Katie Gavenus, our Education and Outreach Coordinator, has been successful in securing funding for a new project titled PhytoCLAS (Culture, Language, Art, and Science). This is a North Pacific Research Board funded project learning about phytoplankton in the Gulf of Alaska through culture, language, art, and science. There are two complementary components to this project: (1) working with local language speakers to highlight or develop local Native words for plankton and (2) creating opportunities for youth in coastal communities around the Northern Gulf of Alaska to learn about phytoplankton through outdoor sampling, microscope labs, art, presentations, and language.

We are looking forward to working with a variety of partners on this project, including the Alutiiq Museum and Archaeological Repository and Chugachmiut Heritage Preservation Program, as well as school districts, youth groups, and informal learning programs from Kodiak Island to Cordova!