May 8, 2013 Dr. Dennis R. Lassuy, North Slope Science Initiative Project Update Deputy Director, North Slope Science Initiative

North Slope Science Initiative Project Update

Dr. Dennis R. Lassuy, Deputy Director, North Slope Science Initiative

The North Slope Science Initiative (NSSI) was developed as a science collective in 2001 with the support of Alaska Native, local, state and federal land and sea resource managers. In 2005, the NSSI was formally authorized under the Energy Policy Act to serve as a platform to identify shared science priorities and coordinate collection and sharing of scientific data that will provide a better understanding of the terrestrial and marine ecosystems of Alaska's, and thus America's, far north. A limited number of projects have been funded, but the focus is on coordination and building collaborations. A review of how NSSI works, some of the NSSI's work to date, and where it is headed next will be presented.