Education

The “new” CIFAR, as the Alaska regional CI, and positioned within the University of Alaska system, brings together faculty and students from various departments and campuses to collaborate with NOAA scientists on research and educational efforts. During year 5 (FY06) of the second cooperative agreement between NOAA and the Cooperative Institute for Arctic Research (“old” CIFAR), support for education and outreach projects was elevated from Task III (NOAA direct funded projects) to Task I (Administrative), effectively providing 50% more student support for the same NOAA investment dollars.   

Continuing the priority on capacity building that was begun in the “old” CIFAR, the “new” CIFAR has placed specific emphasis upon competitively supporting graduate and undergraduate students (in addition to those students supported on CI research projects). Many of these students are addressing issues that may not be limited to one NOAA line office or one University of Alaska academic program or unit.

Under the “old” CIFAR, three competitive student award programs were supported including the Stock Assessment Training and Improvement Program, the Global Change Student Research Grant Competition, and the International Polar Year Traineeships. The first two of these three continue under the “new” CIFAR.

The “old” CIFAR also provided support for an international, interdisciplinary sea-ice field course during the summers of 2004, 2006 and 2008. CIFAR scientists developed and co-taught a one-credit Field and Laboratory Climate Change course for K-12 Teachers in the summer of 2008, which they hope to offer again in summer 2010.

CIFAR staff are currently submitting proposals to NOAA and other funding agencies to continue and expand these education programs in the “new” CIFAR.