TODAY: UAA STEM Talk: Wildfires with Dr. Jen Schmidt & Dr. Micah Hahn

Join us Wednesday, March 31, at 6 p.m. for another virtual presentation in our series of UAA STEM Talks featuring UAA scientists. This week features Dr. Jen Schmidt and Dr. Micah Hahn who will be talking about wildfires. A live Q&A will be available for our Zoom and Facebook audience.

Living with Wildfire (Dr. Jen Schmidt)
In Alaska wildfire is part of the natural environment with many benefits, but for residents of Alaska it come a bit too close to home. Fortunately, there are actions residents and communities can take to reduce your wildfire risk. In 2019 several wildfires burned throughout Alaska and from this experience we can learn a lot about living with wildfire and how to not get burned.

Using public health science to learn how wildfires affect human health in Alaska (Dr. Micah Hahn)
Many environmental changes that are occurring due to climate change have impacts on human health. In Alaska, the frequency and size of wildfires is increasing, like much of the western U.S. In this webinar, Dr. Micah Hahn will share an overview of the health impacts of climate change and describe how we can use public health science to learn how wildfires are affecting the health of Alaska communities. Together we will learn about key questions that Alaska communities are trying to answer as they adapt

Wednesday, March 31, 6 p.m.

Dr. Jen Schmidt
Jen Schmidt is an assistant research professor of natural resource management and policy at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Her work focuses on issues that involve both people and the environment such as hunting, fishing, wildfire, and food, water and energy security.

Dr. Micah Hahn
Dr. Micah Hahn is an Assistant professor of Environmental Health within the UAA Institute for Circumpolar Health Studies. Her work focuses on understanding the health impacts of climate change and working with communities to develop locally-relevant adaptation and resilience-building strategies. In order to address community needs, Dr. Hahn’s prior work has addressed vector-borne diseases, air quality, wildfires, food security, safe transportation, and energy use. Prior to joining UAA, she was an epidemiologist at the Centers for the Disease Control and Prevention Climate and Health Program. Micah received her joint PhD in Epidemiology / Environment and Resources from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her MPH in Global Environmental Health from Emory University. Outside of the research world, Micah can be found running mountain trails or exploring Alaska by packraft.

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STEM Talks will continue every other Wednesday through spring 2021. View the upcoming UAA STEM Talks schedule.

March Archive