DDRIG: Knowledge Production and Arctic Environmental Futures

Emory University, Atlanta GA

Investigators

Abstract

This ethnographic research seeks to understand differences in how scientists collect, analyze and interpret data on environmental change. Using Greenland as a case study, the PI will observe and record how scientists collaborate and communicate with one another and how they interact with the general public. Better understanding of how scientists study environmental change and implement collaborations will contribute to improved strategies for navigating cultural difference and fostering relationships among researchers and Arctic stakeholders. This project will further NSF’s goal of understanding the complex socio-environmental connections linking science to Arctic communities, their southern neighbors, and the environment. Additionally, this project fosters collaborations between American and Greenlandic scientists and between scientists and Arctic communities. This project employs standard ethnographic methods: participant observation and semi-structured interviews with scientists and non-scientists in the U.S., Kangerlussuaq, and Nuuk, Greenland. Participant observation provides insight into the activities, events, and modes of communication scientists use to collect, analyze, and interpret data. The themes that emerge during observation will guide follow-up interviews, which allow for in-depth analysis of perspectives scientists hold regarding their own research. Interview transcripts will then be analyzed for differences in discourse and attitudes related to environmental change, future research, and professional collaboration. Interviews with non-scientists contextualize the role of scientific research in the cultural and political landscape of contemporary Greenland. This project complements existing data on remote communities by collecting data on U.S. and Greenlandic scientists and inhabitants of more densely populated areas of the country. This research will contribute to better understanding the context of scientific research within Greenland, providing insights with relevance to the Arctic more generally. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.