July 26, 2010

Cornerstone

The faculty and staff newsletter of the University of Alaska Fairbanks fystone@uaf.edu




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Headlines

UAF received a $1 million endowment from the Bernard Osher Foundation to extend the Reentry Scholarship Program that helps nontraditional students return to college and earn a bachelor's degree. The endowment will provide 12 students up to $5,000 per academic year.




 

For Your Information

Tom Weingartner, Institute of Marine Science, is the principal investigator for a project to use a new alternative energy device to provide power to scientific instruments in remote locations. The remote power module is equipped with four wind turbines, a solar array and a backup generator that uses biodiesel. The wind and solar energy systems provide five days' worth of battery charge. The project was funded by the Department of Homeland Security.

Roger Smith will be retiring from UAF June 30, 2011, after more than a decade at the helm of UAF's Geophysical Institute.

The 2010-2011 UAF academic catalog is available online as PDF files. The html version of the catalog will be available in September. Hard copy catalogs are available through the Admissions Office.

Carol Gering has been appointed the new associate director for the Center for Distance Education.

Tuula Hollmen, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, was appointed the interim science director for the Alaska SeaLife Center.

Annette Chism, Environmental Health, Safety, and Risk Management, received professional credentials as a certified risk manager.

Tori Baker, Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program, was in Louisiana in May providing outreach and education to residents about the Gulf Coast oil spill, based on lessons learned from the Exxon Valdez oil spill. The idea of peer-listening programs, aimed at helping people affected by the oil spill express their feelings, is being used by the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium. The consortium is training peer-listeners to work with fishermen, tour operators and others affected by the spill.

Follett Bookstore took over management of the UAF Bookstore last week and has begun preparations for a grand reopening this fall. The textbook department will be closed to the public through Aug. 16; staff will be filling online orders. The store will be remodeled Aug. 2  – 16 but will remain open during construction. For more information contact Becky Phillips at 474-5275 or 1191mgr@fheg.follett.com.

The Occupational Safety & Health Administration requires suitable facilities for quick drenching or flushing of the eyes in areas where the eyes or body of any person may be exposed to injurious corrosive materials. For specific requirements on emergency eyewash and shower facilities visit the Environmental Health, Safety, and Risk Management website.

The UA Press has published three new books: Cold Flashes: Literary Snapshots of Alaska, edited by Michael Engelhard; The Plants That We Eat: Nauriat Niginaqtaut by Anore Jones; and Alaska Native Cultures and Issues: Responses to Frequently Asked Questions, edited by Libby Roderick.

Reminder stickers with the UAF recorded message phone number, 474-7UAF (7823), should arrive in departments soon. Please be sure the stickers are placed with all phones in your department. Information is recorded at this number in the event of campus closures, campus emergencies or other disruptions. For more information about the stickers contact Andrew Mohrmann at 474-7457 or ajmohrmann@alaska.edu.

Facilities Services has partnered with the Fairbanks North Star Borough MACS bus system to provide final bus service at night back to the main campus from the 604 Barnette St. and the Downtown Center. The 604 Barnette St. pick-up is at at 9:03 p.m. at the MACS bus stop on 7th Ave., and the Downtown Center pick-up is at 9:06 p.m. at the parking garage bus stop on Lacey Street. Riders must be at the bus stops by these times; the bus will not wait. This service replaces the late UAF shuttle service; passengers who miss the MACS bus will need to arrange for alternate transportation. All UAF students, faculty and staff are able to ride the MACS bus system for free with a valid PolarExpress card.

The Office of Admissions and the Office of the Registrar have been reorganized and integrated. The new organization is now the Office of Admissions and the Registrar. Mike Earnest is the University Registrar and Director of Enrollment Services. The phone number for the combined department is 474-7500. Students needing assistance should come to the window located on the first floor of Signers' Hall.

UAF's first-ever International Summer School in Glaciology hosted nearly 30 graduate students in McCarthy in June. Students witnessed glacier dynamics first-hand during excursions to nearby Kennicott and Root glaciers. Financial support for the school was provided by the International Arctic Research Center, the International Arctic Science Committee, NASA, the International Glaciological Society, and the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics.

Sign up to receive UAF public safety information directly to your cell phone and e-mail via Nixle.




 

Events

Monday Marvels, free lectures with hands-on sessions presented by Alaska Summer Research Academy faculty members, take place Mondays through Aug. 9 at 7 p.m. in 201 Reichardt. The series includes "The World From Above: Natural Hazards in Alaska" July 26 by Peter Webley, Geophysical Institute, "Climate Variability and Change in Alaska" Aug. 2 by Uma Bhatt, Geophysical Institute, and "Squidding Around: Adaptations to Life in the Oceans" Aug. 9 by Ann Knowlton, Institute of Marine Science.

