January 20, 2017
Two recent graduates from the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences will begin yearlong, paid Sea Grant Knauss Marine Policy Fellowships in February. Charlotte Regula-Whitefield will serve in Sen. Lisa Murkowski's office. Kelly Cates will spend the year at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Legislative Affairs.
A study by Assistant Professor Nathan Belz found that at least 40 percent of ATV and off-highway vehicle usage by Alaskans occurs on public roadways. Such vehicles often serve as primary transportation for Alaskans but pose safety concerns when mixed with conventional traffic. PacTrans and the Alaska Department of Transportation extended the study to develop best practices on state facilities.
In December 2016, the Research Vessel Sikuliaq hosted a chief scientist training program run by the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System. Professor Bernard Coakley of the Geophysical Institute co-led the program. It had 21 participants, including three from the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences and one from the College of Natural Science and Mathematics.
UAF appeared in four categories of U.S. News & World Report’s 2017 Best Online Programs. The university ranked 132nd in bachelor’s programs, 155th in MBA programs, 35th in graduate criminal justice programs, and 167th in graduate education programs. UAF has the largest selection of online degrees and the longest-running distance education program in Alaska.
The UAF Psychology Department and eLearning & Distance Education began a new initiative, reaching out to students who were unable to complete their UAF degrees. Online courses were developed, allowing former students who may not be able to attend traditional classes the opportunity to earn their bachelor’s degrees in psychology.
“In a Time of Change: Microbial Worlds” will be on display at Well Street Art Co. in Fairbanks in February. Fourteen artists and writers magnify the microbial world in this exhibit directed by Associate Professor Mary Beth Leigh, a fellow in the UAF Chancellor’s Innovation in Technology and ELearning program.
Five UAF athletes posted top-50 overall performances in the classic sprint event at the U.S. Cross Country Ski Championships on Jan. 8.
Professor Terry Quinn was recognized for his 31 years of service on the Scientific and Statistical Committee of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council in December 2016.
International Arctic Research Center Professor Lawson Brigham was a lead contributor to the International Maritime Organization’s Polar Code, which took effect Jan 1. This policy amends existing maritime shipping agreements to ensure larger freight and passenger ships operate safely in circumpolar regions and that their crews are adequately trained.
IARC Research Professor Olivia Lee was named a Sea Ice Collaboration Team co-leader under the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee’s new leadership agreement.
IARC Research Professor Jessica Cherry was lead author on the paper "Planning for climate change impacts on hydropower in the Far North," published in January in Hydrology and Earth System Sciences.
ExxonMobil Alaska LNG provided the UAF College of Engineering and Mines with an air quality station and a significant variety of field materials.
Thomas and Sheila Barrett fulfilled their $25,000 commitment to the UAF Troth Yeddha' Legacy Initiative. Tom Barrett, president of Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. and a retired U.S. Coast Guard admiral, serves as a co-chair for the initiative.
All initial permits and licenses for the Geophysical Institute to operate the High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program are in place. At least 10 percent of the power generated by HAARP will be donated to Copper Valley Electric Association. Five experiments are funded to take place at the site, including two for UAF scientists.
Research Associate Professor David Fee of the Geophysical Institute was lead author on a study that appeared in the journal Science in January. The work examined how seismic and infrasound signals from a remote erupting volcano can help scientists infer the height of an ash plume and the status of an eruption.
In January, Pavel Izbekov, Jeff Freymueller and Elisabeth Nadin led a field-based course on volcanism and active geology of Hawaii. Izbekov and Freymueller are faculty at the Geophysical Institute. Nadin is affiliated with the College of Natural Science and Mathematics.
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell appointed UAF student Rhonda Pitka as a public member of the Federal Subsistence Board. Pitka lives in Beaver and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in rural development.
The College of Rural and Community Development’s Northwest, Bristol Bay and Kuskokwim campuses held pinning ceremonies for 11 nursing students who completed their associates of applied science in December.