Northwest Passage Project Summative Evaluation

The Northwest Passage Project explored the changing Arctic through an innovative expedition aboard the Swedish Icebreaker Oden to conduct groundbreaking ocean science research, while it actively engaged 22 undergraduate and graduate students from the project’s five Minority Serving Institution (MSI) partners and 2 early career Inuit researchers in the research at sea. Over 35 hours of training in Arctic research techniques, polar science, and science communication was provided to these participants, who were engaged in the Northwest Passage expedition and worked with the onboard science team to collect and process hundreds of water samples, collect ice cores while standing on ice floes, deploy and monitor video feeds from a remotely operated underwater vehicle, collect bird and marine mammal census and location data, and analyze data. 

In addition to the college students, 18 high school teachers and students participated in the project’s residential summer institute, where they learned about ocean and climate science, Arctic issues, sea going oceanography and tools of the trade, and workforce opportunities. In addition to science instruction, hands-on activities, and the opportunity to engage in Inner Space Center activities, these participants met with scientists and engineers from across academia and industry to discuss career paths and workforce opportunities.

The project also reached diverse public audiences at the project's three U.S. science museum partners through 36 real-time, live interactions from sea, during which the scientist and student participants shared news of their experiences, highlighted Arctic science., and answered audience questions. The Facebook Live platform was used to reach the public at large during four live broadcasts from the Oden.

Another major project activity was the production of the documentary Frozen Obsession. The film focused on the research being conducted aboard the Oden, the experiences of the participating students, the Indigenous people of the region, and important Arctic issues. Following the expedition, the film was screened on the campuses of the project's five MSI partners and the University of Rhode Island. It was also screened for the public at the project's three museum partners. These screening events were followed by panel discussions with the participants and project team members. Public Broadcasting Services (PBS) picked up the film, and it began airing on over 300 television stations across the U.S. in February 2021.

The summative evaluation summarizes impacts of the project on its main audiences: undergraduate students and the public.

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