November 4, 2025

Research, workforce development and economic growth news stories and other feature articles from the University of Alaska Anchorage, University of Alaska Fairbanks, University of Alaska Southeast, University of Alaska System Office and the UA Foundation. Compiled by the University of Alaska System Office of Public Affairs.

University of Alaska Anchorage

Arctic-born AI startup Arcnito leads a field of nine innovators tackling Alaska’s challenges

Alaska just proved it’s not waiting for innovation to arrive; it’s creating it. The Alaska Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at the University of Alaska Anchorage, in partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and PREDICTif Solutions, hosted the state’s first-ever virtual AI Pitch Showcase on October 1 as part of Alaska Entrepreneurship Week, and the results were electric.

Contact: Katie Bender

In Arctic Soils, Methane-Eating Microbes Just Might Win Out over Methane Makers

Microbes in the layers of soil just above the frozen permafrost metabolize carbon, turning it into carbon dioxide and methane, a far more potent greenhouse gas. As these soils warm, more carbon is being unlocked, potentially setting in motion a warming feedback loop sometimes nicknamed the “methane bomb.” Now, new research on the microbial denizens of Arctic soils indicates that such a vicious cycle may not be inevitable.

Contact: Katie Bender

University of Alaska Fairbanks

Walrus management in a changing Arctic

Podcast episode for 10/9/25: An Indigenous anthropologist is embarking on a years-long process to document how Alaska Native hunters are changing their hunting patterns in the face of climate change. To complicate things, the war in Ukraine is preventing Native researchers from sharing information with their counterparts in Russia, which plays a role in the overall health of walrus herds. 

Contact: Marmian Grimes

Greenland radars vulnerable to hypersonic missiles, critics warn

Since the early days of the Cold War, the early warning radars on Greenland have been a linchpin for defending North America against nuclear attack by intercontinental ballistic missiles.

“The U.S. does not have a standing integrated air and missile defense shooter layer in Greenland today,” Troy Bouffard, director of the Center for Arctic Security and Resilience at the University of Alaska, told Defense News.

Contact: Marmian Grimes

University of Alaska Southeast

Mendenhall Glacier is pulling its icy toe from the lake it created

In the near future, Juneau’s Mendenhall Glacier will withdraw its icy toe from the lake of its making, scientists say.

“The lake is about to not have a glacier in it,” said hydrologist Eran Hood of the University of Alaska Southeast in Juneau. “Within the next few years is my guess.”

Contact: Sal Hertz

UAS to offer in-state tuition for all

The University of Alaska Southeast announced last week that it will offer in-state tuition to all undergraduate students starting fall 2026. UAS said the Alaska Unlocked initiative aims to make the school “more financially accessible to students who currently don’t live in the state.”

Contact: Sal Hertz

UA System Office

UArctic appoints Larry Hinzman as new Vice President-International Polar Year

Larry Hinzman currently serves as the President’s Arctic Professor for the University of Alaska Fairbanks and as lead of the University of Alaska Arctic Leadership Initiative. He also served in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy as the Assistant Director for Polar Sciences and the Executive Director of the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee.

Contact: Jonathon Taylor