Teachers
Lisa Leeper has been teaching 5th-8th grade at Anvil City Science Academy since 2002. Originally from the front range of Colorado, she has been enjoying life in Alaska for the past ten years. In preparation for her teaching career, Lisa completed the Mathematics and Science Teaching program at the University of Northern Colorado. Now at ACSA, she collaborates to integrate all subjects. Lisa enjoys being outdoors and spending time with her husband and children.
Nikki Polk has been teaching at the Nome Elementary School for four years. She moved to Alaska from Wisconsin as a project coordinator for afterschool programs in the area villages. She went back to school and earned her teaching degree from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Nikki loves engaging her students in hands-on learning projects and with the use of technology. When she is not teaching, Nikki enjoys skiing, hiking, running and fishing.
Native elder / Community member
Francis Suluk Alvanna says "Francis is my English name and Suluk is my Eskimo name. I am originally from King Island, Alaska, located 40 miles west of Cape Douglas in the Bering Sea. The Island is primarily precipitous rock, 1000 feet high and approximately 3 miles wide. My family moved to Nome in 1952 or 1953. I had 3 sisters and 3 brothers. We hunt seals and polar bears in the winter and oogruk and walrus in the early spring. Also in the winter we get bullheads and crabs. I have 7 children, 18 grandchildren and 1 great grandson."
Subject experts
Rudi Gens is a Remote Sensing Scientist at the Alaska Satellite Facility at UAF. His research specialization is in the processing and applications of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data. For the Nome participants, he organized a hands-on training on the use of recreational mode Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers for recording locations, navigating, and mapping GPS data on topographic maps, Google Earth interface, and satellite images.
Shelley Hicks works as a geologist and environmental analyst for a mining company in Nome. She is also enrolled as a graduate student at the Department of Geology and Geophysics, UAF. Her research involves geologic mapping and mineral investigations in the Solomon-Council area, Seward
Peninsula, Alaska. For the AMIDST project Shelly will work with students and teachers to ensure that geoscience content in the digital stories created by students is correctly incorported.
Martin Jeffries is a research professor at the Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, and director of the National Science Foundation's Arctic Observing Network (AON) program. He studies the interactions between climate and sea ice and lake ice, and the role of the polar regions in global change. He enjoys engaging K-12 teachers, children, and general public in his research.
Rainer Newberry
is an Economic Geology Professor at the Department of Geology and Geophysics, UAF. He works closely with the State Geological Survey creating geologic maps in Interior Alaska based on intensive field work and airborne geophysical surveys. For the AMIDST project he organized many hands-on exercises to help understand the origin, transportation, deposition and exploration of gold in Nome.
Chris Petrich is an International Polar Year Postdoctoral Fellow at UAF studying transport processes through sea ice. Supported through another education outreach project of the Geophysical Institute, UAF, he worked with the AMIDST participants in Nome to introduce the topic of influence of climate change on sea ice in the Arctic region. He involved children with hands-on activities on sea ice.
Katey Walter is a researcher with the Water and Environmental Research Center, UAF Institute of Northern Engineering. She conducts research on methane and carbon dioxide emissions from arctic and temperate lakes and wetlands. Supported through another education outreach project she took the AMIDST participants in Nome to a lake close to the school where methane gas was trapped in the bubbles in lake ice.
Technology support
Justin Heinrich was born and raised in North Dakota. He was an elementary school teacher who moved to the field of educational technology. He has been working with Nome Public Schools Technology department since 2006. His primary responsibility is to help teachers integrate technology into the classrooms and he really enjoys it because it gives him the opportunity to empower teachers and students. He also takes care of helpdesk issues at the Nome Public Schools.
Robin Johnson is the Director of Technology for Nome City Schools. She was raised in Nome and holds a BA in Child Development with an MA in Educational Technology. Of the 19 years of career as an educator in Nome, the first ten years were dedicated as a 1st and 2nd grade teacher. In the late 90s Robin became involved in educational technology and has moved through several positions over the years. She has four children and their family enjoys cooking, hiking, camping and traveling together.
