Photo Credit: Lindsay Martin, Inspiring Girls* Expeditions Alaska | | 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. This collaboration will continue through 2026. | | | |
Classroom Resources
Curriculum, classroom activities, citizen science opportunities
| Photo credit: GLOBE Observer | |
Track blowing snow and low visibility with your students using GLOBE Observer
The GLOBE Observer app has a new feature photo tool in GLOBE Observer Clouds to help validate blowing snow in satellite images! Photos of blowing snow can help scientists improve satellite detection products and advise about the hazards blowing snow presents. If you're already using GLOBE Observer with your students, simply tap into a new Clouds observation and get started! If you're new to GLOBE Observer and want to get started monitoring your environment with your students, check out the step-by-step guide for getting started with the GLOBE Observer Clouds protocol.
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Apply for a grant to conduct environmental research with your students
What prevents you and your students from conducting environmental research? Is it access to scientific measurement equipment, transportation for field work, substitute teachers, or mentoring? Let Youth Learning as Citizen Environmental Scientists (YLACES) help you overcome barriers to students progressing from taking environmental observations to doing environmental research. Educators and organizations in the United States may apply for grants of up to $1,500 for instruments and supplies to facilitate youth environmental research and data collection, or grants of up too $5,000 for local student research symposia. Apply by March 31, 2026.
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New GLOBE video features Alaska citizen science
A new introduction video to the GLOBE Program features Dr. Elena Sparrow (UAF), the GLOBE U.S. Partner Coordinator for Alaska, as well as two student teams from Alaska who have participated in GLOBE research. We're so excited to see the amazing work that GLOBE students have done in Alaska featured on a large scale!
Check out the video here
Photo credit: GLOBE Program
| | | Opportunities for Educators | | |
Register for the "Beyond the Ice: Interconnected Arctic Mosaic" course with WildRose Education
"Beyond the Ice" offers a powerful opportunity for early career researchers, educators, lifelong learners, and students to further explore the convergence of Arctic climate, culture, and community through a sophisticated interdisciplinary lens. This five-week asynchronous course intentionally integrates Indigenous Knowledges with Western research to provide the holistic perspective essential for navigating the complexities of the Arctic. Enhance your professional Arctic literacy and strengthen your capacity for relational, systemic action by registering today! The course is available during spring (March 14-April 19) and summer (June 13-July 19).
Register here for either the spring or summer term course.
Photo credit: WildRose Education
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2026 Summer Math Institute for Teachers to be held in Sitka
June 8-14, 2026
This intensive seven-day institute invites Alaska’s K–12 teachers to explore best practices for teaching Number Sense. Participants will collaborate to design engaging lessons that incorporate manipulatives, games, hands-on activities, educational technology, and artificial intelligence. The institute also emphasizes integrating cultural connections through place-based education to make mathematics meaningful and relevant to Alaska’s diverse communities. Classes will be held on the Mt. Edgecumbe High School campus. Housing will be available for participants and families in the MEHS dormitories. Breakfast and lunch will be provided daily. UAS ED593 credits will be offered. Registration, housing, and university fees will be announced when registration will open in January. Add your name to the waitlist for announcements and priority registration.
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Alaska Geographic teacher professional development courses now enrolling for summer 2026
Alaska Geographic is offering two teacher professional development courses this summer!
The Wildfire and Wildlife for Educators course will be facilitated by Alaska Project Learning Tree and Alaska Department of Fish and Game to explore Denali's boreal forest and tundra, including the recent 2024 fire site, and the role that wildfire plays in these ecosystems. This course will take place June 1-3, 2026. Register here.
The Katmai Floating Teachers Workshop will take place from July 21-29, 2026 in Katmai National Park and Preserve. Engage with scientists and park rangers in the field and develop creative new lesson plans for your classroom. This course will begin with two workshop days in Kodiak, followed by six nights on a 97-foot live-aboard boat adventuring along the Katmai coast. Register here.
