Debbie Carter
907-474-5406
5/17/12

The UAF Cooperative Extension Service will host a free public lecture, “Biomass and Boreal Forestry Ecology,” Monday, May 21 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Noel Wien Library Auditorium.

Extension forester Glen Holt will discuss sustainable forestry, biomass timber harvesting and basic forest ecology in Interior Alaska.

Holt and representatives of the Alaska Division of Forestry and Alaska Department of Fish and Game will also answer questions about biomass forestry.

ON THE WEB: www.uaf.edu/ces

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Debbie Carter
907-474-5406
5/16/12

The Alaska 4-H youth program is seeking host families in the Anchorage, Kenai or Mat-Su areas for Japanese teens participating in a summer exchange.

The Japanese youths are coming to Alaska July 21 to Aug. 19 through an exchange program that is affiliated with 4-H. Each host family must have a child between the ages of 10 to 16 who is willing to be the host brother or sister. The family will be matched with a Japanese youth of the same gender and similar age and interests as the hosting youth.

It is not necessary to be a 4-H member to participate. All Alaska youths who host will automatically become 4-H members and will be eligible for 4-H activities. Youths in host families receive first priority and a discount for participation in the reciprocal exchange program to Japan, which has been ongoing for 40 years.

For details about hosting, contact your local 4-H office or Tony Nakazawa at [email protected] or 907-460-0825 or Marianne Kerr at [email protected]. Exchange information is also available at www.uaf.edu/ces/4h/exchange.

ON THE WEB: www.uaf.edu/ces/4h/exchange

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Darcy Harrod
907-455-2878
5/15/12

A three-member team from the University of Alaska Fairbanks Community and Technical College recently took second place in the First National Simulation Troubleshooting Shootout.

The CTC student team was one of eight three-member teams from process technology programs, which teach operations skills required in petrochemical, power generation, pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, and related fields.

The three-round competition tested the teams’ troubleshooting skills: recognizing and resolving problems with various process-related scenarios using computer-based simulation software. A team from Kenai Peninsula College – Anchorage Extension site in Alaska won first place, while UAF and South Central Louisiana Technical College placed second and third, respectively.

The UAF team consisted of students Jason Dahlke, Jay Ranson and Derrick Dieringer. The team was coached by Robert Hook.

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Robert Hook, [email protected] or 457-1285.

ON THE WEB: www.processtroubleshootingskills.com

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Debbie Carter
907-474-5406
5/14/12

During May, Becky Osimowicz will organize her 4-H club’s Relay for Life team, an upcoming 4-H horse clinic and show and a series of summer play days for community horse riders. And that’s just one month.

In recognition of her volunteerism, the Fairbanks leader has been named the 4-H Salute to Excellence Volunteer of the Year — one of two national awards given to 4-H leaders.

Osimowicz was chosen from four regional winners for the award, which 4-H presents to one volunteer with less than 10 years of service. Osimowicz is co-leader of the Amour de Cheval 4-H Club, whose members raise and show horses.

Tanana District 4-H agent Marla Lowder nominated Osimowicz and two other 4-H leaders who have received the national award in the past four years, Priscilla Rice and Nancy Graff.

Lowder says Osimowicz has a thriving club, and she volunteers at the district and state levels. She credits the leader for broadening the district horse program for youths who want to improve their skills but do not want to show their horses. Osimowicz organized a community play day, which turned into a weekly community gymkhana/summer skills event that raises enough money to rent an arena for practice.

Osimowicz serves on the district 4-H and leaders councils and on the Tanana Valley State Fair Board. She also coached two teams for the State Horse Contest.

She got involved with 4-H nine years ago, she said, for her family, which includes Emma, 15, and Cora, 13. She has stayed involved because she believes 4-H provides great activities for kids and she’s having fun volunteering. “I just enjoy doing it,” she said.

Osimowicz will receive the award in Orlando, Fla., this October.

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Becky Osimowicz at 479-0358 or [email protected]. Marla Lowder, 4-H and youth development agent, at 474-2427 or [email protected].

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Debbie Carter
907-474-5406
5/11/11

The University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service will offer a workshop in Anchorage May 17-18 for people who work with or in rural Alaska.

Organizer Tony Nakazawa said the 10-hour Alaska Cultural Host workshop will provide participants with an increased awareness and knowledge of remote, rural Alaska. The workshop will include a four-hour cultural host training by Ann Lawrence of the Cook Inlet Tribal Council and additional presentations about rural history and tradition.

