University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) is the research university of the University of Alaska System based in Fairbanks. It houses the Geophysical Institute, which monitors earthquakes, volcanoes and auroras, and the International Arctic Research Center. UAF researches Arctic food and energy systems.
uaf.edu ↗505 S Chandalar, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA
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July 2026
Alaska won up to $160M to hunt critical minerals with AI and microbes
UAF will lead a new NSF innovation engine — up to $160M over 10 years — using AI and microbes to find Alaska's critical minerals. SCIENCE!!
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
How bubbles can throw off the sound Alaska uses to count its fish
Alaska counts much of its fish by pinging the ocean with sound, but bubbles under a ship's hull can blur the read. A new $400K grant will measure how badly they're fooling the gear.
by Melinda Communities.News4mo ago1 min read
NSF awards UAF $1.77 million to build AI geohazard forecasting tools
UAF got $1.77 million to build AI software that merges earthquake sensors, satellite imagery, and weather data into a single landslide forecast system, testing it across Alaska through 2032.
by Melinda Communities.News4mo ago2 min read
The strange snow bug Alaska is spending $750K to understand
A wingless insect that walks on Alaska's winter snow is so rarely seen scientists don't know how many kinds exist — now a UAF researcher has $750K to sequence them and find out.
by Melinda Communities.News4mo ago1 min read
A Dillingham campus wants to grow rural Alaska's scientists at home
A Dillingham campus won nearly $889,000 from the NSF to train STEM pros in place for rural Southwest Alaska — a "grow-your-own" model, though the grant runs just three years.
by Melinda Communities.News4mo ago1 min read
Chukchi Sea ice runs above median for third straight late June
Sea ice off Wainwright sits thick and late for the third straight June, delaying walrus and whale hunts in an Iñupiat community where ice sets the hunt's terms.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min readFrom 
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson visits UAF on July 14 to take questions
Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson — the Court's first Black woman and first former public defender — visits UAF on July 14 to take Alaskans' questions.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
June 2026
Robots are fighting Alaska wildfires near Nenana right now — on their own
Near Nenana, robots are autonomously fighting fire for an $11M prize — tested on tame controlled burns while the real Interior fire season rages a short flight away.
by Melinda Communities.News4mo ago2 min read
Chukchi Campus is getting ADA and fire-safety upgrades after 14 years on the master plan
Chukchi Campus in Kotzebue is finally getting ADA upgrades. The needs were identified in a UAF master plan back in 2011-2012.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Fairbanks spruce pollen hits season high in UAF count
Fairbanks spruce pollen hit a season record of 346 grains per cubic meter on June 5, according to University of Alaska Fairbanks counts that track allergy triggers and climate patterns.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
May 2026
UAF glaciology program returns to McCarthy for eighth summer
UAF Tom Sawyered 28 young folks who will now be spending 11 days out on a glacier.
by Maggie AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
UAF scientist leads $36K Antarctic sea ice study amid record lows
UAF sea ice scientist Andrew Mahoney will lead a year-long study of Antarctic Ross Sea ice decline funded by the National Science Foundation with $36,000, running through March 2027.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
UAF scientist gets $300K to unlock permafrost's carbon time bomb
UAF scientist gets $300K to study which microbes activate when permafrost thaws and release carbon, a key step to understanding how much greenhouse gas could escape from Alaska's frozen soils.
by Maggie AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
National Lab, University of Alaska Fairbanks sign energy partnership
National Renewable Energy Laboratory and University of Alaska Fairbanks expanded their partnership Wednesday to focus on critical minerals, energy infrastructure, and workforce development for Alaska's energy sector.
by Melinda Communities.News5mo ago2 min read
Aurora Borealis Lights Up Kodiak and Interior Alaska Skies
Aurora borealis lit up Kodiak and Interior Alaska skies on April 18, visible for hours under clear conditions during the ongoing solar maximum.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readFrom Vivid Northern Lights Draw Fairbanks Viewers to Night Sky
Vivid green auroras lit up Fairbanks and North Pole skies on April 19, matching forecasts and marking part of a solar cycle expected to bring frequent displays for another one to two years.
by Alaska News6mo ago1 min readFrom 
Coming up
Lost Girl by Kimberly Belflower
UAF Lee H. Salisbury Theatre, 1718 N Tanana Dr., Fairbanks, AK 99775
Performance
Fairbanks North Star Borough — Economic Development Commission
Meeting
Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks Hockey vs. University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves Hockey
Sports event
Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks Hockey vs. University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves Hockey
Sports event
UAA Seawolves Hockey vs. UAF Nanooks Hockey
Sports event
About University of Alaska Fairbanks
uaf.edu ↗505 S Chandalar, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA
The University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) is the research university of the University of Alaska System, based in Fairbanks. It houses the Geophysical Institute, which monitors earthquakes, volcanoes and auroras through units such as the Alaska Earthquake Center, and the International Arctic Research Center.
Much of its work is research funded by federal agencies such as the National Science Foundation. Recurring subjects include glaciers and permafrost, wildfire and fire weather, sea ice and coastal flooding, marine mammals and fisheries, critical minerals, and diesel and battery microgrids for rural villages.
UAF's programs reach far beyond Fairbanks, into Alaska Native elder care and food sovereignty work and energy research in rural communities. The university also runs its own police force on its Fairbanks campus.
More from University of Alaska Fairbanks
April 2026
Permafrost Thaw Releases Unexpected Methane in Alaska Uplands
Thawing permafrost in Alaska uplands releases methane three times faster than wetlands, surprising researchers. • Coastal erosion from warming threatens Alaska Native villages with relocation and subsistence disruption.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readRural Alaska Electricity Costs Run Three to Five Times Urban Rates
Rural Alaskans pay three to five times more for electricity than urban residents because remote villages rely on expensive diesel microgrids, despite state renewable energy plans.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
Northern lights draw crowds to Fairbanks and Kodiak viewing spots
Bright green aurora lit Alaska skies on April 18-19, drawing crowds to Fairbanks and Kodiak as the University of Alaska Fairbanks forecast predicted peak activity around midnight.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readFairbanks and Kodiak Residents Capture Last Aurora Displays Before Midnight Sun
Fairbanks and Kodiak residents caught vibrant northern lights on April 18 and 19, likely the last aurora views before the midnight sun eliminates darkness on April 21.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read