The GeoFORCE Alaska mission:
• Raise high school graduation rates in rural Alaska.
• Encourage students to pursue science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) majors in college.
• Increase the number and diversity of Alaska residents entering the technical workforce.
GeoFORCE Classroom: Zion National Park
Cover, inside photos: Ryan Oeste, Jeanell Manchester, Justine Schmidt, Sarah Fowell, GeoFORCE Alaska. Captioned photos courtesy GeoFORCE Alaska.
from the director
Sarah Fowell, Professor, UAF Department of Geosciences
Of the four GeoFORCE Alaska summer academies, the Second-Year Academy in Utah and Arizona is my favorite for two reasons. Firstly, it’s the first time that the GeoFORCE students have the opportunity to leave the state with their peers and counselors. Secondly, the southwestern landscape and climate are very different from anything they have experienced in Alaska. It is exciting to watch participants navigate new situations and view spectacular geological features, such as the Grand Canyon and Antelope Canyon, for the first time.
The first few days of the Second-year Academy are spent on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus, where students reunite with their friends, take a pretest, and participate in hands-on lessons designed to teach concepts they will use to complete projects in the field. Some students enjoy the classroom exercises, but for many these preparatory activities are the most challenging part of the GeoFORCE experience. It inspires me to see students who had to be coaxed through the preliminary instruction become excited, engaged, and enthusiastic when they have the chance to apply what they have learned in the field. This year we hiked the Trail of Time along the south rim of the Grand Canyon. Each meter on the trail represents one million years of the Grand Canyon’s history, and samples of rocks visible in the canyon walls appear in chronological order on the path. I was followed closely by a group of students who sat quietly in the classroom at UAF. On the trail, these same students peppered me with questions, voiced original observations, and couldn’t wait to touch the rocks.
The current cohort adapted exceptionally well to the hot and arid conditions that they faced during our first field stop at Zion National Park. There we completed a challenging hike to get good views of ancient dunes preserved in the sandstone cliffs. The hike began very early in the morning to beat the heat. Students had the choice of hiking one or two miles each way to a breathtaking viewpoint. All of them met or exceeded the goal that they set for themselves, and many named this hike as their favorite experience because of the beautiful desert scenery.
When confirming their intent to participate in the June 2026 Third-Year Academy, students were asked what they would say to a younger sibling who was preparing for their first GeoFORCE experience. Their responses are moving. One student said, “I had seen many pictures of the Grand Canyon in my life, but seeing it in person took my breath away. That moment proved to me how important it is to see something firsthand.” Another advised, “Go for it, take the experience and you won’t regret it. Look forward to fun adventures and once in a lifetime opportunities.” I am deeply grateful to our sponsors for making the GeoFORCE experience possible at no cost to participants or their families. Thank you for providing GeoFORCE students the chance to experience new places and acquire new skills.
— Dr. Sarah Fowell
from the program coordinator
Justine Schmidt, UAF College of Natural Science and Mathematics
I’m not going to lie, I was nervous about going to the Desert Southwest this year. It’s hot! And definitely prime sunburn territory! Two things that us Alaskans are not great at handling, just because we don’t get that much practice. But once again this group of young people completely amazed me in their ability to persevere through new and challenging situations.
We hiked up steep mountains, we wandered down beautiful canyons, we found and sketched unconformities, we hunted for fossils, and we stood under giant balanced rocks - all while the daytime highs were sometimes in the 90s or even the 100s! Luckily we usually had pools at the hotels and everyone did a great job of staying hydrated and putting on plenty of sunscreen. Although I am not particularly involved in the more academic parts of the GeoFORCE program, I witnessed how much the students learned during the week we spent on the road. It is easy to wonder how the Grand Canyon ended up with so many layers, or how Antelope Canyon got so twisty, but our GeoFORCE students didn’t just stop at wondering - they learned why and how those crazy landforms ended up the way they are!
