Marmian Grimes
907-474-7902
12/23/11
Download a PDF of the event map
The community is invited to visit the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus on New Year’s Eve for the Fairbanks Curling Lions 22nd annual Sparktacular Celebration. Fireworks will be launched from UAF’s West Ridge Saturday, Dec. 31 at 8 p.m.

University fire and police departments will provide logistical support for the event and will close roads and ski trails near the staging area at 7:30 p.m.

>Both Thompson Drive and West Tanana Drive will be open to vehicle and pedestrian traffic. The UAF Police Department is also encouraging drivers to turn right as they exit campus parking lots after the event. Visit www.uafnews.com for a complete map of open and closed areas. Watch for signs and emergency personnel on the day of the event for additional guidance.

The University of Alaska Museum of the North will serve free hot cocoa and cookies, while supplies last. The museum galleries will be open to the public at no charge from 7-9 p.m.

Alaska Railroad trains travel through the area between 7:30 and 9 p.m. Alaska Railroad officials request that spectators, both pedestrian and those on snowmachines, remain clear of the railroad tracks for safety reasons.

The Sparktacular event is organized by Mike Thomas, owner of University Chevron, and is sponsored by the following Fairbanks community groups and businesses:

• Midnight Sun Lions
• University Chevron
• NAPA Auto Parts
• Gas & Diesel Doctor
• Fairbanks Youth Sports
• Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
• Dunlap Insurance Agency
• Carl’s Jr.
• Sourdough Fuel and Petro Star
• Mt. McKinley Bank
• Tanana Valley Television Fox 7/CBS 13
• Sani-Can of Fairbanks
• Interior Towing and Salvage
• Interior NAPA AutoCare Centers
• University of Alaska Fairbanks
• The Hair’em

NOTE TO EDITORS: A downloadable map is available in JPEG format at www.uafnews.com.

NW/12-23-11/129-12

Marmian Grimes
907-474-7902
12/16/11

Most offices at the University of Alaska Fairbanks will be closed for the winter break, Dec. 24 – Jan. 3. Some offices will also be closed or minimally staffed Dec. 19 – 23 and Jan. 4 – 6 as a cost-saving measure.

The UAF police and fire departments will remain open and the UAF Bookstore, the Student Recreation Center, the Wood Center, the UA Museum of the North and the Rasmuson Library will have limited hours during some parts of the winter break.

Campus shuttle service will be on an on-call only basis from 7:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. Dec.19 – 23 and Jan. 4 – 13. Call 474-RIDE (7433) for pickup. Regular campus shuttles will not run Dec. 24 – Jan. 3 or Jan. 14 – 16. Campus shuttles will run at limited times from 7:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. Jan. 17 – 18. All routes will return to normal schedules on Jan. 19.

Visit http://www.uaf.edu/marketing/holiday/index.xml for specific dates, hours and schedules.

Students will begin returning to campus Tuesday, Jan. 17, when residence halls reopen. New students are invited to participate in orientation activities the following day. The first day of classes for the spring semester is Thursday, Jan. 19. The 2011-2012 academic calendar is also online at www.uaf.edu/catalog/current/acad_calendar.html.

The University of Alaska Museum of the North will be open during the holiday season Dec. 19 – 24 and Dec. 26 – 31 and Jan. 2 – 7. Regular hours resume Jan. 9. Visit http://www.uaf.edu/museum/ for more information.

NW/12-16-11/125-12

Gretchen Gordon
907-474-1891
12/8/11

Interior Alaska’s public television station is returning to its roots.

Effective July 1, KUAC TV, like its radio counterpart, will be a standalone station serving Interior Alaska.

Since 1995, KUAC TV, along with KTOO in Juneau and KYUK in Bethel, has been part of AlaskaOne, a consortium whose members include the general managers at three of Alaska’s public television stations.