Nakazawa, an Anchorage Extension agent, said the training is designed to benefit the tourism or hospitality industry, government employees, teachers and others who work in rural Alaska. Speakers will include Dru Garson of the AlaskaHost Program; Edgar Blatchford, the former mayor of Seward; Larry Dickerson, a community development specialist from the University of Missouri; and others.

The training will take place from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. May 17 and 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. May 18 at the Anchorage Extension office at 1675 C St. The workshop fee is $50. Register online and download the brochure at www.uaf.edu/ces.

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Tony Nakazawa at [email protected] or 907-786-6300.

ON THE WEB: www.uaf.edu/ces

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Diana Campbell
907-474-5221
5/12/12

The Fairbanks Native Association and the University of Alaska Fairbanks 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, May 15th at 5:30 p.m. at the Hannah Solomon Building, 317 Wendell Avenue. The topic is “Cancer and our Native Foods.”

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

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Brook Gamble
907-474-7812
5/12/12

The Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy will host a statewide webinar on Tuesday, May 15 at 10 a.m.

During the webinar, U.S. Forest Service scientists will describe how they use climate and ecological information to solve the mystery of the dying yellow-cedar forests in coastal Alaska and British Columbia. The research became the foundation for the conservation and management strategy for the valuable tree.

For registration, visit www.accap.uaf.edu and follow the webinar links or call 907-474-7812.

ON THE WEB: http://ine.uaf.edu/accap/teleconference.htm

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Marmian Grimes
907-474-7902
5/10/12

The University of Alaska Fairbanks will honor the accomplishments of the largest graduating class in its history during its 90th commencement ceremony Sunday, May 13 at the Carlson Center in Fairbanks.

The university’s first commencement took place in 1923, when the sole graduate, John Sexton Shanly, received a bachelor’s degree in agriculture. On Sunday, UAF expects to confer approximately 1,356 degrees on 1,309 students, an increase of 14 percent over last year. Some students will receive more than one degree. The commencement ceremony includes graduates from summer and fall 2011 and spring 2012.

The largest increase in degrees is in certificates and master’s degrees, which increased by 100 percent and 30 percent, respectively, from last year. UAF is also breaking its previous record for doctorates with 50 students slated to receive UAF’s highest degree this year. Class of 2012 graduates range in age from 18 to 69. Several members of the University of Alaska Board of Regents will help UAF Chancellor Brian Rogers confer degrees. UA President Patrick Gamble will also participate in the ceremony.

The Dillingham High School Dancers will lead the processional. Graduates, faculty members, honorary degree and Meritorious Service Award recipients, and university officials will participate in the ceremony beginning at 1:20 p.m.

National Endowment for the Humanities chairman Jim Leach will give the keynote address. Leach served three decades in the U.S House of Representatives and had a brief foray into academia at Princeton University and Harvard University before being nominated by President Barack Obama to chair the Endowment. Leach attended Princeton University, the School of Advanced International Studies of John Hopkins and the London School of Economics. He holds 11 honorary degrees and is the recipient of multiple national and international awards.

UAF will award three honorary degrees and three Meritorious Service Awards during the commencement ceremony. This year’s honorary degree recipients are Leach, artist Danny Pierce and Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation CEO H. Robin Samuelson Jr. Meritorious Service Award recipients are Patty Kastelic and Bob and Carrie Uhl.

The student speaker is Jordan Culver, who is receiving a bachelor’s degree in justice, UAF will also honor winners of this year’s awards for graduating seniors: Jordyn Montgomery, the Marion Frances Boswell Memorial Award; Gail Denning, the Gray S. Tilly Memorial Award; and Matthew Robinson, the Joel Wiegert Award.

John Keller, professor of chemistry, will serve as the procession’s grand marshal. Keller is among 12 retiring faculty and staff members who will be granted emeritus status on Sunday, a title given to those who have served the university with distinction for at least 10 years.

Others receiving emeritus status are: Clara Anderson, director of Interior-Aleutians Campus; David Blurton, professor of justice; Charles Dexter, professor of applied business; Ralph Gabrielli, associate professor of rural development; A.J. Gharrett, professor of fisheries; Thomas Jahns, professor of Extension; Jeffry Leer, professor of Alaska Native languages and linguistics; Debra Moses, associate professor of developmental mathematics; Jake Poole, vice chancellor for university advancement; Larry Roberts, associate professor of justice; and Diane Ruess, associate professor of library science.

