Alaska Research Accommodation Infrastructure Project

The Alaska Research Accommodation Infrastructure Project will expand research infrastructure at the Sitka Sound Science Center (SSSC), a nonprofit field station located in Southeast Alaska on the outer coast of the eastern Gulf of Alaska and adjacent to the Tongass National Forest. The project will construct modern, safe, and reliable lodging facilities for visiting researchers, students, and postdoctoral scholars conducting marine, terrestrial, geoscience, and social science research in this remote region. Limited housing availability in Sitka, particularly during peak summer field seasons, currently constrains scientific access, collaboration, and long-term research efforts. By improving accommodations for visiting scientists and partners, the project will strengthen the nation’s capacity to conduct research on globally significant issues including marine ecosystem change, landslide hazards, forest dynamics, fisheries productivity, and community resilience in Arctic and sub-Arctic environments. The project will also support stronger partnerships among researchers, Tribal governments, and rural communities in Alaska by enabling longer-term engagement and co-production of research activities. Enhanced infrastructure will broaden participation in STEM research and education through established SSSC public engagement programs including Scientists in the Schools, Sitka WhaleFest, public seminars, radio programming, and scientist-in-residency programs. The project advances the national interest by supporting scientific research, workforce development, and community resilience in a rapidly changing coastal and Arctic region. The project will develop a dedicated research accommodation facility designed to support year-round scientific operations associated with NSF-supported field research and education activities in Southeast Alaska. The facility will provide housing capacity for multidisciplinary research teams conducting biological, oceanographic, environmental, geophysical, and social science investigations throughout the Gulf of Alaska and coastal rainforest ecosystems. The project will improve logistical coordination, operational efficiency, researcher safety, and continuity of field campaigns by reducing barriers associated with limited local housing infrastructure. The enhanced accommodations will support ongoing and future collaborations involving universities, federal and state agencies, Tribes and Tribal organizations, and nonprofit research institutions. The project is expected to increase access to field-based research opportunities for students and early-career scientists while strengthening the long-term research support capacity of the Sitka Sound Science Center as a regional hub for Arctic and coastal science. This project aligns with the NSF’s biotechnology priority area and it enhances the research competitiveness of an Estab­lished Program to Stim­u­late Com­pet­i­tive Research (EPSCoR) jurisdiction. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. NSF Award ID: 2537525 | Program: 01002627DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT | Principal Investigator: Arleigh Reynolds | Institution: SITKA SOUND SCIENCE CENTER INC, SITKA, AK | Award Amount: $569,271 View on NSF Award Search: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/show-award/?AWD_ID=2537525 View on Research.gov: https://www.research.gov/awardapi-service/v1/awards/2537525.html