News and Announcements

ISER Director and Professor of Education Policy, Diane Hirshberg, attended the 2023 Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavik, Iceland this month. Dr.Hirshberg organized a session, along with Gwen Holdmann of the UAF Alaska Center for Energy & Power (ACEP) on Next Generation Nuclear Power in the Arctic: Possibilities and Concerns.

ISER is saddened to announce the passing of our first director and Director Emeritus, Vic Fischer. We are beyond grateful for his years of service to the state of Alaska, UA, and ISER. A memorial service is being planned for November; more information will be available in a few weeks. He was ISER's first director, he studied and had taken part in Alaska government and politics for over 50 years. He was a territorial legislator, a delegate to Alaska's constitutional convention, and later a state senator. In 2006 he received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from UAA.

SAVE THE DATE

December 7, 2023   Reception at 5:30PM

Panel presentation at 7 PM, Q & A to follow.  Join ISER for a seminar exploring how we finance education in Alaska, including the history of the school funding system, how our investments compare with those in other states, the impact of funding decisions on our schools and students, and how other states determine funding adequacy and mechanisms.

Dr. Diane Hirshberg was the keynote speaker for the Alaska Historical Society Conference held at the Kenai Peninsula College and nearby locations Oct 5-8, 2023. The conference was titled “Connections and Disconnections in Alaska History” and is connected to a larger set of discussions on enhancing Alaska Civil Discourse.

From Sheldon Jackson to the Fight for Tribal Schools: The Unfinished History of Colonization’s Impact on Alaska’s Schools and Students 

As part of the Alaska Infrastructure Development Symposium, organized by the Alaska Municipal League (AML), ISER had the opportunity to lead a critical discussion on data management. At a time when an unprecedented amount of federal funding is available through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), challenges surrounding data requirements remain a significant barrier for many applicants. 

Proposal Numbers: UAF: 2318384/ UAA: 2318385 

Project Title: Collaborative Research: NNA Research: Electric Vehicles in the Arctic (EVITA) - Interactions with Cold Weather, Microgrids, People, and Policy 

In this paper we modified an existing landcover dataset to better identify vegetation associated with wildfire and permafrost in Fairbanks, Anchorage, and Whitehorse over the past 4 decades (1984-2014) and make predictions for the next 4 decades (2024-2054).  We used an existing fire model called FlamMap and several statistical analyses to determine where future fires could be possible.

Early childhood educators are uniquely positioned to advance equity by providing culturally-responsive early learning environments and developing respectful and reciprocal relationships with families. Culturally-responsive teaching practices recognize the diverse cultures of children and families as strengths and empower children through cultural values of their family heritage (Gay, 2010).

Alaska Food Strategy Task Force member, Mike Jones, discusses food security with The Talk of the Kenai podcast.