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27th annual Science for Alaska Lecture Series announced

January 22, 2019

Fritz Freudenberger
907-474-7185

The Science for Alaska Lecture Series will feature a new topic at 7 p.m. each Tuesday from Jan. 29-March 5.
The Science for Alaska Lecture Series will feature a new topic at 7 p.m. each Tuesday from Jan. 29-March 5.


The University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute will host free public talks about topics ranging from Fairbanks’ air quality to climate change and space weather.

The 2019 Science for Alaska Lecture Series begins Tuesday, Jan. 29. Talks start at 7 p.m. every Tuesday at Raven Landing Center through March 5.

For 27 years, the Geophysical Institute has hosted the lecture series as one of their largest public outreach efforts.

The series brings current scientific research to Alaskans in an event that pools knowledge from scientists with expertise across the state.

Lectures are offered live in Fairbanks and online, as well as on DVDs that are accessible through the Alaska library system.

The 2019 lectures and dates are:


  • Jan. 29: "The Science of Smoke: Fairbanks’ Particulate Problem," Bill Simpson, professor of chemistry, UAF

  • Feb. 5: "Alaska Climate Prospects: Some Like It Hot," Martin Stuefer, director of the Alaska Climate Research Center, UAF

  • Feb. 12: "Storms at the Edge of Space," Mark Conde, associate professor of physics, UAF

  • Feb. 19: "Will Defrosting the 'Icebox' Lead to More Summer Wildfires in Alaska?" Randi Jandt, fire ecologist, Alaska Fire Science Consortium, UAF

  • Feb. 26: "Flying Toward the Future: Unmanned Aircraft in Alaska," Cathy Cahill, director, Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration, UAF

  • March 5: "Astronomy Mashup: Connecting Physics and Culture Under the Night Sky," Richard P. Hechter, associate professor of science education, University of Manitoba


For more about the lectures and videos of past talks, please visit the website: https://www.gi.alaska.edu/events/science-alaska-lecture-series or the Geophysical Institute Facebook page @UAF.GI.

Science for Alaska is sponsored by the Triplehorn family, Lifewater Engineering and Class 5 Boatworks, the Alaska Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research and the Geophysical Institute.