Stevie Seibert
907-474-5229
4/13/12

One hundred years ago this June, a three-day explosive eruption at Novarupta on the Alaska Peninsula near King Salmon became one of the five largest eruptions in recorded history. It created the spectacular Katmai caldera and the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, which early explorers called the eighth wonder of the world. Preserved as a national monument in 1918, and now part of Katmai National Park, the eruption created an outdoor laboratory that has captivated scientists and sightseers alike for a century.

On April 25 at 7:30 p.m., Katmai expert Judy Fierstein will tell the story of those three dramatic days and what the 1912 eruption revealed about large explosive events. In “The Novarupta-Katmai Eruption of 1912 – Largest Eruption of the 20th Century: A Centennial Perspective,” Fierstein will explain how geologist “volcano detectives” examined the eruption’s aftermath. Fierstein will also explain how the eruption has remained scientifically important for 100 years and why Katmai still offers insights about the processes that shape our world.

Fierstein, a research geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, is known worldwide for her meticulous fieldwork on young, remote volcanoes in Alaska, the Cascades and the high Andes. She joined the USGS in 1980, just before the eruption of Mount St. Helens, and began working in Katmai soon after. Fierstein is a Fellow of the Geological Society of America and is known for engaging presentations about volcanoes and geologic fieldwork in wild places.

The free lecture will be held in the Boyd Room, Reichardt 201, at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Parking is available directly behind the building. This presentation is sponsored by the USGS, the National Park Service and the Alaska Historical Society

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Jessica Larsen, research associate professor, at 907-474-7992 or [email protected]. Amy Hartley, Geophysical Institute public relations manager, at 907-474-5823 or [email protected].

ON THE WEB:

www.gi.alaska.edu

www.avo.alaska.edu

SS/4-13-12/214-12

Theresa Bakker
907-474-6941
4/13/12

A rare example of Aleutian petroglyphs donated to the University of Alaska Museum of the North’s archaeology collection will be used in a variety of research projects to better understand the cultural roles of rock art in Unangam culture.

Under direct light, the stone doesn’t look unusual. But when lit from the side, images of whales, faces, sea lions, sea otters, birds and eyes emerge.

“It is an incredible, intricately carved piece,” said collection manager Jim Whitney.

The seal stone was most likely collected on Shemya Island during World War II, a time when the area was transformed by a U.S. military looking to protect its frontier. Roads and landing strips were carved out of the earth, exposing items that were picked up by soldiers and taken home. The stone was discovered last year when the owners, who had purchased it in the 1950s and used it as a lawn ornament, wanted to sell it, hopefully to someone in Alaska.

Angela Linn, the museum’s ethnology and history collections manager, was one of the first people in Alaska to see photographs of the artifact forwarded from a dealer in Canada.

“I didn’t see anything that I recognized about it,” she said. “It was clearly a large rock with relief carving on the surface. The dealer said that the origin was listed as being from Shemya Island, so I sent it on to my contacts that work in the Aleutians. One of those was Allison McLain, who called me immediately. The rest is history, as they say.”

McLain is working on a survey of the stone’s designs, comparing them to others from the Aleutian Islands and the rest of Alaska. In 100 years of archaeological work on the Aleutian Islands, only one other example of petroglyphs has been found. In 2002, biologists conducting a sea lion count on Agattu Island southwest of Shemya took some photos.

“Ten years later, this petroglyph shows up,” McLain said. “You can date the stone, but that won’t tell you anything except when the stone was formed. We’ve got 9000 years of evidence of human activity in that area, so we have no way to date when those carvings were made. I am looking at this stone as a piece of spiritual significance, an example of transformational spirituality.”

The seal stone was found on federal land, so in the summer of 2011, the owner donated it to the University of Alaska Museum of the North, the repository for most U.S Fish and Wildlife Service collections in Alaska. Museum staff will conduct several studies in addition to McLain’s survey of the design elements, including an analysis of the rock itself to see if it fits with the geology of Shemya and an oral history project documenting the stone and where it originated.

The specimen is a valuable addition to the collection, Whitney said. “These petroglyphs are a rare example of prehistoric art from the Aleutians and an intriguing mystery. The designs are physical representations of ideas and stories that were important enough to carve in stone.”

One benefit of preserving this piece in a museum is that it will be available for the public to see and for researchers to study. Whitney says the plan is to put the seal stone on display. “But first we need to finish the research before we can tell the story.”

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Jim Whitney, archaeology collection manager, at 907-474-6943 or via email at [email protected].

ON THE WEB: museum.uaf.edu

NOTE TO EDITORS: Images are available for download from www.uafnews.com.

TB/4-13-12/215-12

Debbie Carter
907-474-5406
4/12/12

University of Alaska Fairbanks history professor Terrence Cole will give a free public lecture on the history and significance of the Morrill Act Monday, April 16 at 7 p.m.

The lecture will take place in Boyd Hall, located in the Reichardt Building on the UAF campus. Cole will talk about how the land-grant college ideal has shaped the history of Alaska, Fairbanks and the university.

