Marmian Grimes
907-474-7902
1/26/12

A $1.6 million software donation to the University of Alaska Fairbanks petroleum engineering department will allow students to learn on the same programs they will use in the workplace.

The gift from Edinburgh-based Petroleum Experts includes 10 copies of a suite of six programs, along with the network license required to run the programs at UAF.

The software allows the oil and gas industry to model oil reservoirs, wells and pipeline networks in an integrated way, according to Shirish Patil, professor of petroleum engineering at UAF. This practice is known as “integrated production modeling, or IPM, within the oil and gas industry.

“The IPM suite models the reservoir, the production and injection wells and the surface gathering system. Multiple reservoirs, naturally and artificially lifted wells, plus single and looped surface pipeline networks can be handled in an integrated way,” Patil said. “UAF petroleum engineering undergraduate and graduate students will be able to use the software in their class projects as well as for their senior capstone design projects, while learning state-of-the-art software.”

Oil companies use models to make production forecasts for existing oilfields and in the development of new fields, Patil said. “For new fields, models may help development by identifying the number of wells required, the optimal completion of wells, the present and future needs for artificial lift, and the expected production of oil, water and gas.”

Petroleum Experts is a petroleum engineering company with offices in Texas, Scotland and China. The company developed the IPM software to improve the efficiency of oil and gas fields. The software is used by more than 350 oil and gas companies.

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Aida Rodriguez, Petroleum Experts Inc., at 281-531-1121 or [email protected]. Shirish Patil, UAF petroleum engineering, at 907-474-5127 or [email protected].

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Theresa Bakker
907-474-6941

1/25/12

The University of Alaska Museum of the North has installed a new pipeline super pig on its grounds.

The pig, donated to the museum’s ethnology and history collection by Alyeska Pipeline Service Company, replaces a pig given to the museum in 1984.

“That older, mostly steel and rubber pig has been on exhibit in the museum’s yard since it came to us. It sits in a vertical position in full sunlight,” said collection manager Angela Linn. “The rubber components have severely degraded over the past few years and the bumper pieces have been falling apart, so we approached Alyeska to see if they had a spare pig ready to be decommissioned.”

A pig is a device inserted into a pipeline to clean it, separate products or dewater the line; to inspect the pipeline; and to perform other special duties, such as plugging isolated pipelines. The trans-Alaska pipeline system is “pigged” every eight days.

Alyeska agreed to donate a S.U.N. Engineering “Super Pig Hybrid-B” that was in operation from about 2007 until 2010. This version has cutting devices in a configuration of disks and cups, but was decommissioned after the company transitioned to an all-disc pig in 2011.

Getting such a piece into the collection means more than having the donor drop it off, Linn said. “After many months of organization, we identified a location and then designed, custom-fabricated and installed a saddle mount.”

On Dec. 6, 2011, after more than two years of coordination, the pig was delivered.

The story of natural resource extraction is a part of Alaska’s history, Linn said. “The technology and equipment used through the entire process are a big part of telling that story.”

The comparison between the pig from the 1980s, which will be removed from exhibit this summer but preserved in an off-site facility, and the new super pig demonstrates the innovations in materials and technology that have improved efficiency in Alaska’s oil industry.

“This is one of the primary reasons we have research museums: for comparing and contrasting changes through time. Alyeska’s generous donation helps us tell this story in relation to the people of Alaska,” Linn said. “The ethnology and history collection depends on donations to expand the collection and the willingness of corporations such as Alyeska to pass along items to help us achieve our mission.”

Visitors can inspect the pipeline pig any time or day. Since it is too large to be curated inside, it is located on the northwest corner of the building, along the edge of the parking lot.

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Angela Linn, ethnology and history collection manager, at 907-474-1828 or via email at [email protected].

ON THE WEB: museum.uaf.edu

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

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Debbie Carter
907-474-5406
1/17/12

A Fairbanks 4-H leader has received one of two top volunteer awards presented by 4-H in the western United States.

Becky Osimowicz was recognized Jan. 15 as the Western Region 4-H Salute to Excellence Volunteer of the Year. She received the award, which is presented to one leader with less than 10 years of service, during a 4-H leaders’ forum in Cheyenne, Wyo.

