November 5, 2003 For Immediate Release

The University of Northern British Columbia demonstrated its leadership in northern issues at an international conference last week in Edmonton.

The event marked the 25th anniversary of the Association of Canadian Universities for Northern Studies (ACUNS) and featured a number of student research presentations, as well as the re-election of UNBC Anthropology professor Jim McDonald as Vice-President of ACUNS. The conference is held every three years and featured UNBC’s largest contingent to date:

History student Donna Atkinson spoke about political participation by indigenous peoples in northwestern Siberia. Focusing on the people of the Komi Republic in particular, Anthropology student Heidi Standeven presented research on village-level changes since the fall of Communism.

Doris Dreyer of the International Studies program focused on arrangements between aboriginal communities and industry to secure long-term benefits from resource management projects, highlighting a case study from the Yukon.

Environmental issues and perceptions of landscape were at the core of Anthropology student Brenda Guernsey’s research on the Kitsumkalum community near Terrace.

Natural Resources and Environmental Studies PhD student Joanna Kafarowski presented her research on environmental contaminants in the Arctic and how they impact women’s health.

Shona Barbour’s research examined the challenges northern aboriginal communities face in selecting leaders and distributing political power.

Political Science student Laura Way has conducted research on skilled employee recruitment and retention in northern BC communities, focusing on Prince George.

Garnet Whyte has been involved in a unique project, examining the link between climate change and glaciers in northern BC.

“This was the seventh student conference on northern studies,” says Dr McDonald, “and featured signifcant international participation from around the circumpolar north. Only the University of Alberta, which hosted the conference, had more representation than UNBC.”

ACUNS has 39 member colleges and universities and its supports northern scholarship, increases public awareness of northern science and research, and works to expand knowledge of the North and its issues.