Commencement rehearsal for graduates is Saturday, May 12, at 10:30 a.m. at the Carlson Center. There will also be a picnic that day immediately following rehearsal until 2 p.m. at the Carlson Center for graduates and their families and friends to celebrate with Chancellor Brian Rogers. Graduation mass will take place Sunday at 10:30 a.m. in Schaible Auditorium. The Carlson Center will open for guest seating at noon on Sunday. The processional will begin at 1:20 p.m. The event will also be available as a webcast and will be broadcast over UATV via KUAC Channel 9.4. Visit www.uaf.edu/commencement and click on the webcast link.

Graduates, their families and UAF alumni are welcome to attend a reception hosted by the UAF Alumni Association in the Carlson Center’s Arthur Buswell Pioneer Room immediately following Sunday’s commencement ceremony.

University of Alaska Fairbanks commencement
Class of 2012 profile

The following statistics provide a snapshot of UAF’s 2012 graduating class. Please be aware that these are only preliminary numbers, current as of May 10, 2012. Final statistics will not be available until after commencement. With that in mind, here’s this year’s class profile:

1356 awards expected to be conferred on approximately 1309 students:

• 31 occupational endorsement
• 196 certificates
• 243 associate degrees
• 550 bachelor’s degrees
• 258 master’s degrees
• 50 doctorates
• 27 recommendations for education licensure
• 1 graduate certificate

• 732 women graduating and 577 men

Diversity breakdown:

• 257 Alaska Native/American Indian
• 52 Asian
• 32 Black
• 53 Hispanic
• 85 Other
• 62 International
• 768 White

Youngest graduate is 18; oldest graduate is 69.

Median age of class: 28

Five programs have graduates for the first time:
AAS, drafting technology, one graduate; BA, fisheries, two graduates; BA, film, three graduates; Certificate, safety, health and environmental awareness, four graduates; Licensure recommendation, post-baccalaureate special education licensure, seven graduates.

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Julie Estey
907-474-1144
5/9/12

Tanana Chiefs Conference and the University of Alaska Fairbanks have completed testing of the Green Machine, a heat-to-power generating system that can reduce diesel fuel consumption and lower energy costs for rural Alaska communities.

The Green Machine captures excess heat from small, distributed hot water sources, such as diesel engine jacket water, biomass boilers and geothermal sources, to generate up to 65 kilowatts of emissions-free electricity. In the case of rural Alaska villages, heat from the diesel generators in the local power plant can be captured and utilized in the Green Machine to boost power output. ElectraTherm of Reno, Nev. produces the Green Machine, the first of its kind in Alaska.

UAF Alaska Center for Energy and Power research manager Brent Sheets said testing data shows that the Green Machine, in ideal conditions, could generate more than 413,000 kilowatt-hours a year, with round-the-clock daily operation.

“This displaces nearly 11,000 gallons of diesel and, with fuel costs in excess of $5 per gallon throughout rural Alaska, represents an annual savings of $50,000 or more,” he said.

Jerry Isaac, president and chairman of Tanana Chiefs Conference was encouraged by the results.

“Every village in rural Alaska has a power plant, and every one of those diesel generators is running round the clock. Heat is going out the exhaust stack and radiating from the generator itself. If we don’t recover that heat and use it, it is a wasted resource,” Isaac said. “The Green Machine is a way to use that recovered heat to improve efficiency and lower electricity costs for our tribes and villages.”

TCC and ACEP tested the Green Machine in a laboratory setting at the main heat and power plant on the UAF campus.

“We appreciate the opportunity the UAF power plant gave us to set up in their facility and utilize their heat sources. By keeping the heat source at constant temperature in a controlled environment we are establishing the baseline efficiency of the unit,” said Chuen-sen Lin, professor of mechanical engineering at UAF and the lead researcher on the project.

Following the completion of this successful laboratory test UAF and TCC will install the Green Machine in a rural power plant for real-world testing and are presently evaluating options for installing the unit in a village in the TCC region.

The Denali Commission, Alaska Energy Authority, Environmental Protection Agency, and Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation funded the Green Machine project, which is part of a jointly sponsored rural energy program between ACEP and TCC. In place since 2009, the partnership matches the public service mission of TCC with the technical and engineering expertise of ACEP to achieve sustainable energy solutions for the 42 member tribes of TCC.

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Ross Coen, rural energy specialist, UAF Alaska Center for Energy and Power, 907-347-1365 or [email protected].

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Marmian Grimes
907-474-7902
5/9/12

The University of Alaska Fairbanks has announced recipients of the 2012 Emil Usibelli Distinguished Teaching, Research and Public Service Awards.

