Two Nunavummiut projects share Arctic Inspiration Prize
Michele LeTourneau
Northern News Services
Monday, December 12, 2016
WINNIPEG
Three teams walked away with a share of the $1.5-million Arctic Inspiration Prize at the fifth annual ceremony Dec. 8.
Nunavut's te(a)ch and SmartICE, which has a pilot project in Pond Inlet and Nain, Nunatsiavut each received $400,000, while Nunavik's Qarmaapik House received $700,000. The prize had eight finalists.
Since 2012, the Arctic Inspiration Prize has offered financial contributions to organizations that have a great idea that will improve life in the North.
The te(a)ch project will develop an online infrastructure that will teach programming, game design, engineering and computer science to students at beginner and advanced levels in Nunavut, according to the news release. The team includes technical experts, curriculum producers, mental health workers and youth ambassadors from the north and south.
"We look forward to supporting and boosting a computer science and game development community in Nunavut that will allow Nunavummiut to share their stories, ideas and creativity with the world," stated Pinnguaq Association's Ryan Oliver.
The te(a)ch approach offers a step in "turning consumers into creators" and will establish a made-in-Nunavut curriculum for computer science.
SmartICE, an acronym for Sea-ice Monitoring And Real-Time Information for Coastal Environments, is a partnership of community, academic, government and industry. The group has developed a near real-time monitoring and dissemination system that integrates Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit to improve safety conditions by informing decisions about coastal sea-ice travel and shipping.
With the prize in hand, SmartICE hopes to expand its service across the Arctic.
"The SmartICE team is over the moon about winning the Arctic Inspiration Prize," stated team leader Trevor Bell, a professor of geography at Memorial University in St. John's, N.L.
"For us, it propels SmartICE to a new dimension, in which all Northern communities will potentially have access to our novel sea-ice information service."
Nunavik's Qarmaapik House is a prevention-based approach to breaking the cycle of children in care. It will expand its program that addresses the underlying causes of poor parenting and provides families and community members with the tools, support and understanding of their role as parents.
Governor General David Johnston spoke at the ceremony, and Vincent Ho's Arctic Symphony performed with students from Nunavut Sivuniksavut.
