Hello! My name is Briana McNeal and I am a graduate student currently studying at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) in the United States. I am an Earth System Science student in the Department of Biology and Wildlife at UAF where I am studying vegetation and landscape evolution occurring on the North Slope of Alaska. I currently work as a graduate research assistant at the Alaska Geobotany Center run by Dr. Donald A. Walker where I specialize in GIS and remote sensing of landscapes in the Arctic. While I have a background in programming and data analysis, I am now building my field-related skill set to survey plant communities in tundra ecosystems and link them to remote sensing data products. Bridging the gap between satellite-derived vegetation data and field surveys is a key interest of mine and a topic I find is particularly relevant in areas such as the Arctic where field access is oftentimes limited and inaccessible for a variety of reasons.

The Fourth International Conference on Arctic Research Planning (ICARP IV) Summit was my first academic conference I have been able to attend as an early-career researcher. Therefore, the goal of my trip was to meet with other researchers interested in the Arctic and learn about the different projects that are currently taking place in the Circumpolar North. I was also eager to share my current graduate student research with a broader community, so I created a poster that I presented during the ICARP IV. I was also fortunate to have the opportunity to participate in the Circumpolar Arctic Vegetation Science Initiative (CAVSI) workshop that was going on during Arctic Science Summit Week. During the workshop, I was invited to serve as a co-moderator on a discussion panel related to remote sensing and mapping. I was also able to network with other researchers currently working on similar topics related to vegetation science in the Arctic. As someone with more experience working behind computers, it was important for me to talk with researchers who collect in situ data and have had firsthand field experience with vegetation surveys. It was also a great opportunity for me to talk and connect with researchers who work outside of Alaska, as connecting my work in the United States to work in other Arctic countries is vital for data synthesis and collaboration.

Receiving the grant from UArctic to attend the ICARP IV summit gave me the opportunity to attend the conference in person rather than virtually, which was an incredibly valuable opportunity to make connections with fellow researchers and engage in the conference sessions. Being at the event also allowed me to receive feedback and recommendations on my research that I am currently working on. As an early-career researcher still in graduate school, these connections and inputs on my research are incredibly important for both my immediate and future career development.

Part of the YoungArctic project, financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway. YoungArctic is a collaboration between High North Center (at Nord University), UArctic, and the International Arctic Social Sciences Association (IASSA).Follow the project on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/youngarcticproject/