HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT GETTING JUMP-START ON COLLEGE AT UAF

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 10, 1998

Fairbanks, Alaska - A 16-year-old high school student from Fairbanks is getting a headstart on a college career by doing what he really enjoys - higher mathematics and computer science. Geoffrey Irving is one of two students who received a $1,000 tuition waiver offered at events held around the state last year for high school students and their families. The "Evenings of Excellence" were hosted by the University of Alaska Fairbanks and were designed to raise awareness about university opportunities in Alaska.

But Irving decided he didn't want to wait until he got out of high school to use his college tuition waiver. He's taking classes at UAF this spring. Before he started taking classes at UAF, he said he didn't really think much of math. But now Irving's plotting a new trail through college, one that will lead him to becoming a professor of mathematics. He says he enjoys proving higher mathematical concepts. "Then I know they're right," he said. Most of the time he constructs problems for himself to solve, saying the greatest challenge is trying to prove things that have already been proven impossible. "I just have to know...," he said.

Irving's father, a mechanical engineer, has always been an inspiration to him, Irving said. However, it has come to the stage where Irving no longer seeks his father's help with mathematical problems, because he has surpassed him in many areas of math abilities.

With the classes Irving is taking at UAF, he is able to get advance credits toward his bachelor's degree. His next goal is to take linear algebra, probably in the summer. "That's a class I still have to take and just have been putting off," he said.

Even with the extra study load that comes from taking classes at UAF in the evening, Irving still finds time for recreational activities. "I just finished '1984' by Orwell and have started Huxley's "Brave New World'," he said. Irving is also with the ski patrol at Skiland and enjoys playing video games. During his lunch hour at West Valley, he usually hangs out with a crowd that explores computer graphics and plays games with the programs.

The first "Evening of Excellence" for Alaskan high school students and their parents took place in July last year. Events were held in Wasilla, Anchorage and Fairbanks. According to a marketing study conducted by UAF, in-state students were likely to pass up Alaska colleges for out-of-state alternatives. Acting Director of Admissions Charlie Dexter said UAF wanted to demonstrate to students that UAF offers a top-of-the-line education at an affordable price in their own backyard. UAF offered door prizes and provided information about the institution and its programs at the events.

Participants were eligible to compete for one of two, $1,000 UAF tuition scholarships. Geoffrey O. Irving of Fairbanks and Julie Palmateer of Anchorage won the two scholarships.

Note to Editors: This feature was written by Inge Scheve, a senior in UAF's Journalism and Broadcasting Department, and a student assistant in the University Relations office this spring.

CONTACT: Acting Admissions Director Charles Dexter (907) 474-1137, by email: ffcnd@uaf.edu

IS/4-10-98/98-050