Applied Environmental Research Center

Providing public land managers with University of Alaska environmental expertise and research capabilities

Researchers tag a bat in a dark forestA researcher holds an antenna overhead at duskA cameraman records from a hilltop in Hawaii

Who is AERC?

The Applied Environmental Research Center (AERC) is part of the UAA Office of Research. Our mission is to collect, analyze, and apply environmental, natural, and cultural resource data for optimal management of public lands. Our scope of work includes active and former projects in Alaska, Hawaii, Japan, Korea and the Pacific Islands.

AERC provides technical assistance as well as applied research, including:

  • Collecting natural and cultural resources data.
  • Applying environmental data to assist managers of natural and cultural resources.
  • Providing the best research, data, and analytical tools for public land use and resource management.
  • Identifying potential pollutants of air, water, and soil, and determining mechanisms to prevent their introduction into ecosystems.

Our innovative business model and streamlined internal structure uniquely position the University of Alaska as a service broker for environmental expertise and research capability. Ultimately, AERC will expand its clients to include other federal, state, and private sector organizations and firms.

Positive outcomes

  • Exemplifies a self-supporting unit receiving no general fund base.
  • Employs University of Alaska faculty, staff and students via applied research activities.
  • Engages local and Alaska-based businesses in new partnerships with the University of Alaska.
  • Links client needs with in-state experts and enterprises through a Cooperative Agreement between the university and the US Army Corps of Engineers.
  • Creates a new and active relationship with the military sector in Alaska through the Army Corps of Engineers.

To learn more about AERC projects or our team, press the link below:

Project Button Apprentice Link Team Link Media Link

Apply for Programs

Join us this summer! Spend your summer working outside and gaining direct career experience with our team of research technicians. The Applied Environmental Research Center is recruiting seasonal research participants to join our fishery and wetland projects on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. Field season runs from May through November and is flexible with student academic schedules. Participants are compensated with a $1,900 per month stipend. Click here to learn more and apply.

 salmon on left, two researchers in a creek on right
Research Stories

Counting Salmon to Save Whales

Salmon power the food chain in Alaska and understanding the health of their populations is critical to conserving other species. Over the past few summers, researchers at UAA’s Applied Environmental Research Center (AERC) have devised new and better ways to monitor salmon on military bases near Anchorage. The data they gather may prove crucial to saving another iconic local animal. Samuel Franklin, a UAA Natural Sciences graduate, is part of an AERC team working to assess and monitor JBER's salmon stocks and help natural resources managers determine their role in the diet of Cook Inlet's endangered beluga whale population.

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Partners

  • Alaska Pacific University
  • Green Earth Landworks
  • Alaska Biological Research
  • Alaska Center for Conservation Science
  • University of Hawaii System
  • Lang & Assoc. Inc.
  • Cultural Resources Consultants
  • Arctic Domain Awareness Center (ADAC)
  • BEM Systems Inc.
  • University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension
  • Iḷisaġvik College
  • Kuna Engineering
  • AKA Hauling & Equipment
  • Imua Landscaping Inc.
  • Alaska Plant Materials Center
  • Delta Environmental

AERC is an Alaska-based center with projects throughout the Pacific, including Wake Island.

The University of Alaska is an Equal Opportunity/Equal Access Employer and Educational Institution. The University is committed to a policy of non-discrimination against individuals on the basis of any legally protected status.

Wake IslandEagleResearchers in Boat