MCAD Partners with U.S. Military to Monitor Arctic Thaw and Its Impact

The Minneapolis College of Art and Design has secured a $1.8 million share of a $17 million U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project to study the impacts of Arctic thaw on Alaskan infrastructure.

The research, led by MCAD professor Olaf Kuhlke, an expert in geography, uses cutting-edge technologies like lidar and virtual reality to monitor how melting permafrost is destabilizing roads, bridges, and buildings. The project also addresses serious cultural and public health concerns, including the risk posed by thawing graves of flu victims from the 1918 pandemic, which could lead to the spread of the virus.

Kuhlke’s team includes MCAD faculty and students—Steve Rowell, Anastasia Broman, and Connor Johnson—alongside researchers from several universities. The project blends art, science, and engineering, highlighting the increasing importance of creative technologies in tackling global issues like climate change. For MCAD, this partnership represents the largest research grant in the school's history and the potential for creative entrepreneurship to solve complex environmental problems.

Learn More

• The Art of Climate Change Research
  (tcbmag.com—November 20, 2024)