At the 2026 Winter Carnival, students and staff played in the snow and ice, reveled in sporty and extreme experiences with friends, and got crafty while fresh tunes were spun by a live DJ. There was lots of hot cocoa, s’mores, and smiles over the three-day event. 

Graduate students and faculty filled The Pub at the University of Alaska Fairbanks on Friday the 13 for an evening of original poetry, fiction and nonfiction during the Valentine’s Day-themed Graduate Student Literary Recital.

Valentine’s day is one day out of the year that everyone gets to celebrate the people they love and it often leaves out all the people who don’t have a commitment like that. Enter Buddy or Boo speed dating.

First Friday, a long standing Fairbanks monthly tradition and celebration of local art, is here and along with it the chance to see some art from local artists including Stephanie Jane Barney. Various places around town opened for the first Friday, including the Bear Gallery.

The University of Alaska Fairbanks Honors College hosted an intimate event, offering opportunities to students from staff and faculty members across different departments, who were given one minute to present their proposals, making it possible for more speakers to attend and share their research projects with students who would like to be involved in their research. While the event was offered to honors students, all were welcome to attend and find research opportunities that align with their interests.

The University of Alaska Museum of the North offered a chance on Saturday for family and friends to come and get a chance to look at what happens behind the curtains.

Starting at noon, visitors had the opportunity to visit the usual museum exhibits and from there take a tour to the lab spaces where all the magic happens. The behind the scenes tours usually run for 10 dollars a person on Tuesdays and Fridays, but for this special occasion, the tour was free for all.

On a night shaped by winter’s darkness, the Schaible Auditorium became a place of shared attention as 28 poets took part in the annual Solstice Poetry Cycle. Local poets flooded the auditorium with a stream of their work reflecting love, grief, humor, memory and everyday life, presented by the Midnight Sun Visiting Writers Series.

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. and his legacy of civil rights activism and coalition building, the University of Alaska Fairbanks hosted a celebratory event Saturday led by the MLK Jr. Foundation of Fairbanks. The event reflected on King’s life and the continuing process of realizing his hopes and ideals for the nation.

The dark, cold days of Alaskan winters often make everyone want to crawl back in bed and sleep until summer comes again. Unfortunately for us humans, that is not possible. However, for some critters, it’s normal. Winter hits and they get to go into their caves or underground systems and fall asleep. When spring brings longer, warmer days, these animals wake up and return to life above ground. 

The Greater Fairbanks Division of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or NAACP, held their 73rd anniversary banquet in the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Wood Center ballroom on December 6.

Residents in Alaska’s Kuskokwim Delta were forced to leave their homes last month as ex-Typhoon Halong brought historic flooding and damaging winds to the region, webinar presenters said. Rick Thoman, climate specialist at the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Preparedness, and Ed Plumb, weather and flood hazards specialist at Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Preparedness, shared details about the storm’s impact and forecasts.

Fairbanks North Star Borough Mayor Grier Hopkins visited the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus to speak on his experiences with issues such as housing, coalition building, and population retention and how he handles all of those responsibilities now as the elected mayor.

With the arrival of winter, Alaska will see a significant decrease in daylight and temperatures. This increase in darkness can take a toll on the mental health of Alaskan residents. While life-long Alaskans may be accustomed to the lack of daylight, many still struggle with mental health during the long, dark days of winter. 

The Alaska Behavioral Health Clinic has locations in Fairbanks and Anchorage, but it is their Fairbanks clinic that is helping to combat the seasonal mental health crisis.

Music, laughter and the beat of Zumba filled North Pole’s local gym, The Fitness Studio, as the local community gathered to celebrate the gym and its fresh new look.

The University of Alaska Fairbank’s Wood Center had a busy weekend, overrun by friends and families attending all the fun events at Pop-Con. Pop-Con is a celebration of all things pop culture hosted here at UAF and features a wide variety of vendors, tournaments, workshops, and more.

The University of Alaska Fairbanks English department hosted a Dead Poets public reading in a collaboration with SoBear lounge at the Hess Auditorium on October 30. 

Halloween night was busy, full of plenty of spooktacular events for all to attend. One new event was a laidback live show hosted by the UAF Tabletop Roleplaying Games Club.

With birch bark, flowers, mushrooms and even a burbot head in hand, students and the public gathered at the University of Alaska Fairbanks ceramics studio to watch and learn from an acclaimed professional. Visiting artist Dawn Holder gave ceramics demonstrations for two days, teaching students how to take these fragile objects and preserve their memory in clay. Holder is currently an associate professor at the Herron School of Art in Indianapolis, Illinois; her art is exhibited across the world.