Debendra Das, professor of engineering and mines in the College of Engineering and Mines, received the teaching award; Sergei Avdonin, professor of mathematics and statistics in the College of Natural Science and Mathematics, received the research award; and Kenji Yoshikawa, research professor at the Institute of Northern Engineering, received the service award. All three were honored at a reception Tuesday at the UA Museum of the North.

Das first joined UAF in 1984 as an assistant professor of mechanical engineering. In addition to his excellence in teaching, Das’ contributions in the area of student mentorship and involving them in his research have been extraordinary, according to CEM dean Doug Goering.

“He has worked to include many undergraduate students in his research and helped them reap the rewards of his work via publications and paper presentations,” wrote Goering in his nomination letter for Das. “Deben’s highest priority has clearly been to enhance the experience of students through efforts that extent well beyond the traditional bounds of the classroom.”

Over the years, Das has been recognized for his work as an advisor, including the UAF Carol Feist Outstanding Advisor Award in both 2003-2004 and 2005-2006. In 2006, he received the national Student Section Advisor Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and, in 2007, the ASME Dedicated Service Award.

Goering also praised Das for his commitment to graduate students.
“Several times he has ‘rescued’ graduate students from failure and worked tirelessly to ensure their success,” wrote Goering. “In every case that I am aware of he was able to successfully turn around the academic programs of these students and lead them to a UAF graduate degree and careers in industry.”
Das holds a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Brown University and a doctorate in mechanical engineering from University of Rhode Island.

Avdonin has built a distinguished career in mathematics research. His current research focuses on mathematical studies for glaciology and he has developed new methods that offer a major step toward predictive glacier models, which are important in the study of glacier-climate interactions, ice-core dating and assessment of natural hazards.

Avdonin began his career in the late 1970s at the department of mathematical sciences at St. Petersburg State University in Russia, where he rose to the position of professor in 1991. He spent time as professor and chair of the department of mathematics at St. Petersburg University of Economics and Engineering and as a senior research fellow at The Flinders University of South Australia. Prior to joining UAF in 2001, he served a year as a visiting professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

“Avdonin’s international reputation immediately improved UAF’s stature in mathematics,” wrote nominator and colleague, John Rhodes. “His presence with the department of mathematical sciences helped it focus more clearly on its research mission. By quiet example, Avodnin has helped set the research tone and encouraged a remarkably high productivity rate for the department.”

Avdonin’s publication record includes more than 35 peer-reviewed articles since coming to UAF. Prior to that, he authored nearly 70 peer-reviewed articles.

“This publication record is very impressive by mathematical norms, since one quality paper a year can easily be all a top researcher can produce,” Rhodes stated.

Avdonin received his master’s degree in physics and mathematical physics, his doctorate in mathematics and his doctor of science degree in mathematics from St. Petersburg State University in Leningrad.

Since arriving at UAF in 1999, Yoshikawa has launched a research outreach effort on the study of permafrost for students and teachers in rural Alaska, Canada, Russia and other countries.

Yoshikawa has created a comprehensive network of close to 200 communities and schools to monitor the state of permafrost across the circumpolar North. He has traveled to villages around the state to install permafrost temperature monitoring instruments, known as “frost tubes,” and worked with local students and teachers to have them monitor and record the data collected from the tubes. When he visits the communities, he explains his work to community members and teachers and instructs students in the classroom with self-created manuals and materials.

“The effort not only illustrates the joy of scientific discovery to children, it literally transforms them into engaged scientists,” wrote nominator Bill Schnabel, director of the UAF Water and Environmental Research Center.

Yoshikawa’s outreach methods are known for their originality. He created a superhero, Tunnel Man, to help get students more excited about the science of permafrost and has introduced them to Tunnel Man through YouTube videos and comic books.

“Kenji has been a huge supporter of my students, our school science program and a model of encouragement to many of my rural students,” wrote Robbie Everett, former science teacher for Kotzebue Middle/High School. “Because of Kenji, many more now really do love science.”

Other recent outreach endeavors include developing an ice-cellar monitoring program in Alaska whaling communities to see how permafrost-cooled food-storage chambers may be changing and developing a magazine featuring village temperature data, frost depth and interviews with elders.

Yoshikawa received both his master’s and doctorate degree in environmental science from Hokkaido University.

The Emil Usibelli Distinguished Teaching, Research and Public Service Awards are considered one of the university’s most prestigious awards. They represent UAF’s tripartite mission and are funded annually from a $600,000 endowment established by Usibelli Coal Mine in 1992.

Each year, a committee that includes members from the faculty, the student body and a member of the UA Foundation Board of Trustees evaluates the nominees. Each of the winners receives a cash award of $10,000.

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