Hannah Bradley and Cheri Johnson observe Howard Epstein and Matthew Jull working on the sensor base station at Samuel Simmonds Memorial Hospital. The ladder was loaned by the Arctic Slope Native Association, community partners who have been generous with their time and resources and are always welcoming! (Credit: Hannah Bradley)
Field Notes
By Hannah Bradley | May 2025
Social Scientists Go to the Field
In mid-May, social scientists Hannah Bradley and Cheri Johnson traveled to Utqiaġvik alongside our colleagues from the Environmental Science and Architecture departments to continue our studies of how science works. Watching scientists do science is just one aspect of our research, and it's great to be in the field and lend a hand or hold a ladder.
Our observations covered two aspects of our social science research:
1) Observing our colleagues as they organized their data collection, repaired sensors, and met with our community partners. This is part of our study of scientific collaboration: How do we communicate and build relationships with community partners? How do we use sensors to try to answer the questions we all have about Arctic urban environments?
2) Doing groundwork for parallel research on human experiences of the urban environment for
our UVA Environmental Institute Climate Collaborative project on “Snow, Water, and Permafrost in Arctic Communities (SNOWPAC).”
We made stops at the Iñupiat Heritage Center, BUECI, and around town, lining up archival sources and interviews that will give us a better understanding of the history of utilities and public services in Utqiaġvik.
In both research strands, we want to understand how infrastructure, communities, and scientific research interact to create livable futures for Arctic cities.
While in Utqiaġvik, we also attended a public meeting by the Army Corps of Engineers and Bryce Contracting about the upcoming seawall construction. This was a fascinating opportunity to see the rocky intersection between big infrastructure projects and Arctic communities. We are excited to better understand how major changes, such as a seawall or above-ground utilities, will affect the community.