The steel-sided armory in Shaktoolik buzzes with action. At mile 908 of this year’s lengthened Iditarod course, the three people in charge of the checkpoint gather in the back room,, which used to house a massive Cold War-era compostable toilet. 

A University of Alaska Fairbanks engineering program launched in Autumn 2024 is expanding its offering to welcome more students in the fall 2025 semester.

University of Alaska Fairbanks engineering student, Micah VanderHart, who is researching highly efficient insulation, placed among the top nine at a recent regional thesis competition.

As the Spring 2025 semester winds down, the Associated Students of the University of Alaska Fairbanks has been busy wrapping up elections, updating its annual budget, and laying the groundwork for student-focused initiatives for next year.

A confirmation hearing in the Alaska Legislature this week turned into a grilling session for two appointees to the University of Alaska’s Board of Regents over the board’s controversial decision to scrub diversity, equity and inclusion references from university websites and other documents.

Jessie Holmes and his sled dogs championed the longest course in Iditarod’s 53 years on Friday March 14 at 2:55 a.m. when they pulled under the Burled Arch. Holmes was led into Nome by dogs Hercules and Polar.

Alaska Supreme Court Justices Sue Carney and Jude Pate spoke at the University of Alaska Fairbanks’s Schaible Auditorium as part of the Arctic Leadership Lecture Series.

Research astrophysics and colleagues at NASA Goddard, Marilia Samara and Robert Michell, launched their rockets to learn more about the three types of aurora.

Snow was laid through the streets the night before from downtown Anchorage to the Sullivan Arena for the Ceremonial Start of the 53rd Iditarod on Saturday, March 1.

Out of the 33 teams, an astounding 16 of them are rookies this year. Spectators followed the race down the Chena River along the road system to the town of Nenana, where the racers took their first rest before jumping onto the Tanana River.

“The Last Great Race” is officially into the Alaskan wilderness and on the trails. 

A large group of protestors assembled outside the Fairbanks office of the University of Alaska President Pat Pitney on Wednesday, Feb. 26, in a show of opposition to the university’s decision to scrub all references to diversity, equity, and inclusion on the university’s website and other publications.

A Bering Air flight from Unalakleet to Nome with ten onboard, including the pilot, went missing on Thursday, February 6. The last contact with the plane was at 3:18 pm. Bering Air’s David Olson said the plane is considered missing. The Nome Volunteer Fire Department said they are in active search.

The 34th Alaska State Legislature kicked off on January 21 in Juneau. Downtown Fairbanks Representative Maxine Dibert is a Koyukon Athabascan born and raised in District 31, which she now represents. Representative Dibert spoke with The Sun Star to discuss her hopes and aspirations for the session. “We are at this historic spot in our Alaska state legislature…” Dibert began.

The Associated Students of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, or ASUAF, has been advocating for UAF students for the past 102 years. Fernando Escobar, Director of Student Public Relations and Advocacy, recently sat down with The Sun Star to share updates on the organization’s achievements, ongoing projects, and how students can get involved in UAF’s student government.

The celebration of Indigenous People’s Day at UAF kicked off at 9:30 a.m. in the Wood Center Ballroom. Round tables were still being filled up as Teisha Simmons, Interim Dean of the College of Indigenous Studies, officially welcomed everyone.

On Friday, October 25, at around 7 p.m., a vehicle fire inside the garage bay of the Wood Center was reported to the UAF 911 line. The University Fire Department arrived and found that a sprinkler in the garage bay had suppressed the fire.

On October 2, leaders of rural communities, industry and education descended upon the Westmark Conference Center in Fairbanks for the Alaska Rural Energy Conference. One of the featured discussion panels was: “Successful Projects Require Specific Skills: Cultivating An Energy Workforce.”