Energy talk launches 2010 Science for Alaska lectures statewide

Submitted by Amy Hartley
Phone: 907-474-5823
01/12/10

The United States consumes more energy than any other country and Alaska tops the nation in energy consumption per capita. Alaska’s lofty energy use is complicated by high prices, isolated electric grid systems and a dependence on external supply.

At 7 p.m. on Jan. 19, Gwen Holdmann will discuss how Alaska can emerge as an energy leader by pinpointing methods for stabilizing energy prices and reducing its vulnerability. Holdmann’s lecture, "New Energy for Alaska Communities," is the first installment of the annual Science for Alaska Lecture Series, and will be delivered at the Westmark Gold Room in Fairbanks. The lecture will then continue on to Anchorage and Juneau Jan. 20 and 21.

Holdmann is the director of the Alaska Center for Energy and Power at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She began her renewable energy work for ABS Alaskan, where she wrote a guide to micro-hydro power for Alaska. She also worked on the development of a renewable and sustainable energy program at Chena Hot Springs Resort.

The Science for Alaska Lecture Series covers a broad range of science topics specific to Alaska and its residents. The Fairbanks series includes six lectures that run every Tuesday evening from Jan. 19 through Feb. 23, 2010 in the Westmark Gold Room. Three of the lectures will also be presented in Anchorage, at the Anchorage Museum, and in Juneau, at Centennial Hall, through Feb. 4. Science for Alaska is free and open to the public. Free educational demonstrations will precede lectures in Fairbanks and Anchorage, and an associated continuing education course for teachers is available statewide.

The University of Alaska Fairbanks, the Geophysical Institute and Alyeska Pipeline Service Company sponsor the 2010 series. Anchorage activities are sponsored by the Anchorage Museum’s Imaginarium Discovery Center.

CONTACT: For Fairbanks lectures, Amy Hartley at 907-474-5823, amy.hartley@gi.alaska.edu. For Anchorage and Juneau lectures, Jenn Wagaman at 907-474-5082, jewagaman@alaska.edu.

ON THE WEB: www.scienceforalaska.com

JW-AH/1-12-10/118-10