Ross Coen, a Canadian Studies affiliate graduate and a ph.D. student in the History Department, spoke at a conference at the University of Manitoba entitled, Canada and the Arctic: Challenges and Opportunities.
To learn a little more about this conference:
The 2014 edition of the PSSC marks the 30th anniversary of the conference. In keeping with a tradition of stimulating discussion on topical issues, the theme of this conference will be “Canada and the Arctic: Challenges and Opportunities”. The conference will consist of five panels spread over three days, with each panel dedicated to analyzing a distinct aspect of the Arctic and Canada’s involvement in the region. Each panel will be composed of several speakers. The format will be interactive and discussion-based. Experts from Canada and around the world have been invited to present their research and ideas.
The PSSC is organized, designed and run by graduate and senior undergraduate students from the Department of Political Studies at the University of Manitoba. Held annually since 1985, the PSSC has earned a stellar reputation among the academic community, government officials, and students across Canada, the United States and Europe. The students are all volunteers. They are responsible for picking the theme of the conference, deciding on and arranging for speakers to come to the University of Manitoba, raising all of the funds for the conference, publicizing the event, organizing speaker accommodation and meals, reserving a suitable venue, ensuring audio-visual resources are in place, moderating the panels and arranging for all of the wrap up. The public and important stake holders are invited to attend and engage in the debate. This year’s PSSC co-chairs are Ms. Alison Kimlinger (MA candidate) and Mr. Elikem Tsamenyi (MA candidate) and Mr. Richard Farthing-Nichol (undergraduate candidate). Drs. Andrea Charron and James Fergusson are the faculty volunteers. More can be found at the University of Manitoba site here: http://umanitoba
Ross Coen is a Ph.D. student in the UW History Department where he is studying the 20th century American West, in particular the intersections of environment, technology, and politics in Alaska fisheries. His 2012 book, Breaking Ice for Arctic Oil, examines the political and technological history of the SSManhattan, an icebreaking tanker that transited the Northwest Passage in 1969 in order to test the viability of shipping Alaska North Slope crude oil via circumpolar marine routes. Ross formerly worked on climate change policy in the office of Senator Ted Stevens and on rural energy development for the Alaska Center for Energy and Power (ACEP), an applied research institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.