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2006 UAS NEWS RELEASE ARCHIVES |
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January 27 , 2006 It's time for the annual Science for Alaska lecture series. This year, audiences will be wowed by lecture topics ranging from bear safety to tsunami preparedness. Lectures will take place every Monday during the month of February at 7 p.m. in Centennial Hall. The family-friendly lectures are free and accompanied by educational displays and demonstrations. In its sixth year of being offered in Juneau, the Science for Alaska Lecture Series has provided residents with an opportunity to learn about scientific research conducted at the University of Alaska. This yearly series, sponsored and coordinated by the UAF Geophysical Institute, features a selection of scientists from the University of Alaska along with experts from state and federal agencies. These experts share their research with the public in lectures that are full of animations and visual aids that appeal to all ages. 2006 Speakers John Hechtel, a wildlife biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, will kick off the lecture series with Safety in Bear Country: The Science and the Nonsense. Hechtel believes that bears' actions can be anticipated through an understanding of bear behavior. He will share information about Alaska's bear population and some high-profile bear attacks. The second installment of the lecture series, Avian Influenza: Alaska at the Crossroads, will be presented by UAA Professor of Biology Douglas Causey. Working to understand the role of migratory birds in the spread and transmission of Avian influenza, Causey has been tracking the natural history of the virus. One critical question he's trying to tackle is how Avian Influenza will affect the enormous populations of migratory birds breeding in Alaska. Geophysical Institute Research Analyst Elena Suleimani will discuss her work on tsunamis and inundation mapping for the third lecture in the series, Surviving a Tsunami: Is Alaska Ready for the Next Big Wave? The fourth and final lecture in the series with Professor of Geophysics Hans Nielsen, of the Geophysical Institute, will discuss the conjugate auroras in Mirror Images: Exploring Auroras at Each of the Poles.At times, auroral activity occurring in the northern hemisphere is mirrored in the southern hemisphere. The swirls and ripples of auroral rays will occur in unison in each hemisphere. This phenomenon is known as the conjugacy of the aurora.-30- FOR MORE INFORMATION: CONTACT: |
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