Summer School Announcement
Arctic in a Changing Climate: Physical and Biological Linkages to
Permafrost
20 May - 4 June 2010
International Arctic Research Center
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Application Deadline: Monday, 15 February 2010
For further information, please go to:
http://www.iarc.uaf.edu/education_outreach/summer/2010/
Or contact:
Tohru Saito
Email: saito [at] iarc.uaf.edu
The International Arctic Research Center (IARC) at the University of
Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) announces a summer school program entitled
'Arctic in a Changing Climate: Physical and Biological Linkages to
Permafrost.' The course will be offered 20 May - 4 June 2010.
The session will build on the successful field trip along the Dalton
Highway offered during the 2008 Ninth International Conference on
Permafrost. The event will begin with lectures given in Fairbanks by
experts in numerous physical and biological arctic sciences. The focus
will be on permafrost, including its distribution, how it forms, its
variable nature, the effects of climate change, and how permafrost
affects arctic ecosystems, infrastructure, and the people who live in
northern regions. Special emphasis will be placed on the complex
interactions between climate, soils, vegetation, and permafrost.
Lecturers will describe the current state of knowledge, disciplinal
links, and research gaps. The classroom lessons will be followed with
expert guides offering an in-depth view of the landscapes and research
along the Dalton Highway, one of North America's most remote and scenic
highways. Major themes will include permafrost and ecosystem variation
along the arctic climate gradient, biocomplexity of patterned ground,
and arctic engineering.
Students will visit long-term research sites at Bonanza Creek, Toolik
Lake, and Imnavait Creek. The road trip will end with a tour of the
Prudhoe Bay oil fields. Each day of the field trip will focus on aspects
of interactions within the climate-ecosystem-permafrost system. The
climate gradient along the Dalton Highway will be used to examine the
effects of climate change on permafrost environments. Engineers involved
in the construction of infrastructure underlain by
discontinuous-continuous permafrost will present the detailed story of
how engineering problems are solved during and after construction.
The aim of the summer school is to encourage the participants to
communicate across science fields and to examine connections between
permafrost and other disciplines at various scales. Group mini-projects
will be an important component of the summer school, which culminates in
a workshop aimed at defining the future interdisciplinary research
needs. The workshop will build on group projects where participants
present their views of promising research at the interfaces of the
relevant disciplines. Summer school participants, in close interaction
with senior experts, will be encouraged to develop and refine the
outcome of the workshop through a white (synthesis) paper that can serve
the larger scientific community.
IARC will provide travel support from the students' home institutions to
Fairbanks and cover summer school-related expenses associated with the
students' stay in Fairbanks and the Dalton Highway road trip. The summer
school is sponsored by the National Science Foundation's Office of Polar
Programs, Arctic Science Division (www.nsf.gov/div/index.jsp?div=ARC)
and by the U.S. Permafrost Association (www.uspermafrost.org).
Graduate students and early career scientists in relevant fields are
encouraged to apply for participation in the summer school. Advanced
undergraduate students with strong qualifications will also be
considered.
Application packages should include the application form (which can be
downloaded at: http://www.iarc.uaf.edu/education_outreach/summer/2010/),
a curriculum vitae, and letter of support from a supervisor. Completed
applications should be sent electronically to Tohru Saito
(saito [at] iarc.uaf.edu).
Application Deadline: Monday, 15 February 2010.
For further information, please go to:
http://www.iarc.uaf.edu/education_outreach/summer/2010/.
Or contact:
Tohru Saito
Email: saito [at] iarc.uaf.edu