AKSEA: Alaska Knowledge, Science, and Education Alliance

About AKSEA

Photo by Kelsey Hawley. Courtesy of CRRC.

The Alaska Knowledge, Science, and Education Alliance (AKSEA) kicked off in the fall of 2025 and will continue in the fall of 2026. AKSEA aims to foster connections across the region and share knowledge from, and with, all our community members. It brings together experts and school educators to co-create lessons focused on marine-related anchoring phenomena in the Prince William Sound and the Northern Gulf Coast.. An anchoring phenomenon is something you’ve witnessed in your region or a challenge that people face in the region. Your team will create a learning opportunity for students to explore a  fascinating real-world event or a meaningful design problem from many different perspectives. This opportunity prioritizes the Prince William Sound and Northern Gulf Coast regions, but is open to teachers and experts throughout the state.

Over the course of eight months, Traditional Knowledge Holders, scientists, and educators work together, with support from the CORaL Network, to develop mini-units and pilot lessons. Teams come together for a three-day, in-person session, where they receive an overview of the project, are paired with collaborators, and establish shared guidelines, goals, and expectations. Following the in-person session, teams meet monthly through online sessions to continue developing and refining their lessons.

Experts bring their knowledge, experience, and perspectives to the process and do not need to have experience with lesson planning or formal education. Teachers and CORaL educators help translate that knowledge into meaningful classroom experiences. Through this collaboration, teachers have the opportunity to learn about Alaska science while working alongside experts to design and use locally relevant phenomena as a foundation for learning.

Once completed, these lessons will be made available online for educators to use and adapt in their own classrooms and communities.

Cohort members will participate in a growing network of supportive peers. Participants will learn or improve and refine skills related to:

• communicating and understanding place-based knowledge and natural events
• teaching and outreach strategies and best practices
• regional understanding
• collaboration

Teams will meet in person September 12-14, 2026 in Anchorage to connect and create their personalized collaborative plan. Groups will continue to meet virtually throughout the school year. Travel costs are included, and participants will be compensated for their time.