GI Press Releases
Since University of Alaska Fairbanks is the only American university based in the Arctic, it’s only logical that students in disciplines across the board conduct research based in the circumpolar north. In anticipation of the upcoming International Polar Year (IPY), a group of young scientists at
University of Alaska Fairbanks have formed an IPY Young Researchers Network (IPY YRN) with the hopes of spreading the word about the exciting potential of this historic event. 
Five NASA rockets are scheduled to launch from Poker Flat Research Range this month. The launch window opens today, Jan. 10, at 10 p.m. AST, and runs until 4 a.m. AST, each night through Wednesday, Jan. 27. The five rockets will launch in two separate campaigns.
Since 1992, the Science for Alaska Lecture Series has provided Fairbanksans the latest findings in scientific research relevant to all Alaskans. Traditionally, the lectures are offered during January and February, and serve as an educational and entertaining option for all ages on cold winter nights.
Alaska is no stranger to the devastating effects of tsunamis. The state has experienced 37 since the 1800s, three of which are known around the world for the amount of destruction they caused: the 1964 Alaska Tsunami, the 1958 Lituya Bay Tsunami and the 1946 Aleutian Tsunami. Alaska is prone to tsunamis because of two factors: our enormous amount of coastline and our tendency for large earthquakes. The Alaska Tsunami Education Program (ATEP), a new project developed by staff at the Geophysical Institute, aims to use Alaska’s risk of tsunamis as a springboard for polishing students’ math and science skills. Developers received $1,815,453 from the United States Department of Education to push ATEP to fruition and work has begun on the K-12 curriculum.
With just a few clicks, aurora watchers can go online and find out when to anticipate aurora activity and where they can see it. The Geophysical Institute Aurora Forecast Web page has undergone a major revamp to include a one-hour forecast, a 28-day forecast and much more, all found at http://www.gedds.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast.
In celebration of the15th anniversary of its first synthetic aperture radar data downlink, the Alaska Satellite Facility will host an open house. The open house will be held at the Elvey Building on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus on Saturday, August 26, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The community is invited to come out and learn more about this facility that provides services worldwide.
It only weighs about 40 pounds, but the Insitu A-20, an unmanned aircraft system, will provide a hefty boost to a variety of research projects throughout Alaska. The new system purchased by the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks has a 10-foot wingspan and can fly more than 20 hours at a time. The aircraft is robotic and controlled by an operator through a computerized ground control system.
The University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, International Arctic Research Center, and Poker Flat Research Range will offer free public summer tours starting June 7.
Thirty-six rural students will visit the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus for a two-day intensive program meant to polish their science and math skills. Middle school students from Chalkyitsik, Beaver, Kaltag and Unalakleet will learn the basics of rocket science, climate and the water cycle as part of the Science &Math Enrichment Program (SMEP).
There is evidence that the McGinnis Glacier, a little-known tongue of ice in the central Alaska Range, has surged. Assistant Professor of Physics Martin Truffer noticed the lower portion of the glacier was covered in cracks, crevasses, and pinnacles of ice—all telltale signs that the glacier has recently slid forward at higher than normal rates. It has not been determined whether the glacier continues to surge.
