Christina Hardman is the recipient of this year's Marion Frances Boswell Award.

Barbara Blake is the recipient of this year's Gray S. Tilly Memorial Award.

Dion Knelsen is this year's recipient of the Joel Wiegert Award.

More than six-dozen students were honored at the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ annual student awards breakfast Saturday in the Wood Center Carol Brown Ballroom.

Each spring, UAF honors students who have distinguished themselves throughout their academic careers.

Among those honored were the winners of the Marion Frances Boswell Memorial Award, the Gray S. Tilly Memorial Award and the Joel Wiegert Award. The awards recognize the accomplishments of three top graduating seniors each year.

After earning 177 credits in four years, Christina Hardman graduates this spring with a bachelor’s degree in music education. She is this year’s winner of the Marion Frances Boswell Memorial Award. Hardman came to UAF as a UA Scholar. She was named Music Student of the Year for the 2008-2009 academic year and serves as the Northwest Division student representative for the Collegiate Music Educators National Conference. Along with almost constant schoolwork and involvement in more than five performing groups, Hardman also teaches Sunday school and is the organist for her church. “All of the faculty members in the music department are proud of Christina and are looking forward to her career as a music educator,” said Jun Watabe, assistant professor of woodwinds. “Communities in Fairbanks and Alaska will be delighted to have her work with our children.”

Each year a nontraditional student is presented with the Gary S. Tilly Memorial Award. The 2010 award goes to Barbara Blake, who first entered a University of Alaska classroom in 2001. At age 21, she had to leave school to run her family’s building supply business. In the past nine years, Blake has been called away from school repeatedly due to family and business responsibilities. During that time, she has always forwarded her education and will receive two degrees at this year’s commencement ceremony: a bachelor’s degree in rural development and an associate degree in tribal management. Blake has worked as an intern in the federal Department of Agriculture and currently is involved in rural affairs at the state level as an intern for Sen. Albert Kookesh. Not content simply to advance her own self and career, Blake has also worked as a peer advisor to students with Rural Student Services and the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program. “I am on the road to making a better life for me, my family and my people,” Blake said.

This year’s winner of the Joel Wiegert Award is Alaska Nanooks hockey player and School of Management standout Dion Knelsen. During his time at UAF, Knelsen has amassed a heap of hockey awards while at the same time staying on top of the GPA stack. Knelsen graduates with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, as well as being awarded a coveted spot on the 2010 Lowe’s All-Senior All-American First Team, a first for UAF’s hockey program. On the ice, Knelsen has been the Alaska Nanooks’ top scorer for three consecutive seasons. He has been on constant on the UAF chancellor’s list throughout his UAF career. Knelsen also spends time off campus, where he volunteers at a local horse farm and helps the physically challenged learn to ride. “Dion is a responsible, conscientious, engaging young man who serves as a great role model to his classmates, the UAF community, and the citizens of Fairbanks,” said professor Jacob Joseph.

Following is a list of student award winners from throughout UAF:

College of Engineering and Mines

Dustin Molle, civil and environmental engineering; Tim Theurer, electrical and computer engineering; Kyle Obermiller, geological engineering; Aurelia Korthauer, mechanical engineering; John King, mining engineering; Joseph Patz, petroleum engineering.

College of Natural Science & Mathematics 

Kyoko Okano, biological sciences; Bronwyn Lee Harrod, chemistry and biochemistry; James W. Halliday III, computer science; Laurel Gangloff, general science; Angelica Floyd, geology; Catherine Atkinson, mathematics; Brita Irving, physics; Deven Barnett, statistics; James Smith, wildlife biology.

College of Rural and Community Development

Monica Thomas, allied health rural; Heidi Lynn Steinberg, Bristol Bay Campus; Lindsey Wells, Chukchi Campus; Lina Motawe, developmental education; Rebecca Schuerch, human services rural; Darrel Alfred Felix, construction trades technology; Deborah S. Webb, educator paraprofessional; Kathleen Sam, rural human services; Barbara Blake, tribal management/rural development; Nikki Pollock, Kuskokwim Campus; Lisa Haugen, northwest campus.

School of Education

Jennifer V. Ruis, elementary education.

School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences
Matthew Catterson, fisheries.

