Arctic explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson, 1916, a former director of the Dartmouth Northern Studies Program

My involvement with the Arctic policy community is supported through my position as Director of the Dickey Center’s Institute of Arctic Studies and as a co-Director of the University of the Arctic Institute for Arctic Policy (IAP).

Since its founding in 1989, the Institute of Arctic Studies has focused on the environmental, cultural, and political dimensions of the North and the critical impact of climate change. The Dickey Center’s commitment to the interdisciplinary study of these issues rests in the hope that this will benefit northern people, increase international understanding, and promote global environmental stewardship.

IGERT Fellow arriving at Summit Station, Greenland

The Institute is a crossroads for interdisciplinary research, discussion, and education. We provide undergraduate and graduate students with guidance on educational and research opportunities in polar studies, and direct an interdisciplinary IGERT PhD program in polar environmental change. Our seminars and public events with notable scholars and policymakers aim to highlight the importance of polar regions and global ecosystems in world affairs and to spark open, educated and productive discussion on these issues within our community and beyond.

JSEP students and teachers having fun and learning together on the Greenland Ice Sheet

We also support opportunities for US high school students to travel to polar regions and participate in hands-on and inquiry-based science activities through the Joint Science Education Project (JSEP) and Joint Antarctic School Expedition (JASE).