August 6, 2024

Research, workforce development and economic growth news stories and other feature articles from the University of Alaska Anchorage, University of Alaska Fairbanks, University of Alaska Southeast, University of Alaska System Office and the UA Foundation. Compiled by the University of Alaska System Office of Public Affairs.

University of Alaska Anchorage

Atlas Air Worldwide invests $50,000 in scholarships for UAA aviation students

Investing in the future was the focus of Atlas Air Worldwide's announcement at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Atlas’ hub at the Ted Stevens International Airport is one of their largest, with Altas looking to make it even bigger. So part of that expansion and investing in the future starts at the university.

"Atlas Air came today to announce $50,000 worth of scholarships for our students, as well as telling us that's just the start, that this partnership is just beginning," shared UAA Chancellor Sean Parnell.

Contact: Austin Osborne

Kodiak College receives millions to serve seasonal and migrant workers

The University of Alaska Anchorage as well as Kodiak College and Kenai Peninsula College have all recently been approved for CAMP, or College Assistance Migrant Programs, grants through the U.S. Department of Education. Both the campuses in Kodiak and the Kenai Peninsula are affiliated with UAA.

CAMP grants in the Lower 48 usually benefit people who have seasonal jobs in industries like agriculture. But the way it’s being applied in Alaska is geared to serve seasonal workers in fisheries.

That means cannery workers, fishermen, or their kids who come to Alaska just for a short time can qualify as long as they’re a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. Undocumented students like dreamers however, do not qualify for the federal funds.

Contact: Austin Osborne

University of Alaska Fairbanks

UAF science communicator gets an explosion of literary notoriety

A little bit of fame can be just an email or phone call away.

That happened for Elisabeth Nadin, communications manager at the Alaska Earthquake Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute.

It was an email that ultimately led to her acknowledgement in “Eruption,” the new book by bestselling American author James Patterson and the late Michael Crichton. The book, released June 3, was an instant top seller.

Contact: Rod Boyce

UAF researcher creates way to detect elusive volcanic vibrations

A new automated system of monitoring and classifying persistent vibrations at active volcanoes can eliminate the hours of manual effort needed to document them.

Graduate student researcher Darren Tan at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute led development of the system, which is based on machine learning. Machine learning is a branch of artificial intelligence focused on building systems that learn from data, identify patterns and make decisions with minimal human intervention. 

Contact: Rod Boyce

University of Alaska Southeast

On a remote Southeast Alaska island, a beacon for historic preservation

This summer, volunteers are working to restore Eldred Rock Lighthouse, Alaska’s oldest original lighthouse building.

Robbie Jensen, who teaches construction and woodworking at University of Alaska Southeast, spent the week working on the panes of an interior window between the second-floor crew quarters and the spiral staircase that leads to the lantern room. Because of the lighthouse’s national registry designation, rehabilitation must meet historic standards of Alaska’s State Historic Preservation Office.

“The challenge (is) being able to create something that those people did a hundred years ago with minimal tools, yet with such precision.”

Contact: Elizabeth Cornejo

Movement and diving behavior of satellite-tagged male sperm whales in the Gulf of Alaska

Male sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) are known to interact with and depredate from commercial longline fishing vessels targeting sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA).

This study aims to better understand their movement patterns and diving behavior in this region, and in relation to depredation behavior. Between 2007 and 2016 a total of 33 satellite tags were deployed on sperm whales interacting with fishing vessels in the eastern GOA. A subset of these tags also collected dive characteristics.

Contact: Elizabeth Cornejo

UA System Office

Did you know the Small Business Development Center received a $1 million grant to develop a program fostering rural entrepreneurship?

The Alaska Native Entrepreneurship Program, funded by a $1 million federal grant secured by Senator Lisa Murkowski, aims to expand the Alaska Small Business Development Center’s (SBDC) Rural Program by enhancing its ability to introduce and develop new tools, training, and opportunities tailored to the needs of rural Alaska and Alaska Native-owned businesses.

Contact: Jonathon Taylor

Three University of Alaska professors appointed as Arctic program leaders

Three professors, each representing one of the three main University of Alaska campuses, have been named as special liaisons to coordinate Arctic studies though the university system and elsewhere in the state.

The three were named as President’s Arctic Professors, tasked with leading the university’s Arctic Leadership Initiative launched last year.

Contact: Jonathon Taylor