Upward Bound, Juneau, Alaska
Teaching Assistant January 2023 As our partnership with TRIO Upward Bound (UB) and T3 Alliance continues to grow, I had the chance to join the Alaska T3 Alliance and UB group for the first annual Juneau STEAMfest. STEAMfests incorporates science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics into a weekend-long event where students in the UB-T3 program can learn how to use new tools, build computer systems, calibrate sensors, create digital art, and build relationships. Leaders brainstormed ways to create micro-credential programs based on the skills learned at STEAMfest events and summer programs. We lucked out with weather and took students on a tour through the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center and onto the frozen Mendenhall Lake near the Center to talk about the Juneau Icefield Research Program, glaciers, climate science, science communication, education, community and student engagement. June 2023 In the summer of 2023, UB groups from western Alaska, Maine, Oregon, Washington state, and Texas traveled to Juneau for a place-based experiential learning program with the University of Maine and Juneau Icefield Research Program. In-between field seasons, I was lucky enough to participate in a few days with the western Alaska and Washington state programs. With the western Alaska program, I focused on teaching aspects of snowpack hydrology, glacier mass balance and downstream impacts of these water reservoirs in relation to what is seen in southeast and western Alaskan communities. Students participated in a field trip to the Fish Creek watershed on Douglas Island. They collected water and air quality data from the Fish Creek estuary up to the Eaglecrest Ski Area. At Eaglecrest, we were treated to a chairlift ride up to a snow patch and conducted drone surveys and collected snow density measurements to estimate the volume and density of snow in that patch. We were also lucky enough to fly via helicopter to JIRP's Camp 17, located at the southwestern edge of the Juneau Icefield on a ridge between Lemon Creek and Ptarmigan Glaciers. Students participated in more snow density measurements, mass balance lectures, drone and ground-penetrating radar surveys, and a small hike up to nearby Cairn Peak to enjoy the views this area has to offer. July 2023 As for the Washington state program, my participation was focused on the downstream hydrology of the area. With undergraduate students from the University of Alaska Southeast (UAS), students measured water quality and collected water discharge measurements at a fixed-discharge station on Fish Creek. These measurements are part of a larger field campaign operated by UAS to monitor changes in water discharge and quality as a function of climate change. They monitor numerous creeks, streams and rivers across the Juneau area. Juneau is located on Lingít Aaní, Taku River Tlingit and Haida lands. |
Juneau STEAMfest
Alaska & Washington State Upward Bound
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