In the Media
Check out these articles and podcasts about the history and evolution of education and research on the Juneau Icefield, and the character development that happens on JIRP.
If you’re an alumni and publishing an article, blog post, academic paper, film, or other reflective piece on JIRP, let us know! We would love to feature you on this page.
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In Search
BY ELIZABETH WEINBERG, JANUARY 2025
2024 Teaching Faculty Elizabeth Weinberg wrote a beautiful essay about teaching, climate grief, and the resilience of life in the midst of the Juneau Icefield Icefield. Their essay was published in January 2025 edition of the Portland-based Buckman Journal.
Congratulations Liz, and thank you for featuring JIRP!
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Amidst the glaciers of Tlingit territories, women are ‘holding the embers’ of their language
BY MIKE GRAEME, AUGUST 2024
‘When you’re able to bring the language back to a space where it hasn’t been spoken in a long time, it’s very humbling,’ says organizer of immersion trip
In 2024, The Children Of The Taku Society (COTTS) held a Tlingit language immersion camp at Camp 18 on the Juneau Icefield. They spent 3 days immersed in their language as part of an ongoing effort to revitalize the Tlingit language. JIRP provided logistical support for the camp.
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The Icefield: An Expedition Memoir
BY CAROLINE WEXLER, SEPTEMBER 2023
2022 Student Caroline Wexler created a documentary about her experience on the Icefield. Her film, which covers the entire student traverse from Orientation week to departing Atlin, is filled with beautiful Icefield shots and poignant reflections on what the Icefield means to students.
Caroline’s film was accepted into the 2023 USAPECS International Polar Film Festival and the 2024 Anchorage International Film Festival. Congratulations Caroline!
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These Students Are Part of a 75-Year Study to Map Alaska’s Glaciers
BY BEN HUFF, APRIL 2023
“Traversing an icefield by foot and on skis, the young researchers experience one of the coolest classrooms in the nation.”
JIRP Board Member and Teaching Faculty Ben Huff photographed students from the 2022 JIRP Expedition. His pictures, along with his writing, were published in Smithsonian Magazine’s April/May 2023 edition.
Congratulations, Ben! For more of Ben’s work, visit his website.
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Battelle Press Release
2023
The Foundation for Glacier & Environmental Research which supports the Juneau Icefield Research Program is excited about a new partnership with Battelle.
A $29,740 grant will support the acquisition of new field equipment for JIRP student training in Polar Earth systems sciences. Equipment includes new computers, virtual reality headsets, 360-degree cameras, drones, iPhones with LiDAR capabilities, and a site license for a sophisticated mapping software package.
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Princeton Correspondents on Undergraduate Research: Active Engagement and Mentorship on the Juneau Icefield
BY ALEC GETRAER, 2018
“This emphasis on student engagement is complemented by JIRP’s commitment to mentorship. The seeds of the program trace all the way to John Muir’s trip to Alaska in 1890. Muir’s partner, glaciologist Harry Reid, mentored Bill Field, who brought a young assistant with him to the icefield in 1941. That assistant, Maynard Miller, founded JIRP and inspired generations of climate scientists, geologists, and explorers on the icefield. Their signatures adorn the wood rafters of the buildings at camps across the icefield, from Steven Squyres, the head of the Mars Land Rover project, to my thesis adviser, GEO professor Adam Maloof.”
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Popular Mechanics: Back to Alaska: How a Legendary Glacier Study Almost Died When the World Needed It Most
BY SCOTT YORKO, 2018
“What started as one man's vision is now an institution dedicated to studying glacial health and climate change. Hopefully, JIRP will continue to nurture a new generation of scientists ready to tackle one of the hardest scientific and political challenges in human history.”
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Scientific American: Studying Climate Change in One of the Grandest Class
BY BEN SANTER, 2018
“Every public lecture is like a stone thrown in a pond. The simple act of throwing that one stone creates a complex pattern. Waves propagate out, reflect from the banks of the pond, and interact with other waves. In the same way, one scientific lecture to an unknown audience can have unpredictable, far-reaching consequences. You never know who is listening or how they will respond to the metaphorical stone you’ve thrown in the pond.”
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The Adventure Activist: Adventure Dispatch- the Juneau Icefield Research Program
BY TERRY O’CONNER, 2018
“In a classroom you feel distant from this type of environment. You can look at photos, you can read about things in textbooks, but when you’re here, and you’re hands on with the environment, it’s a lot more real.”
“We have such a range of students. The range of students includes people who want to go into policy and law and become doctors, and lawyers even, and the whole gamut, but also scientists. It’s a cool opportunity for students to interact and get to know each other.”