Gold and Reindeer in Lapland

Paula Kiviranta-Zimmerman (Class of 2008) is examining the environmental impacts of high-tech gold mining underway in the Providence of Lapland, Finland, the historic home of reindeer herding Laplanders. Paula, a resident of Kuopio, Finland, seeks to understand the implications of EU (European Union) environment policy on an extractive activity that promises to grow in importance above the Arctic Circle as advance in technology make gold mining a profitable undertaking. Paula's research will be undertaken as Anton-Steinbecher Fellow.

Paula is a multifaceted researcher, excelling in each endeavor she has undertaken. Selected as a Clark HERO Fellow, tutored by John Rogan, she has peri-urban impacts on Massachusetts forests, making presentations at New England regional and national meetings of the Association of American Geographers. Her work in Deb Martin's class - Social Justice in the Multi-Ethnic City: What is Urban Reality for Immigrants in Sweden - won First Place in the Glenda Laws Undergraduate Paper Competition, 2007.

As a Fin, Paula did not have to discover geography through her studies at Clark, but declared geography as her major on her entry into the University as a Presidential Scholar, a Fulbright Fellow, and a Findlandia Scholar.

Elected to Phi Beta Kappa as a Junior, Paula maintains the Clark tradition of making a difference. She has devoted considerable effort within Clark's American Red Cross club, focusing attention to the Disaster Action Team.