Seed and travel awards available

We’re pleased to announce the availability of both Seed Grants and Travel Grants to support activities related to Fire & Ice project goals.

Faculty Research Seed Grants of up to $20,000 each will be awarded to University of Alaska scientists to carry out research that supports project goals. Early- and mid-career, full-time faculty members (including postdoctoral researchers) are encouraged to apply, as are any research professionals eligible for PI status within their department. Student Research Seed Grants of up to $4,000 each will be awarded for similar proposals from graduate or undergraduate students at the University of Alaska. The deadline to apply for both is October 14.

Travel Grants of up to $3,500 will be awarded to UA faculty, staff and students to present their research, to interact with colleagues and mentors, and/or to obtain training in science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics (STEAM) fields. Awards can be used to fund travel to, or remote participation in, conferences, workshops, trainings, or other appropriate academic activities. The deadline to apply is October 7.

More information and solicitations are available on our awards page.

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Event videos

We have videos available online of several recent events:

• Our May 31 workshop on Building NFTs for Academic Environments
• Our May 4 webinar on “Visualizing Science: Communicating concepts through graphic design" (password: G8hK+xAn) as well as our May 13 follow-up webinar(password: U2f?bxX). 
• Our May 4 Natural History webinar, including talks by Rick Thoman on climate change; Eric Klein on glaciers; Omega Smith on the aurora; Molly McCarthy-Cunfer on salmon, and Alison York on wildfires.
• Our April 26 Student Ambassador presentation, "Working with nonprofits" (passcode:  e0?B&&X*)
• Our April 7 Student Ambassador presentation: "Research careers outside academia and resume writing" (passcode: +Aq5!yHm)
• Our April 4 Science Pub entitled “Follow the Flow: Glaciers to Wine," featuring EPSCoR graduate student Jordan Jenckes and sommelier Cara Patricia
• Our March 28 Student Ambassador presentation, "The NOAA Corps" (passcode: 674L#=YG)

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Woodsmoke study

EPSCoR researcher Micah Hahn is launching a new multistate study of the health impacts of exposure to woodstove smoke, and is looking for folks in Fairbanks to participate. Specifically, she needs individuals aged 50-78 who heat their home with a wood-burning stove and have lung problems.  Click on the link to find out if you qualify; participants can earn up to $250.

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EPSCoR 2022 Update

We're pleased to bring you the "EPSCoR 2022 update," a multifaceted report that  encapsulates the progress and findings of the Fire & Ice project through 2022. 

The update is based around an interactive PDF, which in turn links to three "Storymap" narratives, one each for the Boreal Fires, Coastal Margins and DEW components. The PDF also links through to various sections of this website that have been freshly updated to reflect accomplishments throughout the project.

EPSCoR hiring Communications Manager

Alaska NSF EPSCoR is looking for its next Communications Manager. The job involves publicizing EPSCoR efforts, as well as reporting and technical writing. We’ll start reviewing applications September 28.

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EPSCoR "Track-2" awards

The National Science Foundation has released a solicitation for NSF EPSCoR “Track-2” collaborative research projects. Proposals must include Co-PIs from at least two of the 28 EPSCoR states and territories, and must be on the (extremely Alaska-relevant!) topic of “Advancing climate change research and resilience capacity to expand opportunities for disproportionately affected communities."

Proposals are for up to four years and up to a total of $1 million a year for awards shared between two EPSCoR jurisdictions, and up to $1.5 million a year for awards shared between three or more jurisdictions. Letters of intent are due December 20, 2022 and full proposals due January 24, 2023. (Please note that the UAF Vice-Chancellor for Research is likely to establish a set of earlier internal deadlines for UAF submissions.) 

UAA, UAF and UAS can serve as lead for only one proposal each, and an investigator may serve as Principal Investigator or Co-PI on only one Track-2 award at any given time. UAA researchers interested in applying should contact Aaron Dotson, UAS researchers should contact Maren Haavig and UAF researchers should consult Nettie LaBelle-Hamer. UA researchers are also encouraged to serve as Co-PI’s on projects at other jurisdictions.

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"Phase 0" winners

We’re pleased to announce the five winners of this year’s Phase 0 grants through the Technology Research and Development Center of Alaska (Alaska TREND). These EPSCoR-supported awards of up to $10,000 each support companies seeking to commercialize new technologies. Winners are:

• GRAYSTAR Pacific Inc. (Anchorage) is developing novel medical products, as well as technologies to reduce discharge of waste to the environment and to enhance rural economic development.
• North Iron Engineering, LLC (Anchorage) is developing a low-cost, high-throughput method to chemically remove contaminants from soil waste streams.
• Golden Umbrella Growth (Fairbanks) is producing unique cold-tolerance cucumber seedlings and facilitating the adoption of the new cultivars in Alaska.
• PKS Consulting, Inc. (Anchorage) is developing a process to upcycle beach plastic into plastic lumber.
• Airhounds, LLC (Anchorage) is developing wearable sensors that enable people to track their risk of infection from airborne disease in real time.

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 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. Interviews are with Sigrun Hreinsdottir, who studies volcanoes and earthquakes in New Zealand; ANTHC engineer Shawn Takak (picture); BLM Ecologist and Science Coordinator Nikki Grant-Hoffman; Navy meteorologist James Campbell; Muckleshoot Tribe marine biologist Lee Foulkes; Alaska Harmful Algae Bloom (AHAB) Program Coordinator Thomas Farrugia; cancer researcher Mindy Kim Graham; Fairbanks pediatrician Carla Cartagena De Jesus; Thomas Hughes, an engineer for the Alaska DOT; and Liz Dennett, who works for Amazon Web Services.