University of Alaska Anchorage

Empowering Alaska’s smallest businesses: Alaska SBDC secures second round of $19M funding for Alaska State Small Business Credit Initiative

The Alaska Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at UAA's Business Enterprise Institute (BEI), having deployed over $19 million in Alaska State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) funding in the program’s first year, recently announced a second round of $19 million in funding for the SSBCI. Alaska is the fifth state to reach this program milestone due to the speed with which it is deploying SSBCI funds. This federally funded program supports Alaska’s smallest businesses and most marginalized entrepreneurs, fostering economic growth and job creation throughout the state.

Contact: Austin Osborne

Alaska college sports notebook: UAA track star named GNAC Male Athlete of the Year

In his first year with the program and in the United States altogether University of Alaska Anchorage freshman track star Joshua Caleb didn't just hit the ground running, he made history along the way. On Monday, he added yet another prestigious honor to his already impressive resume when he was named the 2023-24 GNAC Male Athlete of the Year.

Caleb is the first male freshman in program history to win the award, and just the second-ever freshman to receive the honor since the conference was founded in 2001-02. The only other was Seattle Pacific University women's cross country/track and field star Jessica Pixler during her freshman campaign in 2006-07.

Contact: Austin Osborne

University of Alaska Fairbanks

Visualizing the landscape of tribal communities

The University of Alaska Fairbanks has released a set of resources to help researchers and academics working in rural Alaska understand the complexities of tribal communities. 

The new materials come amid increased focus on Arctic climate research and Indigenous priorities, a trend that tribal communities welcome but can find taxing.

Adelheid Herrmann, a co-investigator at UAF’s Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy, developed the resources as part of her work building capacity in rural communities to respond and adapt to climate change. Herrmann, of Dena’ina and German descent, is from the community of Naknek, Alaska.

Contact: Adelheid Herrmann

New way to spot beetle-killed spruce can help forest, wildfire managers

University of Alaska Southeast

UAS Project Featured in White House Policy Document on Ocean Justice

The University of Alaska Southeast is proud to announce that a UAS faculty led collaborative project with local and federal agencies was featured in a recent White House policy document on Ocean Justice. This prestigious recognition underscores the significance of community-engaged research in advancing environmental and social justice.

Spearheaded by UAS Professors Dr. Sanjay Pyare and Dr. Jason Fellman, along with Ryan Bellmore from the U.S. Forest Service, this initiative serves as a prime example of integrating scientific research with community and tribal engagement to address critical environmental challenges. The highlighted project, "Community Engagement in a Stream-network Assessment of Salmon Thermal-habitat in the Situk River Watershed of Yakutat, Alaska," involves a dynamic collaboration between UAS, the U.S. Geological Survey through the Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center, with the coastal Alaska community of Yakutat.

Contact: Kevin Myers

Undergraduate fellows start projects helping communities

The Alaska Sea Grant Community-Engaged Fellowship for undergraduate students is part of a national program coordinated by the Sea Grant network. The program focuses on increasing representation in the coastal sciences and prioritizes community involvement as a core component of science-based work. The program also prioritizes mentorship, cohort building, and developing professional skills. Fellows are provided with a stipend.

Joi Gross is studying at University of Alaska Southeast and is leading statewide outreach and education efforts focused on marine debris prevention. Gross is based in her hometown of Anchorage and being mentored by Brooke Carney with Alaska Sea Grant.

Mary Simeon attends University of Alaska Southeast and is spending the summer in her hometown of Bethel collecting oral histories focused on salmon from community elders. Simeon is being mentored by Stori Oates with the Alaska Fisheries Science Center.

Contact: Alaska Sea Grant’s CEF coordination team

UA System Office

Labor Contract on the Horizon for UA System Grad Student Employee Union

AGWA, the first graduate student union in Alaska, is affiliated with the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Workers of America, better known as United Auto Workers (UAW), one of the largest unions in the country. UAW often partners with academic units, including student employees at University of Washington and University of California.

The May ratification vote was completed in a single day, which union organizer Abigail Schiffmiller says is “unheard of.” According to Schiffmiller, the shortest ratification drive that UAW representatives had previously seen at other schools was three days.

Contact: Jonathon Taylor

Did you know UAA Professor Travis Rector's stunning images of stars and galaxies have appeared in books, galleries, National Geographic, and the New York Times?

Travis Rector, professor of astrophysics at UAA, merges passion and education through his astrophotography, teaching and authorship. Through his work in and out of the classroom, he is empowering UAA students to explore cosmic frontiers, and fostering a legacy of scientific inquiry and environmental stewardship.

By combining filtered images taken at many wavelengths, he creates vibrant images with colors reflecting the chemical makeup of the object. This work not only produces visually captivating results but also provides valuable insights into the composition and behavior of objects in space, merging artistic expression with science.

Contact: Jonathon Taylor