It is no small feat to get all our students to and from Fairbanks - we now have a reach from all the way north in Utqiagvik to all the way south in Aleknagik, our students come from far out on the Bering Sea in Kivalina to almost as far inland as you can get in Glenallen. Because of all our generous sponsors we are able to not only get them all to Fairbanks, but then go on an amazing, eye-opening, educational, at times difficult, and ultimately extremely fun trip.
A bonus of the GeoFORCE program is that our counselors are also students - undergraduate and graduate students here at UAF. I work with most of them throughout the year in the Geo Learning Community and it is
a special treat to see them learn alongside our high schoolers. Many of our counselors come back for multiple years and the excitement that both the high schoolers and college students share about seeing each other again is heartwarming. This expereience is just as impactful for them and I love that we can provide an opportunitey for all these young people to learn with and from each other
I feel honored that, through the support of our sponsors and each and every GeoFORCE participants’ family, I get to go on another adventure with this wonderful group this coming summer. Although Oregon can be hot in June, hopefully I will be less worried about heat stroke. Plus, we all get to learn about volcanoes!
— Justine Schmidt
2025 staff
Staff members undergo training through the University of Alaska Fairbanks and have experience relevant to their roles. Day counselors and the support driver are graduate or undergraduate students who have the background necessary to help students apply concepts and identify features in the field. Education Coach Eric Orphys is a middle school teacher with a background in Geoscience and he has previously been a counselor and Educaiton Coach for GeoFORCE Alaska. Night Counselors remain on call after hours for participants who need supplies or assistance after lights out.
Education Coach
Eric Orphys
Support Driver Josh Barna
Counselors Ada Causey, Chloe Crossen, David Schweizer, and Jake Starkey
Night Counselors
Kristina Head and Sarah Finney
Counselors Rina Basaliso and Rixha Parsons Photographer/ Assistant Instructor Ryan Oeste
mentors
Mentors add a valuable dimension to the GeoFORCE program, providing real-life examples of geoscience professionals and offering students another caring adult to talk to and learn from.
This year we were fortunate to have two mentors join us: Ethan Castognia, ConocoPhillips, participated during our time in Fairbanks; and Jaenell Manchester, Doyon, joined us for the entirity of the on-the-road portion of the Second-Year Academy. We were also lucky enough to be joined by Professor Steven Semken, from Arizona State University, at Montezuma Castle to have local geological knowledge.
Mentor applications are available each year. We invite employees of our corporate sponsors to experience the GeoFORCE program first-hand as a mentor.
Ethan Castognia playing games with GeoFORCE students
Jaenell Manchester with students at the Dinosaur Discovery Site
Jaenell Manchester on the Trail of Time, in Grand Canyon NP
Steven Semken at Montezuma Castle, explaining local geology
What is GeoFORCE Alaska?
GeoFORCE Alaska is a four-year, field-based summer geoscience program for high school students from rural Alaskan communities. Each summer, students spend a few days on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus learning geoscience concepts. They then embark upon a hands-on learning adventure that illustrates those concepts.
Applicants must have competitive grades in math and science, submit essays, and be recommended by a teacher or counselor.
To remain in the program, students must engage in classroom activities, complete field-based projects, demonstrate learning gains on the annual final exam, and positively and meaningfully participate in the group.
Team projects allow students to practice the scientific method while visiting spectacular geological locations around the country.
Why GeoFORCE Alaska?
Through hands-on learning, team building, and problem solving in a supportive environment, GeoFORCE participants gain academic confidence and graduate high school at a higher rate than their peers statewide.
GeoFORCE Classroom: Checkerboard Mesa
Who is GeoFORCE Alaska?
GeoFORCE Alaska students are from Interior, North Slope, Northwest Arctic, YukonKuskokwim Delta, and Bristol Bay communites. Data below is for summer 2025.
GeoFORCE Classroom: River Walk, Zion National Park
Wainwright
Nuiqsut Atqasuk
Kivalina
Selawik Noorvik
Deering Kotzebue Shungnak
Aleknagik Quinhagak Kasigluk
Kaktovik
Galena Ruby Nulato Hughes Huslia
Glennallen
Second-Year Academy objectives:
Identify limestone and explain how it forms
Reconstruct ancient environments based on rocks and fossils
Illustrate the relationship between dunes and cross-beds
Define mass wasting and recognize examples
Find evidence that water and wind can erode rock and explain how this is possible
Identify an unconformity and diagram its formation
Make new friends and explore a new place
Compare and contrast Native dwellings in Alaska and Arizona
Where did GeoFORCE Alaska go in 2025?
