UA Newswire January 13, 2026

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January 13, 2026

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

Alaska permafrost research just yielded a critical discovery

In the Alaskan Arctic, a quiet revolution in permafrost science is rewriting what we thought we knew about frozen ground and the climate risks locked inside it...

Contact: Katie Bender

an overhead view down on a river in Denali National Park One of the most visible signs that permafrost thaw has crossed a new threshold is the sudden transformation of clear Arctic streams.

Two Young Climbers Begin Winter Attempt on McKinley

Lane Christenson and Dalton Borton of the U.S. will spend a lonely Christmas on the flanks of 6,190m Mt. McKinley. The young pair, 22 and 20 respectively, flew two days ago to the Kahiltna Glacier for a winter attempt on the highest peak in North America...

Contact: Katie Bender

Alaska's holiday price divide: One meal, two very different costs

Mike Jones is an economist with the University of Alaska Anchorage’s Institute of Social and Economic Research, whose work focuses on food systems and security. He was interested in the cost difference of a holiday meal between Anchorage and rural Alaska...

Contact: Katie Bender

University of Alaska Fairbanks

Scientists Find Youngest Mammoth Bones on Record—Except They Were Whales

For seventy years, two sets of bones in a University of Alaska museum were believed to be the last remains of the woolly mammoth. And not just any woolly mammoth, either. A young one...

Contact: Marmian Grimes

two scientists in lab coats sit behind mammoth tusks Then, in 2022, researchers ran radiocarbon tests, which spit out dates between 1,900 and 2,700 years old. That’s way too recent for local mammoths, which died out around 13,000 years ago.

The U.S. already has leverage in Greenland, so why is Trump escalating? Experts weigh in

Troy Bouffard, an assistant professor of Arctic Security in the College of Business and Security Management (CBSM) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, said Trump’s business mindset is key to understanding his approach to foreign policy, where threats aren’t necessarily meant to be real, but allow Trump to escalate publicly before settling for a deal he can promote as a win.

Contact: Marmian Grimes

Mitchell Hamline expands access to legal education through 3+3 partnerships

In Alaska last fall, Mitchell Hamline President and Dean Camille Davidson formally signed a 3+3 partnership agreement with University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), increasing access to legal education in the only state without a law school...

Contact: Marmian Grimes

University of Alaska Southeast

Rasmuson Foundation announces the 2025 Individual Artist Awardees

Twitchell, a multi-media artist and writer, will complete a novel centered on a family trying to survive in a violent colonial world while supporting each other. He will build out a peer network to gain feedback and develop a publishing plan once the novel is near completion.

Contact: Sal Hertz

a man with black hair pulled back UAS professor X̱ 'unei Lance Twitchell

Sustainable Alaska: Skiing on the edge

One thing that unites Juneauites even more than talking and/or complaining about the weather is our goldfish-like memory when it comes to said weather...

Contact: Sal Hertz

UAS Applied Fisheries program offers new class on Alaska aquaculture

Angie Bowers, assistant professor in applied fisheries at UAS, and Brenna Haakinson, mariculture education coordinator with UAS/Sitka Sound Science Center, joined the Morning Interview to discuss the applied fisheries program.

Contact: Sal Hertz

UA System Office

State could gain 3,000 jobs in 2026, led by oil, gas, health care

Alaska could add 3,000 jobs in 2026, with most of them coming from oil and gas, health care, and construction and transportation industries, according to a report from state economists...

Contact: Jonathon Taylor

a girl stands in front of a grinder “Alignment of state and federal leadership means potential for major moves in Alaska’s mining and oil and gas development,” Economist Karinne Wiebold wrote in her report for the Labor Department’s Trends publication.

Disasters, dividends and deficit: Alaska governor unveils first-draft state budget

The governor’s $7.75 billion draft budget is similar to what he proposed last year, but this year’s proposal also includes a substantial supplemental budget intended to compensate for unforeseen costs in the current state budget...

Contact: Jonathon Taylor

UA seeks new president

The University of Alaska announced that the university system began recruiting and accepting applications for a new president on Jan. 6...

Contact: Jonathon Taylor

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The University of Alaska is an equal opportunity/equal access employer and educational institution. The university is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination against individuals on the basis of any legally protected status.