UA News Center

Do you remember how much slime permeated your childhood? From the Nickelodeon network to the Goosebumps books, it was just about everywhere. It’s that ubiquity that makes slime such a key component of Toshia Wrenn’s science outreach.

Visitors to the Loussac Library in midtown Anchorage are immediately greeted by a quote adorning the lobby wall from Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling: “When in doubt, go to the library.” It’s sound advice that Rebecca Barker hopes everyone takes to heart.

UAA alumnus Kohl Keil, B.S. Mechanical Engineering ’18, has had a lifelong love of languages. Perhaps it was because his father was in the Navy, which meant his family moved a lot — he’s lived in cities across the globe from Hong Kong to Anchorage. He recalls that in about fifth or sixth grade his mother introduced him to German. Now, he’s been awarded the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals (CBYX) for the 2019-2020 academic year. 

The University of Alaska Fairbanks will present an honorary doctoral degree and a Meritorious Service Award on Saturday, May 4, 2019, at its 97th commencement ceremony. The honorary doctorate will be presented to the Rev. Anna Frank, who has served Alaskans for more than half a century as a community health aide, counselor and priest. Linda G. Hulbert, an educator and UAF advocate, will receive a Meritorious Service Award.

In the 1820s, painter and naturalist John James Audubon designed an experiment to test if birds had a sense of smell. He dragged a rotten hog carcass into a field, then piled brush on top of it. After none of the local turkey vultures appeared, Audubon concluded that vultures hunted using their eyes alone.

A new lake and river ice-monitoring project led by the University of Alaska Fairbanks gets kids involved in science while promoting ice safety and a better understanding of changing winter conditions. Fresh Eyes on Ice is an observing network that explores the curious and fascinating aspects of frozen water and its role in the environment and Alaskans’ lives.

 

On the first weekend in May, the University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) will celebrate student achievement and success at commencement activities on its three campuses in Sitka, Ketchikan, and Juneau. UAS expects to award 399 associate, bachelor, and master’s degrees, 97 certificates and professional licensures, and 223 occupational endorsements. Commencement in Sitka takes place Friday, May 3, Ketchikan on Saturday, May 4, and Juneau’s event is Sunday, May 5.

The University of Alaska Southeast has received a grant to create a Tlingit language radio program and a multimedia Word of the Week Program in partnership with KTOO, Goldbelt Heritage Foundation, and Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. Over the course of a year, this grant will release a series of video and audio clips that feature fluent elders giving sample sentences using a word of the week. 

 The University of Alaska Southeast Outdoor Studies Program offered an Avalanche Level II Processes and Leadership course in March. Designed for experienced recreationalists or entry-level professionals, the class dug and skied on various aspects and elevations on Douglas Island and on the mainland in the Grandchild's Bowl.