Juneau Icefield Research Program

{{Infobox | title = Juneau Icefield Research Program | image = 200px|alt=A view of JIRP field camp 10 on the Taku Glacier | caption = JIRP field camp 10, on the Taku Glacier. | label1 = Founded | data1 = 1946 | label2 = Located | data2 = Juneau, Alaska | label3 = Field of Study | data3 = Glaciology }}

The '''Juneau Icefield Research Program''' (JIRP) is a student research program that focuses on the study of the Juneau Icefield, a collection of glaciers near Juneau, Alaska. Currently run by the Foundation for Glacier and Environmental Research and the University of Colorado, Boulder in collaboration with the University of Maine and the University of Alaska Southeast, it is the longest running icefield research program in North America.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=2018-09-12 |title=A 70-Year-Old Glacial Study Almost Died When the World Needed It Most |url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/a22726150/jirp-science-climate-change/ |access-date=2026-01-14 |website=Popular Mechanics |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Pelto |first1=M. |last2=Kavanaugh |first2=J. |last3=McNeil |first3=C. |date=2013-11-15 |title=Juneau Icefield Mass Balance Program 1946–2011 |url=https://essd.copernicus.org/articles/5/319/2013/ |journal=Earth System Science Data |language=en |volume=5 |issue=2 |pages=319–330 |doi=10.5194/essd-5-319-2013 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2013ESSD....5..319P |issn=1866-3516}}</ref> Students start in Juneau and traverse the icefield in 8 weeks, ending in Atlin, British Columbia.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Santer |first=Ben |title=Studying Climate Change in One of the Grandest Classrooms in the World |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/observations/studying-climate-change-in-one-of-the-grandest-classrooms-in-the-world/ |access-date=2026-01-14 |website=Scientific American |language=en}}</ref>

== History == The Juneau Icefield Research Program was founded in the 1940s by Maynard Miller, a glaciologist on a surveying expedition of the area led by William B. Osgood Field Jr. It was led by Miller until his death in 2014.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last1=Huff |first1=Ben |title=These Students Are Part of a 75-Year Study to Map Alaska's Glaciers |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/students-part-75-year-study-map-alaska-glaciers-180981808/ |access-date=2024-10-06 |website=Smithsonian Magazine |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Maynard Malcolm Miller |url=https://www.aag.org/memorial/maynard-malcolm-miller/ |access-date=2024-10-06 |website=AAG |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=Getraer |first=Alec |date=2018-10-02 |title=Active Engagement and Mentorship on the Juneau Icefield |url=https://pcur.princeton.edu/2018/10/active-engagement-and-mentorship-on-the-juneau-icefield/ |access-date=2026-01-14 |website=Princeton Correspondents on Undergraduate Research |language=en-US}}</ref> It is currently run by the University of Colorado, Boulder in collaboration with the University of Maine and the University of Alaska Southeast.<ref name=":3" />

== Research == JIRP has collected and analyzed the surface mass-balance of the Juneau Icefield since 1946, primarily focusing on the Lemon Creek Glacier and Taku Glacier.<ref name=":0" /> Students in the program learn mountaineering and glacial travel skills while conducting research on the surrounding ice.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" /> Although primarily an undergraduate research program, it is open to graduate students and high school students.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Juneau Icefield Research Program - International Arctic Science Committee |url=https://iasc.info/our-work/working-groups/cryosphere/cwg-projects/1303-juneau-icefield-research-program |access-date=2024-10-06 |website=iasc.info}}</ref>

== Notable alumni == Some notable JIRP alumni include:

* Steve Squyres, geologist and planetary scientist<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=U.S |first=Arctic Research Consortium of the |title=70 Years of Science and Education on the Juneau Icefield: History, Reflections, and New Directions |url=https://www.arcus.org/witness-the-arctic/2016/3/article/26066 |access-date=2026-01-14 |website=www.arcus.org |language=en}}</ref> * Alison Criscitiello, glaciologist and mountaineer<ref name=":2" /> * Austin Post, photographer<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":6" />

== See also == * Llewellyn Glacier * Glaciology * Glacier Mass Balance

== References == {{reflist}}

Category:Glaciology of the United States Category:Glaciers of Alaska Category:University of Maine Category:University of Alaska Southeast