Press Releases
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. 
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.
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.
FAIRBANKS, Alaska—The University of Alaska Fairbanks is revitalizing the West Ridge area of campus with an ambitious green space project. The university will celebrate the dedication of West Ridge Plaza on Monday, May 19, 2008, from 1 to 2 p.m.
FAIRBANKS, Alaska—To honor the memory of long-time employee and supporter of the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, family of the late Daniel Carey Crevensten have asked that interested individuals make a donation in Crevensten’s name to the Geophysical Institute Associates Endowment Fund—a fund Crevensten himself helped establish.
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.
The 2007 Science for Alaska lecture series, which takes place in Fairbanks, Anchorage, Juneau and Seward throughout January and February, draws to a close this week in Anchorage. Barbara Mahoney, a biologist with NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service’s Anchorage field office, will give an overview of Alaska’s beluga whales.
The coastal mountains along the Gulf of Alaska and Alaska’s inside passage are home to the largest glaciers outside of the polar region. The close proximity of the Pacific Ocean to this region’s high mountains makes these glaciers especially dynamic. Tidewater glaciers sometimes exhibit wild instabilities that can lead to dramatic changes much larger than or even opposite to other glacier behavior.
The expertise of Alaska Native beluga hunters and their local knowledge has contributed to scientists’ understanding of Alaska’s white whale. Beluga hunters know where to find belugas and how to get close to them. Samples collected by the hunters from harvested belugas also provide information on the whales’ diet and health. A presentation on Tuesday by Lori Quakenbush, a wildlife biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, will share some of those findings.
This morning, a NASA suborbital sounding rocket launched from Poker Flat Research Range into an aurora display over northern Alaska at 3:45 a.m. Alaska Standard Time, allowing researchers to gather more data about the power source behind pulsating auroras.
