Alaska Science Center Public Outreach and Communication
The USGS Alaska Science Center (ASC) issues official communications about research findings, events, and program activities. Our staff regularly participate in seminars, classroom education programs, collaborative science, and conduct Tribal community outreach.
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2026
USGS Geologists Participate in Elementary STEM Night: On March 27th, 2026, Alaska Science Center geologists George Case and Richard Lease will present at the Trailside Elementary STEM night. They will use hands-on activities to demonstrate how rocks deform to build mountains and showcase minerals in Alaska and how they are used in our homes and everyday products. They will also provide an overview of the various career paths within the USGS and scientific skill sets used by USGS scientists. Students and parents of kindergarten through 5th graders will be invited to the evening event.
USGS Presents at public lecture series hosted by Nature Victoria: Alaska Science Center biologist Danielle Gerik was invited to give a virtual presentation on March 25, 2026, hosted by Nature Victoria, on avian keratin disorder (AKD) research. In her presentation, titled ‘Beak deformities in wild birds: unraveling the mystery of avian keratin disorder in Alaska and beyond’, Gerik will discuss efforts to track this disease globally through participatory science and will identify which bird species might be most at risk. She will also share recent findings on the emergence of AKD in Red-tailed Hawks in the Pacific Northwest.
USGS Discusses Cloud Computing to Monitor Whales: USGS Alaska Science Center research wildlife biologist Anthony Fischbach and intern Nyx Etheridge met with the NOAA Geospatial Artificial Intelligence For Animals | NOAA Fisheries team lead Christin Khan to discuss NOAA's use of cloud computing to monitor whales apparent in satellite imagery. Both NOAA and the USGS collect commercial satellite imagery under the auspices of the Civil Applications Committee to address requirements of the Marine Mammal Protection Act. USGS has developed methods to monitor walrus herds resting on shore by interpreting satellite imagery (see Fischbach et al. 2025 for details). Fish and Wildlife Service and at the Eskimo Walrus Commission have requested that USGS expand the monitoring of walrus herds on shore from the Chukchi Sea all the way down through the Bering Sea. In order to scale up the walrus monitoring effort and to align with Departmental directives, USGS is transitioning the satellite imagery interpretation workflows to cloud computing managed by the USGS High Performance Computing Center on Amazon Web Services cloud facilities. By consulting with the NOAA team, USGS hopes to ease this transition to cloud computing.
USGS Attends the Barrow Whaling Captain’s Association meeting: Todd Atwood attended the Barrow Whaling Captain’s Association (BWCA) meeting on March 24 and solicited input on field activities planned for 2026. The polar bear research program plans its field effort with input from the BWCA to avoid disturbing subsistence activities.
USGS Presents to the Alaska Chapter of the American Fisheries Society: On March 24, 2026, USGS Alaska Science Center scientist Mike Carey will present a talk entitled “The Rusting of Arctic Rivers: Potential loss of spawning habitat in the Arctic due to rusting rivers.” The presentation will give an overview of the recently observed phenomenon of rusting rivers in the Arctic and examine the overlap between the degraded water quality of rivers and fish spawning habitat. This research is a collaboration among USGS, NPS, and University of California Davis
USGS Presents at Curiosity Unleashed STEAM Event: USGS biologist Sarah Traiger will run STEM activity focused on sea otter foraging at “Curiosity Unleashed” in Juneau, a STEAM event for K-5 families on March 16, 2026. Traiger will have a spotting scope, photos of sea otters foraging, and shells of species sea otters eat, and datasheets for families to look at. Traiger will lead families in learning about how scientists study sea otter diet and strategies sea otters use in their foraging.
USGS Presents at the 2026 Seismological Society of America Annual Meeting. Alaska Science Center Research Geologist Rob Witter will attend and present Alaska Earthquake Hazards Project research on April 15, 2026, in Pasadena, California. The presentation will highlight novel evidence for earthquake shaking over the past ~4000 years from Allison Lake, near Valdez, Alaska. The research applies a variety of geophysical and geological analyses to document a sequence of 10 thick (5-40 cm) turbidites sampled in a 13-m long sediment core; analyses aim to differentiate seismically triggered deposits from flood-related sedimentary features. Research objectives aim to use sedimentary evidence in Allison Lake to quantitatively estimate seismic shaking parameters that caused earthquake-induced submarine landslides in nearby Port Valdez.
USGS Presents Alaska Goose Population Studies to the Pacific Flyway Council Study Committee: Alaska Science Center biologist Vijay Patil delivered a remote presentation on Alaska goose population studies at the Pacific Flyway Council Study Committee Meeting on March 11, 2026. The presentation summarized recent USGS-led monitoring and analyses that support state and federal partners in setting annual harvest regulations by estimating population growth, productivity, harvest rates, and annual survival, and identifying factors that influence those parameters. Study Committee meetings bring together representative biologists from state and federal agencies throughout the flyway to identify emerging issues, develop annual workplans, and prepare management plan recommendations for the Flyway Council as a whole.
