The leader of the nation’s top scientific research organization will visit Utqiaġvik, Alaska, to highlight important research taking place at the northernmost city in the country, in a region of the world that is warming three to four times as fast as the global average.  

Dr. Asmeret Asefaw Berhe is the first Earth scientist to lead the Office of Science in the Department of Energy (DOE). Her focus during the trip will be to meet with researchers, staff, and residents, and listen and learn about current research projects. Dr. Erin Whitney, the first permanent director of the Arctic Energy Office at the Department of Energy, will be accompanying her. 

In the Arctic, the advancement of the scientific understanding of Arctic challenges is coordinated with the local community under the umbrella of the Arctic Energy Office. The DOE has put together a strategy to guide responses to climate change in the Arctic, working closely with communities and stakeholders in the region on research priorities. 

 Alaska has significant renewable resources, including some of the highest hydroelectric power potential in the U.S., in addition to wind, solar, biomass, and geothermal resources, amongst others. The DOE is working to advance the decarbonization, resilience, and equity of the Arctic energy sector and the broader economy.  

Director Berhe will be in Utqiaġvik to see critically important climate research from the Department of Energy (DOE) at NGEE Arctic and the Atmospheric Research Measurement Scientific User Facility’s fixed instrument deployment at the North Slope of Alaska site.  This Office of Science-funded research in remote locations across the U.S. like these ones, (as well as our research stations internationally) helps improve our global understanding of climate change and community impacts, including impacts on residents in Utqiaġvik. While in Alaska, Dr. Berhe will visit the UIC Science Center, the Barrow Arctic Research Center and Environmental Observatory, and speak with community leaders in the region. 

WHO: Dr. Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, Director of DOE’s Office of Science 

WHEN: September 20 and 21 

WHERE: Utqiagvik, Alaska