The fourth annual Alaska Book Festival presents a series of Wednesday lectures to celebrate literature from and about Alaska July 14 – Aug. 25, at 7 p.m. in Schaible Auditorium. Lectures include Alaska's best poetry, a panel including poets Derick Burleson, College of Liberal Arts, Cindy Hardy, College of Rural and Community Development, and Jeanne Clark, moderated by Peggy Shumaker, UAF professor emerita, July 28; and glaciology by Bruce Molnia, author of Glaciers in Alaska, Aug. 11.

UAF Summer Sessions hosts free movie nights this summer with Reel History – Documenting Alaska on Tuesdays through Aug. 10, with How North is Home: The Asian Alaskan Experience July 27, Never Before, Never Again Aug. 3 and Dog Gone Addiction Aug. 10; and Reeling Green on Thursdays through Aug. 12, with Great Expectations: A Journey Through the History of Visionary Architecture July 29, Flow: For Love of Water Aug. 5 and Small Fortunes: Microcredit and the Future of Poverty Aug. 12. All movies will be shown at 7 p.m. in Schaible Auditorium.

UAF Summer Sessions presents a lecture and workshop by Rob Roy, author of Living Mortgage Free: Innovative Strategies for Debt-Free Home Ownership. The free public lecture takes place Monday, July 26, at 7 p.m. in Schaible Auditorium. The three-day workshop takes place Tuesday – Thursday, July 27 – 29, at the Georgeson Botanical Garden pavilion and will demonstrate how to build a cordwood garden shed. Registration for the workshop is $300.

The vice chancellor for research finalists' presentations continue Tuesday, July 27, with Dan White presenting "Growing Together in a Student-centered Research University," and Mark Myers with "Polar Views of the Arctic Enhancing Collaborative Research at UAF" Thursday, July 29. Presentations will take place at 10:30 a.m. in Elvey Auditorium and will be available live and archived online. For more information about the candidates' schedules call Dorothy Parkerson at 474-6016.

The Really Free Market takes place Saturday, Aug. 14, from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. near the Patty Center. Drop off clean, usable items between 8 – 10 a.m.

The Weekly Trail Running Group hosts runs each Monday and Thursday from 6 – 7 p.m. on the UAF Trails. Meet at the UAF Ski Hut. The group is open to runners of all abilities. For more information contact Kevin Brinegar at kevinbrinegar@hotmail.com.

Ice Cream Thursdays take place each week in the Wood Center outdoor plaza from noon – 2 p.m. Come out for some ice cream and enjoy the live music as well.

The Office of Information Technology hosts training opportunities throughout the year and offers walk-in sessions most Fridays. A full training calendar is available online. Classes and support for Roxen and Banner are limited through Aug. 1, check the training calendar for availability.

The UA Museum of the North
offers 30-minute movies, Dynamic Aurora, Winter and You Are Here, throughout the day all summer. You must purchase a $5 movie pass, in addition to museum admission, for unlimited access to all the day's shows. The museum's summer exhibit is "Then & Now: The Changing Arctic Landscape." The museum is open 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. daily May 15 – Sept. 15.

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.




 

Grants and Awards

Gerhard Kramm, Geophysical Institute, has been awarded $196,100 by the National Science Foundation in support of his project Summer Research for Undergraduate Atmospheric Science through the UAF NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates site.

Alaska Sea Grant publications recently won awards from the Association for Communication Excellence. The 2010 Alaska Coastal Calendar won a gold award and the Field Guide to Squids and Octopods of the Eastern North Pacific and Bering Sea won a bronze award, both in the four color popular publications category.

Perry Barboza, Institute of Arctic Biology and Department of Biology and Wildlife, and Katherine Parker, IAB, are The Wildlife Society's 2010 recipients of the Wildlife Publication Award — Outstanding Book Category for their book Integrative Wildlife Nutrition. The award will be presented Oct. 3 during TWS's 17th annual conference in Snowbird, Utah.




 

The 2010 Nanook Hall of Fame inductees are: John Gilmore, athletics director 1968 – 1982; Harris Shelton, vice chancellor of student affairs 1974 – 1992; Mallory (Bergstrom) Larranaga, women's volleyball player 2001 – 2004; Melissa Mulloy-Mecozzi, rifle shooter 1997 – 2001; Stuart Watkins, rifle shooter 1960 – 1964; and Sigrid Aas, women's cross-country runner and skier 2000 – 2004. The induction ceremony takes place Saturday, Sept. 25, in the Wood Center Carol Brown Ballroom. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased until Sept. 21. For more information call 474-7081.




 

Deadlines

July 30: All fundraising events held in FY10 must submit event profit and loss information to UA Foundation Accounting. All check requests for expenses incurred through June 30, 2010 must be received in Foundation Accounting. It is critical that any problems meeting these dates be communicated well in advance of the due date to Susan Freel at 450-8122 or susan.freel@alaska.edu. For more information contact Cathy Hagen at 474-2438 or c.hagen@alaska.edu, or Stephanie Strandberg at 474-5987 or slstrandberg@alaska.edu.



UAF: America's Arctic University

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


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