More than 200 researchers, Indigenous community representatives, educators, and partners gathered Sept. 15-17 at the University of Alaska Fairbanks for the 2026 Navigating the New Arctic (NNA) Annual Community Meeting. Centered on the theme “Living with Change,” the gathering explored Arctic research priorities, environmental change, and opportunities for collaboration between researchers and communities.

Jessica Lewis-Nicori, Alaska Pacific University’s Indigenous Engagement Coordinator with the National Science Foundation’s NNA Community Office, led a session titled “Sharing an Indigenous Worldview with Science.” Drawing on her experiences growing up in Chefornak, Alaska, Lewis-Nicori reflected on how her Indigenous worldview shaped her understanding of the world and how entering Western scientific spaces sometimes made her feel she needed to disconnect from those perspectives to participate.

Her session encouraged participants to consider how Indigenous knowledge and Western science can coexist and inform more meaningful, community-centered research.

Documentaries and guest speakers before the meeting

This gathering began with pre-meeting activities focused on Indigenous perspectives, advocacy, and equitable research. A film screening explored themes of Indigenous activism and the impacts of climate change on traditional subsistence practices, including through The Arctic Edge: Navigating change in the Arctic waters of Greenland and The Sami Song of Survival: Indigenous Activism on the Northern Frontier.

Some of the film-makers were guest speakers as well. These included two Indigenous rights and climate change advocates, Princess Daazhraii Johnson and Nanieezh Peter. Both are Gwich’in from Vashrąįį K’ǫǫ (Arctic Village) and have a long history advocating for Indigenous communities in the Arctic. Peter’s film, Vidrìi Tr’ahtłoo (Their Warming Heart) and Johnson’s films, Gath & K’iyh: Listen to Heal and This is a Story about Salmon, were both presented.

Participants also took part in a workshop on equitable research led by Cana Uluak Itchuaqiyaq, Associate Professor of Technical and Scientific Communication and founding Director of the Center for Sustainable Engagement in the Arctic at Virginia Tech. The workshop emphasized involving communities affected by research in decisions about its planning and direction.

During the three-day meeting, panels explored artificial intelligence, changes in water and fire, and impactful scientific communication. Artist Taperrnaq Amber Webb created a mural for the event, and the gathering concluded with closing reflections, a poem, and a performance by the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Inu-Yupiaq Dance Group.

The meeting highlighted the importance of bringing Indigenous knowledge, community priorities, and scientific inquiry together to better understand a changing Arctic. For APU, this work reflects a commitment to Indigenous knowledge and community partnerships that support research grounded in the experiences of the people most affected by change.