Snow in Science, Culture, and Climate

Trip Reports

June 27 & August 05, 2022 Outreach with ANSEP Acceleration High School

Between both outreach events, Our Winter World was able to reach 42 high school students from all across Alaska, 8 staff, and 3 other visitors of Byron Glacier area. Students mentioned that they were coming from Utqiagvik, Bristol Bay, Denali, Dillingham, Bethel, among other regions. We initially engaged students with a Kahoot (mobile phone trivia quiz game) about facts regarding snow, avalanches, glaciers and more. We introduced current projects related to Our Winter World, discussed field methods, and relevant snow concepts including but not limited to: snow formation, crystal types, albedo, how snow keeps the earth cool, how snow forms glaciers, snow water equivalent, and why calculating snow depth matters (and uses for the magnaprobe). Once at Byron Glacier, we worked in the remainder of snow that has fallen from an Avalanche. We allowed students to look at snow using hand lenses, had students dig and learn with snow pits, practice taking snow cores with snow water equivalent, and calculate snow depth using avalanche probes and a GPS Snow Depth Probe “Magnaprobe”, and more. 

May 19, 2022 – Snow Ice Permafrost Group Booth at University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute Open House

The Geophysical Institute hosted an open house that was available to the public, and Our Winter World was able to be a part of the Snow-Ice-Permafrost Group’s table. We engaged with visitors and they were able to learn more about Our Winter World and participate in a variety of small-scaled activities that were hosted at the group’s booth.

April 11, 2022 – Fairbanks Folk School

  • Outreach occurred at Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge
  • Worked with approximately 15-20 adults (all ages) from throughout the Fairbanks North Slope Borough area 
  • Highlighted both small COSI and large Alaska snow kits and explained what we were doing with them
    • Discussed the ideas of snowflake structure, snow insulation, and walking on snow as relevant to the COSI kit
  • Activities included: 
    • Investigating snow on the ground: Snow pit study 
    • Observing Snowflakes 
    • Feet and Float: Exploring animal adaptation for life in the snow
    • Avalanche! Investigating snowpack dynamics and snow safety 
    • Albedo experiment: Investigating an optical property of snow 
    • Discussing the thermokarst lakes and the “drunken forest” nearby

April 14 , 2022 – North Slope Borough Department of Wildlife Management, Utqiagvik, AK

Worked directly with outreach coordinator and biologist where we showcased and distributed COSI Connect Snow Kits and worked through activities with their outreach coordinator. Activities included: Observing & preserving snowflakes, Paper snowflakes, Water & ice: Investigating density through melting and freezing, Water & ice: Density and molecular structure, Investigating snow on the ground: Snow pit study, How much water is in snow? Snow Density and Snow Water Equivalent, Percolation: Water pathways within the snowpack, Insulation experiment: Investigating a thermal property of snow, Albedo experiment: Investigating an optical property of snow, Feet and Float: Exploring an animal adaptation for life in the snow.

March 2022 – COSI Connects Kit Rollout, Iditarod Teacher on the Trail partnership and ADMA Race Booth 

Our Winter World and COSI partnered with the Iditarod and their Teacher on the Trail Jim DePrez to rollout our initial batch of snow kits, as well as hosting a community booth in Fairbanks with the Alaska Dog Mushers Association during a local dog mushing race where we began collecting snow kit requests from the community and provided information regarding Our Winter World.

February 1, 2022 – OMSI Snow: Tiny Crystals, Global Impact

Our Winter World team spoke during a press event and we had an informational display booth for the public during the Snow: Tiny Crystals, Global Impact museum exhibit grand opening. We highlighted the entirety of the COSI Connects Snow Kit and Our Winter World’s large rural Alaska Kits an gave a presentation to OMSI Museum Educators highlighting both the COSI Connects kits and the large rural Alaska snow kits. 

About OMSI Snow: Tiny Crystals, Global Impact Museum Exhibit

GI Article regarding the Snow: Tiny Crystals, Global Impact grand opening

December 15, 2021 – Campbell Creek Science Center

Worked with approximately 7 educators at the Campbell Creek Science Center 

  • Outreach included: 
    • Explained our progress regarding the COSI Connect Kits that were in progress, and tested activities
    • Observing and preserving snowflakes
    • Investigating snow on the ground: Snow pit Study
    • Percolation: Water pathways within the snowpack 
    • Albedo Experiment: Investigating an optical property of snow  
    • Water & Ice: Density & Molecular Structure
    • Feet and Float: Exploring animal adaptation for life in the snow

December 14, 2021 – ANSEP Acceleration Academy High School Career Explorations

Group included approximately 30 high school aged students plus ANSEP staff. 

Outreach included:

    • Avalanche! Investigating snowpack dynamics and snow safety 
    • A powerpoint presentation about Snow Science + Careers (as requested by ANSEP for high school students to explore various career opportunities)
    • History of the eyed needle 
    • Snow-proof Clothing Activity 
    • Observing Snowflakes 
    • Investigating snow on the ground: Snow Pit Study 
    • Percolation: Water pathways within the snowpack 
    • Albedo Experiment: Investigating an optical property of snow  
    • How much water is in snow? Snow Density and Snow Water Equivalent

Tanacross and Tok, February 2020

Students at Tanacross School investigate a snow pit with snow scientist Matthew Sturm in February 2020. Photo by Our Winter World project team.

The Our Winter World team was delighted to be invited to visit the village of Tanacross on February 24th and 25th, 2020. During two days in Tanacross School, which enrolled 11 kindergarten through 12th grade students at the time of our visit, we used scientific tools to dig and analyze snow pits, took aerial photographs with a camera mounted on a weather balloon, investigated avalanche dynamics and snow movement patterns through simple experiments, and searched for snow features and animal tracks near the school during a scavenger walk on snowshoes.

On the 25th, we hosted a community science night at the school. More than forty people attended the event, which featured snow-related displays and activities, dinner, door prizes, and an opportunity to share snow-related stories and knowledge with each other. We are grateful to the teachers and staff of Tanacross School and the residents of Tanacross for welcoming us to their community.

We were fortunate to have the opportunity to visit the school in nearby Tok, Alaska on February 26th. We worked with students ranging from kindergarten through 8th grade, using scientific tools to study snow layers and their characteristics, learning about avalanches through hands-on experiments, going on winter scavenger hunts, and more. We appreciate the administrators and teachers who made time for us in their busy schedules.

Denali Winterfest, February 2020

On Saturday, February 22, Our Winter World made its 2020 debut at Denali National Park and Preserve’s Winterfest event. Physics professor Matthew Sturm and PhD student Anika Pinzner introduced visitors to snowpack layers, their characteristics, and connections to weather and wildlife habitat during outdoor field sessions. The team’s indoor displays included a model of different snow layers, photographs of snow features, a craft station, and snow-related artifacts, including snowshoes worn by mountaineer Bradford Washburn during his ascent of Denali (Mt. McKinley) in 1947, from the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Museum of the North. We had a great time exploring snow and celebrating winter with visitors from Alaska and beyond!