Lecture to discuss discovery of life after volcanic eruption
In early August 2008, Kasatochi Volcano in the Aleutians violently erupted. The green and lush island, formerly the home of hundreds of thousands of seabirds, became a sterile mountain of mud and ash. Scientists thought all life was wiped out on Kasatochi, but researchers found a few unlikely survivors on the island during a visit one year after the eruption.
On Feb. 15 at 7 p.m., Derek Sikes will reveal the identities of the Kasatochi survivors and discuss his research of the pre- and post-eruption ecosystems of the island. Sikes, assistant professor of entomology and curator of insects at the University of Alaska Museum of the North, will present “Survivor Kasatochi: Insects After the Volcanic Eruption” in the Westmark Gold Room. The lecture is the fifth installment in the Fairbanks portion of 2011 Science for Alaska Lecture Series.
Science for Alaska is sponsored by the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the UAF Geophysical Institute 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.
ON THE WEB: http://www.scienceforalaska.com
SS/2-9-11/145-11
Stevie Seibert, University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, 907-474-5229, stevie.seibert@gi.alaska.edu
Derek Sikes, University of Alaska Museum of the North, 907-474-6278, dssikes@alaska.edu
Marmian Grimes, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 907-474-7902, marmian.grimes@alaska.edu