Osimowicz serves as co-leader of the Amour de Cheval 4-H Club, which is devoted to all things horses. Members raise and show horses, and compete in trail rides and a Jeopardy-style horse bowl. They also volunteer for a multitude of community service projects. Her teenage daughters, Emma and Cora, are members of the horse club. Cora also raises pigs.

Osimowicz says she likes 4-H because it provides good activities for young people. “I just like seeing the kids having fun and succeeding.”

Tanana District 4-H agent Marla Lowder credits the leader for broadening the horse program for young people 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 gymkhana summer skills event that raises enough money to rent an arena for practice. Osimowicz also serves on the district 4-H Horse and Leaders councils and on the Tanana Valley State Fair Board. She also works part-time as a school district reading tutor.

Lowder said Osimowicz is very organized and committed to 4-H. While the 4-H framework helps volunteers to offer activities, Lowder said, “they step out and they make it happen.”

Two other Tanana District 4-H leaders have also won the award in the past three years.

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

ON THE WEB: www.uaf.edu/ces

Marie Gilbert
907-474-7412
1/13/12

University of Alaska Fairbanks zoophysiologist Brian Barnes has been named a 2011 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal Science.

Barnes was recognized for distinguished contributions to leadership in arctic science and research in hibernation and cryobiology: the study of the effects of low temperatures on living things. Barnes is the director of the UAF Institute of Arctic Biology and the science director at Toolik Field Station.

An internationally recognized expert in hibernation, Barnes’ research focuses on physiological ecology and thermoregulation of hibernating mammals – especially black bears and arctic ground squirrels.

Barnes divides his research time between laboratory work on the UAF campus and fieldwork at Toolik Field Station, an international research facility located on Alaska’s North Slope. As director of IAB, Barnes supports the life sciences research of about 50 faculty members and 100 associated postdoctoral fellows, researchers and staff members.

Barnes is among 539 new fellows chosen nationwide for 2011. He will receive a certificate and a blue and gold rosette—representing science and engineering—at the AAAS annual meeting in Vancouver Feb. 18. He joins the ranks of more than a dozen Alaskans chosen as fellows over the years.

The tradition of AAAS Fellows, who are chosen by their peers, began in 1874. Members can be considered if nominated by the steering groups of the association’s 24 sections, by any three fellows who are current AAAS members or by the AAAS chief executive officer.

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Brian Barnes at 907-474-7648 or [email protected].

ON THE WEB: http://www.aaas.org/aboutaaas/fellows/2011.shtml

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Marmian Grimes
907-474-7902
12/22/11

The family of a recent University of Alaska Fairbanks graduate has donated a tract of land that will provide an endowment to support three research and academic programs at UAF.

Dr. Jeffrey and Jo Zuckerman this week signed paperwork to donate a 50-acre parcel of land in Wilshire Glenn Estates, a subdivision off McGrath Road north of Fairbanks. Under the agreement, the land will be held by the university for three years and then can be sold. The estimated value of the land is about $960,000. The proceeds are slated to benefit two academic programs, Spanish and psychology, as well as research by faculty member Kelly Drew at the UAF Institute of Arctic Biology.

The Zuckermans’ daughter, Bianca, graduated in 2010 with a double major in Spanish and psychology and a minor in biology.  She is currently seeking a doctorate in physical therapy in Texas. She chose the programs that would receive funds generated by the donation.

“These people and programs inspired me when I was a student at UAF,” she said. “I hope that this donation will further the growth of these departments and benefit the students, the university and the community.”

UAF Chancellor Brian Rogers, university leaders and representatives from the programs met with the Zuckerman family this week.

“This gift will benefit these programs—both their students and their research—for years to come,” Rogers said. “The Zuckerman family’s dedication to higher education is an inspiration to students and to donors and we truly appreciate their generosity.”

The Zuckermans’ donation is one of the largest one-time gifts made to UAF by an individual donor.

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS:  Emily Drygas, UAF development director, at 474-6631 or [email protected].

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Nancy Tarnai
907-474-5042
9/20/11

A cooperative study led by researchers at the University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences will be among 17 honored by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior Wednesday in Washington, D.C.

The Subsistence Sharing Network Project will receive the Secretary’s Partners in Conservation Award, which is granted to organizations that demonstrate exemplary collaboration and unique investigations.

