Thematic Networks program team held a successful meeting on January 29 – 31, 2013 where leaders discussed about the co-operation, joint initiatives and topical issues. The meeting was hosted by the UArctic Research Office, Northern Arctic Federal University, thus the main theme of the meeting was co-operation between research office and thematic networks and how research initiatives and projects could be encouraged and supported. Program team meeting was accompanied by Rector Lauri Lajunen, University of Oulu and UArctic Board of Governors, UArctic President Lars Kullerud, and UArctic Vice-president of indigenous affairs Jan-Henry Keskitalo. Rector Lajunen brought the greetings from the UArctic Board and highlighted the importance of strengthening the research and higher education.

In addition to the program team meeting, a joint seminar was held where some thematic networks and colleagues from NArFU gave presentations. The seminar was first of its kind, and the feedback was very good showing the need for this kind of activities. “Our colleagues were impressed about the work conducted by the thematic networks and were pleased about the joint discussion”, said Marina Kalinina Vice-Rector for International Cooperation at Northern Arctic Federal University. The whole program team can fully heartedly agree the statement and new contacts were already made during the meeting.
The decision on the next program team meeting time and place will be made later, however it is clear that the next meeting will be held again in a different place. In 2012 the meeting was held in Akureyri, Iceland and now in Russian Federation so maybe the next time will be held in other Nordic country or in North America. “Circulating a program team meeting in different countries and universities is a good way for spreading the word about UArctic and thematic networks. It is also an excellent form to establish new contacts and gain new partners in to the individual thematic networks”, said Kari Laine, chair of the thematic networks at Thule Institute, University of Oulu.

More information: Thematic networks coordinator Kirsi Latola, kirsi.latola (at) uarctic.org

Seminar Program
09.00 The Arctic of Regions vs. the globalized Arctic, Lassi Heininen, University of Lapland, TN on Geopolitics and Security
09.30 The realization of a course "Arctic Law" in a Master Program "Environmental management in the Arctic", Maksim Zadorin Institute of Law, NArFU
10.00 Social Work with Families: Social Workers’ Constructions of Family in Professional Practice - TNSW research project, Lidia Kriulya, NArFU, TN on Social Work
10.30 Coffee/tea
10.45 Mental Lexicon of the Peoples of the North (psycholinguistic aspect), Vera Potapova, NEFU, TN World Images of Indigenous Peoples of the North
11.15 Research and education – key elements of collaboration, Arja Rautio, University of Oulu, TN Health and Well-being in the Arctic
11.45 Perspectives for cooperation in the field of safety and security. Michail Busin and Elena Goulubeva, Integrated Safety Institute, NArFU
12.10 Arctic R&D projects and co-operation possibilities, Kai Ryynänen, Rovaniemi University of Applied Sciences, TN on Arctic Engineering and Science
12.30 Lunch
13.30 The Social Sciences tackle Extractive Industries: an update on an EI PhD course project, Gunhild Hoogensen Gjørv, Univ of Tromsø, TN Arctic Extractive Industries
14.00 Usage of marine shipbuilding technologies in the extracting platforms building in the Arctic, V. Poppov, O. Kazakevich, Institute of Shipbuilding and Arctic Marine Engineering (NArFU, Severodvinsk)
14.30 Coffee/tea
14.45 Going online with lectures: the easy way, Steinar Thorvaldsen, University of Tromso, TN on Distance Education and E-learning (see also http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6D5UupCPrf4)
15.15 Perspectives for cooperation in the field of education and research, Nikolai Danilov, institute of Social, Humanitarian and Political Sciences
15.45 Director Ludmila E.Haymina Institute of Mathematics, Information and Space Technology
16.15 Lessons learned: experience and perspectives of international educational distance programs implementation, Andrey Nikolaev, Institute of Economics and Management, NArFU