Alaska EPSCoR Research Infrastructure

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The Alaska EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement Project (Phase II) willbuild capability and capacity in the research areas of engineering, integrativephysiology, population genetics, and arctic social sciences. A bioinformatics corewill refine computational tools associated with the physiology and geneticsresearch areas.Engineering design issues are barriers to development in the state.Infrastructure and systems for cold regions will involve research activities withheat transfer in permafrost soils that underlie roads, building, and otherstructures and are subject to seasonal melting.Integrative aspects of environmental physiology will focus on collaborativeresearch applying molecular technologies to physiological problems.Researchers will study hibernating ground squirrels and black bears which offerunique opportunities to explore the modulation of gene expression to endurestress .Researchers in population genetics of adaptation to arctic and alpineenvironments will use technologies already developed with EPSCoR assistanceto mine organisms for genes that allow existence in cold regions.In addition to faculty hiring and acquisition of equipment in the research areas, anumber of education and outreach activities for K-12, undergraduates,graduates, and faculty will also be supported in Phase II, including the AlaskaRural Systemic Initiative, the GLOBE program for K-12 student and teachers,Phase 0 SBIR assistance, and Young First Investigator Awards for faculty.Institutions participating include the University of Alaska-Fairbanks (UAF),University of Alaska-Anchorage (UM), University of Alaska-Southern (UAS) aswell as K-12 schools.