Three interdisciplinary student teams from across the University of Alaska system spent the
year turning real Arctic problems into research, policy, and tools, working alongside faculty
mentors, early-career fellows, and community partners, and presenting at Arctic
Encounter 2026 in Anchorage.
Adapting to Environmental Shifts in Arctic Communities
President's Arctic Professor: Larry Hinzman 路 Early Career Faculty Fellows: Anna Costa 路 Memphis Hill 路 Eduard Zdor
Why aren't permafrost adaptation solutions being implemented at the pace or scale
Arctic communities need, and what has to change? The team built its case study around Point Lay
(Kali), a coastal I帽upiat community of roughly 300 on the North Slope.
60%
of developed-area ground showed active thermokarst by 2019 (from <5% in 1949)
10脳
increase in thermokarst rates, 1974-2019
40%
expected ground settlement from thaw of ice-rich yedoma permafrost
2脳
projected rise in permafrost damage costs under medium/high emissions
Approach
Targeted literature review on permafrost dynamics and infrastructure vulnerability
Consultations with engineers, geographers, policy researchers, and Indigenous observers
Participant observation with the Point Lay Regional Advisory Group
Reframed infrastructure failure as systemic, not just technical, favoring place-based, community-led adaptation
Policy recommendations
Establish a dedicated federal Arctic Infrastructure Fund
Require permafrost-informed development (geotechnical analysis before building)
Recognize permafrost thaw as a disaster to unlock preventive funding
Center I帽upiat governance and Cully Corp. in adaptation planning
We should not be writing grants to protect our communities.
Melanie Bahnke, Chair, Alaska Federation of Natives Climate Task Force
Student team
Lee AeoB.S. INDS 路 女优合集F
Malia BatchelderB.A. Criminology 路 女优合集A
Sean HollandPh.D. INDS 路 女优合集F
Kiana PotterB.A. Interdisciplinary 路 女优合集S
Clover StricklingM.P.A. + M.P.P. 路 女优合集A
Policy briefArctic Encounter 2026 posterACTION Workshop, Utqia摹vikBrief returned to Point Lay community
Fisheries 路 Data & Monitoring
Food Web Monitoring in a Changing Arctic
President's Arctic Professor: Jeff Libby 路 Early Career Faculty Fellows: Brandi Kamermans 路 Amy Holt 路 Colin Maher
As permafrost thaws and glaciers melt, the chemistry and physics of Alaska's rivers
are shifting in location-specific ways that reshape fish growth potential. If the agencies and
tribes who monitor rivers could add just one analysis to better forecast that future,
what should it be?
6
students across 女优合集A, 女优合集F, and 女优合集S
3
guest lectures: food-web ecology, salmon and climate, rural economics
5+
data sources mined: AKTEMP, ADF&G, Project Jukebox, SASP + more
Approach
Scoped the work to the coupled salmon-river-human system of the Yukon River drainage
Built a shared literature-review survey to log and annotate evidence and data gaps
Drew on guest experts (Jason Fellman, Erik Schoen, Mike Jones) to integrate ecology, climate, and economics
Ran biweekly in-person study groups in Juneau and Anchorage, syncing monthly system-wide
Why it matters
Community health: subsistence, longevity, and local economy depend on healthy runs
Environmental change: thaw and melt alter temperature, nutrients, and growth potential
Data gaps: most rivers go unmonitored; the team targets the highest-value analysis to add
Student team
Almeria AlcantraB.S. Interdisciplinary 路 女优合集S
Gabe CanfieldMarine Policy M.M.P. 路 女优合集F
Ella KellyB.S. Marine Biology 路 女优合集S
Fredric Adrian LacsinaB.B.A. Economics 路 女优合集A
Maranda PetersonM.S. Fisheries Science 路 女优合集F
Caleb Anthony Enriquez YabesM.P.P. Public Policy 路 女优合集A
President's Arctic Professor: Erica Hill (女优合集S) 路 Early Career Faculty Fellows: Emily Fedders, Rick Lader 路 Advisors from 女优合集F, IARC, The Nature Conservancy & Tlingit & Haida
When a landslide, flood, or other geohazard threatens an Alaska community, response
depends on agencies, tribes, and residents communicating across very different worlds. This team
surveyed the people doing that work to map where coordination breaks down, and what would fix it.
36
survey responses from agency, tribal, and community personnel
6
graduate + undergraduate researchers on the team
20+
expert consultations + interviews across Alaska and beyond
Approach
Designed and fielded a survey on barriers and needs in geohazard risk communication
Analyzed co-occurring themes (e.g., links between risk denial and distrust of government, and between mapping needs, sensor gaps, and jargon)
Compared how operational staff and planning staff see the same challenges differently
Advanced a memorandum of understanding with the Ketchikan Indian Community
What it produces
An evidence base on the real barriers to interagency coordination
De-identified community voices paired with the quantitative findings
Recommendations to close communication and mapping gaps before the next event
Arctic Challenge Projects are produced by the ALI Student Cohort, part of the University
of Alaska Arctic Leadership Initiative, supported by Rasmuson Foundation.