School of Management
Abigail Scannell, accounting; Dion Knelsen, business administration; Camilla Kennedy, economics.

School of Natural Resources & Agricultural Sciences
Cassie Wohlgemuth, forest sciences; Matthew Balazs, geography; Taylor Beard, high latitude agriculture; Charles Caster, resources management.

Tanana Valley Campus
Desiree Lee, allied health dental hygiene; Nicole Willey, allied health medical assisting; Suzanne Wolf-Sedberry, applied accounting; Brandon Stauner, applied business; Adam Fogelman, auto technology; David Unruh, aviation airframe and powerplant; Lisa Fidino, child development and family studies BA; Steven C. Baskin, construction management/drafting technology; Travis Fricks-Culbreath, culinary arts; Chelsea Kowallis, early childhood education; Matthew Hall, fire science; Alexis Hills, human service technology; Tyler Toth Jr., information technology specialist; Edward Paxson, instrumentation; Brenda Shilanski, paralegal studies; Nicholas Wood, paramedic program; Alton Pendergrass, power generation; Matthew Varga, process technology; Adam Rushing, safety, health and environmental awareness.

College of Liberal Arts
Juliana Springer, Alaska Native languages; Robert Bowman, anthropology; Sakura Koretsune, art; Elizabeth Rossi, communication; Jasmine A. Johnson-Kennedy, English; Michael Farrell, foreign languages; Kerry Lawrence , history; Molly Dischner, journalism; Ingrid Johnson, justice; Jeremy L. Wegner, linguistics; Emerson Eads, music; Heather Sinclair, northern studies; Simon Suchland, philosophy; Stephanie Johnson, political science; Anthony Aponte, psychology; Rosalie Stockwell-White, social work; Nanae Ito , sociology; Katherine Sousa, theatre; Sean D’Alessio, women’s studies.

NOTE TO EDITORS: If a student or department is not listed, it may be that the outstanding student for that department has a confidential hold on his or her academic record.

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Marmian Grimes
907-474-7902
4/26/10

The University of Alaska Fairbanks Alaska Center for Energy and Power and the Alaska Energy Authority will host the Rural Energy Conference in Fairbanks April 27-29 at the Westmark Hotel.

More than 95 communities from throughout Alaska will be represented. Attendees will include rural community leaders and village power plant operators, state legislators, agency experts, scientific researchers and industry leaders. The goal of the conference is to discover innovative energy solutions for Alaska. Each day will include technical sessions on a variety of topics, as well as a trade show with more than 35 vendors. In addition, highlights include:

Tuesday, April 27
8:30 a.m. - Keynote remarks from Denali Commission federal co-chair Joel Neimeyer, Alaska Energy Authority director Steve Haagenson and representatives of Alaska’s congressional delegation.
10:30 a.m. – Discussion on demographic and cultural shifts in rural Alaska

Wednesday, April 28
8:30 a.m. – Legislative update with the chairs of the state House and Senate energy committees and governor’s office senior energy policy advisor Gene Therriault
10:30 a.m. – A discussion on the challenges and opportunities of the state’s PCE program
Noon – Lunch presentation highlighting a recent study of wind installations in Alaska

Thursday, April 29
8:30 a.m. – Discussion of the different utility models in Alaska
1:30 p.m. – Breakout sessions for attendees from similar regions

A full schedule of events is available online at www.uaf.edu/acep/rec/

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Julie Estey at 907-590-0879 or via e-mail at [email protected].

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Marmian Grimes
907-474-7902
4/26/10

The University of Alaska Fairbanks art department will host a free public lecture with artist-in-residence Marcos Ramirez Tuesday, April 27 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in Room 252 of the Duckering Building.

Ramirez’ lecture, “Life, Art and Politics,” will focus on how his work is influenced by his understanding of border culture and his experience as a Mexican-American artist.

Ramirez is visiting UAF as part of the United States Artists artist-in-residence program. For more information, contact the UAF art department at 907-474-7530.

MEDIA CONTACT: Marmian Grimes, UAF public information officer, at 907-474-7902 or via e-mail at [email protected].

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Nancy Tarnai
907-474-5042
4/23/10

The University of Alaska Fairbanks will offer a log homebuilding workshop May 24 through June 5 from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily at the Palmer Center for Sustainable Living.

