Research & Creative Activity

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Welcome

UAS faculty and students engage in important research and creative activity with partners in Alaska and around the world.

Although we are a small university, we seek to contribute in big ways to the understanding of the unique biocultural region we inhabit, including its premier coastal rainforest, majestic icefields, and glaciers, and rich marine ecosystems. You will find in our links to projects and publications studies on the Tongass National Forest, the Juneau Icefield, and the coastal waters of Southeast Alaska. Much of our environmental research is coordinated through the pioneering Alaska Coastal Rainforest Center, as well as our highly-respected Environmental Science, Marine Biology, and Fisheries programs.

In addition, we support research on the economies, cultures, politics, and history of Alaska and other regions through our Social Science and Humanities departments. Our Humanities faculty produce original and award-winning poetry, essays, Alaska Native literature and linguistic studies, including our own literary journal, Tidal Echoes.

Externally-funded projects also enable UAS to expand and diversify its base. Research grants and sponsored programs not only support the mission of UAS, but also create opportunities for undergraduate research, interdisciplinary scholarship and innovative engagements with local communities, economies, and environments in Southeast Alaska and beyond.

ORCA (Opportunities for Research and Creative Activity) brings together information on Student Research, Faculty Projects, Publications, News and Updates, and Research Administration materials under one umbrella.

Undergraduate Research & Creative Activity

UAS students are encouraged to engage in research and creative activities inside and outside the classroom. Many students are paid to work as lab and field research assistants for UAS faculty or local agencies and organizations. In addition, students can obtain university funding to pursue research and creative project ideas that take advantage of the unique opportunities provided by our location on the coast of Southeast Alaska.

Explore Student Research

Undergraduate Student Awards Application

UAS announces a competition for undergraduate student awards in research and creative activity. Awardees will receive up to $2,500 to facilitate a project. The duration of this award is from January 17 - June 1, 2025. Open to current University of Alaska Southeast students in good standing (full or part time; Juneau, Sitka, and Ketchikan campuses). Priority will be given to those students who have been accepted into a degree program.

Deadlines

5:00 P.M., Monday, November 4, 2024
Deadline for proposals which include infrastructure/facilities elements: 5:00 P.M., October 28, 2024

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

UAS faculty conduct research and creative activities across a range of disciplines in order to address the critical issues and the unique perspectives of Southeast Alaska and beyond. Research projects, funded largely on extramural grants, are typically collaborative among UAS faculty as well as faculty from UAF, UAA, and universities and agencies from all over the country and world. Faculty researchers provide excellent opportunities for undergraduate students to be directly involved in the cutting-edge research that they bring in. Faculty-led innovative research also plays a fundamental part in enriching the academic experience and materials in the classrooms.

Faculty Research and Creative Activity Highlights

Research Administration

Research Administration at UAS brings together staff and faculty from multiple departments to provide support for faculty, staff, and student investigators throughout the project lifecycle. UAS, UAA, and UAF have adopted a unified business model utilizing the lifecycle concept which embraces operational effectiveness through efficiency, accountability, transparency, and responsiveness to the needs of the campus communities and the external partners with whom we do business. At UAS, research administrators include staff from the Office of Vice Provost for Research and Sponsored Programs, the Office of Grants and Contracts, and the Administrative Managers from within the various Schools. In addition, we partner with UAF to assist in the administration of research ethics and intellectual property considerations.

Research Administration

News & Updates

Tidal Echoes: Undergraduate Research at its Best

Every year, student editors learn about book publishing through the Tidal Echoes Literary and Arts Journal project. Check out the 2020 edition, featuring artist Pat Race and playwright Mo Longworth. Author readings, videos, excerpts, and how to purchase this year's edition on the Tidal Echoes Launch website.

Tidal Echoes 2020

Alaska Coastal Rainforest Center

The Alaska Coastal Rainforest Center builds partnerships and catalyzes collaborative ecological, economic, and social research in the north Pacific coastal temperate rainforest to support vibrant and resilient communities and ecosystems. ACRC is a research center at the University of Alaska Southeast focusing on the north Pacific coastal temperate rainforest. We're housed in the Pacific Northwest Research Station's Juneau Forestry Sciences Lab, adjacent to the UAS Juneau campus.

Visit ACRC

URECA Symposium

Each year as part of its commitment to National Undergraduate Research Week, UAS hosts the Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (URECA) Symposium. This event, open to the campus and community, brings together undergraduate students from all disciplines who offer presentations and posters highlighting research and other special projects they’ve conducted throughout the academic year.

Learn more

Gallery

Henry Masters

Henry Masters brings his love of fishing, the ecology of river habitats, and the outdoors to a whole new level with the Undergraduate Research & Creative Activities (URECA) program at UAS.

Explore Research & Creative Activity at UAS