SHORT TAKES

Tesoro Alaska Fuels College Careers

Every day Tesoro Alaska fuels up all kinds of Alaskan vehicles, but this year the company is filling up something a little different– college careers.

On April 26 Tesoro pumped $1,000 into the Carolyn Sampson Scholarship Fund, which is awarded each year by the UAF Staff Council to students wishing to re-enter the job market or whose work activity may be at risk because of economic, health or other factors. Established in 1990, the scholarship is given in memory of Carolyn Sampson, a long-time executive secretary for the UAF Governance Council.

In addition to Tesoro's donation, the Staff Council holds an annual picnic and raffle to raise money for the scholarship fund.

Contact: Staff Council President Beverly Frey, (907)474-5954.

Energy Researcher Named Fulbright Scholar

Things are going "sehr gut" for UAF's Richard Seifert, an energy specialist with Alaska Cooperative Extension. Seifert has been selected as a Fulbright Scholar and will attend a month-long seminar entitled "Environmental Protection and Alternative Forms of Energy" in Germany this summer. During the seminar, Seifert will make stops in Bonn, Hamburg and other German cities to lecture on energy conservation, an area he specializes in at UAF.

The Fulbright Program, sponsored by the U.S. Information Agency and other foreign administrations, is a highly competitive grant program that allows experts from around the world to exchange ideas and information on research and development.

Contact: Energy Specialist Richard Seifert, Alaska Cooperative Extension,(907) 474-7201.

Honor Society Students Earn Sourdough Status One Success at a Time

Student members at UAF's newest honor society may be the new kids on the block, but their success at this year's national convention showed they'll soon be sourdoughs.

Nine English students in the Sigma Tau Delta honor society were chosen from applicants representing over 400 chapters worldwide to present papers at their international convention held in St. Louis this spring. During the event, papers written by UAF English majors Jennifer Early and Sheila Diann Lauber were selected as finalists for the President's Convention Writing Award.

Sigma Tau Delta is an international honor society that runs community outreach programs for adult literacy, tutoring and college scholarships. The UAF chapter, inducted last December, is currently planning tutoring programs for Alaskan primary education students.

Contact: Associate Professor Susan Blalock, English Department, (907) 474-7187.

Alumni Benefactor Program Aimed at Improving Student Life

The UAF Alumni Association Benefactor Program has hit a bull's eye for University of Alaska Fairbanks students. The new funding program raised $22,000 in its inaugural year for projects that improve students' quality of life, like new furniture for the student union and underwriting various student activities. Alumni donations will also provide funds for the Residence Hall Association district conference, which will bring over 300 student leaders from the Pacific Northwest to UAF this November.

Contact: UAF Alumni Association Director Jake Poole, (907) 474-7081.

Education Professor Receives Book Award for Yup'ik Chronicle

UAF Associate Professor Jerry Lipka, along with professor Gerald Mohatt and Native teachers in the Ciulistet Group, have been awarded an American Book Award by the Before Columbus Foundation. "Transforming the Culture of Schools: Yup'ik Eskimo Examples," authored by Lipka, narrates the long-term efforts of Yup'ik educators and university colleagues to reconcile the differences between the culture of the school and the community.

Contact: Associate Professor Jerry Lipka, UAF School of Education, (907)474-6439.