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Chancellor Rogers invites the UAF community to the Chancellor’s Holiday Gathering Wednesday, Dec. 8 from 4 – 6 p.m. in the Wood Center multilevel lounge. Stop in for some holiday cheer and goodies.

UAF has designated winter walking trails on north campus (PDF) for walking, running and snowshoeing, which also prevents damage to UAF's groomed ski trails. Look for signs on North Campus pointing out the location of the walking trails.

Faculty members can now submit final grades online. Fall semester grades are due by noon Wednesday, Dec. 22. Grades of incomplete can now also be posted online but faculty members still need to complete and submit a Notice of Incomplete Grade to the Registrar’s Office. Note that if grades are late or missing, graduating students will not be able to receive their diplomas. Late grades can also affect scholastic actions (i.e., honors, probation or disqualification) or financial aid. For more information contact the Registrar's Office at 474-6235, 474-6227 or e-mail registrar@uaf.edu.

The Office of Information Technology plans to upgrade Blackboard from v8 to v9.1 the first week of January 2011. A variety of introductory sessions are scheduled to acquaint you with the upgraded Blackboard interface. For more information click on the BlackBoard Learn icon on the OIT training page or contact Gary Bender at 474-6573 or gabender@alaska.edu.

The Cooperative Extension Service is hosting the Alaska Forage Growers School (PDF), a three-part workshop for hay farmers. The first session takes place Friday, Dec. 10, from noon – 3:30 p.m. at the Matanuska Experiment Farm in Palmer. The workshop is free and includes lunch. Registration is requested by Thursday, Dec. 9, but registration will also be available at the door. For more information contact Penney Prickett at 907-745-3360 or Stephen Brown at 907-745-3639 or scbrown4@alaska.edu.

John Lehman, School of Management and director of the Office of International Programs, was appointed vice president of the Northwest Academic Computing Consortium.

UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences and Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program personnel Quentin Fong, Chuck Crapo, Alex Oliveira and Brian Himelbloom helped the Kodiak business Pickled Willys develop a pickled seafood product. They assisted with nutrition labels, chemical and shelf-life analyses, raw material sourcing, business and marketing plans, and identifying potential buyers.

Kate Wynne, Alaska Sea Grant, gave an invited talk about the history of commercial whaling in Kodiak to 48 attendees at Kodiak's Alutiiq Museum.

Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program agents Sunny Rice, Torie Baker and Reid Brewer are coaching Alaska's National Ocean Sciences Bowl teams, helping the high school students hone their competitive skills in advance of the Alaska Regional competition that takes place in February in Seward. Winners of the Alaska competition go on to the national finals for the chance to win prizes and college scholarships.

WIN for Alaska, the UA Health in Action program provider, presents the Weight Inspiration Network, the WIN-WIN program. The 16-week program is designed to help you lose weight and stay healthy. Sessions begin in January and include weekly weigh-ins to track your progress, expert guidance from WIN wellness consultants, support from fellow participants, information on the latest in exercise and nutrition, and much more. Registration is required as space is limited, however, the program is free to all UA benefit-eligible employees.

UAF Honors Student Council members camped out in Constitution Park Nov. 14 – 19 in honor of National Hunger and Homeless Week to raise awareness about hunger and homelessness issues in Alaska. The students gathered more than $1,200 for the Street Outreach Advocacy Program.

The UA Press recently published Fighting for the Forty-Ninth Star: C.W. Snedden and the Crusade for Alaska Statehood by Terrence Cole, Department of History.

The Wood Center Scheduling Office will be open limited hours during the holidays. If you anticipate event scheduling needs during the holiday break, submit your requests before Dec. 18 to fyroom@uaf.edu.

The Rasmuson Library's Alaska History Store is offering a 2011 calendar for $15.00. Proceeds support the preservation and access work that the archive staff provide.

The UAF Staff Council newsletter (PDF) for December is available online.

The November 2010 Statewide Voice is available online.

The last day of classes for the fall 2010 semester is Monday, Dec. 13. Finals take place Wednesday – Saturday, Dec. 15 – 18, and residence halls close Sunday, Dec. 19, at noon.

The UAF Women's and Gender Studies Program presents a panel discussion, Where are the Women?, Tuesday, Dec. 7, from 1 – 2 p.m. in the Wood Center multilevel lounge. The panel will assess the institutional position of women faculty at UAF and will feature brief presentations by Chris Coffman and Carolyn Kremers, both Department of English; and Carol Gold, Department of History. Alla Ivanchikova will moderate discussion between the panelists and the audience.

The Division of Student Services is hosting a retirement reception for Andrew Angaiak, director of Upward Bound, Tuesday, Dec. 7 at 4 p.m. in the Wood Center Carol Brown Ballroom.

The Georgeson Botanical Garden is hosting its annual holiday sale Tuesday, Dec. 7, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. in the Irving I lobby.

ASUAF and the Blood Bank of Alaska are hosting a blood drive Wednesday, Dec. 8, from 10 a.m. – 2:45 p.m. in Wood Center conference rooms C and D. Walk-ins are welcome or you can make an appointment by contacting Sabra at 474-7317 or sdphillips@alaska.edu. Bring a photo ID with your birth date.

