Smithsonian Institution
Overview
What is your agency’s mission and how does supporting research in the arctic advance that mission?
The Smithsonian Institution’s Arctic Studies Center (, established in 1988), within the National Museum of Natural History is the leading node in Smithsonian research and other activities related to the Arctic. It is committed to scholarly studies, as well as to sharing and preserving archives and collections relating to the histories and contemporary issues of northern environments, cultures, and peoples. Anthropologists in the consider northern peoples and residents to be their primary constituency and conduct research, as well as work with indigenous communities, in subarctic and arctic nations.
Where would one go to find out what research is being funded by your agency in the arctic?
The office does not fund external research. Its staff conducts their own research and collaborates with other communities and institutions.
Where would one go to read about scientific research results from your agency?
Information about scientific research results can best be found on the webpage, also through educational outreach and exhibits shows, such as the traveling Narwhal: Revealing an Arctic Legend exhibit and Knowing Nature: Stories of the Boreal Forest, and via the Arctic Studies Center Newsletter.
In terms of budget, approximately how big is your agency’s investment in arctic research?
The includes a staff of five, with a budget of about $1.2 million mostly in the form of personnel costs. In addition, grants and donations bring in another 200K per year.
What are your agency’s funding priorities over the next two years?
Over the next two years, the funding priorities will include touring Smithsonian-produced educational and heritage exhibits promoting the Arctic (such as ‘Narwhal,’ ‘Boreal Forest,’ and ‘Food and Faith: Inupiat Whaling in Northern Alaska’) in cooperation with the Inupiat Language, Heritage and Culture Center in Utqiagvik; collection-based research related to the sustainable use of Arctic materials; cultural and repatriation work; studies on the role of marine mammals in Arctic people’s livelihoods and cultures; and collaborative efforts in outreach, heritage, and education with Alaskan communities, primarily via the Anchorage office. The /Smithsonian also plans to take part in the planning for the U.S. activities in the forthcoming -5 in 2032–2033 (as it did for the -4 in 2007–2008). The will complete and publish project materials on environmental and archaeological research in Labrador and on the Quebec Lower north Shore, as well radiocarbon date-list from 300+ northern archaeological sites compiled during studies in 1970-2026.
How does your agency coordinate and collaborate with other agencies to advance your mission in the arctic?
For the Arctic Studies Center, collaboration is huge. The collaborates with Native and arctic communities, various federal government agencies, non-profit agencies, universities, and research institutions, museums, and northern universities worldwide.
Activities in Alaska
Does your agency have office(s) in Alaska?
Yes - based in the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center, the Alaska Office was created in 199. It currently has 2 persons on staff, including one funded by the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian.
Does that office support research?
Similar to the main office in Washington, D.C., the Alaska Office in Anchorage prepares exhibits, public events and produces heritage, outreach, and educational materials. It also conducts research on material culture, Indigenous arts and crafts, and heritage knowledge.
Where can one go to learn more about your agency’s presence in Alaska?
Information regarding the agency’s presence in the Alaska can be found on the Alaska Office webpage, as well as through the Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center Alaska channel on YouTube and in the ’s annual newsletter.