1. CRREL Permafrost Tunnel, AK
2. Dinosaur Discovery Site
3. Walter’s Wiggles
4. Riverside Walk
5. Checkerboard Mesa
6. Navajo Bridge
7. Balanced Rock
8. Horseshoe Bend
9. Lower Antelope Canyon
10. Glenn Canyon Dam
11. Desert View Lookout
12. Trail of Time
13. Kaibab Fossil Site
14. Barringer Meteor Crater
15. Montezuma Castle
Identifying Fossils in Grand Canyon NP
Explaining Balanced Rock
Climbing Walter’s Wiggles in Zion NP
Modeling Antelope Canyon’s formation
Meeting GeoFORCE Texas at Glenn Canyon Dam
Hiking The Trail of Time, Grand Canyon NP
Crossing Navajo Bridge
Learning Arizona’s history at Montezuma Castle
Showing an unconformity at Desert View, Grand Canyon NP
Identifying rocks at UAF
Peering across Barringer Meteor Crater
Sketching Checkerboard Mesa
Cooling off in Zion National Park
Hearing from GeoFORCE Alums
GeoFORCE has been running for 13 years now! Many of our graduates from the last three cohorts have obtained Associates, Bachelors, and even Master’s degrees. We are lucky enough to have heard from some of them recently about where they are now and how GeoFORCE Alaska had a positive influence on their personal, educational, and professional trajectories.
“GeoFORCE made it possible to set expectations on what higher education would look like. Through these experiences, GeoFORCE impacted the trajectory of what my educational journey was going to look like. This gave me the opportunity to leave my small community and explore different parts of the US in a unique way.”
- Angelica Itta, 1st GeoFORCE Alaska Cohort, Medical Social Worker, MA in Social Work
“Having the opportunity to see and experience things outside of Alaska was wonderful and opened up the world for me. The world became easier to navigate and less scary. It is exciting and fun to go places that I previously would not have thought of.”
- Abi Fry, 2nd GeoFORCE Cohort, General Associates Degree, Eastern Arizona College
“GeoFORCE was an amazing experience and I love the memories it gave me! If I can do it all over again I sure would! It made me see the world a little differently with the rocks and formations I see if I am out boating.”
- Esther Barger, 2nd GeoFORCE Alaska Cohort, Lab Assistant at Red Dog Mine
“Growing up in rural Alaska, I didn’t have many educational opportunities. Although I didn’t go into a STEM field, participating in this program showed that I make the most out of the resources I have. Getting out of Alaska as an Alaska Native youth was rare for me. I really appreciate what the program taught me as well as the lifelong friendships I created (I’m from Kotzebue but regularly go up to Utqiaġvik for Nalukataq now). Quyanaq, thank you GeoForce, for supporting our Alaska Native youth.”
- Tahayla Baker, 2nd GeoFORCE Alaska Cohort, pursuing an MA in Sociology at Stanford
“I got to get out of Alaska and explore other parts of the world. Its really interesting to see so many different scenic views other than trees and mountains. I wish to be a part of the [counselor] team again next year.”
- Stephan Knudson 3rd GeoFORCE Cohort, working at Naniq Global Logistics and as a GeoFORCE Counselor in the summers
Financial reports
many thanks to our Sponsors
We deeply appreciate our sponsors, whose generosity and sustained commitment allows us to offer the GeoFORCE Alaska experience to students at no cost to their families.
We have a great team behind our mission to inspire the next generation of geoscientists. If you are interested in making a corporate donation or would like to learn about other ways to get involved, please contact us at 907-712-7540 or jaschmidt4@alaska.edu.
Silver Level $100-$9,999
Individual Donors to GeoFORCE Alaska through UA Giving Day
