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 2026 will be held March 23-27, 2026, at the Geophysical Institute and the Wood Center, both located on the University of Alaska Fairbanks. 

Registration

Check back soon for the registration site. The non-refundable registration fee of $250.00 USD per person will cover summit snacks, beverages, working lunches and the official AMPS 2026 dinner (see below for more information).

The deadline to register and pay the registration fee is Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. Please let Gail Weaver know if you need more time to make the payment.

Questions about the Summit? Please contact Major Samone Ailey, samone.ailey@us.af.mil; Gail Weaver, gail.weaver.1@us.af.mil; or MSgt Doug Ledbetter, william.ledbetter@us.af.mil.

Virtual option

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Agenda

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Presentations

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Official AMPS 2026 Icebreaker Dinner

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Lodging and per diem

The AMPS 2026 planning team has secured a room block at Sophie Station Suites with a room rate of $179/night. This rate will be available from March 21-28, 2026. Reservations must be made no later than March 1, 2026, to obtain the discounted room rate.

Sophie Station Suites is an all-suite hotel. The rooms include a full kitchen, breakfast bar, living room, balcony, bedroom with 2 queen beds or 1 king bed, vanity area and a full spacious bathroom. Zach's Restaurant and Lounge are located on the second floor. The hotel also has laundry facilities and free internet available to our guests. The check in time is 4:00 p.m. and check out time is 11:00 a.m.

To make a reservation at Sophie Station Suites:

• Read the Reservations letter provided to attendees.
• Reservations must be made by calling the Reservations Department directly at 907-456-3642 or 800-528-4916. Please mention Group name AMPS 2026 when making reservations. The group code is not available for reservations booked online.
• Additional guests are $10/per person/per night.
• 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 $6 per day. More information about visitor parking can be found here.

If you paid for parking on the payment page, you will receive your pass(es) via email the week before the Summit.

View the UAF campus map 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

For other meals there are many nearby off-campus dining options, including many on College Road near 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.)