SYMPOSIUM WORKSHOPS
The Alaska Marine Science Symposium is the perfect venue to host additional meetings and workshops related to science, management, policy, data, engagement, and more. Please click on the link below and enter your workshop and/or meeting request. Workshops and meetings that have been added to the symposium will be added to this page when confirmed.
Meeting & Workshop Locations
The 2024 Alaska Marine Science Symposium (AMSS) will be held at the Hotel Captain Cook and Eagan Center. Coordinating outside meetings and/or workshops related to AMSS should be planned around the week-long event during times that do not conflict with symposium events. These include keynote and plenary sessions and poster presentations. Contact the symposium coordinator for any questions.
CONFIRMED OUTSIDE MEETINGS & WORKSHOPS
As AMSS 2025 approaches, events will be posted here along with important planning details. Only public meetings and/or workshops will be posted to the AMSS website.
Please note that a Media Room will be made available each day of the symposium in the Whitby Room.
Communicating Ocean Sciences Workshop,
Featuring Award-Winning Author, Dr. Faith Kearns
January 27th | 9am - 12pm | Discovery Ballroom | Public Workshop
Dr. Faith Kearns, award-winning author of Getting to the Heart of Science Communication, will lead this workshop discussing important findings from her book and research with the goal to get participants thinking about and acting on how to re-center personal connections in science communication. Dr. Kearns is currently the Director of Research Communication for the Arizona Water Innovation Initiative at Arizona State University. Her previous work has included developing science communication projects for the Ecological Society of America, serving as a AAAS Science and Policy Fellow at the U.S. Department of State, and bridging science and policy advocacy efforts at the Pew Charitable Trusts. More info about Dr. Kearns and her book can be found here.
Time & Location For Workshops To Be Determined Soon!
Exploring Research and Collaboration Opportunities with Mariculture Operations
TBD | Public Workshop
The Kelp Values project, funded by the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council in 2022, explores the cultural, social, and economic feasibility of the kelp farming industry in southcentral Alaska, the area primarily impacted by the oil spill. This workshop brings together marine scientists, resource managers, and mariculture operators to discuss collaborative research at mariculture sites, which offer unique opportunities for environmental monitoring. With operators regularly tending these nearshore sites, they are ideal for passive monitoring equipment and other research initiatives. In exchange for hosting these platforms, operators could receive additional revenue. This workshop will gather input on desired data collection and compensation models to support these partnerships. The findings will guide a companion session at the Mariculture Conference of Alaska in Sitka in February 2025, where mariculturists’ interest and compensation needs for potential research collaborations will be further explored.
Community Education Night
TBD | Public Workshop
Community Education Nights make science accessible by using simple language and interactive activities. Come for pizza and cookies, short scientist presentations, a relaxed setting, and an opportunity to mingle and enjoy easy guided engagement with the science presented. Great for teachers, students, experts, community members and anyone who has interest in Alaska’s marine landscape.
Sharing stories about disabilities, health conditions and chronic illness as scientists
TBD | Public Workshop
This workshop will consist of a lecture by Skylar Bayer on the published book, “Uncharted: How Scientists Navigate Their Own Health, Research, and Experiences of Bias”and a discussion afterward about disabilities, medical conditions and chronic illness in science. This presentation will focus on the importance of storytelling to communicate important cultural issues in science, how disability is an important aspect of diversity in the field, and messages of inclusion communicated through the stories of Uncharted. The book is a collection of first-person stories by scientists who come with a broad diversity of demographics, disciplines, career stages, medical conditions, disabilities, and experiences of accessibility and bias in science. As marine scientists, they arranged the book with a nautical journey in mind, making parallels between the uncharted journey on a ship, as they both experienced in graduate school, with the uncharted journey of science and medical diagnosis.
Annual Marine Mammal Stranding and Entanglement Meeting
TBD | Public Workshop
Alaska marine mammal stranding and entanglement network members will provide presentations on recent stranding and entanglement events, research, and other highlights for around Alaska. This workshop is open to the public and will have a virtual option.
Alaska Marine Research Planning Night
TBD | Public Workshop
Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS) will again be hosting the Alaska Marine Research Planning Night. This event is held in the Quarter Deck to encourage the networking aspect of this event, instead of just more presentations. AOOS encourages marine researchers throughout Alaska to provide 1-5 slides that highlights cruise/field timing, location, duration, disciplines, vessel/platform, and opportunities for bunk space or data collection. AOOS will provide appetizers and a cash bar (we are Federally funded, so sadly we can’t provide the free drinks). Please send slides to Sheyna Wisdom at wisdom@aoos.org.
PCCRC Symposium
TBD | Public Workshop
Annual presentations by principal investigators and students on the findings of their PCCRC-funded research projects.
Reviewing and Refreshing Science Mission Requirements for Future Icebreakers in the Arctic
TBD | Public Workshop
The UNOLS Arctic Marine Research Capabilities Committee is charged with reviewing and refreshing science missions and affiliated science mission requirements for future Federal Icebreakers operating in the Arctic Ocean and other northern regions. The activities of the Committee will be reviewed and input will be sought to define future science mission scenarios from which to develop requirements for capabilities for a future vessel.
CMI Annual Review
TBD | Public Workshop
This workshop presents updates on eight current environmental research projects funded through the Coastal Marine Institute Program. The CMI, a collaboration between the University of Alaska (CFOS), the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and the State of Alaska, works to inform management of energy resources in Alaska's Outer Continental Shelf regions. The public is encouraged to attend and participate in learning about ongoing research programming.
e-DNA: A single sample for a million questions
TBD | Private Meeting
Environmental DNA (eDNA) is rapidly gaining traction in biomonitoring research in Alaska. At this time, eDNA is most commonly used by state and federal agencies, with very few publicly available training opportunities for groups like tribal entities. To address this knowledge gap, the southwest eDNA working group made up of researchers from the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), Ivanoff Bay Tribe, and Aleut Community of St. Paul Island will host a day-long, invite-based interactive eDNA workshop in Anchorage, Alaska. The objective of this workshop is to provide hands-on training for various field and laboratory techniques commonly used in eDNA science. Using an eDNA curriculum developed by SALMONg, LLC, members of the southwest eDNA working group will 1) introduce eDNA science, 2) guide attendees through hands-on field and laboratory techniques required for eDNA analyses, 3) address the nuances of eDNA data interpretation, and 4) assess communities needs relating to eDNA science.
Chugach Imaq Research Collaborative
TBD | Private Meeting
The goal of the Chugach Imaq Research Collaborative (CIRC) is to build a better collaborative foundation for co-producing science used to support co-management of marine mammals and ecosystems in the Chugach Region. CIRC, which was formed in 2024, includes members from the National Park Service, NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Marine Mammal Commission, Indigenous Sentinels Network, and other regional and local partners, such as the Native Village of Eyak. This workshop will build on CIRC's inaugural meeting, which was held in Cordova in September, bring together additional partners, and help make key steps to furthering CIRC's goals.