Exploring space physics under the aurora borealis: The University of Alaska Fairbanks Space Physics graduate program

Situated in the sub-arctic, the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) provides students with the unique opportunity to study space physics in a ground-based laboratory. In addition to core physics courses such as classical mechanics, mathematical physics, and electromagnetism, UAF offers a broad graduate curriculum in Space Physics and Heliophysics including: Fundamentals of Plasma Physics, Advanced Plasma Physics, Space Physics, Magnetospheric Physics, Aeronomy and Auroral Physics, Numerical Simulation of Fluids and Plasmas, Inverse Theory, Geophysical Fluid Dynamics, and Nonlinear Dynamics. We will present an overview of our curriculum and show examples of "learning moments" in space weather from the perspective of ground-based instrumentation. It is our experience that students are highly motivated when theory and abstraction are paired with direct observation of auroral phenomena and experiences with the sounding rocket program at the Poker Flat Research Range.