Alaska NSF EPSCoR

@alaskaepscor.bsky.social

Alaska EPSCoR is dedicated to improving Alaska's research capacity. Our project, "Interface of Change," investigates Gulf of Alaska ecosystems, marine subsistence and mariculture species, and coastal communities. linktr.ee/alaskaepscor

Congrats to Gabriel Gray, recipient of the 2026 Impact Award from the UAF Office of Intellectual Property and Commercialization! His research shows that Alaskan kelp can essentially be an ingredient in polylactic acid bioplastics used for 3D printing and compostable packaging. #AlaskaMariculture

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Fairbanks-based photographer Andy Padilla is one of our artists-in-residence. And with a background as a fisheries biologist, he's no stranger to field work. For #FieldworkFriday, he sent us these photos and a trip report from time with researchers in Homer and Sadie Cove. 📸 by Andy Padilla

#FieldworkFriday report from Co-PI Jordan Jenckes in Kachemak Bay: "We conducted a 24 hour geophysical survey at the Wosnesenski River Delta. This work is crucial to our understanding of submarine groundwater discharge in these incredibly dynamic environments." And, he said, they had great weather

The stream team camps on a beachCooking for the stream team on a beachStream team works on a stream with a packraft in foregroundStream team member working with samples on a beach

Our bivalves team surveyed eelgrass sites and collected eDNA in Juneau last week! Researchers Julie Schram, Nicole Nakata and their interns were joined by one of our artists-in-residence, Ellie Schmidt, a visual artist, filmmaker and PhD candidate at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. 📸 Ellie Schmidt

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When the Mendenhall Glacial Lake Outburst Flood is in town, water sample processing doesn't stop! Data from the stream path can help researchers understand how sediment loads change with the use of HESCO barriers and how sediment and carbon exports from the Mendenhall glacier impact area wetlands.

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PI Brenda Konar has dissected many urchins in her career, but watching Artist-in-Residence Kim Schuster of Aqueous Designs take a different approach to urchin dissection helped her appreciate how beautiful the creatures are. More arist collabs with In a Time of Change to come! 📸 by Kim Schuster

Close-up photo of the inside of an urchin.Closeup photo of an urchin in a lab.

UAF fisheries geneticist Jessica Glass, Alaska Sea Grant Associate Director for Research Molly Cain, and Alaska EPSCoR Director, marine biologist Brenda Konar mingling at the UA Museum of the North last night!

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We're gearing up for our fourth year hosting the annual statewide Alaska Science Olympiad Division B at the University of Alaska Fairbanks! Middle school teams compete and show off their skills in science, technology, engineering, and math Friday, March 27!

Middle schoolers to compete in Alaska Science Olympiad

The Alaska Science Olympiad Division B will convene March 27-28 at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Troth Yeddha’ Campus. The olympiad is part of a nationwide competition consisting of hands-on,…

uaf.edu

Urchin ranching, a method of seafood production that could help restore kelp forests? EPSCoR director, UAF marine biologist Brenda Konar studies green urchin ranching and believes that urchin ranching can be effective, but it’s a matter of scale. buff.ly/z0f2rOm

TriplePundit • Urchins Are Ravaging Pacific Kelp Forests. Will Seafood Ranches Stop Their Path of Destruction?

Urchins Are Ravaging Pacific Kelp Forests. Will Seafood Ranches Stop Their Path of Destruction?

triplepundit.com

The Interface of Change team had a great time convening in Fairbanks at the University of Alaska Fairbanks for our All Hands Meeting. On the first day of the meeting, we bundled up for temperatures of -30 F. On the second day of the meeting, it snowed several inches!

A group photo outside in the snow with Christmas lights along a fence in the background.

3-year PhD student fellowships are available through UAF College of Fisheries & Ocean Sciences for prospective students have received the distinction of NSF EGRFP Honorable Mention. Fellowships begin in May or Aug. 2026, and the application window is open now through Jan. 15, 2026.

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Now that the red seaweeds team completed their first year of field sampling, grad student Lindsay Meyer is visiting UAA to work with postdoc Monica Brandhuber on assessing the metabolomics of red seaweeds that were grown in different environmental settings! 🌿🔬

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Alaska EPSCoR Interface of Change researchers are studying clam ecology and population dynamics in Kachemak Bay in partnership with the Seldovia Village Tribe. This week, SVT environmental scientists Katrina Hecks and Stephen Payton are sampling clams at a beach near Seldovia. #FieldworkFriday

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📢 Call for Artists: Coastal Transitions 🌊 Alaska EPSCoR + In a Time of Change invite artists to apply for a new 2-year art-science collaboration. Selected artists work with scientists & communities to investigate coastal social-ecological themes in the Gulf of Alaska. Apply by 8/29 itoc.alaska.edu

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