Partnership brings earthquakes to Alaska Summer Research Academy

Submitted by Sonja Bickford
Phone: (907) 474-6714
04/04/06

Fairbanks, Alaska--Students who attend the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Alaska Summer Research Academy will be "all shook up"? this summer.

They will have a chance to live in Denali National Park and explore the Denali Fault, site of the 2002 magnitude 7.9 earthquake.They will test and install instruments to record the earth’s vibrations and learn to interpret data from the instruments. A film crew will document their work.

The expedition is part of the academy’s geophysics module and is the result of a new partnership with the National Park Service, the Alaska Natural History Institutes and the Denali Foundation. Michael West, research assistant professor at UAF’s Geophysical Institute, will teach the geophysics module.

"We are very excited about this new partnership. We are creating a rare opportunity for young students to have fun doing real hands-on science in Denali National Park," said Jeff Drake, ASRA associate director. "The combined strength of UAF, the National Park Service, the Denali Foundation, and the Alaska Natural History Institutes creates a unique experience that is rarely equaled in an academic camp. This will be something that kids will remember for the rest of their lives."?

The Alaska Summer Research Academy provides an opportunity for students in eighth through 12th grades to experience life on the UAF campus and work with university faculty, staff and industry professionals in one of many exciting fields. The academy offers 15 modules, including aviation, civil engineering, fisheries, electrical engineering, wildlife ecology and health sciences.

Students either enroll in the full residential program or participate as a commuter student and attend from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Residential and commuter students all enjoy the same academic experience and receive one college credit on completion of the two-week program

The ASRA camp, in its sixth year, has existing partnerships with the Alaska Department of Transportation, Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, Golden Valley Electric Association and the Industrial Arts Learning Lab. The camp is hosted by the College of Natural Science and Mathematics and supported by the Alaska Sea Grant College Program, College of Engineering and Mines, Geophysical Institute and UAF Summer Sessions.

CONTACT: Alaska Summer Research Academy Associate Director Jeff Drake, Geophysical Institute/College of Natural Science and Mathematics, at (907) 474-7010 or via e-mail at jdrake@gi.alaska.edu. Sonja Bickford, public information officer, at (907) 474-6714 or via e-mail at s.bickford@uaf.edu

ON THE WEB: http://www.uaf.edu/asra