The University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute will host free public science lectures in the coming weeks, featuring stories about Alaska from author Ned Rozell, changes to Alaska’s landscape as seen from the space, a conversation with two UAF rocket scientists and the Mount Churchill volcano in Alaska.
For more than 30 years, the Geophysical Institute has hosted the Science for Alaska lecture series, one of its largest public outreach efforts. The series brings Alaskans information about current research from scientists with expertise across the state.
To celebrate the start of the series, Science for Alaska is offering a free K-12 planetarium event and a fun night of flash-talk science at Black Spruce Brewing Co. These events are in-person only.
• Tuesday January 28: an afternoon of family science, 3 p.m.-5 p.m., Nordale Educational Center. Want to stargaze inside a planetarium and learn about scientific research in Alaska? Fairbanks BEST homeschool joins the Geophysical Institute for exploratory and hands-on activities at this free event for all ages. Bring your family and friends! Join the event on Facebook.
• Thursday, January 30: launch of Science for Alaska, 6:30 to 8 p.m., Black Spruce Brewing Co., 3290 Peger Road. Enjoy an evening of storytelling consisting of several short and engaging scientific lectures on mountain permafrost, traveling to Alaska as a field engineer maintaining seismic instruments, the importance of satellite data in Alaska, the Pavlof volcano and much more. All ages are welcome. Join the event on Facebook.
The 2025 Science for Alaska Traditional Lecture Series begins Tuesday, February 4 and runs every Tuesday through February 25. Lectures begin at 7 p.m. in the UAF Schaible Auditorium, 232 Tanana Loop, and will be streamed live on Zoom and the UAF and Geophysical Institute Facebook pages. Parking on campus is always free after 5 p.m. Presenters will answer questions after each talk.
Register here to watch on Zoom.
Here are the conferences and dates for Tuesday 2025:
• February 4: From the Aleutians to the Arctic coast: coverage of science in Alaska for 30 years, Ned Rozell, author, Alaska Science Forum, Geophysical Institute
• February 11: Changes in Alaska seen from space: leaf miners, beavers and rusty rivers, Emily Graham, doctoral student, UAF College of Natural Science and Mathematics
• Feb. 18: Why Space Weather Matters to Alaska: A Conversation with UAF Rocket Scientists, Mark Conde, professor, Geophysical Institute, and Kylee Branning, doctoral student, UAF College of Natural Science and Mathematics
• February 25: An explosive story: the Mount Churchill volcano in Alaska, Jessica Larsen, professor, Geophysical Institute
Lecture recordings can be viewed at Science for Alaska website or the Institute of Geophysics YouTube channel in March after the series ended.
To learn more about talks and videos from past conferences, visit www.gi.alaska.edu/scienceforalaska or the Facebook page of the Institute of Geophysics @UAF.GI. Join the 2025 event on Facebook for updates.
Download the 2025 Event Series Flyer.
Science for Alaska 2025 events are sponsored by the Triplehorn Family, Lifewater Engineering Co., the Dr. Syun-Ichi Akasofu Endowment and the UAF Geophysical Institute.
