolar regions (more often perceived as the home of Santa Claus than as an inhabited land), the latest major health survey in Nunavik (a broad initiative designed by and for the Inuit), the research needs of the First Peoples, the challenges posed by surface and ground water in these regions that have long been dominated by ice, and the strategies employed by engineers to adapt infrastructure to melting permafrost.
In between these key presentations, the 21 student researchers taking part in the Mon projet nordique competition each took up the challenge to summarize their thesis in a maximum of 5 minutes. The goal was to try to win one of the six spots offered by Fonds de recherche du Québec - Nature et technologies to take part in the upcoming edition of the Arctic Circle Assembly, the biggest international gathering on the Arctic, which will be held in Reykjavík, Iceland, in October 2017.
In this case too, the array of topics was astounding, ranging from Naskapi well-being and Swiss Army–type diatoms to caribou cameramen and rare earth elements—proof that the next generation of scientists is active on every front! The three members of the jury were hard pressed to select the winners: none of the students went over the set time limit, and the large majority ably presented their subject in a compelling manner, using powerful images and words.
Far from overwhelming the attendees, these presentations provided a host of discussion topics that had them talking and networking during the breaks, at lunch at the museum's Café 47, and at the cocktail reception at the end of the day, where the list of winners was announced by Ms. Lassonde. Charles Brunette, Julie Ducrocq, François Lapointe, Gwyneth Anne MacMillan, Mélissande Nagati, and Barbara Vuillaume will be heading to Reykjavík, where they will present their projects again alongside six Scandinavian PhD students selected by the funding agency Nordforsk. Good luck to you all!
Valérie Borde, science journalist |
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UNVEILING OF INQ SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMMING
Science Day 2017 was also an opportunity to unveil INQ's scientific programming, a document put together by over 150 researchers and representatives of various Indigenous organizations and peoples over the past year. It was a task that required hundreds of hours of work, preparation, and discussions, and the programming is the result of a unique, wide-reaching collaborative effort. Consult the programming document here.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS - MON PROJET NORDIQUE COMPETITION
INQ would like to thank the Mon projet nordique competition selection committee, which took on the difficult task of choosing six winners from among the stellar PhD students. A big thank-you also to the participants for their outstanding presentations, which played a big part in the success of the event. Congratulations to the winners!
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RECAP OF THE INQ MEMBERSHIP RETREAT
April 27–28, 2017, Forêt Montmorency
A retreat was held this past spring at Forêt Montmorency on the subject of INQ membership. The goals of the meeting were to structure the INQ membership process, look into the types of membership of organizations with a mandate similar to that of INQ, and define INQ member responsibilities, obligations, and advantages. Some twenty people were invited to take part in this exercise. The results of their discussions will be shared in the coming year.
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ACFAS SEMINAR: A RESOUNDING SUCCESS!
May 8, 2017, McGill University, Montreal
INQ hosted a seminar on May 8 as part of the ACFAS 85th Annual Congress. The purpose of the seminar was to spur discussion on the study of Northern Quebec and to promote Quebec's expertise and leadership in northern science. The first two sessions were devoted to the sustainable development of Northern Quebec and to INQ's activities, scientific program, and three research chairs. The afternoon sessions were divided up according to INQ's five research priorities. The seminar wrapped up with a networking cocktail reception and poster presentations on research in Northern Quebec. Over fifty people took part in the event. The ACFAS Annual Congress—the biggest multidisciplinary gathering of researchers in the Francophonie—attracts thousands of researchers and research users from some thirty countries.
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LAUNCH OF THE ENGLISH VERSION OF THE MOOC
Course: October 10 to December 4, 2017 (English version)
Registration underway (until October 30, 2017)
We are pleased to announce the addition of the English version of the MOOC in Fall 2017. Northern Quebec: Issues, Spaces and Cultures will begin Tuesday, October 10, 2017, at 10 a.m. Registration is currently underway. An initiative of INQ, the MOOC is aimed at anyone with an interest in Northern Quebec who wishes to learn about the area and its history, communities, and challenges. It offers an introduction to the sociopolitical issues of Northern Quebec, the ancestral homeland of a number of Indigenous nations. The course will provide participants a better understanding of the cultures of northern populations, the place the North occupies in the collective imagination, its sociopolitical development, and the various visions for development of the territory.
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THREE SESSIONS FOR ARCTIC CIRCLE 2017
October 13–15, 2017, Reykjavík, Iceland
On the occasion of the upcoming Arctic Circle Assembly, INQ, in cooperation with Société du Plan Nord and Quebec's Department of International Relations and La Francophonie, will present three seminars. The first, entitled Northern Sustainable Development Challenges: a comparative approach, features two speakers—a Quebec expert and an international expert, who will take turns, according to their respective areas of expertise, to present their vision of new energy sources, food security, and environmental protection. The second seminar will focus on the role of three sub-national states in Arctic governance: Alaska, Lapland, and Quebec. Lastly, there will be a session entitled Mon projet nordique in which six PhD students from Quebec and six from Scandinavia will present their research projects on current challenges in the North.
The Arctic Circle Assembly is the biggest annual international gathering on the Arctic, and the 2017 edition is expected to attract over 2,000 participants from 50 countries. The event is held every October in Reykjavík, Iceland.
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CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR ARCTIC FRONTIERS 2018
January 23 to 25, 2018, in Tromsø, Norway
Arctic Frontiers recently announced a call for proposals for the following themes for the 2018 edition of the event that will be held in Tromsø, Norway, from January 23 to 25:
- Aquaculture in the High North in times of change
- The new Arctic in the global context
- Resilient Arctic societies and industrial development
- Circumpolar safety, search and rescue collaboration
It is worth noting that two projects in which several INQ researchers are involved, namely GreenEdge and BAYSYS, will feature prominently under the theme The new Arctic in the global context. The other themes are also of interest for the INQ community. The deadline for submitting summaries is September 19, 2017. See the website for more info.
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ARCTIC INSPIRATION PRIZE
Deadline for call for nominations: October 23, 2017
The call for nominations for the 2017 Arctic Inspiration Prize (AIP) is underway. A number of changes have been made to the sixth edition of this annual event. The total prize money up for grabs has been increased to over $3 million across three categories. Nominations may be submitted until October 23, 2017. AIP was created in 2012 as a way to acknowledge the teams that have made a significant contribution to the enhancement of Arctic knowledge and to help them transform that knowledge into concrete applications for the benefit of the Canadian Arctic and its peoples. To date, 14 teams have received awards totalling $6 million to support innovative and sustainable multidisciplinary projects that will create long-term spinoffs for the Arctic communities. See the website for more info.
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UPCOMING EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES
- First annual meeting of Sentinelle Nord/Sentinel North, August 29 and 30, 2017, Hôtel Château Laurier, Quebec City
- Arctic Circle Assembly, October 13 to 15, 2017, Reykjavík, Iceland
- Arctic Change 2017, December 11 to 15, 2017, Québec City Convention Centre
- Arctic Frontiers, January 23 to 25, 2018, Tromsø, Norway
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