USGS Presents at the Alaska Seabird Working Group Meeting. USGS scientists Sarah Schoen and Andy Ramey will attend and present at the Alaska Seabird Working Group (virtual) meeting on March 19th. The Alaska Seabird Working Group is a newly reformed interagency and cross-programmatic group of biologists who are actively working on seabird issues in Alaska. The group has members from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Migratory Bird Management, USFWS Refuges, USFWS Ecological Services, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Department of the Interior Pacific Seabird Program, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and USGS Alaska Science Center. Schoen and Ramey were invited to present on harmful algal bloom toxins and highly pathogenic avian influenza, respectively, during avian mortality events in Alaska.
USGS Presents at the Southern Sea Otter Research Update Meeting: Alaska Science Center biologist, Kim Kloecker, will give a presentation at the Southern Sea Otter Research Update Meeting in Santa Cruz, California March 26-27. The presentation will highlight recent changes and current capabilities of the ASC nearshore marine research program, provide overviews of current studies, and invite discussion for proposed studies. This biennial meeting brings together federal, state, tribal, academic, private, and NGO managers, researchers, and conservationists to provide updates and improve collaboration to further sea otter research important to their management and stewardship under the MMPA.
USGS Presents to the American Water Resources Association: On March 4th, 2026, Alaska Science Center Research Hydrologist, Josh Koch will give a virtual presentation for the Alaska Section of the American Water Resources Association lunch and learn series, titled “Tracking acid seeps in the Arctic from subsurface source through rusting rivers”. The presentation will give an overview of the recently observed phenomenon of rivers turning orange in the Arctic, with a focus on the subsurface processes releasing metals to seeps and rivers.
USGS Presents at the Cordilleran Tectonics Workshop: Four ASC and one GGGSC scientist will attend the Cordilleran Tectonics Workshop hosted by the Yukon Geological Survey in Whitehorse, Yukon, from February 27–March 1, 2026. They will share new research on northern Cordillera geology, including fault displacement, basin development, chromite–PGE ophiolites, critical mineral systems, and faulting around the Pogo Au‑Bi‑Te deposit. This is an annual gathering of industry, academic, national and state/territory surveys to collaboratively share work in the northern Cordillera of North America providing an avenue of cross-border collaboration to develop international solutions to geologic problems directly affecting the understanding of mineral and energy resources in Alaska.
USGS Presents to the North Slope Regional Advisory Council: Alaska Science Center Research Fish Biologist, Sarah Laske, will virtually present to the North Slope Regional Advisory Council. The presentation will highlight findings from a recent study looking at indicators of mercury concentration in subsistence species, Lake Trout. The meeting is open to the public, February 24-25, 2026 at 9:00 am at the Inupiat Heritage Center, Utqiagvik, AK.
USGS Presents to Department of Geology at California State Polytechnic University at Humboldt: On February 10, 2026, Alaska Science Center Research Hydrologist, Josh Koch will give a virtual presentation for the Humboldt's Geology Colloquium, titled “Tracking acid seeps in the Arctic from subsurface source through rusting rivers”. The presentation will give an overview of the recently observed phenomenon of rivers turning orange in the Arctic, with a focus on the subsurface processes releasing metals to seeps and rivers.
USGS Hosts Annual Alaska Shorebird Group and Boreal Partners in Flight Meetings: The Alaska Science Center will host the 31st Alaska Shorebird Group meeting on February 23, 2026 and the 34th Boreal Partners in Flight meeting on February 24, 2026 in Anchorage, Alaska. Each hybrid meeting will include approximately 50–75 attendees representing state, federal, and provincial agencies, universities, NGOs, private industry, and the public. USGS scientists will provide project updates and participate in discussions about monitoring efforts and research priorities for Alaska's shorebird and landbird populations. These annual meetings provide opportunities for collaboration and help inform conservation planning and resource management across Alaska.
USGS Geologist presents at Virtual Series: On February 6th at 4:30 pm AKST, George Case will present a talk titled "USGS Assessment of Known and Undiscovered Graphite Resources: Approaches, Data, and Tools for Value-Added Outcomes" as part of the Sri Lanka Graphite Virtual Series. The talk will provide an overview of USGS methods and approaches to conducting resource assessments of critical minerals such as battery graphite.
USGS Attends the Polar Bear Technical Committee Meeting: USGS scientist, Todd Atwood will virtually attend the Polar Bear Technical Committee (PBTC) meeting on February 2-5. The PBTC supports the Polar Bear Administrative Committee (PBAC) by reviewing scientific research and Indigenous Traditional Knowledge and providing the PBAC with an annual status assessment of the polar bear subpopulations in Canada. USGS will provide an update on a collaborative US-Canada study to estimate the abundance of Beaufort Sea polar bears.
USGS Presents at the Alaska Marine Science Symposium: Alaska Science Center scientists will present at the Alaska Marine Science Symposium in Anchorage, January 26-30, 2026. The annual meeting has brought together scientists, educators, resource managers, students, and the public for over 30 years to discuss the latest research and challenges in Alaska’s marine ecosystems. USGS Presentation topics include the use of satellite imagery and deep learning to count polar bears, satellites to count walrus at coastal haulouts, collaborative science around seabirds as indicators of marine ecosystem health, a synthesis of freshwater and marine indicators likely to influence 2026 salmon returns to the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers, tracking recovery from sea star wasting disease, and the carrying capacity of sea otters in the Aleutian Islands.