The Alaska Quaternary Center, established in 1982, is a focal point for interdisciplinary Quaternary studies and research at UAF. The Quaternary Period spans the past two million years, a time of glacial-interglacial climate oscillations, floral and fauna migrations, mammalian extinctions and human evolution. Quaternary studies thus encompass scientific investigations of geologic, climatic, biologic and human systems of the past and present. The AQC comprises researchers in the Anthropology, Biology and Wildlife, and Geosciences departments, as well as the Institute of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Extension, the Institute of Marine Science, the Institute of Arctic Biology and the Geophysical Institute.

The AQC is housed within the Department of Geosciences and the College of Natural Science and Mathematics. Through its endowment, the AQC supports student research and travel.  In addition, as funding allows, the center sponsors seminars and hosts visiting speakers from countries throughout the world. Quaternary scholars from UAF regularly collaborate with Canadian, Russian and European colleagues conducting research in northern regions around the globe. The AQC plays an important role in Northern science during this time of increasing interest in global change, biodiversity and other aspects of Arctic climates and ecosystems.

For more information, call 907-474-5433 or visit the AQC website.