News
  • Black-and-white historic photo of Kennecott Mines, with railcars piled high with copper ore awaiting shipment on the Copper River and Northwestern Railway. Mine buildings, conveyors and other structures rise on the hillside behind the train.

    Getting to the bottom of copper's rise to the top

    September 10, 2026

    Kennecott has been spruced up quite a bit since my last visit there nearly 30 years ago.

  • A parent and two young children examine traditional woven baskets at a table during a museum family program. One child holds a small birchbark basket and another handles the loose weaving strands of a larger grass basket.

    September museum programs focus on baskets

    September 10, 2026

    The University of ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ Museum of the North will focus on baskets during September.

  • A weathered vintage bus marked

    $300,000 federal grant to support Bus 142 exhibits

    September 09, 2026

    A $300,000 grant to the University of ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ Museum of the North will pay for exhibits centered on the abandoned bus made famous by the "Into the Wild" book and movie. The museum, part of the ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥, received the grant from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services.

  • An illustration of an American cheetah

    Ancient 'cheetah' adapted to a fish-based diet to survive

    September 04, 2026

    When the now-extinct American cheetah was enduring the last ice age, a glaciated barrier broke up its territory into two distinct territories -- one in central North America and another much farther north. Analysis from the ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ Stable Isotope Facility helped an international research team uncover how the ancient carnivore survived in those distinct regions. American cheetahs in the southern range hunted terrestrial prey like pronghorn antelope. Their counterparts in the Arctic adapted to their environment by making fish a staple of their diets.

  • A group of children crowds against a wire fence to watch two reindeer in a green pasture as a staff member stands inside the enclosure, with autumn aspens visible in the background at the UAF Large Animal Research Station. One child holds a stuffed reindeer toy.

    LARS to host community event Sept. 12

    September 02, 2026

    The ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ Large Animal Research Station will celebrate the end of summer tour season with a Locals Day event on Saturday, Sept. 12, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

News

  • Nominations sought for UAF alumni awards

    September 10, 2026

    The ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ and the UAF ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ Association are inviting nominations for the 2027 Distinguished Alumnus and William R. Cashen Service awards. As UAFAA prepares to kick off its centennial celebration in November, the association is expanding its recognition to highlight more members of the university community.

  • Black-and-white historic photo of Kennecott Mines, with railcars piled high with copper ore awaiting shipment on the Copper River and Northwestern Railway. Mine buildings, conveyors and other structures rise on the hillside behind the train.

    Getting to the bottom of copper's rise to the top

    September 10, 2026

    Kennecott has been spruced up quite a bit since my last visit there nearly 30 years ago.

  • A parent and two young children examine traditional woven baskets at a table during a museum family program. One child holds a small birchbark basket and another handles the loose weaving strands of a larger grass basket.

    September museum programs focus on baskets

    September 10, 2026

    The University of ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ Museum of the North will focus on baskets during September.

  • A weathered vintage bus marked

    $300,000 federal grant to support Bus 142 exhibits

    September 09, 2026

    A $300,000 grant to the University of ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ Museum of the North will pay for exhibits centered on the abandoned bus made famous by the "Into the Wild" book and movie. The museum, part of the ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥, received the grant from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services.

  • UAF celebrates Oktoberfest with two-day event

    September 08, 2026

    UAF will celebrate Oktoberfest Sept. 24-25 with German history, culture, live music, Bavarian food and activities.

  • An illustration of an American cheetah

    Ancient 'cheetah' adapted to a fish-based diet to survive

    September 04, 2026

    When the now-extinct American cheetah was enduring the last ice age, a glaciated barrier broke up its territory into two distinct territories -- one in central North America and another much farther north. Analysis from the ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ Stable Isotope Facility helped an international research team uncover how the ancient carnivore survived in those distinct regions. American cheetahs in the southern range hunted terrestrial prey like pronghorn antelope. Their counterparts in the Arctic adapted to their environment by making fish a staple of their diets.

  • Wild plants with pink and green leaves growing among tall grasses and shrubs.

    Time capsule: Color guard

    September 04, 2026

    The weekend trip closed with a drive home through the ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ Range, and the steep scenery around Isabel Pass looked as glorious as it usually does -- except for one little flaw. Here and there, like pale flames along the creek banks, willows gleamed golden in the evening light. On the river's gravel bars and beside the road, dwarf fireweed leaves had turned a sunburned purple.

  • A group of children crowds against a wire fence to watch two reindeer in a green pasture as a staff member stands inside the enclosure, with autumn aspens visible in the background at the UAF Large Animal Research Station. One child holds a stuffed reindeer toy.

    LARS to host community event Sept. 12

    September 02, 2026

    The ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ Large Animal Research Station will celebrate the end of summer tour season with a Locals Day event on Saturday, Sept. 12, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

  • A person working on solar panels, while another person is standing by the panels.

