News and Announcements

In a new education publication, Dayna DeFeo, Matthew Berman, Alexandra Hill, and Diane Hirshberg examine how Alaska’s K-12 spending compares to other states in the US. In Alaska’s fiscal crisis that has drawn increased attention to education spending, this report shows that after taking into account higher Alaska prices for items largely beyond local school districts' control, Alaska's per pupil spending is about average among all the US states. 

This summer, Alaska’s high temperatures broke records causing more Alaskans than ever to experience the effects of widespread wildfires. Wildfires, along with unstable permafrost, and rain-in-winter are natural hazards of climate change that put residents and property at risk. Assessing the costs, risks, and actions necessary to adapt to or mitigate damage from these hazards in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Whitehorse in the Canadian Yukon, is the subject of a newly funded 4-year, $1.1 million National Science Foundation project, led by ISER’s Jennifer Schmidt. 

New research from ISER's Tobias Schwoerer, senior research professional, UAA’s Civil Engineering Department and the Alaska State Department of Transportation show that studded tire use in Alaska costs $13.7 million a year and reduces the asphalt surface life between 7 and 9 years, depending on traffic, location, and type of asphalt mix. Phasing out the use of studded tires topped the researchers’ list of options to reduce the cost of road damage.

Diane King, Director of the Center for Behavioral Health Research and Services (CBHRS) within ISER, along with Bridget Hanson, Research Associate Professor and Alexandra Edwards, Research Professional, recently attended the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs) Grantee Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia. The meeting, hosted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, focused on sharing innovative practices and disseminating findings from across the country related to preventing and addressing FASDs. 

Congratulations to Mouhcine Guettabi, Associate Professor of Economics at ISER, on receiving the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Community Engagement and Service and ISER Associate Director Alexandra Hill, Senior Research Professional Tobias Schwoerer, and Information System Specialist Christopher Start on being recognized for the longevity of their service to the university.

Can countries be fair, prosperous, and green? That’s one of the questions that Kevin Berry, assistant professor of economics at ISER, considered with his colleagues at a recent meeting of the Beijer Young Scholars Programme in Stockholm, Sweden. 

Between 2010 and 2016, Alaska’s graduation rate grew faster than the national average, increasing 8 percentage points, among the top 10 rate increases in the country. All demographic groups improved, with Native, low-income, and rural student rates growing the most. These are some of the trends described in a new Research Summary, “Alaska High School Graduation Rate Trends,” by Trang Tran, ISER Research Professional, and Alexandra Hill, Associate Director of ISER.

ISER’s Jennifer Schmidt, Assistant Professor of Natural Resource Management and Policy, visited the area damaged by fire in Anchorage this summer with members of the Rabbit Creek Community Council to observe the damage and support their efforts at preventing fires in their south Anchorage community.