AGU conference a hub for recruiting, collaboration

December 14, 2016

Jeff Richardson photo . Jessica Armstrong, right, the graduate student coordinator for the UAF College of Natural Science and Mathematics, talks to a visitor to the UAF booth at the AGU conference.

University of Alaska Fairbanks scientists are presenting their work at the American Geophysical Union’s fall meeting in San Francisco this week. Here are some highlights of their research, as shared at the world’s largest Earth and space science meeting.

The University of Alaska Fairbanks exhibit booth at the annual AGU conference is in the middle of some prime San Francisco real estate.

On one side is the NASA exhibit, where crowds flock to the flashy displays from the U.S. space agency. On the other is Google, attracting swarms of scientists interested in new technology.

UAF gets the coveted spot based on its decades-long participation at AGU, but the booth is about more than just bragging rights. The high-traffic area also gives UAF access to a steady stream of potential recruits and science collaborators.

“This is the premiere conference of the year for us,” said Geophysical Institute Director Bob McCoy. “My guess is every grad student we have has come by and seen this at one point. It’s been really effective for us.”

More than 40 UAF students made the trip to San Francisco this week, many of them attending AGU for the first time. Among the roughly 24,000 scientists at the conference are thousands of students from various universities.

It makes the event a big opportunity for both networking and recruiting. The teams at the booth field a steady stream of questions from people interested in studying in Alaska.

Bridget Eckhardt, a UAF master’s student in environmental engineering, said it’s a remarkable environment for a young scientist.

“I’ve realized there are so many opportunities to talk to people,” she said. “I’m blown away at the amount of sheer knowledge here.”

UAF Department of Geosciences doctoral student Alex Iezzi, who participated in an AGU presentation on volcano infrasound, said it’s provided an unmatched introduction to peers and leaders in the sciences.

“You get to meet so many people,” Iezzi said. “Once you meet one person you meet another and it sort of becomes a domino effect.”