Begun on the North Slope in 2008, the project was headed by associate professor Gary Kofinas and postdoctoral researcher Shauna BurnSilver. Dee Williams of the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement built the project on work initiated by Jim Magadanz of Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

“The project sought to realize a good approach for working with communities and in that effort, shift the paradigm of how researchers and communities work together in arctic social science,” Kofinas said. “The success of the project is explained, in part, by the extra effort made cooperating and building relationships with local residents, who helped design and shape the project.”

Another key factor was community leaders who encouraged local residents to participate and understood the value of documenting their subsistence systems using quantitative research methods.

“The effort modeled good research partnerships with communities, which is what our university tries to do,” Kofinas said.

Although studies of Alaska Native subsistence activities have been undertaken for decades, most of the research has been limited to recording harvest levels. This project used social network analysis to document and analyze subsistence food sharing networks, cooperative hunting, participation in the cash economy and issues of food security.

The project provides a new way to quantify the traditional values of cooperative and reciprocal relationships among Alaska Native people. The study identifies how these relationships contribute to the resilience of rural communities, as well as the vulnerabilities of resident households, as they face a variety of forces of change and potential disruption.

Research was conducted in Kaktovik, Wainwright and Venetie. Each community had its own advisory board to help guide the study and identify ways to communicate goals. Seventeen village residents worked as research associates alongside UAF graduate students to conduct interviews. The result was a high survey response rate: 92 percent of all household heads in two of the communities and 80 percent of the third.

The project provides baseline data that will help monitor change and potential effects of climate change and anticipated oil and gas development, both onshore and offshore, in the North Slope Borough.

The project involved many community, tribal, state and federal agencies, including the Alaska Department of Fish and Game Division of Subsistence and the North Slope Borough Wildlife Management Department. The project was funded by the Environmental Studies Program of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (formerly the Minerals Management Services).

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Gary Kofinas, East Coast time zone until Friday, Sept. 23, 307-690-5103 (He is having email difficulties so email isn’t reliable right now.)

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Michelle Renfrew
907-455-2833
9/16/11

A $4 million equipment donation from BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc. has made the University of Alaska Fairbanks Community and Technical College one of only a few programs in the nation to offer a working wellhead in a classroom environment.

“The wellhead and equipment gives students in our process technology program the opportunity to train on the same equipment in a classroom environment they will encounter in the field,” said Brian Ellingson, coordinator for the CTC process technology program. “It gives process technology and engineering students the ability to learn crucial safety standards and procedures that will make them smarter, safer, and more efficient operators at oil and gas production facilities.”

“This wellhead and process technology equipment will provide hands-on experience for UAF engineering and process technology students. Training and hiring qualified Alaskans is critical to our business and we believe this investment will help the excellent program at UAF be even better.” said John Mingé, President BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc.

The majority of the equipment came from the former BP Gas to Liquids plant in Kenai.  Ellingson said the miscellaneous equipment made its way to Fairbanks over a span of several months, beginning last November. The refurbished wellhead, which had been fully operational on Alaska’s North Slope, arrived in Fairbanks in July.

The wellhead is the only working model located in a classroom environment in Alaska and one of only a few in the country. It functions as a wellhead does in the field, with production flow out and gas injection capabilities. Pressures have been reduced for safety precautions in a classroom environment.

“Our longtime partnership with BP Alaska has impacted almost every area of the university,” said UAF Chancellor Brian Rogers. “This generous gift to the Community and Technical College will ensure our students have the tools and training they need to enter a successful career after graduation and clearly demonstrates BP’s commitment to the future of this industry and to the quality education of Alaska’s workforce.”

The process technology program at UAF’s Community and Technical College offers a two-year associate degree that prepares graduates for employment in the areas of oil and gas production, mining and milling, transportation, refining, utilities, wastewater treatment and facilities maintenance. In addition, the program offers one-year certificates in power generation, safety, health and environmental awareness, and instrumentation technology.

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Brian Ellingson, process technology program coordinator, at 907-455-2898 or via email at [email protected]. Steve Rinehart, BP press office, 907-564-5668.

ON THE WEB: www.ctc.uaf.edu/programs/protech/index.htm

NOTE TO EDITORS: Photos are available online at www.uafnews.com.

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Marmian Grimes
907-474-7902
9/15/11

The University of Alaska Fairbanks and Sumitomo Pogo Mine today announced a gift to support graduate student research in mining engineering at UAF.

