Fieldwork: Experience and Expectation

The More You Look

UAMN holds over 2.5 million objects across its 10 research and teaching collections: Earth Science, Fishes, Mammals, Archaeology, Fine Arts, Ethnology and History, Ornithology, Entomology, Documentary Film, and the Herbarium. Here, curators discuss what many might believe is the best part of the job: the fieldwork. Getting out of the office, the lab, the classroom, the compactor–and getting back into Alaska. How do the researchers plan for weeks living and working at a campsite? How do they prepare students for remote travel, and how do they manage the sometimes-harsh seasons of the north? This is the first in a multi-part series that will air at different points throughout the year.

The More You Look is a production of the UA Museum of the North, on the campus of the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the ancestral lands of the Dena people of the lower Tanana River. UAMN illuminates the natural history and cultural heritage of Alaska and the North through collections, research, education, and partnerships, and by creating a singular museum experience that honors diverse knowledge and respect for the land and its peoples.