In The News
BLaST Scholar attends the Arctic Circle Assembly
By Amy Topkok
In an article posted by the University of Alaska, Fairbanks’ “UAF News and Information” website, BLaST Scholar Michelle Ramirez talks about her international experiences as a climate activist. Ramirez is a third year undergraduate at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and a UAF Climate Scholar. Ramirez is majoring in biology and she hopes to use her experience as a climate scholar to continue her advocacy work while working on research.
“Not many people get the privilege to sit on stage with other amazing young people, to tell influential people to include youth in the decisions that they make for our communities. I would say this work isn't something I am doing because I want a career in this field. This work comes from the passion to care about my future, community, and next generations that will deal with the consequential decisions about climate change. We already are being impacted by these changes, and so we as youth need to advocate for our voices. What I have learned from all these amazing experiences is that we can come from many different disciplines, cultures, and interests, yet have the same goal to find solutions for our community. Whether it be coming together to share stories and music, or presenting in front of a conference about new findings on wildfires, we all contribute to helping. In all, my future plans of either veterinary school or research are rooted in this care for the community and interconnectedness that we all share,” Ramirez said.
Read the full story, “Climate Scholar participates in youth panel at Arctic Circle Assembly” on the UAF News and Information website.
Michelle Ramirez speaks on a youth-focused panel at the Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavik, Iceland, in October 2023.
BLaST Scholar writes about satellites and snowfall in CIOCES Magazine feature
By Amy Topkok
BLaST Scholar and third-year undergraduate student Grace Veenstra has developed a passion for sharing research through her own style of writing. She’s been working at the Geographic Information Network of Alaska where she was able to interview several people about the research there. Check out her article “Satellites and Snowfall,” in the University of Washington’s CIOCES Magazine December 2023 issue (pgs. 46 - 50).
The Diversity Program Consortium Coordination and Evaluation Center at UCLA is supported by Office of the Director of the National Institutes of Health / National Institutes of General Medical Sciences under award number U54GM119024.
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