Science for Alaska talks and events announced

Science for Alaska talks and events announced

The University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute will host free public science talks over the next few weeks, highlighting new climate research technology, an Alaska earthquake mystery solution, tidewater glaciers in Alaska and Greenland and a recent Bering Sea journey aboard the research vessel Sikuliaq.

For over 30 years, the Geophysical Institute has hosted the Science for Alaska talk series as one of its largest public outreach efforts. The series provides the public with information about current research from scientists with expertise across Alaska.

To celebrate the start of the series, Science for Alaska is offering a free K-12 portable planetarium event and a fun evening of flash talk science at the UAF Pub. These events are in-person only.

• Tuesday, Jan. 27: An Afternoon of Family Science, 3-5 p.m., Nordale Education Center, 397 Hamilton Ave. - Visitors can stargaze inside a portable planetarium and learn about Alaska science research. Fairbanks BEST Homeschooljoins the Geophysical Institute for exploration and hands-on activities at this free, all-ages event.
• Thursday, Jan. 29: Science for Alaska Kickoff, 6:30-8 p.m., UAF Pub, 1731 S. Chandalar Drive - The kickoff is a storytelling evening of several short, engaging science talks covering space physics, the Denali fault, fieldwork in Antarctica, earthquake early warning in Alaska and wildfire mapping. All ages welcome.

The 2026 Science for Alaska lecture series begins Tuesday, Feb. 3, and runs every Tuesday through Feb. 24. Talks start at 7 p.m. in the UAF Schaible Auditorium, 1764 Tanana Loop, and will also be streamed live to Zoomand the UAF and Geophysical Institute Facebook pages. On-campus parking is always free after 5 p.m. Presenters will answer questions after each talk.

Here are the 2026 Tuesday lectures and dates:

• Feb. 3: Martin Stuefer and Roozbeh Rajabi - "Climate Science, AI and Hyperspectral Imaging Reveal a Changing Arctic"
• Feb. 10: Carl Tape - "Mystery Solved: Revealing the 1912 Denali Earthquake"
• Feb. 17: Martin Truffer and Amy Jenson - "Across Seconds and Centuries: Tidewater Glacier Change in Alaska and Greenland"
• Feb. 24: Chris Maio and the ACTION Team - "Working Together on the Bering Sea: Coastal Hazard Science Powered by Communities"

Lecture recordings can be viewed on the Science for Alaska websiteor the Geophysical Institute YouTube channelin March after the series concludes.

For more about the lectures and videos of past talks, visit www.gi.alaska.edu/scienceforalaskaor the Geophysical Institute Facebook page.

The 2026 event series flyer is available for download.

The 2026 Science for Alaska events are sponsored by the Triplehorn family, Lifewater Engineering Co. and the UAF Geophysical Institute.

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