Robert W. Chambers, world-recognized authority for handcrafted log home construction, will lead the hands-on sessions. The workshop will include basic procedures and techniques to help even the novice log builder get started with a project.

A maximum of 12 students will be accepted. Cost is $650 if registered by April 30th and $800 after that. Contact Valerie Barber, director of the UAF Forest Products Program, at 907-746-9466 or [email protected]

MEDIA CONTACT: Nancy Tarnai, UAF School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences public information officer, at 907-474-5042 or via e-mail at [email protected].

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Photo by A. Hartley
Jeff Rothman, one of the three trained pilots of the university's unmanned aircraft, goes through a rigorous preflight checklist at the ground control station on April 12, 2010 at Poker Flat Research Range.

Photo by A. Hartley
The 40-pound Insitu ScanEagle is catapulted from the launcher to begin a test flight at Poker Flat Research Range in preparation for the upcoming Alaska Shield Exercise.

Amy Hartley
907-474-5823
4/23/10

Three 40-pound unmanned aircraft from Poker Flat Research Range will support Alaska Shield, a statewide exercise April 26 through May 2, 2010 that will test Alaska’s ability to respond to a major disaster. Although the aircrafts’ specific mission will remain unknown until the exercise begins, Poker Flat staff members are prepared to launch and fly the aircraft in the Anchorage area.

The three Insitu ScanEagles are equipped to capture high-resolution optical video or infrared data from as high as 19,000 feet in real time. For the exercise, they will fly in military restricted airspace and only as high as 10,000 feet. This will allow emergency responders a birds-eye view of communities affected by the mock disaster during the exercise. The unmanned aircraft are a welcome aid to responders, who will need to analyze the extent of damage in order to react swiftly. The exercise scenario remains a mystery. However, participants do know that it will hinge on a large earthquake rocking southcentral Alaska. The simulated disaster will include mock effects on people, infrastructure and supply chains, and will include communities as far away as Unalaska.

Poker Flat Research Range manager Greg Walker and Geophysical Institute electronics shop manager Jeff Rothman will travel to Anchorage to pilot the aircraft from the ground-control station based on Fort Richardson. Kathe Rich, Poker Flat operations controller, will join the pair in Anchorage and will handle exercise logistics. Most critically, Rich will work in the Joint Operations Center and State Emergency Coordination Center to offer coordinators information on the capabilities of the unmanned aircraft. She will also convey tasks to the pilots. Range affiliate Ro Bailey will work in the “white cell,” where exercise scenarios and resulting effects are built and then transmitted to exercise participants.

“Use of our aircraft could shorten days of confusion should a major disaster strike Alaska,” Bailey said.

Poker Flat Research Range is one of a multitude of state, city and military partners that will collaborate during the exercise. The State of Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management is the lead agency coordinating the exercise. Planning for the Alaska Shield exercise began in 2007.

Poker Flat Research Range is a remote research site located north of Fairbanks on the Steese Highway. The University of Alaska’s unmanned aircraft are based at the range, which is also home to scientific sounding rocket missions launched during the winter months. The Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks operates the range, under contract to NASA.

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Ro Bailey, Poker Flat Research Range affiliate, 907-455-2104, or [email protected]. Greg Walker, Poker Flat Research Range manager and pilot, 907-455-2102, [email protected].

NOTE TO EDITORS: Photos of the unmanned aircraft are available online at www.uaf.edu/news.

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Photo by PJ Soden
Lightning, a female reindeer at the Fairbanks Experiment Farm, rests with her newborn calf on Thursday, April 22 at the farm on the UAF campus.

Thursday’s birth of a 10-pound male reindeer calf at the Fairbanks Experiment Farm made worldwide agricultural history: It marks the culmination of the first documented successful pregnancy of a reindeer by artificial insemination using frozen-and-thawed semen.

The calf appeared at 3 p.m. on April 22, as University of Alaska Fairbanks Reindeer Research Program herdsman Rob Aikman worked nearby. He noticed the calf’s mother, a 2 1/2-year-old named Lightning, was having difficulty and went to assist. As he tugged on the calf, he noticed its heart was beating but that the calf was not breathing. After Aikman performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, the calf was fine.

