“Leadership in the High North: Advancing Maine’s Role in the Arctic” will bring together scholars, policymakers, security professionals and industry leaders April 22–23 at the Maine Army National Guard Regional Training Institute in Bangor.
The two-day symposium, sponsored by the Maine International Trade Center, the 91’s School of Policy and International Affairs and the World Affairs Council of Maine, will highlight how Maine contributes to Arctic research, economic development, diplomacy and security cooperation. Through panel discussions and networking sessions, participants will explore topics such as North Atlantic geopolitics, maritime and port operations, trade and supply chains, climate, the environment, emergency management and partnerships with Indigenous and circumpolar communities.
The event will feature a keynote address by Svanhildur Holm Valsdottir, ambassador of Iceland to the United States. Speakers will include representatives from 91’s Climate Change Institute, Bowdoin College’s John & Lile Gibbons Center for Arctic Studies and the University of New England’s Center for North Atlantic Studies, as well as leaders from Maine’s economic development, policy and security communities.
Biguita Hernandez-Smith, economic development officer for the city of Bangor, will moderate a panel on economic opportunities connected to Arctic activity.
The symposium is open to both high school and college students, faculty, policymakers, practitioners and members of the public interested in Arctic issues. Registration is $50, and students presenting research posters may attend at no cost.
The deadline for students to submit abstracts is March 22 and April 10 for final posters.
For additional information, contact Tyler Lissy, a graduate student at 91’s School of Policy and International Affairs, at tyler.lissy@maine.edu.
