Every year in Fairbanks summer goes out in a blaze at Starvation Gulch. In a long-standing tradition, giant structures made of pallets and plywood are constructed by various departments and student organizations across campus and set alight to kick off the school year and herald the coming winter. 

University of Alaska Fairbanks Interim Chancellor Mike Sfraga delivered a message of progress and purpose Tuesday, Sept. 9 during the 2025 convocation, praising the university community for its resilience and outlining ambitious goals for UAF’s future.

On Sept. 6, the Large Animal Research Station, or LARS, concluded its summer tour season with Locals Day, a community oriented event giving people the opportunity to spend time around reindeer and musk ox, learn about Alaska's fauna, and help to raise funds for the station's continued operation.

From May to August in the University of Alaska Fairbanks Georgeson Botanical Gardens, local music artists gather to celebrate music and family fun.

Despite steady rain over the weekend, mushroom enthusiasts, families, mycologists, and artists gathered at Ester Community Park on Sunday for the Fairbanks Fungi Festival, an annual celebration of the vibrant and varied fungi that thrive in Alaska’s boreal forests.

Earlier this summer, Interior Alaska wildfires were so widespread, Fairbanks resident Nettie La Belle-Hamer had to prepare a go-box in case the flames encroached too closely on her home.

Navigating the world of Financial Aid can be a daunting task for students of all backgrounds. Staying up to date with available programs and resources is vital in times where the landscape of educational funding is shifting.

As the University of Alaska prepares for the start of the 2025-26 school year, interim chancellors will be at the helm of two of its flagship campuses.

Cheryl Siemers, University of Alaska Anchorage interim chancellor, and Mike Sfraga, University of Alaska Fairbanks interim chancellor, are both looking to the future.

Hundreds of people gathered in downtown Fairbanks on Thursday, August 14, in protest of Friday's upcoming visit to Alaska by U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The demonstration, marked by music, handmade signs, and passionate people, sent a clear message: these politicians are not welcome in Alaska.

Story previously published in Anchorage Daily News.
The Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program at the University of Alaska has brought on a trailblazing engineering educator in a key leadership role at a time when the program is navigating significant changes prompted by federal policy shifts.

Michele Yatchmeneff became the chief operating officer of ANSEP on May 13. Just days earlier on May 2, the National Science Foundation, under the Trump administration, terminated the Louis Stokes for Minorities grant, which ANSEP has been receiving since 2001.

After decades working in Arctic policy and maintaining deep ties to the University of Alaska Fairbanks, or UAF, Dr. Mike Sfraga has stepped into the role of interim chancellor. His appointment officially began July 28 following Chancellor Dan White’s retirement after more than 30 years with the university.

University of Alaska Fairbanks Chancellor Daniel White announced he will be retiring from his position as Chancellor, with his last day being July 26, 2026. White is the third member within the University of Alaska administration to announce his retirement; the first two were University of Alaska Anchorage Chancellor Sean Parnell and UAF Provost Anupma Prakash.

Hundreds gathered across Fairbanks from Wilbur Street to Peger Road to peacefully protest government leadership amid Alaska’s first-ever heat advisory, with temps expected to hit up to 85 degrees, marking the city’s participation in the nationwide “No Kings Day” movement. There were approximately 2,000 protest locations across the U.S., according to the No Kings organization.

The steel-sided armory in Shaktoolik buzzes with action. At mile 908 of this year’s lengthened Iditarod course, the three people in charge of the checkpoint gather in the back room,, which used to house a massive Cold War-era compostable toilet. 

A University of Alaska Fairbanks engineering program launched in Autumn 2024 is expanding its offering to welcome more students in the fall 2025 semester.

University of Alaska Fairbanks engineering student, Micah VanderHart, who is researching highly efficient insulation, placed among the top nine at a recent regional thesis competition.