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
TREND award winners
Congratulations to the winners of this year’s Alaska TREND (Technology Research and Development Center) Phase 0 Grants. These $10,000 EPSCoR-supported awards go to innovators and companies in the early stages of deploying technologies with a strong technical basis and competitive edge. This year’s winners are:
- MustRs LLC of Fairbanks, which plans to develop robots for senior and disabled care
- MacKinnon Marine Technologies of Anchorage, which proposes to develop an unmanned watercraft for the U.S. Navy
- PKS Consulting, Inc. of Anchorage, which is designing a system to turn plastic beach waste into lumber
- GRAYSTAR Pacific Seafood, Ltd. of Anchorage, which is both examining the use of salmon skin in wound dressings and marketing deep ocean water as a nutraceutical beverage
Videos and highlights
We have four recent 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.
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.
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. Email tmoran3@alaska.edu if you'd like to subscribe.
We are also continuing with biannual newsletters, which are aimed more at an external audience.
Presentations on agency jobs
EPSCoR recently hosted a pair of Zoom presentations for University of Alaska graduate students on the topic of applying for jobs at agencies. We have a recording available of the second session, which featured Chris Siddon of the Alaska Department of Fish & Game and Daniel Esler of the USGS. We also have a slideshow available from Heather Coletti of the NPS, who spoke at the first session.
Animation workshop recordings
Our recent Animation Workshop offered an overview of how to visualize research data using open-source Blender software. Videos of all three two-hour sessions are now available for viewing on Zoom.
The next EPSCoR: "Glaciers to Gulf"
The Alaska NSF EPSCoR leadership team is starting work on the next EPSCoR Track-1 proposal, which will be due next summer and which would run from 2023-28. We've adopted a general framework focused on coastal margins research and are looking for pre-proposals from researchers interested in working with us.
We recorded a webinar about the proposal and process that is viewable on Zoom(passcode: .@lEkY0U). Also please feel free to reach out to our team: Brenda Konar and Schery Umanzor (UAF), LeeAnn Munk (UAA) and Jason Fellman (UAS).
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).