The Morrill Act was signed on July 2, 1862, in the midst of the Civil War. It established land-grant colleges for the “liberal and practical education” of the people.

ON THE WEB: www.uaf.edu/ces

DC/4-12-11/213psa-12

Diana Campbell
907-474-5221
2/12/12

The Fairbanks Native Association and the UAF Center for Alaska Native Health Research are hosting a support group for Alaska Native cancer survivors and their loved ones.

The next meeting will be held Tuesday, April 17 at 5:30 p.m. at the Hannah Solomon Building, 317 Wendall Avenue. The Tuesday meeting will discuss “Telling our Stories of Hope Through Art and Digital Storytelling.”

There will be refreshments and door prizes. For transportation needs, call Freda Williams at 452-5225. For additional information, call Ellen Lopez at 474-7318.

ON THE WEB: canhr.uaf.edu

DC/4-12-12/212psa-12

Debbie Carter
907-474-5406
4/11/12

The University of Alaska Fairbanks will offer a workshop on starting a specialty food business April 21 in Fairbanks and at videoconference sites in Anchorage, Delta Junction and Sitka.

The workshop will run from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the UAF Cooperative Extension Service Tanana District office at 724 27th Ave.

Quentin Fong, seafood-marketing specialist for the Marine Advisory Program, and Kate Idzorek, Extension food technician, will discuss business ideas with participants and provide guidance on entering the specialty food market. Idzorek said specialty foods are manufactured in low volume from high-quality ingredients. They include products like jams and jellies made from Alaska berries or handmade chocolates.

Idzorek said participants would gain skills to objectively evaluate their business ideas and a basic understanding of what a bank may want to see if they apply for a loan. Topics will include marketing, pricing and promoting products, developing a business plan, creating nutrition fact labels and making sure facilities meet health and safety guidelines. Participants will receive a business plan template and other information sources.

The workshop fee is $30 and preregistration is required. Register online at http://bit.ly/foodsworkshop. Participants may also register by calling Extension in Fairbanks at 474-2450 or 474-2420; Anchorage, Leslie Shallcross at 786-6313; Delta Junction, Christy Roden at 895-4215; and Sitka, Bob Gorman at 747-9413. Videoconference sites will include the Anchorage Extension office at 1675 C St., the Delta Career Advancement Center and Room 106 of the UAS Sitka campus building.

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Kate Idzorek at 907-474-5391 or [email protected].

DC/4-11-12/211-12

Marmian Grimes

907-474-7902

4/11/12

The University of Alaska Fairbanks has named the first recipient of its Peace Corps Paul D. Coverdell Fellowship.

The fellowship is awarded through the the Department of Alaska Native Studies and Rural Development. It provides funding for indigenous studies doctoral student Jacqueline Rahm’s dissertation work. Rahm is working on a project to help define Alaska Native peoples’ perceptions of health and wellness. In addition, her work aims to explore ways to integrate those perceptions into the health care system.

Rahm volunteered as a teacher, through the Peace Corps, in Nepal from 1987-1989. After she received her master’s degree in community psychology UAF in 1995, Rahm returned to Nepal to research indigenous psychologies and traditional healing.

“My time in Nepal awakened something I carry forward: a vision for a peaceful, healthful and sustainable world,” said Rahm.

Paul Coverdell was a U.S. Senator from Georgia who served as Peace Corps director from 1989-1991 and in the U.S. Senate from 1992 until his death in 2000. The Coverdell program encourages colleges and universities to provide an annual graduate assistantship, a stipend and a tuition waiver to students who are returned Peace Corps volunteers.

The University of Alaska Fairbanks is one of 69 universities that participate in the fellows program, which was created to help initiate the third intention of the Peace Corps, for volunteers to share the benefits of their experiences back in the U.S.

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Jackie Rahm, 907-388-1395 or [email protected].

NW/4-11-12/210-12

Theresa Bakker
907-474-6941
4/6/12

The University of Alaska Museum of the North announces a call to artisans of the circumpolar North to apply for the 2012 Artisan Expo and Sale October 12th and 13th at the museum. Artists of all mediums are invited to participate in this juried sale.

The two-day event will begin Friday evening with a ticketed reception and sale. It will continue on Saturday with an artisan sale that’s free and open to the public.

Applications are due by 5 p.m. Friday, June 1st. For more information call 907-474-7505 or visit the museum online at museum.uaf.edu.

ON THE WEB: http://www.uaf.edu/museum/calendar/

TB/4-6-12/204-12

Marmain Grimes

907-474-7942

4/10/12

The University of Alaska Fairbanks has selected three finalists for the position of dean at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Community and Technical College. The finalists are:

• Robert Holden, director of auxiliary, recharge and contract operations, UAF
• Fred Villa, associate vice president of academic affairs, University of Alaska
• Jim Whitaker, vice president of development, Fairbanks Pipeline Training Center Trust

Resumes of each finalist are available for download at www.ctc.uaf.edu.

