Arctic METOC Partnership Summit (AMPS) Mission:

To gather representatives from tactical, operational, and strategic meteorological and oceanographic (METOC) forecasting levels to identify cold region-specific data and knowledge gaps and propose collaborative solutions in response to DoD and other NATO nations’ Arctic Strategies.

AMPS 2025 will be held March 18-21, 2025 at the Wood Center located on the University of Alaska Fairbanks. 

There are four main objectives to this Summit:

• Summit Objective 1:
  Build transparency/awareness of capabilities, strengths/weaknesses, requirements, and availability of high latitude METOC products/data created and available (sometimes by request) from DoD, Government, University, and NATO METOC entities.
   
• Summit Objective 2:
  Continue the dialogue from AWW24 to improve relationships between Government, University, international partners, and DoD METOC offices and research labs which may allow more collaboration for both research to operations (R2O) and operations to research (O2R).
   
• Summit Objective 3:
  Update the progress from the Sensing Strategy Working Group and the Arctic Training Working Group and identify where we should continue our collective efforts to shrink data gaps and fill technology voids using Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, or other means which should lead to improvements in data availability and forecasting accuracy in Arctic regions.
   
• Summit Objective 4:
  Invite Alaska Natives to discuss and share their unique perspectives on climate change impacts in Alaska and the Arctic and what they can teach us from their experiences in forecasting weather in the high latitudes.

Registration

Register here for AMPS 2025, and please pay the registration fee here. The non-refundable registration fee of $220.00 USD per person will cover summit snacks, beverages, working lunches and the official AMPS 2025 dinner (see below for more information).

The deadline to register and pay the registration fee is Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. Please let Gail Weaver know if you need more time to make the payment.

Questions about the Summit? Please contact Major Jim Feiccabrino, james.feiccabrino.1@us.af.mil; Gail Weaver, gail.weaver.1@us.af.mil; or 2d Lt Brandon Flores, brandon.flores.6@us.af.mil.

Virtual option

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Agenda

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Presentations

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Official AMPS 2025 Icebreaker Dinner

The official AMPS 2025 dinner will be Tuesday, March 18, at the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum at Wedgewood Resort. This dinner is included in all attendees' registration cost regardless of plans to attend. The museum is within walking distance of Bear Lodge. The Icebreaker will have heavy appetizers, a variety of desserts, and a no-host bar. Guests will have to pay an additional fee for the Icebreaker, which will be announced as we get closer to the event.

With a world-class collection of vintage automobiles and period fashions complemented by fascinating exhibits, accessories, photographs and archival videos, we welcome you on a vivid journey through the automotive age, from Victorian times through the Art Deco era.

Lodging and per diem

The AMPS 2025 planning team has secured a room block at the Wedgewood Resort Bear Lodge with a room rate of $179/night. This rate will be available from March 15-23, 2025. Reservations must be made no later than February 28, 2025, to obtain the discounted room rate.

The spacious Bear Lodge guest rooms include a small refrigerator, microwave, one or two queen bed configurations, and complimentary WiFi. The hotel also has onsite laundry facilities and free parking. The hotel is situated on a105-acre resort between a 75-acre wildlife reserve and a 2,000-acre waterfowl refuge with miles of nature trails. The popular onsite Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum is the location of the AMPS 2025 Icebreaker Dinner on Tuesday, March 18.

The 157-room Bear Lodge is normally closed during the winter months but is being opened especially for AMPS 2025 attendees. Considering this, the onsite restaurant will be closed and attendees will not be able to purchase food on the lodging property. There are many coffee shops and restaurants along the ~3.2 mile stretch of College Road that connects Wedgewood Resort's Bear Lodge and the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

To make a reservation at Bear Lodge:

• Read the Reservations letter provided to attendees.
• Because the hotel is normally closed in March, reservations must be made by phone:
  • Call the local Reservations Department directly at 907-456-3642 or 800-528-4916. Their office is open Monday-Friday, 6 AM-4:30 PM Alaska time. After hours, the phone is routed to external reservation support.
  • Please mention Group Conf#: AMPS2025 Summit (Conf #: 8439244).
  • Additional guests are $10/per person/per night, max occupancy four guests.
  • Reservations must be cancelled 24 hours prior to arrival to avoid any penalty.