In September, seven females were artificially inseminated with frozen semen shipped from Canada. Once in Fairbanks, it was thawed and a veterinarian performed the necessary technique. Six pregnancies did not take.

“This is a first and it’s a small step,” said Milan Shipka, an animal scientist at the UAF School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences, which runs the Reindeer Research Program. “We will work to get the bugs out so it will become a tool for reindeer producers.”

He said the procedure allows reindeer owners to move genetics over great distances without having to move live animals. The Reindeer Research Program is dedicated to the study of reindeer: researching meat science, range management and animal health. The applied science is then shared with reindeer producers.

“We are absolutely excited,” said Shipka, who is also a livestock specialist with UAF Cooperative Extension Service. “Janice Rowell and I have been taking steps to get here and we really appreciate the assistance of the Reindeer Research Program. This is just the beginning.”

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Milan Shipka, animal scientist, at 907-474-7429 or via e-mail at [email protected]. Greg Finstad, Reindeer Research Program director, at 907-474-6055 or via e-mail at [email protected].

ON THE WEB: www.reindeer.salrm.uaf.edu

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Marmian Grimes
907-474-7902
4-22-10

Boilers at the University of Alaska Fairbanks power plant went offline for several hours Thursday following a morning failure at a nearby Golden Valley Electric Association substation.

During the outage, the main turbine at the UAF power plant was shut down. As a result, heating and hot water throughout many campus buildings was limited or unavailable. Crews at the power plant restarted the boilers and began recharging the campus steam system at about 3 p.m. Power plant crews plan to restart the main turbine on Friday. Until then, the campus is running on power from GVEA. The power outage early in the day also affected cooling systems for the university’s computer data center. Technicians there initiated shutdown of numerous campuswide computer systems and had them restored to full operation by about 4 p.m.

UAF operates a combined heat and power plant, meaning that electricity and steam are generated at the same time. The steam must go through a turbine before it can be used to heat buildings and hot water.

Employees, students and campus residents are being asked to conserve power as much as possible while the main turbine is offline.

For up-to-date information on the UAF campus, call the UAF hotline at 907-474-7UAF (7823). For current information on UAF computer network outages call 450-8300 and press 1 at the prompt.

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Erica Franich
907-474-7588
4/21/10

Non-native English speakers can improve their English language proficiency with free summer courses at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Summer Sessions & Lifelong Learning will offer two English language proficiency courses, with afternoon and evening class times available. These courses offer intensive instruction on listening, speaking, reading and writing English.

Tuition is free, but students are responsible for fees and books. Information and registration are available at www.uaf.edu/summer or by calling 907-474-7021.

MEDIA CONTACT: Erica Franich, Summer Sessions public information officer, at 907-474-7588 or via e-mail at [email protected].

ON THE WEB: www.uaf.edu/summer

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Nancy Tarnai
907-474-5042
4/21/10

The University of Alaska Fairbanks invasive plant task force invites the public to a meeting Wednesday, April 28 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the University Park Building on University Avenue.

Natural resources graduate student Marie Heidemann is working with the task force to develop a campuswide invasive plant management plan targeting bird vetch, white sweet clover, and butter and eggs. Contact Heidemann at 907-474-7298 or [email protected] for details.

MEDIA CONTACT: Nancy Tarnai, UAF School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences public information officer, at 907-474-5042 or via e-mail at [email protected].

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Michelle Renfrew
907-455-2833
4/21/10

Tickets are now available for the Tanana Valley Campus culinary arts and hospitality program’s annual scholarship dinner Saturday, April 24 at the Hutchison Institute of Technology.

The event begins at 6 p.m. with champagne and hors d’oeuvres. Guests will be seated at 7 p.m. and presented with soup, salad, entrees with accompanying wines, and desserts.

Tickets are $100 each or $750 for a table of eight. Proceeds benefit the Culinary Arts Scholarship Fund. Call 907-455-2909 to purchase tickets or for more information.

MEDIA CONTACT: Michelle Renfrew, TVC public information officer, at 907-455-2833 or via e-mail at [email protected].

ON THE WEB: www.tvc.uaf.edu

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