from the director

Sarah Fowell, Ph.D., Professor, UAF Department of Geosciences

Dear Friends, Parents, and Sponsors,

The current cohort of GeoFORCE Alaska students is unique in that it includes participants from three regions: the North Slope, the Northwest Arctic, and Interior Alaska. Due to the pandemic, students met in small groups in 2021, exploring Alaska with students from villages in their own region. Therefore it was very exciting to bring the entire group together for the 2022 Second-Year Academy in the southwestern United States. Not only was this the first time that GeoFORCE would take these students outside Alaska, it was also their first opportunity to meet many of the other participants.

It can be intimidating to navigate new people, places, and experiences all at once. Therefore I was delighted when the vast majority (91%) of students who successfully completed the 2021 program elected to participate in the 2022 Academy. Five adventurous new students also applied to join the cohort and fill available seats. A total of 33 rural Alaskan students met in Fairbanks in June. After a few days of study, practice, games and team-building on the University of Alaska campus, they departed for the southwest.

I was immediately impressed by the positive energy of the group as they hiked uphill to get a closer view of ancient sand dunes in Zion National Park or climbed down ladders to investigate the water-carved walls of Lower Antelope Canyon. They even took COVID in stride (more on page 6).

I look forward to another opportunity to travel and learn with this cohort in summer 2023. The third and final Academy will focus on volcanoes and plate tectonics. With your support, they will have the opportunity to make new friends, travel to spectacular geologic locations, collaborate on a capstone project, and create digital maps to summarize their experiences.

You make the GeoFORCE experience possible.