@drpatmaher
Father, husband, scholar. He/him. Full Professor of Physical and Health Education. Editor-in-Chief of the JAEOL, 3M NTF, FRCGS, TEC FI '04, ISSOTL Fellow, Grímsson Fellow, UArctic x LRF Research Fellow. Posts are my own.
Ending my travels to Ireland 🇮🇪 with a rainy day 7 in Dublin. Thanks @orlakelly5.bsky.social for a wet stroll in the local park - then I took a walk by Croke Park, Trinity College, and a variety of shops/signs in the City Centre. @icuf.bsky.social @aylward-tomas.bsky.social
A beautiful day in Dublin 🇮🇪. Discussed outdoor classrooms with faculty and place-based education with students. A spectacular blend of old and new spaces at Dublin City University - St. Patrick's campus @dublincityuni.bsky.social. Thanks @orlakelly5.bsky.social for hosting me. @icuf.bsky.social
Days 4 & 5 at Munster Technological University were a whirlwind of discussions and meeting many excellent people. I even managed to spend time in the Outdoor Classroom with a group of 16 years olds - weaving willow, making environmental art, and eating S'mores. @aylward-tomas.bsky.social
Day 3 in Ireland 🇮🇪 - a blustery day on the Corca Dhuibhne, Dingle Peninsula (still very beautiful though). Wind and waves, a visit to the Blasket Centre, chowder and ice cream, and ending with a podcast about landscapes, language and outdoor learning.
After a morning lecture discussing authentic OE in Canada vs. a standardized IKEA-esque model, it was off to Killarney National Park. Just stunning landscapes - in the sun or the mist!
An exceptional view on my first evening in Tralee, Éire. Thanks to my hosts at Munster Technological University (BA in Outdoor Learning): www.mtu.ie/courses/tlsh.... @aylward-tomas.bsky.social, JP and Tom Farrelly. Looking forward to the days ahead.
Excited to share our 'Year in Review': 2025 into 2026. Thanks to all our UArctic colleagues and partners for contributing to our work @uarctic.bsky.social. We couldn't share it all in 1 page. www.uarctic.org/activities/t...
Calling all educators & #SoTL scholars! Submit your proposals for ISSOTL26 in Saskatoon, Canada, from October 28-31, 2026. Proposals due March 30, 2026. Share your research & practice! Learn more on the ISSOTL website: issotl.com/issotl26/cal...
Quinzhees and Campfires (+ S'mores). The joys of winter camping - a Nipissing University BPHE practical course. Just glad it was only -11 C the weekend we camped out; unlike this past weekend (-35 C or so). ❄️ ❄️ ❄️
Hey International Colleagues check this out: Canada Impact+ Research Chairs program at UNBC. Folks in Education have a strong interest in outdoor learning and climate change education. Connect with Hart Banack.
unbc.njoyn.com/CL/xweb/xweb...
All ready for my next research project: building and maintaining sustainable communities - an examination using the LEGO®️ SERIOUS PLAY®️approach. Took the facilitator's training in December and then the tools arrived today. Probably almost 10,000 bricks here.
Another excellent weekend of practical skills work - this time snowshoeing around the Duchesnay Falls trails just off campus. Some great winter physical activity, excellent peer teaching and beautiful conditions (Day 1 a bit icy and Day 2 an overnight snowfall made it a winter wonderland).❄️❄️❄️
It's a full circle moment. In both 2000 and 2005 I had Arctic paddling expeditions supported by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society @rcgssgrc.bsky.social, and now I've joined their Expedition Committee. The call for expedition support is now open (Deadline Jan. 7): rcgs.org/programs/exp...
What a fantastic two days of thinking and leading at the December STLHE | SAPES @stlhesapes.bsky.social in person Board meeting. Thanks to Yorkville University for hosting us - you might notice their President in the pic - joining us on Day 2 🙂.
The Christmas season in Copenhagen 🇩🇰. Such a wonderful time of the year: skating, lights, markets, etc. Now that I've completed 4 days of training to be a certified facilitator in the LEGO®️ SERIOUS PLAY®️ method, I can relax and enjoy a Julebryg before I fly home.
Some unreal auroras #icelandair on the way to some "bucket list" professional development. Excited to be in København 🇩🇰 all week.
Then I hosted brilliant sessions by Cécile de Sérigny from Students on Ice and Colin Harris from Take Me Outside. I missed this morning's session, as 4am-7am felt a bit early 🤪. Full program (and soon recordings): www.outdoor-learning.org/news-events/...
And that's a wrap! Very happy to give an opening keynote yesterday morning at the Institute for Outdoor Learning conference #GlobalOutdoorLearningDay. My talk was a global perspective on OL research (bouncing through the rapids).
@uarctic.bsky.social story about my recent trip to London 🇬🇧:
www.uarctic.org/news/2025/11... @lrfheritage.bsky.social
Last set of pics from the London trip. Another boat trip on the Thames to take the train to Guilford for an afternoon/evening visit to the University of Surrey. Excellent convos with Christy Hehir - a long time polar tourism research collaborator🐧🐻❄️. @uarctic.bsky.social @lrfheritage.bsky.social
Final day in London🇬🇧. A morning boat ride down the Thames to the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. Fantastic large ocean map from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Thanks @lrfheritage.bsky.social and @uarctic.bsky.social for organizing everything. Wonderful collaborations now and into the future.
Amazing day at the @lrfheritage.bsky.social! Examining the archives, interacting with some impressive artifacts, and meeting with staff and other invited guests. So much history on display in this formidable/newly renovated building @uarctic.bsky.social.
Just a quick trip to the UK for research meetings with @lrfheritage.bsky.social and @uarctic.bsky.social. Started with a beautiful Sunday morning walk across multiple bridges in central London and a visit to the Tate Modern. A fantastic exhibit by Sámi artist Máret Ánne Sara and an Andy Warhol!
Thanks @uarctic.bsky.social for a wonderful story about our current project, funded by @globalaffairs.canada.ca, as well as our ongoing network collaboration (17 years and counting): uarctic.org/news/2025/10... @umeauniversitet.bsky.social @haskoliislands.bsky.social and many other partners.
Day 5 - the final morning of the seminar/field course @uarctic.bsky.social. Amazing presentations by the Masters students + an inspiring panel of Doctoral students. Followed up by a powerful national event in downtown Reykjavik - the 50th anniversary of the Women's Strike (lnkd.in/gV2UANSX).
Thanks to @globalaffairs.canada.ca (GALI funding), as well as @nordregio.bsky.social (NAP 2025-2027 - napa.gl/en/arctic-co...) and NordPlus mobility funding.
Day 4 of the @uarctic.bsky.social seminar/fieldcourse. Morning meetings on the future plans of the Thematic Network on Northern Tourism. A short visit to Þingvellir National Park 🇮🇸. 🇨🇦 leading the way with that licence plate (Eh! and our 13 provinces/territories ). Then Hallgrimskirkja by night.
Day 3 of the seminar/field course was suitably AMAZING! It started with a visit to the Báran workers union, followed by trips to Eldhester, the Friðheimar food experience, and add on bucket-list attractions of Kerið crater, Gulfoss & Geysir. @uarctic.bsky.social 🇮🇸🇳🇴🇸🇪🇫🇮🇨🇦.
Wow - day 2 was exceptional! A beautiful sunrise from the Héraðsskólinn Historic Guesthouse; an inspirational panel of experts from across the North 🇫🇮🇨🇦🇸🇪🇳🇴🇮🇸; ongoing construction at the geothermal baths of Fontana Laugarvatn; Brúarfoss at sunset. @uarctic.bsky.social