In the Canadian Arctic, science meets art in an innovative initiative fostering communication between early-career researchers and northern communities. The Arctic Science to Art contest is a visionary project by the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) Canada and the Association of Canadian Universities for Northern Studies (ACUNS) with funding support from ArcticNet. The contest was created to stimulate knowledge mobilization which, similar to science communication, interprets the technical methods and results of scientific research so that they are accessible to a wide audience across languages, cultures, and age groups. The program focuses on supporting interaction and engagement between arctic communities and researchers while promoting impactful science.
Early-career researchers (ECRs) working in northern Canada submit a summary of their research and a photo that captures their work. Winners are selected through criteria emphasizing impact and community-relevance. The winning researcher then collaborates with an established science communicator or designer to create a publicly accessible and engaging art piece, such as a multi-panel comic. Any text is translated into English, French, and at least one Indigenous language or regional dialect. The art is incorporated into a scientific conference-style poster and public engagement products, such as postcards, flyers, and even playing cards. The poster is given its debut at the ArcticNet Annual Scientific Meeting, and it and the other outreach materials are distributed in the communities for which the research has the greatest impact.
While applications have come from a variety of disciplines, marine topics have earned the limelight thus far. The 2023 winner, Myrah Graham, an MSc candidate from the Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland, and the 2022 winner, Spencer Weinstein, who recently finished her PhD at the University of Waterloo and is currently an Alaska Sea Grant State Fellow, worked with science communicators to translate their research on marine life into regionally relevant storytelling materials customized for the communities they work in.