Monday, May 19, 2025 | 9:00 AM - 9:45 AM

"Port of Alaska Modernization Program – Overcoming Extreme Challenges for Critical Infrastructure Renewal"

This presentation will provide an in-depth overview of the Port of Alaska Modernization Program, a multi-phase, multi-billion-dollar initiative crucial to the state's infrastructure and economic vitality. The program's design and construction have faced formidable challenges, including some of the world's largest tides, harsh cold-region conditions that limit construction seasons, the necessity of maintaining uninterrupted port operations, and stringent environmental protections for the endangered Cook Inlet Beluga Whale.

Despite these complexities, significant progress has been made. The Port has successfully completed a seismically resilient Petroleum Cement Terminal, stabilized the North Extension, and soon to break ground on the new container terminal, T1. This presentation will highlight key insights, lessons learned, and the path forward for this critical infrastructure endeavor. 

Ronald "Ronny" McPherson, P.E. 

HDR, Inc. | Alaska Water Business Group - Coastal Lead, Northwest, US 

Ronny leads the Alaska Water Business Group for HDR overseeing staff that work on drinking water, wastewater, and water resource management projects responsible for both operations and business development. In addition, Ronny leads coastal efforts throughout the Northwest (Alaska, Washington, and Oregon) coordinating regional leadership and providing subject matter expertise. Ronny has led the maritime and coastal program for HDR in Alaska. This program serves maritime and coastal clients throughout Alaska with port and harbor design, coastal engineering, coastal planning, port planning, and marine environmental services such as permitting and marine mammal monitoring.

Ronny is experienced in analysis, design, and construction of coastal and maritime projects including shoreline protection, wetland restoration/creation, bridge scour, dredging, passing vessel analyses, structural wave and current loading analyses, propeller scour analyses, beach nourishment, marine facility protection, and a wide array of coastal numerical models.  Ronny is experienced in collaborative/alternative delivery methods having led program management procurements activities for design/build, progressive design/build, and construction manager/general contractor (CMGC) delivery methods. 

Ronny has provided professional services throughout the United States, Central America, Central Pacific, and the Middle East focusing on the Alaska, Texas, Louisiana, and northwest United States coastal areas.   Ronny has held responsible positions in various coastal and maritime engineering projects and accumulated experience in project management as well as program management, the analysis of complex coastal processes, applied design, numerical modeling, data collection (e.g., topographic survey, bathymetric survey, wave/current/tide measurements), preparation of plans and specifications, and collaborative/alternative delivery procurement.

Eric Adams, P.E., PMP

Program Manager, Jacobs Engineering

Eric Adams is a program manager at Jacobs with 20 years of experience in planning, designing, and construction management. Eric currently leads the Don Young Port of Alaska Modernization Program, a multi-billion-dollar program to replace aging infrastructure at the Port of Alaska (POA).

The Program consists of building four new terminals, (Petroleum and Cement Terminal, Petroleum Terminal, and Cargo Terminals 1 & 2), a new onshore administration building, The North Extension Stabilization Steps 1 & 2 and demolition of existing terminals, while protecting the endangered Cook Inlet beluga whale and maintaining Port operations.
 

Monday, May 19, 2025 | 12:15 PM - 12:45 PM

"Changes in Arctic Coastal Erosion Mechanism and Implications for Coastal Resilience"

The Arctic coast is subject to several interdependent hazards which are exacerbated by the rapid warming of the environment. These include the thawing of coastal permafrost and subsidence, increased wave action, increased storm surge and coastal flooding, salinity intrusion, and coastal erosion. Arctic coastal processes are distinct due to the predominance of both thermal and mechanical processes. Coastal sediments are locked in place by permafrost or seasonal ice and thawing of that permafrost/ice is a prerequisite for later mechanical removal.

Two coastal erosion mechanisms are predominant along the Alaska Arctic coast: thermal denudation and thermal abrasion. Thermal denudation (also called bluff face thaw/slump) is a relatively slow two-step erosion mechanism driven by atmospheric heat transfer. In the first step, solar radiation and other heat fluxes thaw the face of the bluff leading to slumping and deposition on the beach face. In the second step, aggressive waves and currents transport beach and bluff sediment offshore during storm surge events. The majority of the coastal bluffs in Arctic Alaska are suffering from thermal denudation and erosion rates are on the order of 1-2 m/year.

Thermal abrasion (also called niche erosion / block collapse) is a relatively rapid erosion mechanism with erosion rates up to 20 m/year. In contrast to thermal denudation, thermal abrasion is driven by oceanic heat transfer. Thermal abrasion is predominant in locations lacking significant quantities of coarse sediments (sand and gravel), and lacking a high elevation beach. Thermal abrasion proceeds via a 4-step erosion mechanism. First, a storm surge event raises the elevation of the coastal waters enabling direct contact between the sea and the base of the bluff. Second, waves and currents thermally and mechanically cut a niche at the base of the bluff. Third, the undermined bluff suffers block collapse due to an overturning failure. Fourth, the collapse block is thermally and mechanically eroded.

There is evidence that some locations (e.g., Barter Island, Alaska) have recently experienced erosion mechanism “flipping” from the slower thermal denudation to the more rapid thermal abrasion. Preliminary calculations suggest that the flipping may have resulted from the warming of the environment. Between 1980 and 2020, the open water period increased from 40 days to 140 days, and the coast has been subject to an increasingly hazardous wave and storm surge climate.  Barter Island locations that experienced thermal denudation and slow erosion rates prior to 2007 abruptly started experiencing rapid erosion rates (of order 10 m/year). We hypothesize that the flipping of the erosion mechanism resulted from a decadal lowering of the elevation of the beach face.

