Manville Educator Selected for Prestigious National Science Foundation Polar STEAM Fellowship to Conduct Arctic Research

MANVILLE, New Jersey — The Manville School District is proud to announce that Middle School teacher Lauren Kurzius has been selected as a Polar STEAM Educator Fellow: Arctic Field Cohort for the 2026-2027 program year. Kurzius is one of only 12 educators and artists selected nationally to join a research team in the field this year.

From July 17 to July 29, 2026, Kurzius will travel to the Arctic Circle to conduct field research in Prudhoe Bay, located in the North Slope Borough of Alaska. She will be collaborating with researcher Dr. Julia Guimond on a project titled "Drivers and Biogeochemical Implications of Saltwater Intrusion Along Arctic Coastlines."

The research focuses on how sea-level rise and storm events push saltwater landward—a process known as saltwater intrusion. While this phenomenon is well-documented in tropical and temperate climates, very little is known about its impact on Arctic coastlines where permafrost underlies the ecosystem. Kurzius will assist the team in investigating how this intrusion changes porewater chemistry and greenhouse gas fluxes, providing a vital baseline understanding of these rapidly changing environments.

"We are incredibly proud to have Lauren represent ABIS and the Manville community on this national stage," said ABIS Principal Michael Magliacano. "This fellowship allows her to bring cutting-edge climate science directly back to our students, showing them that the world of scientific discovery is well within their reach."

Polar STEAM is a U.S. National Science Foundation-funded program that facilitates virtual and field-based collaboration between educators, artists and writers, and polar researchers in an effort to expand understanding of the polar regions through teaching, art and written word. Polar STEAM, which stands for science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics, is led by an interdisciplinary team at Oregon State University via a cooperative agreement with the U.S. National Science Foundation.

To learn more about the program, visit https://polarsteam.info/.

Acknowledgement: This product is based upon work supported by the Polar STEAM program at Oregon State University and made possible with funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation Award #2221990. The information contained here is those of the author(s) and does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. National Science Foundation.

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