August 30, 2022, by Alex McCarrel

The Sitka Sound Science Center welcomes Joanna Young as this month’s Scientist in Residency Fellow (SIRF)! The Science Center’s SIRF Fellowship provides four weeks for scientists to have time to work on their research and engage with a breadth of the community in a variety of ways. Dr. Young’s fellowship is funded by the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ NSF EPSCoR (National Science Foundation Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) program.

Joanna Young grew up spending summers at a family cabin perched on the Laurentide Icesheet-scoured granites of Ontario, Canada. Fascinated from an early age by science, she attended the University of British Columbia, where she obtained a Bachelor of Science in Physics and Astronomy and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy of Science. She next sought out opportunities to connect her background in Physics and her love of the outdoors and, after dabbling in a few field sciences in the Canadian Rockies, Joanna found glaciology, which brought her north to Alaska.

Joanna obtained both her Masters and PhD in Geophysics from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and now works in UAF’s International Arctic Research Center as a Postdoctoral Fellow. Her research examines recent Alaska glacier mass loss in a changing climate, using computational modeling and field observations, with a focus on understanding the consequences of glacier loss on downstream ecosystems and communities. She also serves as Director of the Alaska branch of Inspiring Girls Expeditions, free science, art and outdoor experiences for high school girls and gender-expansive youth. While in Sitka, Joanna is excited to explore how glaciers influenced the local landscape, as well as the impacts left behind on the Sitka community. Besides the community events listed below, Joanna will connect with Sitka High School students, leading them on outdoor excursions learning scientific questioning and observation skills!

Mark Your Calendars!
• The Morning Interview – Tune into KCAW 104.7 FM on Wednesday September 7th @ 8:15 AM
• Natural History Seminar w/ Kitty LaBounty – In partnership with the University of Alaska Southeast, a virtual seminar about Joanna’s research studying glaciers (Zoom registration info TBA) on Wednesday September 21st @ 7:00 PM
• Community Hike with a Glaciologist – Join Joanna Young on a community hike to learn about how glaciers shaped Sitka’s landscape on Saturday, September 24th @ 9:00 AM (Location TBA)

Follow @sitkascience or email Alex McCarrel at amccarrel@sitkascience.org for more information. Joanna can be reached directly at 907-474-7148 or email her at jcyoung6@alaska.edu