Mia Bennett, a University of Washington assistant professor of geography, was one of 20 scholars selected for the Fulbright Arctic IV Initiative.Mia Bennett
Mia Bennett, University of Washington assistant professor of geography, will spend a week this month in Norway as part of the orientation for the Fulbright Arctic IV Initiative.
Bennett is one of 20 scholars selected to collaborate on multi-disciplinary research over the next 18 months. The Fulbright Arctic Initiative focuses on research and community engagement concerning policy issues in the Arctic region, such as security, energy and climate change.
The scholars will first convene in Tromsø, the largest city in northern Norway, to visit institutions including the Arctic Council and the Arctic Indigenous Peoples Secretariat. Then, they will travel to the interior of northern Norway, where there are many Indigenous Sámi communities. They'll visit the municipalities of Alta, Kautokeino and Karasjok, meeting with people at Sámi Parliament, Sámi University College and more.
Bennett is a political geographer who researches the geopolitics of infrastructure development in the Arctic and orbital space, with a focus on Indigenous empowerment, the influence of Asian political powers, and satellite observations.
As a Fulbright Arctic Scholar, Bennett will work with Indigenous and local northern communities in Norway to understand the impact of Arctic militarization in the face of renewed tensions with Russia. She'll return to Norway with the initiative in 2025.
Have you visited this site before?
Mia Bennett: I've spent a fair amount of time in and around Tromsø, the biggest city in northern Norway, for work, travel, and volunteering. I've attended an annual conference on the Arctic in Tromsø every few years since 2013, and I also spent a month working on a horse farm an hour south of the city in 2022.
