Arctic Month
Institute for Global Studies invites campus to cool down with Arctic-themed programs during April
9:28 a.m., April 4, 2016--Throughout the month of April, the University of Delaware will discover the science, history and culture of Arctic communities and landscapes while honoring UD’s commitment to research and impact in this, the vast northernmost region of the world.
Arctic Month, hosted by the Institute for Global Studies, will feature more than a dozen lectures, programs and events on topics ranging from marine biosciences in the depths of the Arctic Ocean to modern-day Inuit interpretations of long-passed traditions.
Global Stories
Fulbright awards
Peace Corps plans
The celebrations will kick-off Tuesday, April 5, with the final installment of this year’s Fulbright Lecture Series, spotlighting Mark Moline, the 2011 Fulbright Arctic Chair and director of UD’s School of Marine Science and Policy. Alongside his colleague Jon Cohen, assistant professor of marine biosciences, the researchers will describe their six-year journey to discovering the life that thrives in the polar night.
This event will begin at 7 p.m. in the Harker Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Laboratory Atrium. Registration is encouraged and all in attendance will be invited to be the first to sample the month’s signature UDairy Creamery ice cream, Glacial Goodness.
On Thursday, April 12, at 7 p.m.in Trabant University Center Theatre, Jim Corbett, the associate director of the School of Marine Science and Policy, will lead an audience through the famous documentary Battle for the Arctic and share his expertise in maritime transportation, its effects on the rapidly changing Arctic environment, and the pollution policy that has ensued.
Those seeking a light-hearted movie should mark their calendars and bring their family and friends for a showing of Arctic Tale on Thursday April 7, at 7 p.m. in 006 Kirkbride Hall.
The month will feature many films, including the anthropological classic Nanook of the North and a recent remaking of an Inuit legend, Fast Runner.
An exclusive Arctic Month opportunity, the University Museums have uncovered items from the Inuit collection, exhibited for only a month in 2003, for two limited, behind-the-scenes tours led by curators Ivan Henderson and Jan Gardner Broske. Participants will experience a rich cross-section of the Inuit arts of Alaska (Yup’ik) and Nunavut (Arctic Circle), and see “up-close-and-personal” views and narratives of drawings, carvings, and artifacts of these Native American peoples.
Pre-registration for behind-the-scenes tours of the Inuit collection, to take place on April 12 and 26, are required. Those interested in attending are encouraged to register early, as space is limited to 15 participants per tour.
“Arctic After Dark Weekend” begins with a glow-in-the-dark skate party at the Fred Rust Ice Arena on Friday, April 15. Free transportation from the ice arena will be provided immediately following for the opening of “Polar Night: Light and Life in the Dead of Night,” an exhibit on loan from the Polar Museum in Tromso.
The exhibit, navigated in the dark by flashlight, will be open from 8-11 p.m., Friday, April 15, through Sunday, April 17, in the Kent Engagement Center in the Kent Dining Hall, and is free and open to the public.
“Icebreaker! Talks,” to take place on Tuesday, April 26, at 7 p.m. in the Harker Lab, will present a holistic view of UD’s Arctic reach. In this short, interdisciplinary and consumable event, eight Arctic experts will present their research in eight slides and eight minutes. The number eight represents the number of Arctic Council Nations.
Other highlights of the month include talks on historic Arctic exploration by McKay Jenkins, Cornelius A. Tilghman Sr. Professor of English, and doctoral student Alyce Graham, a visit from “Einstein of the Oceans” Walter Munk, an Office for International Students and Scholars “iced” coffee hour, and a month-long Arctic Exploration exhibit housed in the Morris Library.
Visit the Arctic Month website for a complete calendar of events, to view details on UD in the Arctic, or to explore resources available at the Morris Library.
UD Arctic Month is has been generously co-sponsored by the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment, the Department of Anthropology, Environmental Humanities, the Delaware Environmental Institute, Morris Library, UD Sustainability Task Force, University Museums, Office for International Students and Scholars, and Student Wellness and Health Promotion.
For the latest updates on everything happening during the month or for fun facts about UD’s Arctic impact, follow @UDGlobal on Instagram and Twitter, and engage using the hashtag #UDArctic.
Article by Nikki Laws