2026 Western Alaska Interdisciplinary Science Conference
April 7–9, 2026
Yupiit Piciryarait Cultural Center
UAF Kuskokwim Campus
Bethel, Alaska
We are accepting abstracts through January 30.
The 18th Western Alaska Interdisciplinary Science Conference (WAISC) brings together people invested in sharing local knowledge and science important to rural communities in Western Alaska.
The 2026 conference will focus on sustaining the well-being, health and subsistence traditions central to life in Western Alaska, even as communities navigate rapid changes in the environment, ecology and local industries. At its heart, the conference is a space to share knowledge and ideas across cultures and disciplines, with the goal of learning from one another and working together.
The conference will be held in Bethel, April 7–9, 2026, with no videoconferencing.
Earn college credit
Students will have the opportunity to earn one to two college credits by attending the conference. Registration for this class is through UAF Kuskokwim Campus. Students taking the credit will be required to attend all conference days, attend presentations and workshops of their choice, and write short summaries and reflective thoughts on the sessions they attended. For more information, see the Current Topics in Environmental Studies course syllabus, and contact Kathy Kysar at the UAF BBC Campus with additional questions. To register, contact the UAF Kuskokwim Campus.
Steering Committee
- Katie Basile, chair, Alaska Sea Grant, University of Alaska Fairbanks
- Ashley Dunker, Alaska Sea Grant
- Davin Holen, Alaska Sea Grant, University of Alaska Fairbanks
- Gay Sheffield, Alaska Sea Grant, University of Alaska Fairbanks
- Amy Hendricks, Association of Village Council Presidents
- Essie Bean, UAF Kuskokwim Campus Fisheries Student
- Lisa Strecker, Alaska Ethnobotany Program, University of Alaska Fairbanks
- Marybeth Whalen, Yupiit Piciryarait Cultural Center Manager
- Kathy Kysar, Assistant Professor of English, UAF-Bristol Bay Campus, Dillingham
- Jessica Lewis-Nicori, Navigating the New Arctic
- Alice Bailey, AOOS
- Terese Vicente, Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission
More information
For questions, contact Katie Basile, Alaska Sea Grant, UAF Kuskokwim Campus.
To join the WAISC mailing list, email sea.grant@alaska.edu.
We look forward to seeing you in Mamterilleq (Bethel), a Yup’ik community on the Kuskokwim River known for its rich river ecosystems and nearby migratory bird nesting grounds. Don't miss this chance to learn, connect and explore.
Thank you to our sponsors
Alaska Sea Grant accommodation and code of conduct
Alaska Sea Grant is committed to providing safe and welcoming environments for all who participate in activities, meetings, or events. Accommodation requests related to a disability should be made at least five business days in advance to sea.grant@alaska.edu. Participants and organizers of Alaska Sea Grant-sponsored activities are supported by the Alaska Sea Grant event code of conduct.
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