About the Northwest Passage Project An innovative science and education expedition, exploring and documenting the changing Arctic.

Iceberg found near Baffin Island

The Northwest Passage Project (NPP) is an Arctic expedition funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). It centers on a research expedition into the Arctic’s Northwest Passage, a sea route extending between the Arctic and Pacific Oceans. The NPP is led by an interdisciplinary team of scientists from the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography (GSO) and Inner Space Center (ISC) and a leading film maker. The ISC, an international hub for ocean research, specializes in the use of advanced communication technologies, such as telepresence, to expand the reach of oceanographic research. Learn more about Arctic science and the expedition.

Undergraduate and graduate students will join scientists in hands-on research at sea, exploring the changing Canadian Arctic and collecting data. Learn more about the expedition team.

The Northwest Passage Project is a collaborative effort between the ISC, GSO, the film company David Clark, Inc., and several other collaborators, including five U.S. Universities that are classified as Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs).

Because the Canadian Arctic is remote and costly to access, the Northwest Passage Project intends to leverage the production of the documentary as an informal learning opportunity by engaging students with scientists in authentic research and by delivering live broadcasts from sea to three well-established U.S. informal science education (ISE) institutions: the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), the Exploratorium, and the Alaska SeaLife Center (ASLC).

Inner Space Center Team

  • Gail Scowcroft, Principal Investigator, Project Director, Inner Space Center
  • Dwight Coleman, Co-Principal Investigator, Inner Space Center
  • Alex DeCiccio, Video Production Lead, Inner Space Center
  • Andrea Gingras, Project Coordinator, Inner Space Center
  • Erich Gruebel, Satellite Technician
  • Jessica Kaelblein, Video Technician, Inner Space Center
  • Chris Knowlton, Science Coordinator, Inner Space Center
  • Holly Morin, Lead Science Instructor, Expedition Lead, Inner Space Center
  • Derek Sutcliffe, IP Streaming Engineer and Project Web Developer, Inner Space Center

Shipboard Science Team

  • Brice Loose, PhD., Co-Principal Investigator, Expedition Chief Scientist, University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography
  • Donglai Gong, PhD., Virginia Institute of Marine Science
  • Rick Ludkin, Canadian Wildlife Service

Minority Serving Institution Liaisons

  • Kevin Boswell, Florida International University
  • Amy Denton, California State University Channel Islands
  • Linda Fernandez, Virginia Commonwealth University
  • Miquel Gonzales-Meler, University of Illinois Chicago
  • Maria Tzortziou, City College of New York

Documentary Production Team

  • David Clark, Producer/Director
  • Bob Elfstrom, Co-Director, Director of Photography
  • Duncan Clark, Cameraman
  • Ray Day, Soundman/DIT
  • Bruce Elfstrom, Line Producer
  • Juliana Hanle, Associate Producer
  • Hester Blum, Arctic Literature, Pennsylvania State University
  • Sarah Scriver, Arctic Guide
  • Edward Struzik, Arctic Journalist, Yale Environment 360