FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb. 7, 2011 

CONTACT: Stevie Seibert, GI Public Relations, 907-474-5229, stevie [dot] seibert [at] gi [dot] alaska [dot] edu

Fairbanks, Alaska—As one of the worst oil-related disasters of our time, the recent Gulf of Mexico oil spill has sparked an investigation into understanding what went wrong and what can be done to prevent future spills of its magnitude.

On Feb. 8 at 7 p.m., Fran Ulmer will discuss her experiences as one of the seven members on the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and the findings of the group’s final report. Ulmer, Chancellor of University of Alaska Anchorage, will present “Lessons Learned From the Gulf Oil Spill” in the Westmark Gold Room. The lecture will be the fourth installment in the 2011 Science for Alaska Lecture Series.

The National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling was appointed by President Obama to review the events leading up to the spill and evaluate the following clean-up efforts. The Commission’s findings are compiled into a report, which was released on January 11th.

Science for Alaska is sponsored by the Geophysical Institute, UAF, and Alyeska Pipeline Service Company. The series runs on Tuesdays through Feb. 22, 2011 and is free to the public.

Hands-on activities for all ages begin at 6 p.m. inside the Gold Room. Families are welcome.

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Fran Ulmer, chancellor of University of Alaska Anchorage, 907-786-1437, or chancellor [at] uaa [dot] alaska [dot] edu Marmian Grimes, UAF public information officer, at 907-474-7902 or marmian [dot] grimes [at] alaska [dot] edu

ON THE WEB: http://www.scienceforalaska.com