by Larry Hinzman
The Arctic Science Summit Week, Arctic Observing Summit, Arctic Council Senior Arctic Officials, Model Arctic Council and International Arctic Assembly were convened in mid-March on the campus of the University of Alaska Fairbanks with great productivity and satisfaction of the participants. We were pleased to welcome more than 1000 participants from more than 30 different nations and more than 130 different institutions. These registrants included 200 Alaskans and 28 members of the media.
The organization and execution of these meetings was extensive and complex, involving more than 250 coordinators, volunteers and contributors from across Alaska. The participants were enthusiastic in their praise of the content and accomplishments of the meeting, but they were equally happy about the genuine welcome offered to our guests by the people of Alaska. Hosting a complex event such as this summit required an army of supporting services, and we were blessed to have volunteers from Fairbanks, North Pole, Anchorage and other communities throughout Alaska helping us meet these needs. This truly was an event hosted by the people of Alaska.