The erosion flipping is likely to have significant impacts on coastal resilience. Certainly, coastal communities and infrastructure will be more vulnerable with a more rapidly erosion coastline. Further, mitigating erosion from thermal abrasion driven by oceanic heat transfer may be more challenging than mitigating erosion from denudation.

Thomas Ravens, Ph.D. 

Professor, Civil Engineering Department | The University of Alaska Anchorage 

Tom Ravens is a professor of civil engineering at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) where he has served since 2007. Tom’s research is focused on Arctic coastal processes and engineering including coastal erosion and flooding. Tom has developed and validated predictive process-based models of the main Arctic coastal erosion mechanisms – bluff face thaw / slump (thermal denudation) and niche erosion / block collapse (thermal abrasion). He is working to develop these models into design tools for coastal protection, incorporating both thermal and mechanical control mechanisms.

Additionally, Tom is doing research to quantify and communicate the risk (cost) of Arctic coastal flooding and erosion. For example, to estimate the cost of flooding now and in the future, Tom uses measures of community flood exposure, in conjunction with data on community expenditures on flood mitigation, to estimate the current and future cost of flooding for a given community. Finally, Tom does research in support of the hydrokinetic renewable energy industry. For example, he uses measurements and models to determine the hydrokinetic energy resource at a given location. And, he uses measurements and models to determine the hydraulic and sediment transport impact of energy extraction.  

Tuesday, May 20, 2025 | 12:15 PM - 12:45 PM

"Indigenous Elder, Knowledge Keeper, and Leader-in-Residence Program"

Native peoples have inhabited the Arctic from time immemorial and continue to live in harmony with their environment today. Working in the Arctic means working with the peoples of the Arctic, including the 228 federally recognized tribes in Alaska. This program prepares and assists those engaged in ADAC-ARCTIC activities to conduct their research, transition, educational and workforce development activities using culturally responsive strategies.

The Residence Program is a transformative initiative designed to foster cultural exchange, strengthen community ties, and enhance the educational experience within ADAC-ARCTIC and the DHS Homeland Security Enterprise. This program uniquely embeds Indigenous wisdom, perspectives, and teachings by inviting respected Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and leaders to serve as invaluable resources for students, faculty, staff and DHS components. Through a combination of one-on-one sessions, group workshops, and community events, participants gain a deeper understanding of Indigenous histories, languages, and worldviews, contributing to a more culturally competent and enriched educational environment.

The program not only respects and values Indigenous knowledge but also actively integrates it into the fabric of our academic community, fostering a more inclusive and holistic learning experience for all.

Michele Yatchmeneff, Ph.D. 

Professor, The University of Alaska Anchorage | Alaska Native Education & Outreach Executive Director

Dr. Michele Yatchmeneff is an Unangax̂ with roots in King Cove and False Pass, Alaska. She was an Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program (ANSEP) and National Science Foundation (NSF) Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) scholar at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) where she earned a BS in Civil Engineering in 2005 and an MS in Engineering Management in 2009. After earning her BS, she began working in Alaska's construction and engineering industry, specializing in water and sewer projects in remote villages across the state of Alaska. She also worked as the Deputy Director for ANSEP and helped grow the program into a longitudinal pipeline that helps thousands of students succeed in STEM degrees and professions. Professor Yatchmeneff is the only Alaska Native in the world with a PhD in Engineering Education, which she earned from Purdue University in 2015. Her doctoral work focused on the motivation and success of Alaska Native pre-college STEM students. In 2015, she became the first Alaska Native woman to teach in the College of Engineering at UAA. In 2018 Professor Yatchmeneff received the prestigious NSF CAREER Award, honoring her work on “Alaska Native Belonging in High School Math and Science Classrooms.” This award was the first and only NSF CAREER award granted at UAA until 2023. She was also promoted to Associate Professor of Engineering in 2021. Her current research expands her doctoral work and focuses on the belongingness of Alaska Natives in STEM and Indigenizing Education. Professor Yatchmeneff has committed her career to improving Alaska Native success and was hired to serve on UAA’s Chancellor’s cabinet in an inaugural position as the Executive Director for Alaska Native Education and Outreach in October 2021. She was awarded the National College Board Dr. Henrietta Mann Leadership Award. 

Wednesday, May 21, 2025 | 12:15 PM - 12:45 PM

"Environmental Compliance at the Fort Knox Gold Mine – Building and Maintaining a Compliance Culture"

The Fort Knox Gold Mine is as an example of how to build and maintain a culture of environmental excellence.  From the very beginning 30 years ago, Fort Knox has built a culture of environmental stewardship.  The commitment to environmental stewardship has been successfully transmitted through the work force and across generations of miners.  The cultural environment that is used to maintain Fort Knox’s remarkable environmental compliance history will be presented and discussed.

Edmond "Eddie" Packee

Environmental Specialist, Kinross Fort Knox

Dr. Edmond Charles (Eddie) Packee Jr. is the Environmental Superintendent at Kinross Fort Knox, a role he began in February 2024. He has an extensive academic background in mining, environmental science, and hydrology. Eddie earned his Ph.D. in Mining from the University of Pretoria, South Africa, in 2005, where he focused on advanced mining reclamation and environmental impact assessment methodologies. He also holds a Master of Science in Mine Reclamation Science (1995) from the University of Alaska, further deepening his expertise in environmental sustainability within the mining sector.

With over 25 years of experience, Eddie has worked in senior environmental consulting roles, hydrology, and regulatory compliance. His expertise includes stormwater management, erosion control, post-closure mine site rehabilitation, and sustainable mining practices. Born and raised in Nanaimo, BC, Eddie moved to Alaska at the age of 14 and has since developed a deep connection to the state. In his free time, he enjoys subsistence fishing in the Upper Susitna, gardening, and exploring the Alaskan wilderness.