Listening to Alaska

Field Notes to Fulldome Series Premiere

The UAF Geophysical Institute and the Walt & Marita Babula Planetarium are thrilled to present the Field Notes to Fulldome series as the public premiere of Listening to Alaska, a fulldome production from the UAF Geophysical Institute. This premiere will kick off with a more than just a screening of the film. Go beyond the film in this five-part planetarium series pairing Listening to Alaska with live talks from scientists and researchers studying Alaska’s aurora, earthquakes, fossils, permafrost, climate, archaeology, and cultural history.

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE UA MUSEUM OF THE NORTH FRONT DESK

$16 adults

$12 youth (17 & under) / UA faculty, staff, and students

$8 UA Museum members

Seating is first-come. Doors open at 6:30 PM for each event. Enter through main museum entrance. The rest of the museum will be closed during these events. 

Title for Listening to Alaska: Field Notes to Fulldome

Listening to Alaska: Field Notes to Fulldome Series

 

  • Oct7

    Seismology

      Babula Planetarium
      7:00 PM
    with Michael West (Alaska State Seismologist)

  • Oct28

    Permafrost

      Babula Planetarium
      7:00 PM
    with Dmitry Nikolsky (UAF Asst Professor of Cryospheric Science) & Colby Wright (Research Engineer, Geophysical Institute Permafrost Lab)

  • Nov4

    Paleontology

      Babula Planetarium
      7:00 PM
    with Patrick Druckenmiller (UAMN Director, Curator of Earth Sciences)

  • Nov11

    Archaeology/Ethnology & Bus 142

      Babula Planetarium
      7:00 PM
    with Angela Linn (UAMN Senior Collections Manager, Ethnology & History) & Josh Reuther (UAMN Curator of Archaeology, Assc Professor of Anthropology)

About the Film

Alaska has a lot to say. Are you listening?

Alaska is always speaking. Through the aurora overhead, earthquakes beneath our feet, ancient bones frozen in permafrost, and landscapes reshaped by a changing climate. Listening to Alaska follows scientists, engineers, archaeologists, and students across the state as they use cutting-edge tools and careful observation to understand the forces shaping this remarkable place. From rocket launches at Poker Flat Research Range to seismic stations, Ice Age discoveries, archaeological fieldwork, and research along the Arctic coast, the 18-minute film reveals how listening closely to Alaska can help us understand its past, respond to its present, and prepare for its future.

Listening to the Sky

Fulldome image of a rocket launching into the aurora at Poker Flat Research Range
At Poker Flat Research Range north of Fairbanks, scientists wait for just the right aurora to launch sounding rockets into the night sky. Carrying specialized instruments, these rockets help researchers investigate the particles, electric fields, and magnetic forces behind the northern lights turning one of Alaska’s most spectacular sights into a window on the space environment above us.

Listening to the Earth

Patrick Druckenmiller and Roy Hessner talking in the Permafrost Tunnel in Fairbanks, Alaska
Across a state alive with geological activity, scientists use networks of seismometers to detect earthquakes, landslides, volcanic activity, and other hazards. Deep below Fairbanks, researchers also explore a permafrost tunnel preserving tens of thousands of years of history, where the remains of mammoths, steppe bison, and other Ice Age animals still emerge from the frozen ground.

Listening to the Past

Josh Reuther and Gerad Smith at an archeological dig in Interior Alaska
At archaeological sites in Interior Alaska, researchers and students uncover stone tools, bone, hearths, and other traces of people who lived on these lands centuries and millennia ago. Their work is not simply about discovering artifacts, but about approaching the past with respect and recognizing the enduring connections between archaeological materials, Alaska Native communities, and the people whose ancestors shaped these landscapes.

Listening for the Future

Fulldome image of a house on stilts at Point Lay, Alaska
Along Alaska’s Arctic coast, the ground itself is changing. Scientists combine temperature sensors, weather observations, drones, and detailed 3D mapping to track thawing permafrost, erosion, storms, and shifting landscapes around communities such as Point Lay. Together, these stories show how careful observation can reveal both enormous challenges and new possibilities.