The three-year, $1 million endowment from Sumitomo Pogo Joint Venture will provide a steady source of research funding for mining engineers seeking advanced training through graduate degrees.

The U.S. Bureau of Mines, which was closed in the mid-1990s, used to provide federal funding for mining research. Since its closure, funding for masters- and doctorate-level training has been in short supply, said Rajive Ganguli, chairman of the mining and geological engineering department at UAF.

“Besides strengthening the mining engineering program, the endowment will result in more mining engineers with advanced training,” he said. “If Alaska is to fully realize the potential of its mineral wealth, it will need the mining engineers, with their advanced skills for finding solutions to Alaska problems.”

The mining engineering program was one of the first at UAF, which was founded in 1917 as the Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines. Since then, the university has served as a training ground for mining engineers for companies throughout the state, as well as the nation and world. As part of that mission, UAF has formed partnerships with companies like Pogo Mine. The company has been an active partner in the student-run Silver Fox mine, donating ground control supplies and personal protective equipment, and has hired several graduates of the mining and geological engineering program.

“The mining industry constantly struggles with finding knowledgeable, talented and experienced employees,” said Chris Kennedy, Sumitomo Pogo general manager. “Pogo has several engineers working on site who have attending the UAF engineering program and, with time spent in the field, are now some of Pogo’s shining stars because of the knowledge and training they gained at UAF.”

Kennedy said UAF’s engineering program is vital to the continued health of the mining industry. That made the endowment a good investment.

“UAF provides the opportunity for students to be successful in the industry and that is important to Sumitomo and Pogo,” he said. “These funds will help sustain the program and that is the right thing to do to further strengthen the industry.”

Pogo is an underground mine located about 38 miles northeast of Delta Junction near the Goodpaster River. The deposit was discovered in 1994 and the mine began operation in 2005 and runs about 2,500 tons of material a day. The mine steadily provides jobs for nearly 400 employees and contractors.

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Chris Kennedy, Sumitomo Pogo general manager, at 907-895-2834 or [email protected]. Rajive Ganguli, mining and geological engineering department chairman, at 907-474-7212 or [email protected]. Doug Goering, College of Engineering and Mines dean, at 907-474-7730 or [email protected].

NOTE TO EDITORS: A photo from the gift announcement will be available online at www.uafnews.com.

MG/9-15-11/064-12

Marmian Grimes
907-474-7902
8/16/11

The University of Alaska Fairbanks and Kinross Fort Knox today announced a gift to support graduate student research in mining engineering at UAF.

The $1 million engineering research endowment will allow UAF to provide advanced training for mining engineers by establishing a steady source of research funding.

“The endowment provides an important step toward replacing the efforts formerly led by the federal Bureau of Mines,” said Lauren Roberts, Kinross Gold regional vice president of North America. “UAF is conducting research and making gains in important areas that will pay dividends for the industry, Alaska and Fort Knox.”

The U.S. Bureau of Mines, which was closed in the mid-1990s, used to provide federal funding for mining research. Since its closure, finding funding for masters- and doctorate-level training has been a challenge, said Rajive Ganguli, chairman of the mining and geological engineering department at UAF.

“Alaska has minerals not just in its past, but also in its future. Realization of the full potential of our mineral resources requires both highly trained engineers and insight into our unique technical challenges,” Ganguli said. “This gift helps Alaska on both of these aspects: The monies will not only result in advanced training of the next generation of mining engineers, but will also help find solutions to our technical problems.”

The mining engineering program was one of the first at UAF, which was founded in 1917 as the Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines. Since then, the university has served as a training ground for mining engineers for companies throughout the state, as well as the nation and world. As part of that mission, UAF has formed partnerships with mining companies like Kinross, which provides students access to high-caliber mentors and internship and job opportunities in the Fairbanks community. In addition, UAF students and faculty members regularly collaborate with Fort Knox on research projects and Fort Knox employees volunteer as members of advisory boards at UAF.

“UAF prides itself on working closely with industry to produce the type of engineering graduate who can be effective right out of college. We couldn’t do that without active partnerships like the one we have with Kinross,” said Doug Goering, dean of the UAF College of Engineering and Mines. “As we go forward, the technical challenges associated with developing the state’s mineral resources are only getting more complex. The support Kinross is providing will help us understand those challenges better and provide training aimed at advancing all aspects of mining in Alaska.”

