Awards to Female Scientists in the Arctic

Over 300 guests joined Wings WorldQuest in honoring the 2008 Women of Discovery in an icy Arctic wonderland on March 5th at Cirpriani's Restaurant in New York City. In celebration of International Polar Year, WWQ presented the annual awards for Earth, Sea, Air and Space, Field Research, Humanity and Courage to seven Arctic explorers this year. Guests walked into a room transformed into an Arctic scene with a life-size polar bear, sled dogs, walrus and a vodka bar beautifully carved in ice.

Among the award winners was Lene Kielsen Holm who works for the ICC - one of the Permanent Participants in the Arctic Council. Len Kielsen Holm was awarded for her work with discovering how the Inuit people have e adapted their lives and culture to fit their harsh climate.

Lene Kielsen Holm is a native of Greenland and is working with indigenous communities to study traditional knowledge about sea ice and its movement patterns. The Sila-Inuk project collects observations from local sealers, fisherman, sheep breeders and other indigenous groups to document their experiences with newly changing ice and weather conditions that have resulted from global warming.

In 2003, Wings WorldQuest was created to expand the mission of Wings Trust and through an awards program to offer support to the ground-breaking work of current women explorers and scientists. Wings WorldQuest is dedicated to promoting the contributions of women explorers, in all fields of study around the world, and to advancing scientific exploration and education. Our work unites elements of empowering women, scientific curiosity, environmental activism, conservation, humanities, exploration, mentoring and education.