After some new developments, I have been considering to change my research topics, as I will have the opportunity to join the FHJ Arctic Expedition team on its trip to Greenland. As one of two design students, I will be co-responsible for documenting the expedition and provide all-around media, PR and marketing support. Thus, with the following blog posts I will explore the possibilities in terms of possibly integrating this topic into a master’s thesis project.
To gain a better understanding of the foundation of the FH JOANNEUM Arctic Expedition Team, a short overview will be given over the scope of the project, its contents, goals and execution.
Over the course of the next semester, a group consisting of students, researchers and teachers will organize and participate in an expedition to the Sermilik Polar Research Institute in Greenland. The goal of the expedition is to educate the next generation of Arctic experts and researchers, thus participants will gain knowledge of relevant technology and research topics in order to be able to independently lead further arctic expeditions. During the time in Greenland, the team will develop new use cases and prototypes from different files such as aviation, industry, health, and more. The relevance of this kind of expedition is easily explained with its unique environment and the possible research topics it offers. Furthermore, it is rather rare that scientific expeditions take place in the arctic due to the logistical challenges despite it being such a worthwhile research area.
The FH JOANNEUM Arctic Expedition Team is a unique endeavor that will provide not only valuable insight into various research fields, it is also a pristine example for interdisciplinary measures taken by FH JOANNEUM, as it connects students and professionals from different fields and specialities in a completely new setting. The team will come together and plan the expedition within the framework of its very own course „Arctic Technology“. These classes offer a unique approach to mentoring and educating the next generation of researchers with the peak being the implementation of the expedition in August 2025. Each (student) participant had to hand in an individual project/research proposal, which they will be working on implementing for the excursion. The respective research projects are yet to be revealed to the participants and in time, students will then be supporting each other in realizing the plans.
Students are offered professional support by teachers and experts that are joining the team to round up the experience.
So, in short: The FH JOANNEUM Arctic Expedition Team is an entirely new interdisciplinary approach to connecting students and professionals from different fields of expertise while supporting research endeavors in the unique field of the arctic.
As mentioned above, the design students will be in charge of documenting the journey and supporting the media output of the expedition. Thus, this could offer a range of possibilities in terms of a topic for a possible master’s thesis.
The following angles might be worth exploring:
- Creation of a multi-platform/multi-channel multimedia and communication concept for an Arctic Expedition / Arctic Research including planning, theoretical foundation and execution
- Media research communication with an emphasis on arctic research
- Reaching out with research: communicating science in popular media/social media with storytelling
These explorations would offer for an opportunity to research the foundations of science communication in various media / channels while at the same time being able to implement the findings into an actual long-term project.
Current considerations in terms of media documentation / communication include the following:
- AET Blog -> A blog series that gives regular insights into the contents of the Arctic Expedition Team, including regular updates on the individual participants
- AET Podcast -> On-Site recorded podcast with personal stories of the daily events and research findings
- AET Social -> Implementation of a Social Media channel that follows the personal stories of the AET with regular personal updates, project insights, interactive content etc.
- AET PR Concept -> Development and implementation of a communication strategy and concept
- AET Documentary -> An allround-documentary covering everything including the planning/classes, introduction of research projects and the eventual implementation over the course of the expedition itself.
Each of these approaches would support the project, as it is planned to establish the Arctic Expedition Team a long-term project, as well as offer the opportunity of interpreting and analyzing the effectiveness of each measure taken after the expedition itself has taken place, making it possible to stretch this project over the course of the next 1-2 years.
