“Adventures of an Alaskan Woman Biologist”
Wednesday, July 19, at 7:00 p.m. in the Bear Gallery

Fairbanks Arts is delighted to welcome Margaret F. Merritt, Ph.D. for the July literary reading taking place in the Bear Gallery on Wednesday, July 19 at 7 p.m.  Merritt will present from her newly published book “Adventures of an Alaskan Woman Biologist,” documenting her experiences working across varied landscapes and water bodies, including caribou counts in the Northwest Arctic, king crab index fishing in Lower Cook Inlet, and Chinook salmon investigations on the Yukon River.

The book describes the obstacles Merritt encountered and the problem-solving steps she used to address them, “It was not lost on me that people’s livelihoods or food supply depended on my ability to accomplish the job.”

“Field research in Alaska is not for the faint of heart, for Alaska’s wilderness holds a deadly beauty,” stated Merritt, who, for many assignments, was the first woman to undertake the jobs. 

Merritt’s persistence to succeed where no woman had worked was motivated by the “allure of adventure, the intrigue of nature, and the splendor of Alaska’s pristine wilderness.”

Margaret F. Merritt, Ph.D., is a scientist, author, public speaker and outdoorswoman. She attended the University of California and Utah State University and earned a Ph.D. from the University of Alaska. After decades of writing and publishing in the scientific literature, Merritt has recently focused her research and writing on historical biographies. She lives in Alaska. 

“I like to bring forward stories of seemingly ordinary people who, like most of us, have flaws yet show remarkable characteristics that inspire us. I write to entertain, educate, inspire, and encourage the reader’s thoughtful reflection on past issues that remain relevant today.”

This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact (907) 251-8386 or email literary@fairbanksarts.org.