For Immediate Release

Thirty rural students will visit the University of Alaska Fairbanks for a two-day intensive program aimed at polishing their science and math skills. Students from the villages of St. Michael and Stebbins will visit research institutes, and participate in hands-on activities guided by scientists, as part of the annual Science & Math Enrichment Program.

For Immediate Release

FAIRBANKS, Alaska—The aurora isn’t visible during the summer months in Fairbanks—that is, until now! Scientists from the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks are providing daily aurora shows and information to the public at Pioneer Park until Sept. 1, 2008.

For Immediate Release

Team teachers with scientific experts and you’ll get a recipe that will fuel future scientists. With the Science Teacher Education Program, Alaska teachers receive intensive training in the earth sciences, as well as lesson development ideas during two STEP Summer Institutes hosted by the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

First lecture to focus on rockets, aurora

For Immediate Release

FAIRBANKS, Alaska—It's hard to conduct experiments on something you can't reach. When it comes to research on the aurora, scientists have worked their way around this problem by taking the experiment to the aurora, using rockets that fly more than 100 miles above Earth.

For Immediate Release

FAIRBANKS, Alaska—Seasonal Affective Disorder, also known as S.A.D., is a seasonal mood disorder to which we in the North are particularly sensitive. The disorder is associated with a decrease in sunlight and involves a series of mood changes that are usually depressive in nature. In Fairbanks, where the winter days are often short, many residents get the winter blues and find they require more sleep and more food to satisfy their appetite.

For Immediate Release

FAIRBANKS, Alaska—Birds fly to Alaska from around the world to breed under the Midnight Sun. However, when days grow short and temperatures drop, only a handful remain to brave the winter in Interior Alaska. On Feb. 17, the fifth installment in the Science for Alaska Lecture Series will examine the wintering strategies of Interior birds that rely only on their muscles, feathers and fat to help them through the long, cold winter.

For Immediate Release

FAIRBANKS, Alaska— Forty-two teachers from across the state have traveled to Fairbanks to learn how Geophysical Institute research can be used in their K-12 classrooms. The teachers are participating in STEP, the institute’s Science Teacher Education Program that runs June 8-19, 2009.

For Immediate Release

Athabascan Elder Robert Charlie and multimedia artist Lance Twitchell received the awards earlier this month. The 2009 Alaska Native Visionary Awards are the first of their kind. The Alaska Native Heritage Month Committee presents the awards to honor Alaska Natives who perpetuate and preserve culture through artistic and visionary ventures.

The Geophysical Institute nominated Charlie for his work on Uniting Native Indigenous Traditional Education and University Science, or the UNITE-US project.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

A sub-orbital sounding rocket was successfully launched this morning, at 12:39 AM, from Poker Flat Research Range. The rocket, a Black Brant XII, captured measurements to deduce characteristics about the processes that create the aurora. The project is called the Rocket Auroral Correlator Experiment (RACE).

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, International Arctic Research Center, and Poker Flat Research Range offer free summer tours that are open to the public.