University of Alaska (College). Geophysical Institute

The Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska was formally established on July 1, 1949. An act of Congress in 1946 recognized "the need for a geophysical station in this country, dedicated to the maintenance of geophysical research concerning the Arctic Regions" and appropriated funds for the facility which would house the research programs. These research programs were initiated with a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation in 1929 to measure the height of the aurora and grew to incorporate many fields of natural science. Today, major research areas include space physics and aeronomy; atmospheric sciences; snow, ice, and permafrost; seismology; volcanology; and tectonics and sedimentation. The Institute also administers the Poker Flats Research Range, the Alaska Satellite Facility, the Alaska Earthquake Information Center, and the Alaska Volcano Observatory.

From the guide to the Geophysical Institute Records, 1944-2002, (University of Alaska Fairbanks Alaska Polar Regions Collections & Archives)