UAF Geophysical Institute Offers Free Science for Alaska Public Lecture Series

Submitted by Vicki Daniels
Phone: (907) 474-5823
01/13/03

Learn about the aurora, space, avalanches, humpback whales, volcanoes, glaciers and other wonders of Alaska by attending free public lectures during the 2003 Science for Alaska lecture series. Expert speakers will give hour-long multimedia presentations about cutting edge research that will appeal to people of all ages.

In addition to speakers from the University of Alaska, this year the series will include veteran astronaut and NASA Chief Scientist Shannon Lucid, who was among the first six women ever selected to become an astronaut and has logged 223 days in space, an international record for the most flight hours in orbit by any non-Russian. We will also welcome guest speakers from the Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University, NASA and the Alaska Mountain Safety Center. Similar lectures also will be offered in Anchorage and Juneau.

The annual statewide series will be held in Fairbanks on Tuesday evenings at 7 p.m. from Jan. 21 through Feb. 25 at its new location in the Chena River Convention Center. The lectures have traditionally been held at the Noel Wien Library, but were moved due to beyond-capacity crowds that attended in 2002.

The presentations will involve slide shows and videos that will appeal to every age group. During the series’ six lectures, the public will hear presentations on exploring the secrets of the aurora borealis, the changing glaciers of Alaska, Alaska’s humpback whales, spying on volcanoes from space, learning to think like an avalanche, and a NASA presentation on the Sun-Earth connection.

Elementary, middle and high school teachers may opt to take a one-credit continuing education course offered in conjunction with the lecture series. The program will allow teachers to incorporate information from the lectures into their classrooms.

The statewide series is coordinated by the UAF Geophysical Institute and is funded by a grant from the Alaska Science and Technology Foundation and by the University of Alaska.

International Arctic Research Center Director and UAF Professor of Geophysics Syun-Ichi Akasofu will present the first lecture of the series, "Exploring the Secrets of the Aurora Borealis," at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2003.

The Fairbanks schedule for the free public lecture series follows:

January 21
Exploring the Secrets of the Aurora Borealis
Syun-Ichi Akasofu, Director, International Arctic Research Center and Professor of Geophysics, UAF

January 28
The Changing Glaciers of Alaska
Keith Echelmeyer, Professor of Geophysics and Martin Truffer, Assistant Professor of Physics, UAF Geophysical Institute

February 4
Gentle Giants: Alaska’s Humpback Whales
Jan Straley, Assistant Professor of Marine Biology, University of Alaska Southeast SitkaFebruary 11
Spying on Volcanoes from Space
Ken Dean, Research Associate Professor, UAF Geophysical Institute

February 18
Learning to Think Like an Avalanche
Jill Fredston, Co-Director, Alaska Mountain Safety Center, Inc.

February 25
The Sun-Earth Connection
Shannon Lucid, Chief Scientist and Veteran Astronaut, NASA; Arthur Poland, Senior Scientist-Sun, NASA; and Nicola Fox, Senior Scientist-Magnetosphere, Applied Physics Laboratory

For more information about the series, please call the Geophysical Institute at (907) 474-7558 or visit www.gi.alaska.edu/InfoOffice/Science_for_Alaska.html

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Biographical information on each lecturer and schedules for Anchorage and Juneau lecture presentations can be found on the Science for Alaska free public lecture series Web site: www.gi.alaska.edu/InfoOffice/Science_for_Alaska.html

CONTACT:
Vicki Daniels, UAF Geophysical Institute Public Relations Specialist:
(907) 474-5823 or via email at info@gi.alaska.edu