Welcome to Alaska NSF EPSCoR
Alaska NSF EPSCoR improves Alaska's scientific capacity by engaging in research projects supported through National Science Foundation and state funds. EPSCoR is in the third year of "Fire and Ice," a five-year project to study climate-driven changes to Alaskan wildfire regimes and coastal ecosystems. For more information check out our brochure and one-page summaries of each component of the program: Boreal Fires; Coastal Margins; and Diversity, Education and Workforce Development. You can also view posters, presentations and publications from Fire and ice researchers.
The national NSF EPSCoR organization also supports Alaska through other funding streams. Check out this poster for more information on the timeline and structure of NSF EPSCoR in Alaska.
EPSCoR news
Rolling Travel Awards
EPSCoR is offering rolling travel funding to support UA students, faculty and staff to participate in conferences or training and research opportunities. Rolling funds will be available through August 31 pendiing availability, and travel or participation must be completed by September 30. See our solicitation for more details.
We're pleased to announce we've already handed out two of the awards. UAF CFOS M.S. students Alexandra Reich and Hannah Myers will head to Dillingham and Seward/Homer, respectively, the former for a salmon population dynamics class and the latter for fieldwork and to confer with a killer whale expert.
Eran Hood Science Pub
Coastal Margins researcher Eran Hood gave an excellent presentation on “How is Glacier Loss Impacting Communities and Ecosystems in Alaska” for the Anchorage Science Pub on Sunday, May 23. Unfortunately the event wasn’t recorded, but we do have Dr. Hood’s powerpoint.
Faces of STEM
EPSCoR is showcasing the unique characteristics that Alaskans bring to STEM by sharing
a series of interviews with former University of Alaska students succeeding in STEM careers. The first interviews
are with Liz Dennett, who works for Amazon Web Services; Thomas Hughes, an engineer for the Alaska DOT; and Fairbanks pediatrician Carla Cartagena De Jesus (pictured).
Videos and highlights
Our video production team has been busy! We have four new videos up on our YouTube page:
"Fire & Ice Project Overview" is a brief animated introduction to the Fire & Ice project.
"The McKinley Fire: Rebuilding and Lessons Learned" is an overview of the 2019 McKinley Fire, which burned a 10-mile long swath alongside the Parks Highway. The video has been nominated for a Learnie Award.
"Fire & Ice Coastal Margins Research" is a thorough overview of our research on the Gulf of Alaska.
"Dev Space Development Tools" puts a hammer through the wringer to demonstrate some of the capabilities of the Dev Space facility.
Research Workspace videos
We've posted 17 videos on our YouTube channel that explain how to use various facets of the Research Workspace, the repository for Fire and Ice data.
Konar is new EPSCoR PI
UAF Professor of Marine Biology Brenda Konar has been named the new Principal Investigator
and Project Director of the EPSCoR "Fire & Ice" project. Konar replaces Pips Veazey,
who resigned from the position to take a job closer to family.
Konar has been with Fire & Ice since the beginning of the project in 2018 and formerly served as a Co-PI. She also serves as the co-lead of the Coastal Margins component, where her focus is on intertidal research in Kachemak Bay.
For more information please see recent Letters from the PI by Konar and Veazey.
Salmon fishers needed
EPSCoR grad students Karen Grosskreutz and Emma Kimball are looking for experienced (10+ years) commercial salmon fishers in Lower Cook Inlet and Southeast to interview for the Human Dimensions portion of the Fire & Ice project. So if you know anybody, please pass along their flyer.
Tour Guide Workshop Video
EPSCoR partnered with the Alaska Travel Industry Asssociation to hold a 90-minute Natural History workshop aimed at tour guides. Speakers included Rick Thoman on climate, Marian Snively on bears, Eric Klein on glaciers, Brandon Browne on volcanes and Omega Smith on the aurora. The full video is viewable onlne, as is a similar event from 2020.
Research Open House videos
EPSCoR researchers and affiliates including Chris Waigl, Mark Johnson, Lindsey Stadler, Jonathan Chriest, Katrin Iken, Shelby Bacus, Brenda Konar, Megan Perra, and Jessie Young-Robertson all gave 3-minute flash talks on their research as part of the UAF Arctic Research Open House on May 20.
DEW Boreal Fires Curriculum
We've posted a 5-lesson fire science curriculum aimed at 3rd-5th grades. The lessons were developed by the Fire & Ice DEW team in collaboration with the BLM Campbell Creek Science Centerand the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District 21st Century Learning Program.
Monthly newsletter
We've been sending out a monthly email called "Fire & Ice Essentials" to individuals involved in the Fire & Ice project. Its main focus is on funding opportunities, and it also includes notes about upcoming conferences and other events, as well as project news and products.
We still plan to continue with biannual newsletters, which will be aimed more at an external audience.
Program brochure
We've printed out a brochure for the Fire & Ice project. Hard copies are available on campus; email Tom Moran to arrange a pickup or dropoff.