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The sun was out and the science was on at the 2025 Arctic Research Open House. Hundreds of people flocked to the ����ֱ�� Troth Yeddha’ Campus on Thursday, May 15, to wander West Ridge and stop at the many booths researchers set up with engaging activities to share their science with the public. 

This family-friendly open house, held annually in May, invites the community to learn about UAF research. IANRE researchers showcased research into barley, vegetable varieties, greenhouse crops, birch syrup and phenology, remote sensing and radon. They also gave away dozens of dwarf sunflowers.

— Julie Stricker
Youth in Sitka spent five months testing the water as part of an ocean acidification education program called 4-H pH. 

About a dozen students participated in the program from January to May 2025. They learned to measure pH, temperature and dissolved oxygen and uploaded the measurements to the GLOBE program’s open-source database. The project is part of a citizen science program called Global Learning & Observations to Benefit the Environment Program, or GLOBE. The program is led by NASA to advance science and educate tomorrow’s workforce.

— Laura Weingartner
It’s the first week of May, and Caley Gasch, a soil scientist with the University of ����ֱ�� Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, is elbow-deep in a raised bed in a high tunnel in Juneau. 

She’s collecting a soil core from one of five sites across the state as part of a study addressing how soil health changes as land is cleared for agriculture, or if a high tunnel is added to an already farmed field. Her work can help develop soil management plans tailored to ����ֱ��.

Leif Albertson

Professor of Extension

Leif Albertson served the ����ֱ�� with distinction in teaching and public service from 2008 to 2024.

Albertson developed programs on multiple topics, including food preservation and safety, safe water, pest control, gardening and emergency medical care.

In particular, he provided important information about lead contamination in wild meat, a topic of great interest in rural ����ֱ��, where consumption rates are quite high. He also developed and presented original work on indoor air quality issues, again a particular concern in western ����ֱ��, where childhood respiratory disease is the highest in the nation.

Julie Cascio

Associate Professor of Extension

Julie Cascio served the ����ֱ�� with distinction in teaching and public service from 2004 to 2024.

Cascio taught and provided information to thousands of ����ֱ��ns on a wide variety of topics, including food safety, emergency preparedness, nutrition and healthy living. Her food preservation series was exceptionally popular in the Palmer area. She produced dozens of publications, articles and videos.

Cascio’s web-based certified food protection manager instruction reached hundreds of participants across the state. She worked diligently to ensure her students passed the classes needed for employment in the commercial food industry.

Jenifer McBeath

Professor of Plant Pathology and Biotechnology

Jenifer H. McBeath has served the ����ֱ�� with distinction in teaching, research and public service from 1977 to 2025.

McBeath taught multiple courses in plant pathology and natural resources management during her more than four decades with the university.

McBeath is an internationally recognized expert in phytosanitary issues and international trade in agricultural products. The disease-free seed potato program she developed allowed exports from ����ֱ�� to Taiwan and China. The biological control system she developed provided ����ֱ��’s peony and rhodiola farmers with an environmentally benign way to protect their plants in wet and cold conditions.

Mingchu Zhang

Professor of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies

Mingchu Zhang has served the ����ֱ�� with distinction in teaching, research and public service from 2003 to 2025.

Zhang has received excellent reviews from students, particularly for his course on sustainable agriculture. He supervised 23 graduate students.

Zhang is a world-renowned expert in nutrient management, soil fertility and crop production in sub-Arctic regions. His research has advanced small-grain production and farm soil health in ����ֱ��, and he was part of the team that developed the Sunshine barley variety used by the ����ֱ�� Flour Co. He has published more than 70 peer-reviewed articles.

— Julie Stricker
For more than 25 years, people from around the world have visited Georgeson Botanical Garden to admire and learn more about the peonies that bloom there, 120 miles south of the Arctic Circle. In April, the American Peony Society designated the Georgeson as an official peony reference garden, one of nine nationally. 

“We're so excited to share the beauty and diversity of peonies with everyone who visits,” Georgeson directing manager Lacey Higham said. “We envision the garden as not just a display, but also as an educational resource for those who want to learn more about these magnificent flowers.”

— Julie Stricker
For the past 25 years, Susan Harry has been peering into a microscope every spring to count and classify minuscule grains of pollen. It’s a task that can take a few minutes up to an hour and a half at the height of pollen season, in May and early June.

Harry said the count was originally a way for allergists and allergy sufferers to track what was in the air and making people miserable. Over the years, researchers from around the world have become interested in the data, which is being used in climate studies. Find the 2025 pollen counts on the CES website.

— Marla Lowder
On May 1-3, Fairbanks hosted the state 4-H Horse Contest. Twenty-one youth from around the state participated in presentations, hippology, Horse Bowl and horse judging. Everyone had a great time and enjoyed the contest as well as seeing friends from around the state and making new ones. Teams that won now have the opportunity to go to the Western National Roundup in January.