Ganguli said the donation shows Kinross’ strong commitment to Alaska and the local community.

“They have shown faith in our ability to train engineers and solve difficult problems,” he said. “We will get better and stronger as a result of their generosity.”

Kinross’ partnership with UAF has been beneficial to the company as well, Roberts said.

“Kinross is pleased to operate in a region with such a strong mining engineering program at the local university,” he said. “We’ve been fortunate enough to attract UAF graduates and have also appreciated the opportunity to help our existing employees develop their skills through higher education at UAF.”

Kinross Gold Corporation is a Canada-based gold mining company with mines and projects in Brazil, Canada, Chile, Ecuador, Ghana, Mauritania, Russia and the United States and employs approximately 7,500 people worldwide. The Kinross Fort Knox mine, located 25 miles northeast of Fairbanks, began commercial production in 1997. In 2011 the site poured its five-millionth ounce of gold. The mine employs more than 500 local residents.

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Lorna Shaw, Fort Knox community and government relations manager, 907-490-2218 or [email protected]. Rajive Ganguli, mining engineering department chairman, at 907-474-7212 or [email protected]. Doug Goering, College of Engineering and Mines dean, at 907-474-7730 or [email protected].

NOTE TO EDITORS: A photo from the gift announcement will be available online at www.uafnews.com.

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Jenn Wagaman
907-474-5082
5/13/11

The 2011 Campus Research Day took place on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus on May 5. UAF students from diverse fields of study participated in poster sessions and an undergraduate research symposium. Winners follow:

Undergraduate poster awards:
• First place: Tyler Payment, “Underground Salt Cavern Sonar Logging Tool.” Mentor: Rorik Peterson.
• Second place: Patrick Millard and Rijo Simon, “Mobile Device Application and Media Transmission Technology for Alaska’s Digitally Integrated Guide.” Mentor: Greg Newby.
• Third place: Shaina Bhojwani “Tissue Distribution of Mercury in Alaskan Sculpin Species.” Mentor: Todd O’Hara.
Graduate poster awards:
• First place: Jill Shipman, “Rapid Modal Analysis and Whole-Rock Geochemistry of the 1956-Present Eruptive Products of Bezymianny Volcano, Kamchatka, Russia.” Mentor: Pavel Izbekov.
• Second place: Jean Talbot, “Effect of Pacific Decadal Oscillation on the Long Term Dynamics of Arctic Climate Time Series.” Mentor: Uma Bhatt.
• Third place: Tania Spurkland, “Salinity and Irradiance Effects on Growth and Maximum Quantum Yield of Photosynthesis of Sub-Arctic Kelp (Saccharina latissima).” Mentor: Katrin Iken.
Undergraduate research symposium
• First place: Kayla Harrison, “A High-Resolution WRF Simulation of a Post-frontal Topographically Enhanced Wind Shear Event at Juneau International Airport.” Mentor: Don Morton.
• Second place: Kathleen Gerdes, “A Serosurvey of Avian Influenza in Passerine Birds.” Mentor: Jon Runstadler.
• Third place: Mindona Krzykowski, “Identifying and Characterizing VXB Events on the Lunar Surface from the Suprathermal Ion Detector Experiment (SIDE) That Was Part of Apollo 14 Mission.” Mentor: Channon Price.
• Fourth place: Sara Day Evridge, “Childhood in Gold Rush Alaska: Children’s Influence on Alaskan Settlement.” Mentor: John Heaton.
• Fifth place: Ali Amhaz-Strickland, “Hizbullah: A State-Within-A-State.” Mentor: Pia Kohler.
Honorable mentions:
• Rachel DeWilde, “Analyzing Dallia pectoralis Population Genetics Using Microsatellites.” Mentor: Matthew Campbell.
• Courtney Nichols, “Contrasting Patterns of Molecular Evolution in Euteleost Fishes.” Mentor: Andres Lopez.
• Jonathan Nolin, “Hybrid Photovoltaic’s and Improving Efficiency.” Mentor: Shiva Hullavarad.
• Kyoko Okano, “Effects of Warming and Neighboring Interactions on Establishment and Growth of White Spruce [Picea glauca (Moench) Voss].” Mentor: Sydonia Bret-Harte.
• Susan M. Smith, “History of the Mental Health Peer Support Movement in Alaska.” Mentor: Cynthia Hardy.

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

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