News and Announcements

Join ISER’s Dr. Matthew Berman on Monday, May 17 from 12-1 pm for a discussion of the issues involved in balancing privacy and accuracy of Census Bureau data. Dr. Berman will provide a brief overview of the Census Bureau’s approach to protecting privacy, why they chose it, and how it could affect Alaska and other states. He will also describe litigation from states cannot resolve the problem in the long run, and potential pathways for permanent solutions nationally and locally.

Dr. Mouhcine Guettabi, Associate Professor of Economics at ISER and the College of Business and Public Policy, gave a presentation this week on “The State and the Stimulus,” in which he highlighted observations and analysis of the current state of Alaska’s economy and the impacts of federal aid.

Robyn Mertz, a graduate research assistant with the Center for Behavioral Health Research and Services (CBHRS) and co-authors earned a citation at the April 2021 Society for Behavioral Medicine national conference for their abstract, "Using Facebook Advertising as a Recruitment Tool for an mHealth Alcohol Intervention Clinical Trial."

Join us for a lunchtime webinar on April 21, 2021 from 12-1pm. Associate Professor of Economics Mouhcine Guettabi will discuss the state of the economy, how the stimulus affects his forecast, and will offer a few notes on the budget.

A new analysis of Alaska’s K-12 Capital Spending shows that the state is not spending what is needed to maintain, renovate, and renew its K-12 school buildings. The study, authored by ISER research professor Bob Loeffler, reviews historical K-12 capital spending from state and local sources from Fiscal Year 2000 through Fiscal Year 2020.  It details the funding sources Alaska uses for large school maintenance, renovation, and construction projects for both municipal and rural areas. The study illustrates the decline in spending after the current budget crisis hit in 2014, and shows how Alaska’s K-12 capital spending falls short of recommended industry guidelines.

Join us for a webinar on March 25 from 12-1 pm, when Dr. Brett Watson will present findings from research studies that statistically quantify how much locals in Alaska communities benefit economically from commercial fishing.

The National Science Foundation has awarded Dr. Sarah Gerken and Dr. Dayna DeFeo a three-year grant to research the role of the introductory biology lab in the general education curriculum. The new project, Identifying the Learning Objectives of Biology Laboratories in the General Education Curriculum and Exploring Gaps Between Objectives and Practice (NSF # 2044101) was awarded through the Division of Undergraduate Education’s Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) program.

How will the Biden administration tackle issues facing education? Dr. Diane Hirshberg, professor of education policy at ISER, provides some insight into the nation’s challenges and possible solutions. 

On Thursday, February 25 from 12-1 pm, join us for a discussion on what UAA researchers have found on how contact tracing has impacted COVID-19 transmission, strategies for reaching out to vulnerable Alaskans, and plans to hear community voices on the impacts of COVID-19 in the Arctic.

The Center for Behavioral Health Research Services (CBHRS)/ISER is currently recruiting for a behavioral health/public health research faculty member and will be hosting three candidates for public job talks over the next two weeks.