Professor Corine Wood-Donnelly hosted Nord University's kick-off for Arctic Six.
There are many challenges in the Arctic that need to be addressed, including how to ensure sufficient food supplies in the north.
PhD candidate and Arctic Six Fellows Sophie Rohde and postdoctoral researcher Beste Onat at Nord University are already working on solutions to some of these issues.
While Rohde is investigating why people make the choices they do when it comes to food purchases, Onat is exploring the best approach for an educational program centered around school gardens.
This was highlighted when Nord University marked its entry into the Arctic alliance known as the Arctic Six.
While Rohde is working to understand why people make the choices they do when it comes to food purchases, Onat is seeking the best solution for an educational program centered around school gardens.
Both researchers participated in the event, which took place over two days at the Bodø campus. The main goal of the alliance is to find solutions to Arctic challenges and problems through research and education. The key word is collaboration. Through cooperation, they strengthen the chances of success.
Rohde has been researching people’s food habits since she was a master’s student. She believes there are promising practices to build on that are well suited to Arctic regions.
“I called my project ‘Roots and Resistance,’ and it’s about how cultural and social currents in society influence people’s habits when it comes to food purchases. What solutions do they choose, what do they buy, where and why?” she asks.
Her aim is to find the best solution for a sustainable food system that ensures food security in the north.
Onat’s school gardens are not just places where students learn to cook. The gardens will be adapted to the local environment and developed in collaboration with the community.
“I believe that as a society, we need to adapt to nature in a better way. That’s why I want to find the best solution for outdoor gardens where students can learn to cook in line with the curriculum, understand how a sustainable food system can work in harmony with the surrounding nature, and connect with traditional knowledge,” she says.
Both are working to find solutions that benefit the people living in the north.
“I want to find out which systems for food purchasing and gathering work best, and for different groups. People like different things, so we need different solutions,” Rohde says.
She has been researching the topic for two years, across the Nordic region. The Arctic Six scholarship now allows her to explore the situation in northern Sweden and northern Finland as well. She has a total of four years to complete her work.
The fact that Nord University is now part of an important collaboration in the Arctic even prompted the EU’s Special Envoy to the Arctic to visit Nord University's Bodø campus.
Claude Véron-Réville got a good impression of Nord University.
“It’s a fantastic environment for creative thinking. It’s spacious, modern, natural, and peaceful. And you have a lot of collaboration with other universities. The university is taking its place in Arctic research,” she said.
Véron-Réville’s role in the EU is to increase awareness and promote the Arctic in the European Parliament.
“Right now, the focus is mostly on security, but also the people living in the Arctic. We see the whole picture.”
Facts about Arctic Six (A6)
- Alliance between six Arctic universities in Norway, Sweden and Finland.
- Together, the universities have 10,000 researchers and 90,000 students.
- The alliance collaborates on education, research, and innovation that can help develop the Arctic as a sustainable region.
- Industry and business actors in the three countries also work closely with the A6 universities.
- A6 also serves as a regional centre for the international UArctic network.
- Members: Luleå University of Technology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Umeå University, University of Lapland, University of Oulu and Nord University.
Facts about Arctic Six (A6)
- Alliance between six Arctic universities in Norway, Sweden and Finland.
- Together, the universities have 10,000 researchers and 90,000 students.
- The alliance collaborates on education, research, and innovation that can help develop the Arctic as a sustainable region.
- Industry and business actors in the three countries also work closely with the A6 universities.
- A6 also serves as a regional centre for the international UArctic network.
- Members: Luleå University of Technology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Umeå University, University of Lapland, University of Oulu and Nord University.