Finalists will tour CTC facilities and meet with faculty and staff members, students, UAF administration and members of the community this month. Community members are also encouraged to attend open forums with the candidates. Feedback forms will be available at the forums.

Candidate forums will be held April 17 (Villa), April 20 (Holden) and April 24 (Whitaker). All forums will take place 5 – 6 p.m. in Room 119 at the UAF Community and Technical College at 604 Barnette Street.

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Jake Poole, search committee chair, at 907-474-2600 or via email at [email protected].

SM/4-10-12/208-12

Debbie Carter

907-474-5406

4/10/12

The University of Alaska Fairbanks will celebrate its roots April 16-21 with activities commemorating the 150th anniversary of the landmark Morrill Act.

Events will include geocaching and puzzle contests, more than a dozen free Cooperative Extension Service classes and an April 16 public lecture by UAF historian Terrence Cole about the significance of the land-grant college act.

President Abraham Lincoln signed the Morrill Act on July 2, 1862, establishing the land-grant system of public colleges and universities. The act provided states and territories with land to support institutions to educate people in agriculture, military tactics and engineering so that the working classes could obtain a “liberal and practical education.”

Congress approved the land grant for an Alaska college in 1915 and territorial Gov. John Strong signed the bill on May 3, 1917 to establish Alaska’s land-grant college. The Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines opened its doors in 1922 with six students. The college became known as the University of Alaska in 1935 and eventually the University of Alaska Fairbanks, which remains Alaska’s land-grant institution.

A public celebration from noon to 4 p.m. April 21 in the Wood Center ballroom will include displays and hands-on family activities offered by the Cooperative Extension Service and the School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences. UAF Chancellor Brian Rogers will speak at 3:30 p.m.

Two iPads will be given away during the event; winners will be drawn from entries in the word puzzle, trivia and geocache contests. Contest information will be in Sunday’s Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and linked from Extension’s website at www.uaf.edu/ces. Daily puzzles will be included in the paper through April 18. Entries must be received by 5 p.m. Thursday at the Tanana District office at 724 27th Ave. or the state Extension office at 308 Tanana Loop, on campus.

All of the classes, unless noted, will take place at the Extension district office in the Fairbanks Community Food Bank building. See class descriptions linked at www.uaf.edu/ces. Register online at http://bit.ly/UAF-land-grant or call 474-2420 or 474-2450. Following is a schedule of the week’s events:

Monday, April 16
10 a.m. — Class: “Worm Composting”
2 p.m. — Class: “Making Conflict Work for You”
7 p.m. — Class: “Learn How to Use Your GPS”
7 p.m. — Terrence Cole lecture: “Of the People and For the People: Alaska’s Land Grant College,” 201 Reichardt Building, Boyd Hall

Tuesday, April 17
10 a.m. — Class: “Super Vegetables”
1:15 p.m. — Class: “Healthy Treats,” 201 Reichardt Building, Boyd Hall
2 p.m. — Fruit growers roundtable
7 p.m. — Class: “Biomass Forestry and Boreal Forest Biology”

Wednesday, April 18
10 a.m. — Class: “Crockpot Cooking”
2 p.m. — Class: “Seed Starting and Garden Planning”

Thursday, April 19
9 a.m. – noon —Workshop: “How to Do Business in China”
1:15 p.m. — Class: “Seed Starting and Garden Planning,” 201 Reichardt Building, Boyd Hall
7 p.m. — Class: “Raising Chickens”

Friday, April 20
10 a.m. — Class: “Estate Planning”
2 p.m. — Class: “Septic Systems”

Saturday, April 21
9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. — Workshop: “Introduction to Specialty Food Businesses,”
Workshop fee is $30. Register at http://bit.ly/foodsworkshop.
Noon – 4 p.m. — Public celebration at the Wood Center Ballroom
3:30 p.m. — Address by Chancellor Brian Rogers, Wood Center Ballroom

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Nancy Tarnai, SNRAS information officer, at 907-474-5042 or [email protected]. Roxie Dinstel, Extension faculty, at 907-474-2426 or via email at [email protected].

ON THE WEB: www.uaf.edu/ces

DC/04-10-12/209-12

Rich Seifert
907-474-7201
4/9/12

Cooperative Extension Service community sustainability coordinator Rich Seifert will teach his cold climate homebuilding techniques workshop Saturday, April 14 in Schaible Auditorium on the UAF campus. The free workshop will run from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and includes a manual and a CD.

The workshop will focus on insulating homes and will cover options for retrofit, ventilation, indoor air quality, roofs, and permafrost and foundations. It is also designed to help homeowners who plan to participate in the state’s home energy rebate program.

Call 907-474-7201 to register or sign up online at http://bit.ly/coldclimatehousing.

MEDIA CONTACT: Debbie Carter, Extension public information officer, at 907-474-5406 or [email protected].

DC/4-9-12/207psa-12