The UAF Holiday Concert, with the Wind Symphony and Jazz Band I, takes place Wednesday, Dec. 8, at 8 p.m. in Davis Concert Hall. Tickets are $10 for adults; $5 for students, seniors and military; and children 12 and under are free. For more information call 474-7555.

Music at One, free recitals by UAF music students, take place throughout the semester on Thursdays from 1 – 2 p.m. in Davis Concert Hall. The next recital will be Dec. 9. Admission is free. For more information call 474-7555.

The Interior-Aleutians Campus is hosting an open house for the Interior American Indian Science and Engineering Society 2010 Science Fair and to inaugurate the new Subsistence Science wing of the Harper Building Friday, Dec. 10, from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Tours of the new wing will be held on the half  hour. For more information contact Bryan Uher at 474-2613 or bmuher@alaska.edu.

The Art Department hosts a ceramics, printmaking and sculpture sale Friday, Dec. 10, from noon – 6 p.m. in 405 and 415 Fine Arts. This event is free and open to the public. For more information contact Carol Hoefler at 474-7530 or choefler@alaska.edu.

Alaska Camerata, directed by John Hopkins, presents a holiday concert Friday, Dec. 10, at 8 p.m. in Davis Concert Hall. Admission is $10 adults; $5 students, seniors and military; and children 12 and under are free. For more information call 474-7555.

Valerie Barber, Agricultural Forestry and Experiment Station, is giving a birch bark crafts workshop Saturday, Dec. 11, at the Matanuska Experiment Farm in Palmer from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Participants will make ornaments and baskets out of birch bark. Cost for the workshop is $25. For more information contact Valerie Barber at 746-6466 or vabarber@alaska.edu.

The Fairbanks Youth Orchestra presents a concert Saturday, Dec. 11, at 2 p.m. in Davis Concert Hall. Admission is $5 for adults, and youth and children 18 and under are free.

The University Chorus, under the direction of Jaunelle Celaire, presents A Candlelight Christmas featuring the works of John Rutter Saturday, Dec. 11, at 8 p.m. in Davis Concert Hall. Tickets are $10 for adults; $5 for students, military and seniors; and children 12 and under are free.

Trevor Saint presents a graduate student percussion recital Sunday, Dec. 12, at 4 p.m. in Davis Concert Hall. Admission is free.

The UAF Jazz Band, directed by James Bicigo, presents a holiday concert Sunday, Dec. 12, at 7 p.m. in Davis Concert Hall. Admission is $10 adults; $5 students, seniors and military; and children 12 and under are free. For more information call 474-7555.

The UAF Staff Council hosts a meeting Wednesday, Dec. 15, at 8:45 a.m. in the Wood Center Carol Brown Ballroom. The meeting will be available via teleconference, call 1-800-893-8850 with PIN 8244236 to participate.

The UA Museum of the North presents Dinosaurs and Fossils, a family day event, Saturday, Dec. 18, from noon – 5 p.m. Discover polar dinosaurs, measure your foot against a dinosaur track, watch fossil excavation, learn about the dinosaurs among us today and create a “fossil” to take home. Free with museum admission. For more information call 474-7505.

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

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

Ginny Eckert, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, and Allan Stoner, NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center, received a two-year $303,000 grant from the NOAA Sea Grant Aquaculture Research Program and additional in-kind and support services totaling nearly $157,000 from the Alutiiq Pride Shellfish Hatchery, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, UAF and Alaska Sea Grant. The funds will support work by the Alaska King Crab Research, Rehabilitation, and Biology program which is assessing how hatchery crabs may fare in the wild.

Marc Kirschner, Levi Overbeck and Andrew Winkelman, all physics undergraduate students, earned a bronze medal in the 2010 University Physics Competition for their work to solve the problem of atmospheric braking of a satellite entering the atmosphere of Neptune. The students worked for 48 straight hours to reach their solution.

Steph Walden, a UAF honors student and interdisciplinary major in nature photojournalism, received a 2011 North American Nature Photography Association Summit College Photography scholarship.

The Alaska Nanook athletic event scores from last week are: Home games – men's basketball vs. British Columbia, 85-98, and vs. Hawaii Pacific, 91-77; women's basketball vs. UAA, 46-73. Away games – rifle vs. Air Force, 4,653-4,616.

Dec. 13: UAF Staff Council election for odd-numbered units is open through 5 p.m. Monday, Dec. 13. Voting is online.

Dec. 13: Proposals are due for the Alaska University Transportation Center request for proposals phase 1. The deadline has been extended.

Dec. 15: Proposals for the Angus Gavin Memorial Migratory Bird Research Grant are due.

Feb. 15, 2011: Nominations for the Chancellor's Cornerstone Award to recognize UAF staff are due. Please be sure to review eligibility guidelines before submitting a nomination online. For more information contact Nichole Kloepfer at 474-7056 or fystaff@uaf.edu.

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