UAF Geophysical Institute

What a great turnout today for the open house of the new Nenana hangar of the ACUASI, the Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration. ACUASI, a part of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, invited the public to view the hangar and some of the drone program’s aircraft. About 70 people attended, including Nenana city leaders and community members, along with UAF leaders, many ACUASI members and two members of the University of Alaska Board of Regents. The 4,800-square-foot hangar at Nenana Municipal Airport will serve as a base for drone cargo test flights between Fairbanks. ACUASI has conducted numerous flights out of the airport but has not had an operations base at the site. The Board of Regents approved the funding request for the project early last year. Gov. Mike Dunleavy and the Alaska Legislature then approved the $3.3 million project, paid for with federal COVID relief funds. UAF is one of seven federally designated unmanned aircraft systems test sites established to develop and test drone technology. It has numerous flight test areas around the country. ACUASI manages and operates the test site. “We all know that people bring stuff up to Alaska to test. And what happens in the first winter? It doesn't work. So we know that if you can make it work here, you can make it work anywhere,” ACUASI Director Cathy Cahill said. The Nenana hangar will greatly help ACUASI as it continues to be a recognized leader in the safe integration of uncrewed aircraft into the national airspace. “Congratulations, Nenana!” she said to cheers from the crowd.

This week at the Anchorage Museum, the Geographic Information Network of Alaska of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute co-hosted the Alaska NextGen Satellite Workshop with NOAA: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration. The goal of the workshop was for Alaskans — tribal leaders, scientists and government workers — to tell satellite product developers more about the data and services they need to make informed decisions. Around 85 people attended across three days of presentations and activities. Many NOAA representatives were from out of state and were struck by how different Alaska is from the rest of the country: its vastness, of course, but also the unique needs of our rural communities, the sparse surface-based weather observations and the challenge of modern telecommunications. Satellite observations of weather and fire are a necessity for Alaska. In a pre-recorded statement, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski commended NOAA’s Regional Climate Services Director for Alaska Jessie Cherry and GINA Director Jen Delamere for their efforts in bringing satellite users and product developers together and recognized the importance of satellite technology in keeping Alaskans safe and informed.

The Geographic Information Network of Alaska installed a radome on its new antenna last Friday. The antenna is located atop the Usibelli building at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. GINA is a part of the UAF Geophysical Institute. “The antenna will be used to downlink data from the Joint Polar Satellite System constellation of satellites as well as satellite data from European and Japanese partners,” GINA Director Jennifer Delamere said. “The new antenna will improve weather forecasting and environmental monitoring for Alaska.” The Joint Polar Satellite System is operated by NOAA: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration. More information about the new antenna is available here: https://lnkd.in/gPRSkJ6j

Work led by University of Alaska Fairbanks and Georgia Institute of Technology researchers shows that the effort to improve Fairbanks' wintertime air quality by reducing the amount of primary sulfate in the atmosphere may not be as effective in the deep cold as intended. The research is published today in Science Advances. Additional co-authors are from The Johns Hopkins University, University of Michigan, University of New Hampshire and institutions in France, Switzerland and Greece. The work stems from the 2022 Alaskan Layered Pollution and Chemical Analysis project, or ALPACA, an international project funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the NOAA: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration and European sources. It is part of an international air quality effort called Pollution in the Arctic: Climate Environment and Societies.

Imagine having days, weeks or months of warning that a major earthquake is likely to hit somewhere in the region where you live. New research is moving toward that. The public could have such extensive advance warning through identification of prior low-level tectonic unrest over large areas, according to research by a University of Alaska Fairbanks scientist who analyzed two major quakes in Alaska and California. #earthquake

The University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute premiered a video for the 2024 Alaska Defense Forum in Fairbanks this week to showcase the unique capabilities the institute offers to our military community and to an increasingly important body of Arctic research. To learn more about UAF's role in sponsoring the 2024 Alaska Defense Forum, visit gi.alaska.edu. More information on UAF’s support of the Department of Defense can be found here: https://lnkd.in/g66eT_M5 Video by Bryan Whitten, UAF Geophysical Institute University of Alaska ACUASI Alaska Earthquake Center Alaska Satellite Facility UAF College of Business and Security Management

The University of Alaska Fairbanks is a title sponsor of this year's Alaska Defense Forum, underway this week through Wednesday in Fairbanks. This year’s theme is “Operation Innovation: Collaboration for the Future.” Several UAF representatives, including Vice Chancellor for Research Nettie La Belle-Hamer, are participating in a discussion of military issues affecting Alaska. “UAF is the nation’s leading Arctic research institution, and as DoD focuses on the Arctic, it is finding UAF to be a critical partner,” La Belle-Hamer said. “We’re proud to cosponsor the Alaska Defense Forum to nurture this relationship.” UAF College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences Alaska Earthquake Center ACUASI Fairbanks Economic Development Corporation

LiDARs are cool. The University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute had a party for faculty, staff and family members Friday at Poker Flat Research Range north of Fairbanks. The LiDAR at the range was part of the tour. Poker Flat is a rocket range owned by the Geophysical Institute and operated under contract with NASA. The range has several research components in addition to its launch facilities, including the LiDAR. Pretty cool stuff indeed. Thanks, Michael Roddewig.

Many elected officials come to the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, of which the Alaska Earthquake Center is a part, to learn about our facilities and research. We are always happy to show off what we do!

A lot goes on at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, but did you know one of our tasks is nuclear non-proliferation treaty monitoring? We do that work through our Wilson Alaska Technical Center and Alaska Earthquake Center, which will be receiving additional funds from the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) as part of a consortium of universities led by the Georgia Institute of Technology. The idea is to improve and expand the nation’s detection of nuclear weapons proliferation. Read more below.