Introduction to the UArctic Project entitled
“UArctic Coordinated undergraduate/graduate Educational program in Environmental Pollution Research (Arctic-CEEP)”
–A funded program by the UiT The Arctic University of Norway
Background
This year, UiT The Arctic University of Norway announced the funding scheme to support activities within the cooperation framework of The University of the Arctic (UArctic). Our project entitled “UArctic Coordinated undergraduate/graduate Educational Program in Environmental Pollution Research (Arctic-CEEP)” has been granted NOK 400,000. The lead institution is the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) with four partners, including Harbin Institute of Technology, China (HIT), North-Eastern Federal University, Russia (NEFU), Polar Research Institute of China, China (PRIC), and the University Centre in Svalbard, Norway (UNIS). This Project is from September 1, 2020 to August 31, 2022.
Objectives
The objectives of this project are:
As a follow up of an already ongoing academic educational collaboration among HIT, NEFU, UNIS and NMBU, the Arctic-CEEP team intends to extend and firmly implement the already available educational network on Arctic environmental pollution science in the UArctic educational curricula. Based upon the already well-established academic collaboration, the project group will develop a comprehensive multidisciplinary research and educational package supplemented through research and through adaptations of available course portfolio at the partner Universities actively establishing a joint graduate and post graduate educational program in Arctic pollution sciences. The scientific and research focus on our Arctic environmental pollutions educational and research program will encircle pressing scientific issues on the environmental and health related impact of the currently increasing industrial activities and an Arctic environment in change.
Key Information
This project has both education and research components:
Education: The core educational program for this project is the established education program by the International Arctic School, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT-IAS), which holds an Arctic Summer School for undergraduate students and an Arctic Winter School for graduate students every year.
HIT-IAS is also a subsidiary of the UArctic-HIT Training Centre, which is the first UArctic Reginal Centre outside the eight Arctic countries.
Research: The project links to the existing UArctic Thematic Network Project “POPs and Chemicals of Emerging Arctic Concern in the Asian Arctic” co-led by HIT and NEFU (HIT is the lead and NEFU is the vice lead of the Project, both NMBU and UNIS are partners of the Project), which is the first UArctic Thematic Network Project led by a University outside the eight Arctic countries.
Suggestions
To establish a Mobility Program for this Four University Consortium, including four UArctic member universities, NMBU, UNIS, HIT, and NEFU, for the Arctic education. The students of the four universities can study the common Arctic courses in each university and obtain the credit for studying these courses.
As the first step of the China2North, the Four University Consortium Mobility Program aims to high-quality education and research by focusing on an Arctic dimension in course delivery and by facilitating opportunities to study, to provide the graduate/undergraduate students opportunities to study and carry out relevant research in different university of the Consortium.
The Four University Consortium Mobility Program shall be used to improve the quality of education delivery to the students and to exchange knowledge and understanding between Arctic and non-Arctic populations.
The support from UArctic n2n leadership should be sought for this Mobility Program.