Photo credit: Molly Gillespie
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Alaska Project Learning Tree offers free online course about wildfire in Alaska
This Alaska-specific Project Learning Tree "Explore Your Environment" online course explores wildfire in Alaska, including the role fire plays in Alaska's healthy ecosystems, fire management, and what we can do to protect our homes and communities from fire. This course is FREE for Alaska-based educators while supplies last. Upon completion of the course you'll receive a certificate of completion that can be used toward ED 556 Transformative Teaching through the Alaska Staff Development Network.
Photo credit: Molly Gillespie
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Alaska Outdoor and Environmental Education Symposium and Film Screening
Alaska National Resource and Outdoor Education (ANROE) presents the Alaska Outdoor and Environmental Education Symposium, Bridging Communities through Outdoor Learning, and pre-symposium film screening at the end of February 2026.
The symposium offers a chance to connect with a network of educators dedicated to building community, advancing professional skills, and strengthening outdoor programs that benefit all of Alaska. This is the fourth annual Alaska Outdoor and Environmental Education Symposium, and it will take place February 27, 2026 in Anchorage. Register for the symposium here.
ANROE is also offering a pre-symposium film screening of the new film In Our Nature on February 26. In Our Nature shares the stories of changemakers using nature and education to bridge divides - and reveals how a more connected, resilience future might already be taking root. This event is free and open to everyone regardless of whether you are attending the symposium. The screening will be hosted from 6-8pm, and pre-registration is requested so ANROE can get an idea of how many people plan to attend. Register here.
| | | Opportunities for Students | |
Submit your project to the
Interior Alaska Science Fair
Submit your Science Fair project to the Interior Alaska Science Fair by March 6, 2026. Submissions must be from an interior Alaska school science fair. The Interior Alaska Science Fair will take place March 18-21, 2026.
Photo credit: Interior Alaska Science Fair
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Alaska Science & Engineering Fair - "Science to Scale"!
Calling all young scientists, engineers, and curious minds across Alaska! The 71st Alaska Science & Engineering Fair (ASEF) is just around the corner, and we're thrilled to announce our exciting theme for 2026: "Science to Scale"! Whether you're exploring the tiniest microbes or the vast mysteries of the cosmos, this is your change to showcase how science operates at every level, from the microscopic to the planetary!
Key Details to Remember
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Student/Project Check-In: Friday, March 27, 2026
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Judging Day: Saturday, March 28, 2026
- Venue: Conoco Phillips Integrated Science Building, University of Alaska Anchorage
Who Can Participate?
ASEF is open to all Alaska-resident students in grade K-12. High schoolers can compete for a chance to represent Alaska at the International Science & Engineering Fair!
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Apply to join a FREE 12-day expedition exploring science, art, and backcountry travel
Inspiring Girls* Expeditions Alaska is seeking applicants for their 2026 expeditions! They offer tuition-free multi-day expeditions for 16-18 year old high school youth that interweave science, art, and backcountry travel, led by professional scientists, artists, and guides. This year, Inspiring Girls* Expeditions Alaska is offering Girls* on Ice Alaska, focused on alpine ecosystems and mountaineering, and Girls* on Water, focused on coastal ecosystems and sea kayaking. Applications are open through March 15, 2026.
Photo credit: Emily Cavanagh
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Sign up for the summer 2026 Bonanza Creek Science Adventure Camp and Leaders in Training!
Bonanza Creek Long-Term Ecological Research Center invites youth to join them for an incredible week of fun in the outdoors this summer! They will spend a week doing science, art, and exploring the boreal forest surrounding the Fairbanks area. There will be a camp orientation prior to camp and a sharing day on the last day of camp for family and friends to learn about the program's experience. Camp will take place July 6-10, 2026.
The Bonanza Creek Leaders in Training program is for youth ages 15-17 who have participated in at least one of Bonanza Creek's camps in a previous year and are ready to lead. Leaders in training will develop new activities to lead during camp, participate in career exploration, and practice basic job skills in a fun and supportive atmosphere.
Photo credit: Bonanza Creek LTER
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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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