NSF

Read More

ISER researcher Schmidt to lead $2.3 million NSF grant aimed at wildfire risk reduction 

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded $2.3 million dollars to a project team led by ISER researcher Dr. Jennifer Schmidt to assess fuel treatments as a strategy to reduce wildfire risk in the boreal forest of Alaska and western Canada. Of the total amount, $856,000 will go to the University of Alaska. Eleven researchers from the University of Alaska Anchorage, Northern Arizona University (NAU), the University of Colorado (UC), Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC), and the Wildfire Research Center (WiRē) will work on the four-year project, “Socio-ecological considerations for sustainAble Fuel treatments to Reduce wildfire Risk (SAFRR).”

Read More

New NSF grant to enhance understanding of effective compensation systems for STEM teacher retention

A team of researchers at UAA and UAF led by Dr. Dayna DeFeo will collaborate on a four-year project funded by the National Science Foundation to learn more about factors that contribute to retention of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) teachers in high-need schools. The project, “Sufficient COmpensation for Retention and Equity” (SCORE), will examine how compensation, working conditions and other factors encourage teachers to stay.

Read More

NSF Awards Gerken, DeFeo with grant to study role of science labs

The National Science Foundation has awarded Dr. Sarah Gerken and Dr. Dayna DeFeo a three-year grant to research the role of the introductory biology lab in the general education curriculum. The new project, Identifying the Learning Objectives of Biology Laboratories in the General Education Curriculum and Exploring Gaps Between Objectives and Practice (NSF # 2044101) was awarded through the Division of Undergraduate Education’s Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) program.

Read More

Research component of new $650,000 NSF grant will help universities improve experiences for incoming students

The National Science Foundation has selected a collaborative proposal between the University of Alaska Southeast and the University of Alaska Anchorage for a $650,000 competitive award that will provide 22 scholarships for students pursuing 4-year STEM degrees at UAS. The 5-year grant, Increasing the Academic and Career Success of Alaska Native and Rural Students in Science and Math, is the product of a collaborative effort between UAS and UAA faculty and staff.

Read More

New study to assess vulnerability to natural hazards of climate change in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Whitehorse

This summer, Alaska’s high temperatures broke records causing more Alaskans than ever to experience the effects of widespread wildfires. Wildfires, along with unstable permafrost, and rain-in-winter are natural hazards of climate change that put residents and property at risk. Assessing the costs, risks, and actions necessary to adapt to or mitigate damage from these hazards in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Whitehorse in the Canadian Yukon, is the subject of a newly funded 4-year, $1.1 million National Science Foundation project, led by ISER’s Jennifer Schmidt. 

Read More

Schmidt mapping vegetation in Anchorage and Kenai to reduce fire risk

ISER’s Jennifer Schmidt, Assistant Professor of Natural Resource Management and Policy, visited the area damaged by fire in Anchorage this summer with members of the Rabbit Creek Community Council to observe the damage and support their efforts at preventing fires in their south Anchorage community.