UA Newswire December 2, 2025

newswire

December 2, 2025

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

Alaska writer and artist team up to build a community of support for storm evacuees

Rearden has raised thousands of dollars since he launched his campaign. And while he says his efforts might seem small and insignificant amid such widespread devastation, he hopes it will help to keep those who can't go home in our hearts and minds.

"What matters is community," Rearden said...

Contact: Katie Bender

a man with short hair and large jacket with black background Professor Don Rearden, Chair of the Department of Writing, UAA Community Technical College

UAA volleyball coach Stacie Meisner named conference Coach of the Year

The former Seawolf player turned coach is the third recipient to receive such an honor in program history, joining her predecessor and former head coach from her playing days, Chris Green, who was a six-time honoree...

Contact: Katie Bender

UAA celebrates Alaska Native voices during Native Heritage Month

More than 200 Alaska Natives and community members gathered on the University of Alaska Anchorage campus to honor culture, identity, and tradition during a special Native Heritage Month celebration...

Contact: Katie Bender

University of Alaska Fairbanks

Students make incredible breakthrough with 3D-printed house that's unlike any other: 'Like a tiny crane'

The UAF students helped in the research and engineering of a 3D-printed building in Nome, Alaska, according to Alaska's News Source, as part of the Nome3D-Printed Home Project. The printer utilized materials like silt, glacial till, and clay to develop an alternative concrete that was high-strength and freeze-thaw-resistant.

The 3D-printing capabilities of home construction under such harsh conditions have incredible implications for the housing shortages across the world. Nome Project manager Sven Bilen told the outlet, "[As] the technology develops, we fully expect that you should be able to print the walls in a matter of days..."

Contact: Marmian Grimes

A large orange machine with an arm for putting out the material The robotic arm, donated by Xtreme Habitats Institute, is paired with a concrete mixer and pump to feed a printhead that lays concrete in different layers. (Photo by Nima Farzadnia)

Why This Rare Seabird Could Be the Best Indicator of Glacier Health

Scientists believe one key reason the Kittlitz’s murrelet is seen along the glacier’s edge is because of seawater turbidity. The glacial sediment suspended in the nearshore water reduces light penetration in the water column. As glaciers melt, more sediment is deposited into the water. The murkiness that is created requires forage fish and zooplankton to move further up in the water column. This makes that food source more accessible to the Kittlitz’s murrelet...

Contact: Marmian Grimes

Buzz kill: Warming temperatures threaten Arctic bumblebees

Using a custom-built setup to measure buzzing under rising temperatures, the researchers tested 15 Arctic bumblebee species and found something surprising: none were better at coping with heat than the others. Species adapted to cold climates and those considered more flexible or generalist showed no meaningful difference in heat tolerance...

Contact: Marmian Grimes

University of Alaska Southeast

French historian of linguistics studies Tlingit language and archives in Fulbright project at UAS

Laplantine is revisiting the work of French linguist Émile Benveniste, who studied the Tlingit language in Juneau and Haines in 1953. As part of her project, she is preparing an edition of Benveniste’s archive–analyzing it through multiple lenses, including the history of linguistics, sociological history, and anthropology...

Contact: Sal Hertz

A woman in pink hat and green coat stands on a dock over a body of waer with mountains in background

French Historian of Linguistics Chloé Laplantine is completing a Fulbright project on Indigenous North American languages, including the Tlingit language, at the University of Alaska Southeast.

Seal processing lesson connects Wrangell students to Indigenous knowledge

Everyone’s gathered around the seal in the home economics classroom. They’re visiting the classroom to see how the four high school students are processing it for an oceanography lab intensive. It’s part of a dual credit course for high school students that incorporates culture and science.

The oceanography course is a collaboration between University of Alaska Southeast, Sealaska Heritage Institute and five partner communities in Southeast Alaska: Wrangell, Angoon, Sitka, Juneau and Kake...

Contact: Sal Hertz

Trail Blazers: Jossline Jackson

Jackson says her internship provided invaluable mentorship, especially from people who share her background. “Having someone of the same culture — someone in your corner — meant a lot to me,” she says of her first-year mentor, professional Tlingit skier Ellen Bradley. “Ellen opened the door for connecting Western science with Indigenous and local knowledge...”

Contact: Sal Hertz

UA System Office

UA announces 2026 UA Scholars

Every year the University of Alaska announces its list of UA Scholars — those Alaskans ranked in the top 10% of their high school graduating class who are awarded a $15,000 scholarship.

This year, 1,019 students were recognized from more than 250 Alaskan high schools...

Contact: Lael Oldmixon

a map of alaska with dozens of blue pins marking the places where scholars are from Since 1999, more than 10,000 scholars have attended UA. The program has paid more than $76 million in scholarship awards.

UAA-UAF rivalry heads to new territory with first-ever NCAA Tournament meeting Dec. 4 The UAA and UAF volleyball teams have faced off 121 times since 1984, but they’ve never played in the NCAA Tournament. That’ll change next month... Contact: Jonathon Taylor

University of Alaska President Pat Pitney announces retirement

Pitney has served as the 17th University of Alaska president since her appointment by the UA Board of Regents on an interim basis in August 2020. In February 2022, she became the first woman to serve as UA president in a permanent capacity...

Contact: Jonathon Taylor

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The University of Alaska is an equal opportunity/equal access employer and educational institution. The university is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination against individuals on the basis of any legally protected status.