Times

Thursday 1:30-2:30pm
Please plan to arrive 10 minutes early to be ready for the safety briefing to start on time.

Website

Max Group Size

25 people

Where to Meet

2126-2166 Steese Hwy
Fairbanks, AK 99712
Consider wearing warm clothes; heavy jackets can be borrowed on-site. Sturdy shoes recommended.

Description

The CRREL Permafrost Tunnel is located in Fox, Alaska, about 15 km north of Fairbanks. 150 meters of Tunnel was originally constructed in the mid-1960s but expansion efforts over the past 7 years have doubled the size of the original facility. The Tunnel exposes Pleistocene ice and carbon rich "yedoma" permafrost that ranges from 18,000 to 43,000 years old. Massive ice features, mammoth and bison bones, and a variety of permafrost soils are exposed in the Tunnel walls. Ongoing projects in the Tunnel range from engineering and geophysics work to Mars analog studies to biogeochemistry and microbiology of permafrost soils.

*Foreign nationals and "Green Card" holders (aka US Legal Permanent Residents) should contact Tom.Douglas@erdc.dren.mil to obtain pre-clearance to enter the Permafrost Tunnel. Deadline 20 April.

Transportation

Please coordinate your own transportation.

Times

Tuesday 12:30-1:30 pm
Wednesday 1:00-2:00 pm
Website

Max Group Size

20 people

Where to Meet

Meet in the lobby of the Elvey building, which is three buildings over from the Murie building.

Description

ASF is the Alaska Satellite Facility and is the NASA Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC) for many Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data from a variety of sensors, as well as a member of the NASA Near Earth Network (NEN) and will be offering tours of the ASF data center and ground station facilities. The tour will include a short introduction to ASF and its activities, a visit to the ASF operations room and ASF rooftop antenna (including group photo), and a walk through ASF's premises on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus. The addition of the Geophysical Institute to the tour also includes a tour of the Alaska Earthquake Center, Wilson Alaska Technical Center, and Alaska Center for UAS Integration (ACUASI). Two tour time slots are available with a maximum of 20 participants each.

Transportation

A short walk from the Murie Building.

Times

Thursday 1:30 pm - with guides Alison York and Hilary Shook of AFSC and Eric Miller (BLM Alaska Fire Service)
Also open for self-guided tours at your leisure.
Website

Where to Meet

Large Animal Research Station parking lot
2220 Yankovich Road
Fairbanks, AK 99709

The Wildfire Walk is located just north of the University of Alaska campus and is accessible from the Large Animal Research Station on Yankovich Road. We will meet in the Large Animal Research Station parking lot. The walk takes about 40 minutes to an hour on unpaved trails. Wear sturdy shoes and be prepared for wet/muddy conditions and mosquitos.

Description

On July 11, 2021 a wildfire burned 3.5 acres of University of Alaska Fairbanks land and came within 100 yards of a neighborhood. Though the fire was quickly suppressed it was a sobering experience for local residents. The Yankovich Road Fire site quickly became a field trip destination for locals and visitors interested in learning about Alaska wildfire changes and management. In 2024 the UAF Alaska Fire Science Consortium, Bureau of Land Management Alaska Fire Service, and a local artist collaborated with others to develop the Wildfire Walk at the site. The interpretive trail leading through the Yankovich Road Fire is designed as an outdoor learning experience. Nine interpretive signs describe the fire incident, the relationship between wildfire and the boreal forest, fire science and environmental change, and wildfire prevention. Post-fire changes in vegetation and permafrost are being monitored at the site.

Transportation

Please coordinate your own transportation.

Times

Thursday 4:00-7:00pm
Website or Facebook Event Page

Address

UAF West Ridge, buildings and lawn between Murie to Akasofu and Arctic Health Building.

Description

The UAF Arctic Research Open House is a chance for the public to explore the wide range of research happening at UAF and meet the scientists behind it. Enjoy fun, hands-on activities for all ages and learn how local research has a global impact.

Transportation

A short walk from the Murie Building.

Times

Sept 16 - May 14, open 7 days a week, 9:00am-5:30pm
May 15 - Sept 15, open 7 days a week, 9:00am-7:00pm
Website

Address

1962 Yukon Drive
Fairbanks, AK 99775

Description

The University of Alaska Museum of the North is a thriving visitor attraction, a vital component of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and the only research and teaching museum in Alaska. The museum's research collections – 2.2 million artifacts and specimens – represent millions of years of biological diversity and thousands of years of cultural traditions in the North. The collections are organized into 10 disciplines (archaeology, birds, documentary film, earth sciences, ethnology/history, fine arts, fishes/marine invertebrates, insects, mammals, and plants) and serve as a valuable resource for research on climate change, genetics, contaminants and other issues facing Alaska and the circumpolar North. The museum is also the premier repository for artifacts and specimens collected on public lands in Alaska and a leader in northern natural and cultural history research.

Transportation

A short walk from the Murie Building.

Note

LARS will be closed for the calving season during ASTM11.

However, LARS staff provided this general information: You can always park in the Yankovich Road parking lot and see if you can see the 8 female muskoxen who are in the south pen. Sometimes they are viewable because they have a hay feeder there in front. Feeding generally occurs between 10 AM to 2 PM. Also, you can walk east, to the right if you are facing the farm, across the driveway onto the Skarland Trail, which is groomed for walking and skiing and is firm. It goes along the fence line where the wood bison are, and they often like to hang out under the trees near the eastern fence where their hay pile is.
Website