Per diem rates for Alaska are available here.

Tours and other places to visit

Permafrost Tunnel Research Facility — The Permafrost Tunnel is situated near the valley floor of Goldstream Creek, 16 miles north of Fairbanks in Fox, Alaska. It was excavated into a man-made escarpment, and is approximately 110 meters in length, 2 to 2.5 meters high, 4 to 5 meters wide, and 15 meters below the surface. The Permafrost Tunnel is an active underground laboratory available for a variety of research programs. Each year, CRREL welcomes many research scientists and engineers interested in conducting research on the processes and properties of frozen soils.

Poker Flat Research Range — Poker Flat Research Range is perfectly located in Interior Alaska. From this site, rockets can launch and fly over the sparsely populated tundra hundreds of miles north of the range with special permission from federal, state and tribal landowners. Additionally, the range is situated beneath the auroral oval – a ring across the circumpolar north where auroras typically occur – providing ample opportunities to continue scientists’ examination of the aurora. Most sounding rocket launches occur between January and March and scientists come from around the world to use the facility for their research projects.

Geophysical Institute — Since it was established by an Act of Congress in 1946, scientists at the Geophysical Institute have studied geophysical processes from the center of the Earth to the surface of the sun and beyond, turning data and observations into information useful for state, Arctic and national priorities.

International Arctic Research Center — By the 1990s, climate change had become an important subject that urgently needed international study. IARC was founded in 1999 at UAF through an agreement between Japan and the United States “to demonstrate our ability to solve, jointly, problems that are beyond what any one nation can address” as outlined in the agreement signed by President Clinton and Prime Minister Hashimoto in 1997.

UA Museum of the North — The museum's research collections — 2.5 million artifacts and specimens — represent millions of years of biological diversity and thousands of years of cultural traditions in the North. The collections are organized into 10 disciplines (archaeology, birds, documentary film, earth sciences, ethnology/history, fine arts, fishes/marine invertebrates, insects, mammals, and plants) and serve as a valuable resource for research on climate change, genetics, contaminants and other issues facing Alaska and the circumpolar North.

Ice Alaska — The Ice Alaska World Ice Art Championships began in Fairbanks, Alaska in 1990 for artists to share ice sculpture experiences for the community. The tradition of the ice sculpting competitions began with the early celebrations of spring, involving ice thrones for the winter carnivals of the 1930s and providing an outdoor activity for local Alaskans to enjoy. Now the Ice Alaska Winter Carnival has evolved into a six-week event full of amazing art pieces and wonderful winter fun.

Transportation

For those staying in a room block, there will be a shuttle service between the hotel and the university.

Taxi/Rideshare options: Ground transportation options (taxis, car rentals, public transportation, shuttles, etc.) are available here. Services like Uber and Lyft are unreliable in Fairbanks.

Parking

Parking passes for UAF campus lots are obtained at kiosks. Parking is $1.25 per hour and $5 per day. More information about visitor parking can be found here.

View the UAF campus map is here. This Summit will be held in the Wood Center. Please park in Lots 4D, 4F and 4F to take the provided shuttle bus to the venue.

Food options

Snacks, beverages, UAF catered lunches, and the official AMPS 2025 dinner will be covered in the registration fee. The official AMPS 2025 dinner will be Tuesday, March 18, at the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum at Wedgewood Resort.

For other meals there are many nearby off-campus dining options, including many on College Road between the AMPS 2025 lodging at Wedgewood Resort and the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Breakfast

Little Owl Café, Lulu's Bread and Bagels, House of the Rising Bun, Wood Center (UAF) dining options

Dinner

Pad Thai Restaurant, Lemongrass, East Ramp Pizza, Pump House, Lavelle's Bistro

Other resources

• Google Map of downtown Fairbanks
• Explore Fairbanks — Includes things to know for planning your trip (FAQ, weather, hours of daylight, attractions, aurora viewing, etc.)