Permanent Participant of the Arctic Council
AIA Honored for International Excellence
May 28, 2008, Anchorage, Alaska - Governor Sarah Palin yesterday presented businesses, international organizations and
an elementary school with the first Governor's North Star Awards for International Excellence. The Governor announced
the awards at the Export Alaska luncheon in Anchorage attended by more than 350 Alaskans. “It’s a privilege to honor this
diverse group of companies and organizations,” Governor Palin said. AIA received the award for international excellence in
scientific exchange.
The Aleut International Association was established in 1998 between the Aleutian Pribilof Island Association in Alaska and
the Association of the Indigenous Peoples of the North of the Aleut District of Kamchatka Region. Working with the
University of Alaska, the Association organized the research, production, and publication of the first annotated bibliography
of Aleut/Unangax ethnobotany. The Association’s international accomplishments also include a North Pacific Research
Board-funded study on shellfish harvesting safe practices that link modern technology and traditional knowledge. The
Association designed and administers a National Science Foundation international project that provides community-based
observations of the Bering Sea to the Arctic Observing Network. Victoria Gofman is the Association’s executive director
and the principal investigator for the Bering Sea Sub-Network. Ms Gofman accepted the award on behalf of Aleut
International Association. (excerpt from the Governors Proclimation)