    ACEP receives $3 million to advance energy resilience

    September 01, 2026

    The ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ Center for Energy and Power at the ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ has received $3 million to study technology that can strengthen energy systems in remote and strategically important regions.

  • Green aurora curtains stretch across the night sky above snow-covered hills at Poker Flat Research Range north of Fairbanks in late January 2025. Facility lights glow in the valley below.

    Extreme solar storms can hit Earth harder than thought

    August 28, 2026

    Scientists have greatly underestimated the impact an extreme solar storm can have on Earth, according to new research.

  • Person lying beside alpine flowers and a specimen press on the tundra.

    Seeking the benefits of a parasite

    August 28, 2026

    This time of year, when berries fill my thoughts, the early summer blooms that begot them are hazy in my mind. As I pick, I try to remember that my belly and bucket are full thanks to these flowers and their pollinators. And to my surprise, as I learned this summer, perhaps a parasitic plant is also to thank.

  • Neil Shea. Photo courtesy of Neil Shea.

    Veteran journalist and author joins UAF as Snedden chair

    August 21, 2026

    National Geographic writer Neil Shea brings more than 25 years' experience to the Department of Science and Environmental Journalism.

  • A glowing ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ Defense Forum sign sits on a table at the 2025 event at the 8 Star Event Center in Fairbanks. The circular sign features an outline of ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ over a globe, with conference attendees visible in the background.

    ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ Defense Forum 2026 focuses on community-military ties

    August 21, 2026

    Leaders in national defense, research and policy will gather with local partners next week in Fairbanks for the annual ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ Defense Forum organized by the ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥.

  • a person holds a bottle of ash in a lab

    Uncorking the secrets of a tiny bottle of volcanic ash

    August 21, 2026

    What is this ash from Mount Spurr volcano's 1992 eruption made of?

  • A person walks along a storm-battered beach near Quinhagak after ex-Typhoon Halong in 2025.

    Shapes of Western ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ bays influence local flood danger

    August 20, 2026

    When large storms hit Western ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥, some areas fare much worse than others. New research studying ex-Typhoon Merbok in September 2022 has found that a complex recipe of topography, tidal influences and seasonal water-level changes contribute to those differences. A ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥-led team determined that the shape of bays and estuaries in the region played a huge role in funneling and amplifying Merbok-driven storm surges.

  • Aerial view of the ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ Arctic Research Park, showing research and office buildings surrounded by roads, lawns and autumn trees, with forested hills in the distance under a partly cloudy sky.

    Expanded UAF, military partnership looks north

    August 19, 2026

    A newly inked federal agreement will expand the scope of the research partnership between the ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ and the U.S. military. It will also refocus those efforts on the Arctic.

  • A small brown and tan frog rests in a person's hand

    Time capsule: Looking for a few good wood frogs

    August 13, 2026

    The office phone rang while Brian Barnes discussed with me his need for wood frogs. The caller's loudness forced Barnes, a ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ associate professor of zoophysiology, to tilt the phone away from his ear.

More news

 

Events
More events

Aurora

A magazine for alumni and friends of the ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ | Summer 2026

Kwigillingok Elder David John speaks as part of a panel at the Western ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ Interdisciplinary Science Conference in Bethel, ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥, April 7, 2026. To the left of the photo is Kwigillingok Elder Fred Phillip. To the right is Kipnuk Elder Tim Samson and Jessica Lewis-Nicori, originally from Chefornak.

In Bethel, weathering the storm through science and stories
John Davies visits the Arctic Research Park on the Fairbanks campus in April 2026. As a seismologist, he worked and studied for many years at the Geophysical Institute, located in the Elvey Building (with the blue satellite dish). UAF photo by Eric Engman.

From seismologist to statesman
Bruce Cech interviews UAF men’s basketball head coach George Roderick at the Big Island Invitational in Hilo, Hawaii, in 1995.

The voice that bridges the miles
Scenic view of Troth Yeddha' campus.

Welcoming new leadership at ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥â€™s university
UAF students (from left) Cole Houser, Jesse Tyrrell, Lilly Varney and Jackson Nelson celebrate Giving Day with Nook at Alyeska Tire, one of this year's challenge sponsors, in March.

Students embrace hands-on philanthropy
From left, Denise Thorsen, associate dean of academics for UAF’s College of Engineering and Mines, visits with donors Rachel and Richard Kacsur at a lab in late 2025.

Turning retirement assets into opportunity
Rosie Fordham, right, leads the pack of runners up the first hill of the 3-lap, 6K women's course as ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ cross-country runners compete in the Blue & Gold race against University of ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ Anchorage the morning of Sept. 13, 2025, on the UAF Competition Trails.

A season of athletic success
KUAC television videotapes and other materials await sorting in 2024 for possible inclusion in the American Archive of Public Broadcasting at the Library of Congress.

Like turning your television on in the past