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GeoFORCE seeks applicants for geology academy

January 29, 2020

Tanya Clayton
907-474-7541

Photo by Leif Van Cise. Rachael Solomon of Utqiaġvik, at left, works with industry mentor Veronica Jones, of Arctic Slope Regional Corp., at Dinosaur National Monument.
Photo by Leif Van Cise. Rachael Solomon of Utqiaġvik, at left, works with industry mentor Veronica Jones, of Arctic Slope Regional Corp., at Dinosaur National Monument.


GeoFORCE is seeking applications from rural and minority high schoolers in Alaska who want to study science across the nation during the coming four summers.

The free program is open to all eighth- and ninth-grade students from the North Slope Borough, Northwest Arctic Borough, Yukon-Koyukuk, Yukon Flats, Nenana City and Alaska Gateway school districts, and the Galena Interior Learning Academy.

The University of Alaska Fairbanks College of Natural Science and Mathematics administers the program.

Each summer, the same group of GeoFORCE students will reunite to attend a two-week academy in a different region of the U.S. Over four years, students will practice field geology at destinations such as Dinosaur National Monument and Denali, Grand Canyon, Crater Lake and Yellowstone national parks.

“You learn so much about the natural history of the places and learn hands-on instead of in textbooks, which made it so much more fun,” said Esther Barger, a 2019 GeoFORCE graduate from Noatak and undergraduate geoscience student at UAF.

GeoFORCE is designed to spark high school students' interest in the geosciences and maintain that interest into college. The goal is to increase the number and diversity of students pursuing not only geology but also other science, technology, engineering and math fields.

“We want to inspire and empower the next generation of Alaska scientists,” said GeoFORCE program coordinator Brian Reggiani. “And then we help support them as they transition to college or the next step after high school.”

The expeditions introduce the students to new environments and provide college-level learning opportunities and potential career paths.

The program is entirely funded through donations, with many sponsors representing Alaska industries that rely on the state’s natural resources.

One goal of the program is to diversify Alaska’s technical workforce. The GeoFORCE program seeks to help students to be ideally matched to meet that demand. Administrators have been encouraged by the program’s high success rate.

“We’re building a strongly educated geoscience community,” said Reggiani.

Application deadlines vary by a student's region:


  • Northwest Arctic — Feb. 9

  • North Slope — March 1

  • Interior — April 5


ADDITIONAL CONTACT: Brian Reggiani, GeoFORCE program coordinator, 907-474-5313, bjreggiani@alaska.edu

ON THE WEB: http://www.geoforce.alaska.edu