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Students showcasing their model wind turbine at the 2026 CEO competition.
Photo Credit: Ana McMenamin, REAP
| | Sharing STEAM opportunities and resources through statewide collaboration | Welcome to the AK STEAM Collaboration newsletter. On a quarterly basis we share Alaska and Arctic-focused opportunities and resources for educators in science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM). This is a service of the NNA-Community Office and University of Alaska Fairbanks International Arctic Research Center in partnership with the Alaska Science Teachers Association. | | |
Classroom Resources
Curriculum, classroom activities, citizen science opportunities
| Photo credit: Molly Gillespie |
Explore Alaska's Forest Products Exhibit
Alaska Project Learning Tree's Forest Products Exhibit is an interactive display that connects students to sustainable forestry. Learn about forestry products, ecosystem services and traditional practices that come from trees and forests! Kits live in Anchorage and Fairbanks and are available for educators to check out for FREE! For information on how to use a kit, please contact Alaska PLT Coordinator, Molly Gillespie. If you don't live in Anchorage or Fairbanks but you are interested in the exhibit, please reach out!
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Join the Alaska Space Weather UnderGround Campaign
The Alaska Space Weather UnderGround (AK SWUG) Campaign is looking for enthusiastic educators and citizen scientists in Eastern and Western Alaska. Participants would host student-built magnetometers in their backyards for 1 to 3 months between February and April 2027. These magnetometers can be placed on bare ground or snow, making it easy for community members to participate in the campaign. Learn more here.
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Getting Started with Science Fair Projects
Science Fair season is quickly approaching! Watch a video tutorial to start your students on the inquiry process using The Right Question Institute's Question Formulation Technique (QFT) with award winning GLOBE Educator Robin Itchoak of Shishmaref School. You can learn more by visiting the Right Question Institute website.
| Photo caption: Photo from International Arctic Research Center Education Outreach content |
Resources for Creating Science Fair Projects
Need help getting your students on the path to great science fair projects? Utilize this resource developed in collaboration with NASA for student research symposiums. Although this finished product is ready for printing and presentation as a scientific poster, it works just as well on a trifold! Check it out!
| Photo credit: Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) | | |
Join the Final "Listening to Alaska" Presentation
Join the University of Alaska Museum of the North and the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute for an exciting premiere of the new 17-minute film “Listening to Alaska” at the Walt & Marita Babula Planetarium, paired with a talk and Q&A with a scientist on one of the topics featured in the film.
Tickets for a "Listening to Alaska" premiere event are $16 for adults, $12 for youth (17 and under)/UA faculty, staff and students, and $8 for museum members. Tickets are available for purchase at the museum, in person only, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
This series is in-person only. The remaining presentation will take place on November 11 at 7:00 pm. This presentation is titled, "Archaeology/Ethnology & Bus 142" presented by Angela Linn and Josh Reuther.
| | | Opportunities for Educators | | |
Explore Winter Professional Development Opportunities
This winter, two 7-week courses are being offered to expand your teaching and community engagement skills! “Beyond the Ice: The Interconnected Arctic Mosaic Exploring Arctic Systems and Communities” is a 7-week, self-paced virtual course, where educators explore cryosphere dynamics, ocean circulation, and polar communities while braiding Indigenous Knowledges with Western empirical science. This course will take place from January 11 to February 28, 2027. Participants will gain 15 CE Hours (or an optional 1 Graduate Credit through Adams State University), and actionable tools to build student climate agency. Sign up by January 1, 2027.
“Citizen Science: By the People" is a 7-week asynchronous virtual course running from January 4 to February 21, 2027. Educators, communicators, and community leaders will be able to move beyond "science tourism" toward authentic, community-based research. Participants gain hands-on data literacy, explore intentional design for equity, and develop a concrete implementation plan tailored to their unique professional context. Sign up by January 4, 2027.
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Participate in the 2027 Clean Energy Olympics
The Clean Energy Olympics (CEO), Alaska’s only renewable energy engineering design challenge, is back for its 9th year! Student teams in grades 4-12 competing in the CEO will build a model wind turbine and/or solar home and present their design to a panel of judges. The 2027 CEO will be a hybrid competition with teams having the option to participate in one competition showcase event, either in Anchorage on April 3rd, in Juneau on April 10th, or virtually through April 7th.
Interested in coaching a team to Clean Energy Olympics glory? Take a free training workshop with REAP to get all the hands-on experience and materials needed to incorporate this competition into your classroom/club. 2027 CEO trainings will occur in-person in Anchorage and Juneau on January 23 (9am-3pm, lunch included) and at the 2027 ASTE Conference in Anchorage on February 13 or 14.
Learn more here!
Photo Caption: Two students showcasing their model wind turbine at the 2026 CEO competition
Photo Credit: Ana McMenamin, REAP
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VisChem Express for High School Chemistry Teachers
VisChem Express Institutes are free, one-day, fully remote professional development opportunities for U.S. high school chemistry teachers. Participants explore research-based strategies for helping students understand chemistry at the particle level using dynamic visualizations, receive free instructional resources, and earn a $500 stipend upon meeting program requirements. Find more information here.
Photo credit: VisChem, Miami University (OH) — NSF-funded chemistry education initiative
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Enroll in Winter Semester Science Courses
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is offering two fully online, intensive, 3-credit undergraduate courses meant to broaden knowledge about circulation and climate, and changes in Alaska's coastal environments. These courses will run from December 18, 2026 – January 15, 2027. The courses being offered are GEOL 117: The Oceans and GEOL 118: Natural Disasters. Both courses are lower division undergraduate courses offered during an intensive four-week winter session and participants may only enroll in one course. Educators interested in this course, should confirm course-level eligibility with their employer or licensing authority before enrolling for professional-learning or renewal recognition. Visiting student registration is open from November 16 to December 14, 2026. More information can be found here. You can learn more about winter tuition here.
Photo credit: J. Cory Pettijohn
| | | Opportunities for Students | |
Explore APU's Tumyaraa and Path Bridge Program
Alaska Pacific University’s Path Bridge Program supports Alaska Native high school students by strengthening cultural identity, math, science, writing skills, and college readiness. This free program brings 10th- and 11th-grade students to APU each summer for credit-bearing courses, cultural activities, and hands-on science projects, with continued support throughout the year.
Beginning October 1, 2026, NASA funding will support the Tumyaraa program, including tuition and attendance costs for program graduates pursuing a Marine and Environmental Science degree at APU. NASA will also provide paid internships and lodging for APU undergraduate students working at NASA centers, with a particular focus on Tumyaraa graduates. Four APU students have already completed internships at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory!
For more information, contact Johanna Belleque or Dee Barker, or visit APU’s Resources for High Schools page.
Photo caption: Six Tumyaraa Students Visit the Kennedy Space Center. June, 2026
Photo credit: Dee Barker
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The Navigating the New Arctic Community Office builds awareness, partnerships, opportunities and resources for research funded by the National Science Foundation.
Our education team helps NNA researchers engage with Arctic-inspired educators in culturally responsive ways.
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The International Arctic Research Center is a part of the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Our purpose is to understand the Arctic to make a difference.
Our education-related programs provide opportunities for K-12, college students and citizen scientists to engage in meaningful climate research.
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The Alaska Science Teachers Association works to inspire, promote and support excellence in science education.
Join colleagues across the state and share ideas, values and priorities in teaching science in the public schools or other sites.
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