The TVC Law Enforcement Academy held its 15th graduation with a dozen students becoming new police officers and heading to jobs both in Alaska and outside. The next academy begins in February 2009. For more information contact Dusty Johnson at 455-2811.

Alaska Sea Grant completed its fuel use survey of Alaska fishermen and has released the findings. High fuel prices led Alaska fishermen to fish less, skip openings, fish closer to home and, in some cases, quit fishing before the season ended in an effort to save money.

An article by Reid Brewer, Marine Advisory Program, “Alaska’s Aleutian Islands: It’s Not the End of the World but You Can See It from There!” was published in the October 2008 Diver Magazine. Brewer’s article was also highlighted by the magazine at the 2008 Divers Equipment and Marketing Association meeting.

The Science Education Outreach Network listserv will help keep you connected to what's happening with UAF science outreach programs. To join visit the listserv website.

Most UAF offices will be closed Thursday – Sunday, Nov. 27 – 30 in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.

The UAF Brass Choir presents its fall concert Monday, Nov. 24 at 8 p.m. in Davis Concert Hall. Admission is free. For more information call 474-7555.

ARSC provides free training and workshops for new and current users of high-performance computing resources. The next course in the core skills for computational science series takes place Tuesday, Nov. 25 from 9:15 – 11:15 a.m. in WRRB 009. For more information contact Tom Logan at logan@arsc.edu.

Theatre UAF is hosting auditions for the spring semester’s performances of Winter Shorts Saturday, Dec. 6 at 10 a.m. in Salisbury Theatre. For more information call 474-6590.

Check out the UAF Weekly Science Calendar, sponsored by the Center for Global Change and Arctic System Research, for science-related events happening at UAF.

Visit UAF’s online calendar for information on UAF events or to publicize an event.

The UA Museum of the North and scientists from the GI received a $488,000 grant from NASA to help bring a digital portable planetarium to communities in rural Alaska. The grant will help support development of an Alaskan-specific program and “NASA Days” in rural communities during the next three years. The program uses UAF’s Digital STARLAB projection system and portable domes to bring the planetarium experience to students.

Alaska EPSCoR employees received the Don’t Be Fuelish award from the Northern Alaska Environmental Center and the Fairbanks North Star Borough for their efforts in taking alternative transportation to work during summer 2008. The five EPSCoR employees traveled a total of 3,129 miles via walking, biking, carpooling or riding the bus.

UAF Student Support Services and Upward Bound programs received a $20,000 award from the BP and Conoco Phillips Foundation via the Vice Provost of Academic Affairs to create a short film documenting the struggles and successes of rural and urban low income and first generation students in Alaska. The project also received $1,500 in funding from the Northwest Association of Special Programs.

Nanook women’s volleyball players senior Korlyn Bolster and juniors Megan Thigpen and Alexa Sherman all received Great Northwest Athletic Conference honors by being named to the 2008 GNAC All-Conference team. Bolster was named to the first team. Thigpen and Sherman both received honorable mention.

The Mt. McKinley Bank North Star Invitational women’s basketball tournament takes place Thursday – Saturday, Nov. 27 – 29 in the Patty Center gym. The 2008 teams are Alaska Nanooks, Hawaii Pacific, Holy Family and University of California, San Diego. Tickets are $24 for a tournament pass, $10 for adults, $9 for faculty, staff and alumni, and $4 for students. For more information call 474-5977.

Nanook hockey takes on Lake Superior State Friday – Saturday, Nov. 28 – 29 at 7:30 p.m. at the Carlson Center.

The Alaska Nanook athletic events scores from last week are: Home games – skiing Nordic Cup vs UAA, 44-40. Away games – men’s basketball vs Cal State Monterey, 86-90; hockey vs Ferris State, 3-2, and 2-0; women’s basketball vs Chico State, 64-68; vs Sonoma State, 62-68; and vs Chico State, 47-68.

Dec. 1, 2008: Nominations for the Edith R. Bullock Prize for Excellence are due.

Dec. 15, 2008: Abstracts for INRA’s Lessons from Continuity and Change in the Fourth International Polar Year symposium are due. The symposium takes place March 4 – 7, 2009 at UAF. Early registration is available through Dec. 31.

Cornerstone banner photo by Todd Paris, UAF Marketing and Communications.