Science & Mathematics
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Marine Invertebrates (I & II)
SC1 Session I: Sept. 9, 16, 23, 30
SC2 Session II: Oct. 14, 21, 28, Nov. 4
Mondays 8:45 – 10:00 am
Each 4-week session stands alone; you can register for either one or both.
Marine invertebrates are a huge diverse group of organisms. As we survey the major phyla and classes, we will compare their anatomy, feeding, reproduction, life histories, and ecological roles. The course is designed to discover the lower invertebrates the first 4 weeks and higher invertebrates the last 4 weeks. Since the nearest ocean is 500 miles away, I will bring my specimens for discussion. Emphasis will be on the marine invertebrates of Alaska.
Instructor Janice Ott is an adjunct professor at UAF, retired high school biology teacher, and someone who has a passion for unusual things. She holds a M.S. in biology with an emphasis on wildlife disease.
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Alaska’s 1964 Good Friday Earthquake, 3rd Edition
SC3 Session I: Sept. 9, 16, 23, 30
Mondays 10:30 – 11:45 am
Explore the significance to modern scientific theory of the largest magnitude earthquake so far recorded in North America by modern instruments, in anticipation of the event’s 50th anniversary in 2014. The first edition of the course confirmed that the 27th March 1964 quake helped persuade scientists that Plate Tectonic Theory works well to explain the mobility and seismicity of Earth’s lithic plates. The second edition tapped into continuing tsunami and other research and public policy ramifications growing out of Alaska’s and other recent and ancient Pacific seismic events. Seismologists, geophysicists, and other current earth scientists tell us we still have more topics to cover before we achieve full appreciation for the importance of Alaska’s shaky ground in the investigation of geologic processes. Newcomers and students returning from previous editions of this course are equally welcome to enroll.
Organized by Dave Norton. Guest discussants: Rich Koehler, DGGS; Jeff Freymueller, Geophysical Institute, Seismology Group.
Inspired Creativity and the Geomagnetic Storm
SC4 Session I: Sept. 11, 18, 25, Oct. 2
Wednesdays 8:45 – 10:00 am
What is "inspired creativity" and how can you tap into it? A breakthrough in understanding the geomagnetic storm provides an example of inspired creativity in action.
Instructor Joe Kan, UAF emeritus professor and dean of the graduate school, spent decades studying and puzzling over the geomagnetic storm and is eager to share the key he found to unlock it.
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Complex Systems in the World Around Us
SC5 Session I: Sept. 12, 19, 26, Oct. 3
Thursdays 10:30 – 11:45 am
All around us are amazing complex systems whose behavior has a large, constant impact on our lives. These systems range from man made systems such as electric power transmission grids, the internet, financial markets and even human decision making, all the way to natural systems like climate, plasmas, forests and general ecosystems. In this class we will discuss some of the incredible, beautiful, characteristic behavior of these systems and talk about how unexpected consequences can come about when dealing with complex systems. The specific topics discussed will be guided by the interests of the class.
Instructor David Newman is a Professor of Physics at UAF whose research is focused on turbulence, complex systems, and fusion energy.
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Assembling Beringia and Alaska
SC6 Session II: Oct. 15, 22, 29, Nov. 5
Tuesdays 10:30 – 11:45 am
A team-taught, multi-disciplinary look at Beringia and Alaska.
Week 1: Geological and geophysical processes. How old are Beringia and Alaska, and how do we estimate that age?
Week 2: Peopling: Who first settled Beringia and Alaska, and what uncertainties persist about their identities?
Week 3: Russian America: selected legacies from the 18th and 19th centuries.
Week 4: Steps toward modern self-awareness in Alaska and Beringia.
Organized by Dave Norton. Guest discussants: TBN, Geology and Geophysics; TBN, Dept. Anthropology; Marvin Falk, Professor of Library Science and Curator of Rare Books, emeritus.
Immunology
SC7 Session II: Oct. 16, 23, 30, Nov. 6, 13 *5 weeks
Wednesdays 3:45 - 5:00 pm
How the body recognizes and fights pathogens. Focus will be on the adaptive immune response including its components and activation from cells to molecules, clonal selection, antigen recognition, and discrimination between foreign and self. Concepts applied on the level of intact organisms addressing allergies, autoimmunity, transplantation, tumors and disease.
Instructor Andrea Ferrante is an assistant professor of Immunology in the UAF Dept. of Biology and Wildlife.
Aurora
SC8 Session II: Oct. 18, 25, Nov. 1, 8
Fridays 8:45 – 10:00 am
You stop, look, and wonder as a quiet star-filled Alaska sky becomes awash with movement and color. That light and motion of aurora are but a tiny part of all that is happening as a result of an almost invisible storm that originated on the sun. Learn about the visible and invisible aspects of aurora and their potential impact on us. Some solar storms create space weather phenomena that are hazardous to human exploration of our moon and other planets. Near Earth these solar storms can create phenomena that affect Earth-orbiting satellites, navigation, radio, radar, electrical power grid and more. And, you will learn how experiments launched on sounding rockets from nearby Poker Flat Research Range have been and are being used to investigate the latest problems associated with aurora.
Instructor Neal Brown is a science enthusiast who thoroughly enjoys teaching K through grey students. While on the faculty of UAF for 45 years he taught physics and space physics for non-science majors, carried out research, and was for 18 years Director of Poker Flat Research Range.
Weather Forecasting and the Use of Weather Satellites in Alaska
SC9 Session II: Oct. 18, 25, Nov. 1, 8
Fridays 10:30 – 11:45 am
Basic principles of weather analysis and forecasting will be discussed, with special emphasis on weather in Alaska. Topics will include winter weather, marine weather, aviation weather, the interaction of weather systems with various kinds of terrain, hydrology, the impact of weather on forest fires, and more. The role of weather satellites in the forecast process will also be investigated, again with Alaska’s unique circumstances in mind.
Instructor Eric Stevens worked as a meteorologist with the National Weather Service for 18 years, the majority of this time in Alaska. He now works at UAF’s Geographic Information Network of Alaska.
SEE ALSO:
LP9, The Humorous Side of Scholarship
ART9, Design Your Own Quilt Patterns
MT2 & MT3, How Music and Mathematics Relate
HL6, Environmental Medicine--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------