Science conference to be held in Unalaska

Published on March 18th, 2010

By ROSE COX

Todd Radenbaugh, left, and Dan Dunaway of the University of Alaska, Bristol Bay Campus, take a break while trawling last summer in Nushagak Bay. They will present talks on environmental science topics Thursday at the Western Alaska Interdisciplinary Science Conference and Forum. (Courtesy Photo, Sarah Wingert)

Jaclyn Christensen and Jocelyn Reamey research water quality in Port Heiden. They will talk about mussel beds and benthic species diversity Friday at the conference. (Courtesy Photo, Todd Radenbaugh)

Unalaskans are invited to hear experts talk about Western Alaska issues at a conference next week at the Grand Aleutian Hotel.

The Western Alaska Interdisciplinary Science Conference and Forum will bring together scientists, educators, rural leaders, community members and others to talk about climate change and fisheries research, ecology and environmental science in the region.

Sessions on traditional knowledge and renewable energy will be particularly rich, said Reid Brewer, who organized the conference hosted by the Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program.

"I think there will be a lot of interest in these talks. There's a lot of traditional ecological knowledge, people talking about translating information from elders to public records, or transmuting information across boundaries."

Presenter Jordan Lewis, assistant professor with the Alaska Native Studies Department, serves on the advisory committee to the director of the National Institutes of Health.

An Aleut from Naknek, he has worked firsthand with Yup'ik, Athabascan and Aleut elders in six Bristol Bay communities to research aspects of growing older in rural Alaska.

"I'll talk about emotional wellbeing, spirituality, physical health and being engaged in your community and feeling involved" he said. "Those are what the elders talk about when they talk about successful aging."

Rounding out next Thursday's "Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Anthropology" session are talks on ethnobotany (the scientific study of the relationships between people and plants) and using GIS to enhance ethnography (the study of human societies).

Bob Himschoot, a technician for GCI in Dillingham, will relate his personal experience with small wind turbines on Friday, March 26.

A resident of Southwest Alaska for two decades, his family installed two turbines in 2007 that power his house, and he uses a wood boiler for heat and hot water.

"We don't have any fuel in the house at all," he said. "We're doing as much as we can to be self-sufficient."

He'll share practical information about investing in, installing and maintaining turbines; hooking into the grid, and costs and returns.

Other speakers during the March 26, "Renewable Energy" session will compare the economics of energy efficiency vs. renewable energy, talk about solar power systems, and give an update on the Alaska Renewable Energy Fund's first year.

Unalaskans Richard Peck and Dan Winters will bring the subject of alternative energy home with talks on wind energy and new technologies in power plants.

The conference will highlight regional scientific efforts and traditional knowledge that provide an interdisciplinary approach to scientific inquiry and resource management. It promises something for everybody, from gardening and gathering in Alaska to the frequency of human-bear conflicts in the Native villages of the Kodiak Archipelago.

Workshops on Saturday, March 27, cover topics relevant to life in rural western Alaska.

All sessions are held at the Grand Aleutian Hotel, and are free to Unalaska residents. Register at the door or online at www.uaf.edu/waisc.