Alaska's growing aerospace industry.

• Author: Jackinsky, McKibben
• Position: Industry Overview

From educating our children to taking on national defense projects, Alaska has its eyes focused on the space frontier.

Alaska's mysteries have attracted people for centuries. About 100 years ago, the precious gold of the hills and streams brought hordes of people north. Now the brilliant stars in the northern sky are inspiring us to launch our pioneering spirit at the space frontier as related opportunities increasingly appear through education, research, commercial and national defense arenas.

Alaska Science Explained

Encouraging the curiosity of the state's younger citizens leads the charge to explore, understand and discover ways to use our expanding knowledge of the sky above.

Neal Brown, of Alaska Science Explained (alaskascience.com), instructs educators on how to teach science, specifically space-related science. Beginning his career as a research engineer for NASA in 1961, Brown later served as supervisor, then director at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Poker Flat Research Range (1971 through 1989). Retiring after 21 years with UAF, he spent two summers organizing a space camp for middle school-aged students. However, he found that educating teachers maximized his efforts. Now he offers three sessions each summer with continuing education credits available through UAF. Teachers learn about the aurora borealis, mapping- and participate in building and actually launching a rocket.

Alaska Space Grant Program

Alaska Space Grant Program, begun at UAF in 1991 as part of NASA's National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program, encompasses all age levels. Under Director Joe Hawkins' leadership, ASGP's K-12 outreach program offers teachers and students a newsletter (The Pioneer), an annual gathering of science teachers, and a Web site (www.uaf.edu/asgp) providing access to ASGP's Alaska Teachers Resource Manual and a "listservice" to encourage interaction 'among Alaskan teachers. ASGP also coordinates UAF, University of Alaska Anchorage, University of Alaska Southeast and Alaska Pacific University's space-related programs. Interest in ASGP's Student Rocket Program has spread beyond United States boundaries. During 1999, Hawkins will travel to three Japanese universities to share what the program offers.

Alaska Science and Technology Foundation

Alaska Science and Technology Foundation, a state agency created in 1988, focuses on financial investments that improve Alaska's economy and increase the state's science and engineering...