Press Releases
Global climate change is amplified in the Earth’s polar regions. As a result, Alaska’s land and waterscapes are rapidly transforming, affecting people and industry of the Far North. Much of our state’s transformation is related to alterations in the hydrological cycle. Freshwater in the Arctic is in flux, and this will affect the way people live, both physically and socially. 
Volcanoes give us important information about their behavior from their temperature. However, getting close enough to take a volcano’s temperature is often a dangerous undertaking. In the past, measurements required the volcanologist to get uncomfortably close to the activity. Recent advances in digital infrared imaging allow volcanologists to measure temperatures from a safe distance and over large areas with infrared cameras.
No doubt about it, Fairbanks is a community of mushers, dog racing enthusiasts and all-around dog lovers. With the start of the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race on Feb. 10, the timing is right for a lecture about the science behind sled dog racing. Veterinarians Margaret Eastman and
Denali Lovely will present on the physiology of sled dogs and their experiences working on one of the most challenging sled dog races in the world.
The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is one of the most widely recognized mushing events in the world; employing hundreds of canine athletes. For veterinarians, the unique nature of the race presents opportunities for studies that have led to improvements to sled dog care. Stuart Nelson, Jr.,
chief veterinarian of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, will present his work with Iditarod-related research in a free one-hour lecture on Jan. 22.
For more than a decade, the Science for Alaska Lecture Series has provided Anchorage residents 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.
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.
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.
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).
As the Arctic climate warms, permafrost begins to thermally degrade. Transformation of this frozen layer of earth triggers changes in every aspect of surface water and energy in the Arctic. While the region experiences warming, permafrost becomes thinner, and its extent in the boreal forest shrinks.
Alterations to permafrost also influence the look of the northern landscape and the region's climatology. In short, warming climate and thawing permafrost create changes to the entire hydrological cycle in Alaska.
