Radford University
Alaska Geophysics
Arctic Adventures
Imagine spending up to two weeks in the northernmost town in the United States, where wind-chilled temperatures can reach -50 degrees Fahrenheit and aurora borealis dance across the sky.
Rhett Herman, Ph.D., professor of physics and adjunct professor of geology, offers students the opportunity to conduct research in Utqiagvik, Alaska.
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Once every two years, a group of Radford University students and a handful of high school students from the Southwest Virginia Governor's School brave bone-rattling temperatures and shivery Arctic winds at Utqiagvik, Alaska, all in the name of science. Application for 2026 coming soon!
After a voyage of more than 3,500 miles, Radford University students arrived in Alaska to brave chilling temperatures and shivery arctic winds, with a purpose of continuing a legacy of more than a dozen years of Radford University research into Arctic sea ice.
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Utqiagvik, Alaska, is the northernmost city in the United States. Located 320 miles north of the Arctic Circle, the town sees average high temperatures in March of -6 degrees Fahrenheit. No roads connect Barrow to the rest of Alaska. Visitors must fly in or arrive by boat in the summer.
Radford University has conducted research in Utqiagvik, Alaska for over 10 years with Rhett Herman, Ph.D. Check out the researchers in action on past trips, including information about what they studied, equipment they used and photography of everyday life in the arctic.
A Cool Head in the Arctic
The preparation all leads to one trip, more than 300 miles above the Arctic Circle, to the farthest northern point of the United States, in Utqiaġvik, (formerly known as Barrow) Alaska.
Experiences like these make Radford University a leader in innovative research, giving students opportunities they never imagined possible.
