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GeoFORCE seeks applicants for geology academy

January 29, 2020

Tanya Clayton
907-474-7541

Photo by Leif Van Cise. Rachael Solomon of Utqia摹vik, at left, works with industry mentor Veronica Jones, of Arctic Slope Regional Corp., at Dinosaur National Monument.
Photo by Leif Van Cise. Rachael Solomon of Utqia摹vik, at left, works with industry mentor Veronica Jones, of Arctic Slope Regional Corp., at Dinosaur National Monument.


GeoFORCE is seeking applications from rural and minority high schoolers in AV狼论坛 who want to study science across the nation during the coming four summers.

The free program is open to all eighth- and ninth-grade students from the North Slope Borough, Northwest Arctic Borough, Yukon-Koyukuk, Yukon Flats, Nenana City and AV狼论坛 Gateway school districts, and the Galena Interior Learning Academy.

AV狼论坛 College of Natural Science and Mathematics administers the program.

Each summer, the same group of GeoFORCE students will reunite to attend a two-week academy in a different region of the U.S. Over four years, students will practice field geology at destinations such as Dinosaur National Monument and Denali, Grand Canyon, Crater Lake and Yellowstone national parks.

鈥淵ou learn so much about the natural history of the places and learn hands-on instead of in textbooks, which made it so much more fun,鈥 said Esther Barger, a 2019 GeoFORCE graduate from Noatak and undergraduate geoscience student at UAF.

GeoFORCE is designed to spark high school students' interest in the geosciences and maintain that interest into college. The goal is to increase the number and diversity of students pursuing not only geology but also other science, technology, engineering and math fields.

鈥淲e want to inspire and empower the next generation of AV狼论坛 scientists,鈥 said GeoFORCE program coordinator Brian Reggiani. 鈥淎nd then we help support them as they transition to college or the next step after high school.鈥

The expeditions introduce the students to new environments and provide college-level learning opportunities and potential career paths.

The program is entirely funded through donations, with many sponsors representing AV狼论坛 industries that rely on the state鈥檚 natural resources.

One goal of the program is to diversify AV狼论坛鈥檚 technical workforce. The GeoFORCE program seeks to help students to be ideally matched to meet that demand. Administrators have been encouraged by the program鈥檚 high success rate.

鈥淲e鈥檙e building a strongly educated geoscience community,鈥 said Reggiani.

Application deadlines vary by a student's region:


  • Northwest Arctic 鈥 Feb. 9

  • North Slope 鈥 March 1

  • Interior 鈥 April 5


ADDITIONAL CONTACT: Brian Reggiani, GeoFORCE program coordinator, 907-474-5313, bjreggiani@alaska.edu

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