The first draft of the Thematic Program for the 6th Open Assembly of The Northern Research Forum, which will be held in Oslo and Kirkenes, Norway from 24-27 October 2010, is now available on the NRF website. The Assembly´s theme is "Our Ice-Dependent World". The overall objective of the Assembly is to address the impact of dwindling ice -- terrestrial as well as ocean bound -- on the complex interface of nature and society in all climatic zones of the world, with an emphasis on the Arctic, the Antarctic, and the Himalaya. In light of the man-made part of climate change, particularly global warming, the natural phenomena of ice has become a matter of global politics -- a common heritage of humankind affecting social life in dramatic ways on a global scale. This turn in the interrelationship of the society/nature interface is the focus of the Assembly.

For the past 7 years, a number of arctic researchers have been working together on a project known as Ocean-Atmosphere-Sea Ice-Snowpack (OASIS, http://www.oasishome.net/). OASIS is a set of coupled international projects focusing on understanding the exchange of chemical species between the atmosphere and the surface in the Arctic, how those processes impact the composition of the atmosphere, and how those processes are changing as a result of climate change. As part of the broader impacts work associated with a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to Purdue Professor Paul Shepson in support of OASIS research, Shepson and his collaborator Peter Lourie, with help from various contributors, have created a set of "Arctic Stories" available online at: http://www.arcticstories.net/. Through video interview, these digital stories capture science in the Barrow area, connections between science and life in the Arctic, climate change and the natural environment in the Arctic, and the impacts of climate change on arctic people and life.

The first ever volume of the Yearbook of Polar Law, a new annual publication dealing with international law and the polar regions, is available. The articles published in Volume 1 cover four broad themes: (1) challenges for the protection of biodiversity and wilderness in the polar regions; (2) sustainable development and human rights; (3) environmental governance in the polar regions; and (4) emergent and re-emerging jurisdictional issues in the polar regions.

The Arctic Institute of North America (AINA) announces publication of the December 2009 issue of the journal ARCTIC, Volume 62, Number 4. A non-profit membership organization and multidisciplinary research institute of the University of Calgary, AINA's mandate is to advance the study of the North American and circumpolar Arctic through the natural and social sciences, as well as the arts and humanities, and to acquire, preserve, and disseminate information on physical, environmental, and social conditions in the North. Created as a binational corporation in 1945, the Institute's United States Corporation is housed at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

The dates of the 17th Inuit Studies Conference at the Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, in Val-d’Or, Quebec, have been changed. The conference will be held on 28-30 October 2010. Proposals for papers will be received until 22 January 2010.

Organizers of Session 4.1, "Human health and well-being in the polar regions," announce a call for abstracts. Contributions are being sought from researchers in the fields of polar medicine, psychology, sociology, human geography, and the related fields of tourism, community health, epidemiology, human adaptation to extreme and unusual environments, and management of health-related activities in the polar regions.

The Government of Nunavut, Department of Culture, Language, Elders, and Youth, seeks applications for a Manager of Heritage. The position is based in Igloolik, Nunavut. Under the general direction of the Director of Culture and Heritage, the successful candidate would be responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Igloolik office of the Division, consisting of four positions that deliver the territorial heritage, archaeology, archives, and toponymy programs, and the Historic Places Registrar and the Heritage Collections Administration Officer positions based in Iqaluit. The Manager of Heritage is accountable for developing and delivering appropriate heritage programs and services, and fulfils these responsibilities in accordance with federal and territorial heritage legislation and policy and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement.

The Autumn/Winter 2009 issue of the IASSA newsletter Northern Notes is now available here: http://www.svs.is/IASSA/NorthernNotes%20No31.pdf. Featured articles in this issue include: (1) IPY 2007-2008 and Social/Human Sciences: Mission Accomplished?; (2) Summary of International IPY Data Management Meeting; (3) International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) Research Priorities in Human and Social Sciences; (4) CAVIAR - Community Adaptation and Vulnerability in the Arctic Regions; (5) Update on the Arctic Social Indicators Projcet (2006-2011); (6) The Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Programme; (7) Update on Social Sciences Initiatives within APECS. Also included is information on upcoming conferences, announcements, and new publications.

Travel support is available for students to attend the State of the Arctic Conference, to be held 16-19 March 2010 in Miami, Florida. The State of the Arctic Conference will be a major milestone for arctic science by providing an international forum to review the current knowledge of the arctic system in a time of rapid environmental change and point to future research, resource management, and policy directions. Participants will include a diverse and interdisciplinary group of scientists, students, agency personnel, policy makers, stakeholders and northern representatives, and media.

Master's Programme in Circumpolar Health and Wellbeing (MCH) seeks applicants for studies starting in January 2011. Special features of the North, such as physical environment, social circumstances, linguistic and cultural aspects, and peripheral location, place specific demands on the delivery of health care and wellbeing services. MCH is an international two-year Master's Degree program of 120 ECTS (60 North American credit hours) concentrating on the special features, questions, and challenges related to health and wellbeing in the circumpolar area.