Welcome to the ISER News and Announcements page, your hub for timely updates, industry insights, and the latest organizational highlights. Here, you can stay informed about upcoming events, important deadlines, and exciting achievements, all aimed at keeping the ISER community connected and engaged.
Alaska's economy is in recovery mode, but how much optimism is warranted this year? Join ISER on January 26 from 12-1 pm for an online presentation with insights from economist Mouhcine Guettabi. He will give an overview of how the economy has changed since the onset of the pandemic and a look at the opportunities and challenges for Alaska in 2022.
About Dr. Mouhcine Guettabi
A new paper by CBHRS researchers Dr. Bridget Hanson and Becky Porter describes experiences of Alaskans using naloxone to prevent opioid overdose in their peers. Participants described naloxone as easy to use and effective in reversing overdose. They emphasized the need to have naloxone widely available in order to prevent overdose death.
ISER's Dr. Jen Schmidt traveled to Tanana this past October to discuss the results of an ongoing fuel meter data collection project alongside Alaska Center for Energy and Power’s (ACEP) Alana Vilagi and Baxter Bond.
Participants in a study that compared an alcohol intervention app (Step Away) to an Artificial Intelligence (AI) version (Step Away Chatbot), emphasize that positivity, personalization, tailored tips and the ability to track their drinking were the most helpful features for sustaining their engagement with the program.
Two emeriti ISER directors, Scott Goldsmith and Gunnar Knapp, debated how best to manage the Permanent Fund at a Commonwealth North lunch at the Petroleum Club on November 8, 2019. The specific resolution for the debate was: “Resolved: The Alaska Constitution should be amended to specify that the Permanent Fund should be managed as an endowment, with a limited and sustainable annual distribution.” Under the format of the debate, a coin was flipped at the beginning of the debate to determine which side each debater would defend.
Not surprisingly, Alaskans remain keenly interested in both the short-term and long-term prospects for the Alaska economy. ISER continues to give requested presentations on the Alaska economy and the state budget to civic groups. On October 18, Mouhcine Guettabi and Ralph Townsend participated in a panel entitled “Alaska’s Economy: Facts, Fiction and Figures” at the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) Convention in Fairbanks.
On a recent Talk of Alaska episode, ISER's Dr. Kevin Berry was one of the guests that discussed pandemic preparedness and what has been learned from the 1918 outbreak of the Spanish flu which killed millions worldwide and devastated rural communities in Alaska.
CBHRS researchers are evaluating Project HOPE, the State of Alaska Department of Health and Social Services’ Narcan® distribution and overdose education program. Narcan® is a nasal spray medication that reverses opioid overdose. The public distribution of opioid overdose rescue kits is a best practice strategy to reduce opioid-related deaths.
The Institute of Social and Economic Research’s Dr. Tobias Schwoerer, Dr. Jennifer Schmidt, and Kyle Borash alongside the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Dr. Joseph Little, published a new article, “Hitchhikers on floats to Arctic freshwater: Private aviation and recreation loss from aquatic invasion”, in the latest issue of Ambio.