May 18, 2012
UAF celebrated a record-breaking graduating class at its 90th commencement ceremony in Fairbanks and expects to confer 1,356 degrees on 1,309 students, an increase of 14 percent over last year. The largest increase in degrees is in certificates and master’s degrees, which increased by 100 percent and 30 percent, respectively, from last year. UAF surpassed its record for doctorates with 50 students slated to receive PhDs. Graduates range in age from 18 to 69. Some students receive more than one degree.
UAF awarded three honorary degrees and three Meritorious Service Awards during the ceremony. This year's honorary degree recipients are National Endowment the Humanities chairman Jim Leach, artist Danny Pierce and Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation CEO H. Robin Samuelson Jr. Patty Kastelic and Bob and Carrie Uhl received Meritorious Service Awards. The ceremony aired on UATV.
The 2012 Emil Usibelli Awards for Distinguished Teaching, Research and Service award recipients included Debendra Das, professor of mechanical engineering, for Distinguished Teaching; Sergei Avdonin, professor of mathematics, for Distinguished Research; Kenji Yoshikawa, research professor of water resources, for Distinguished Service. Named for pioneer Alaskan miner Emil Usibelli, the awards recognize faculty member's contributions to the discovery, communication and use of knowledge.
The Community and Technical College Law Enforcement Academy, graduated 17 students at the culmination of the 22nd session of the academy. Participants receive the Alaska Police Standards Certification, which makes them eligible for employment with the 21 state law enforcement agencies or 43 municipal police departments within Alaska.
The Alaska Congressional Delegation announced the following two grant awards for UAF.
- NOAA awarded $149, 970 for Regional Assessments of Vulnerability and Environmental Security.
- The Department of Education awarded $720,000 to UAF's Upward Bound Program geared towards students from low-income backgrounds and first-generation college students.
The School of Management uses a nationally standardized examination provided by the Educational Testing Service to assess the learning of the students completing the bachelor's degree in business administration. When comparing the average student scores to the average of 32,982 students that took the exam in 2011, UAF's students scored at the 87th percentile. When comparing the SOM average against the 438 colleges that took the exam in 2011, they scored at the 99th percentile as a school.
The Office of Intellectual Property and Commercialization is offering Innovation Seed Awards designed to aid inventors in the mid- to late-stage technology development. Faculty and staff are eligible to submit proposals to receive a seed grant for up to $10,000.
Student housing on the Fairbanks campus is currently at 90 percent occupancy this summer and is expected to rise over the next few weeks as more students enroll.
Julie Pierson, with the UAF ski team, received the NCAA Post Graduate Scholarship. Pierson, who just completed her first year of graduate studies, received a $7,500 award.
Office of Sustainability student, Alexander Bergman helped generate electricity to power computers, charge cell phones and run a light during activities at Fort Wainwright Earth Day. Graduate student Ben Abbot built the bike generator.
The Fairbanks Native Association and the Center for Alaska Native Health Research are hosting a support group for Alaska Native cancer survivors and their loved ones.
Alaska Business Week, a high school-bridging program held on the UAF campus each summer, gives students an opportunity to explore their leadership skills and future career choices. A team of business executives works with students to advise and coach competing teams in their pursuit of a winning strategy. Participants receive in-depth briefings from entrepreneurs and business leaders covering topics such as leadership, corporate ethics, marketing and finances.
Tanana Chiefs Conference and UAF completed testing of a heat-to-power generating system that can reduce diesel fuel consumption and lower energy costs for rural Alaska communities. The Green Machine captures excess heat from small, distributed hot water sources, such as diesel engine jacket water, biomass boilers and geothermal sources, to generate up to 65 kilowatts of emissions-free electricity. ElectraTherm of Reno, Nev. produces the Green Machine, the first of its kind in Alaska. Alaska Center for Energy and Power researcher Brent Sheets said testing data shows that, in ideal conditions, it could generate more than 413,000 kilowatt-hours a year, with round-the-clock daily operation.