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This summer, 41 UBC alumni and friends participated in expeditions to the Canadian arctic and the legendary Northwest Passage. Presentations, conversations and learning accompanied their exploration of the great outdoors aboard the Russian-flagged. Akademik Ioffe, designed and built in Finland as a scientific research vessel in 1989. Her bridge was open to passengers virtually 24 hours a day. Experts on board presented on topics including climate change, wildlife, Inuit culture and history, and early European explorers. UBC professor Michael Byers presented on the issue of arctic sovereignty, a growing cause of debate as ice melts, new shipping routes open, and natural resources become accessible. Recommended pre-trip reading was late UBC alumnus Pierre Berton’s book, The Arctic Grail.