At a meeting last month, the Alaska Public Broadcasting Service, which is the corporate entity for AlaskaOne, approved a motion to merge AlaskaOne’s centralized feed with the feed from Anchorage-based KAKM, which is run by Alaska Public Telecommunications, Inc. KUAC’s general manager, Keith Martin, cast the dissenting vote. As a result, KUAC will no longer be a member of the AlaskaOne consortium of stations beginning July 1, 2012.

“Our priority has always been to meet the needs of our constituents through our broadcasting mission. Becoming independent from AlaskaOne allows for a new future for KUAC TV,” stated Keith Martin, KUAC general manager. “We need to get back to that local connection.”

The change will not alter television programming for residents of the Interior who receive KUAC public television in Fairbanks or its Interior translator communities of Healy, Delta and Nenana. While the station will be identified as KUAC rather than AlaskaOne, the mission and quality of programming will stay the same, Martin said.

Since AlaskaOne was established in 1995, financial and manpower responsibilities have slowly shifted to KUAC in Fairbanks. This shift left KUAC covering all operational and programming expenses associated with the AlaskaOne centralized feed.

That financial reality was brought to the forefront in recent years, as Alaska’s public television stations discussed statewide television consolidation. Those discussions prompted the development of a new central casting facility in Anchorage and the November decision. KUAC will not participate in the new centralized feed from Anchorage due to its potential to cause financial harm to KUAC.

“KUAC TV viewers in the Interior will continue to enjoy the four digital television channels KUAC TV has been broadcasting for the past four years,” said UAF Chancellor Brian Rogers. “This move affords KUAC the opportunity to increase its engagement with our Interior communities and become a more powerful outreach device for the university.”

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Keith Martin, KUAC general manager, 907-474-5089, [email protected]. Marmian Grimes, UAF public information officer, at 907-474-7902 or via e-mail at [email protected].

GG/12-8-11/122-12

Marmian Grimes
907-474-7902
12/2/11

Tickets are now on sale for the March 17 appearance of Paula Poundstone at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Poundstone will perform her one-woman comedy show in the Davis Concert Hall on the UAF campus Saturday, March 17 at 7 p.m. Poundstone visited Fairbanks in August with the cast and crew of NPR’s “Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!”

Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for children/military/seniors and students and are available through UAF Summer Sessions and If Only…A Fine Store in downtown Fairbanks.

For purchase or questions call 907-474-7021.

ON THE WEB: http://www.uaf.edu/summer/

NW/12-2-11/120-12

Theresa Bakker
907-474-6941
12/2/11

The University of Alaska Museum of the North invites the community to an Archaeology Family Day on Saturday, Dec. 10 from noon to 4 p.m.

Meet archaeologists and ask the experts questions about the ancient history of Alaska. See and touch real artifacts. Dig for specimens and make ulus and clay pots.

Activities are included with admission. 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/12-2-11/119-12

Marmian Grimes
907-474-7902
11/30/11

The University of Alaska Fairbanks will host holiday sales, open houses and concerts in the coming weeks. Following is a list of events scheduled in December:

University of Alaska Museum of the North holiday sale
Nov. 21 through Dec. 24, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m, Monday – Saturday, UA Museum of the North
Holiday sale prices include 20 percent off bone sculptures and masks, and 10 percent off all other museum store merchandise, including ivory carvings, beadwork, children’s books and toys. Free gift-wrapping is available. Call 474-1595 for more information.

Alaska Sea Grant, Marketing and Communications and UA Press open house, sale
Dec. 1, 2 – 6 p.m., Wells Fargo Building, second floor, Geist Road and University Ave.
The event will include free refreshments, door prizes, book signings, free gift-wrapping and 25 percent off all Alaska Sea Grant and UA Press items. Have your photo taken with the Nanook. The UAF shuttle is available for service between campus and the Wells Fargo Building by calling 474-7433. Call 474-6707 or email [email protected] for more information.

UAF music department – Music at One
Thursdays, Dec. 1 and 8, 1 p.m., Charles W. Davis Concert Hall
These free concerts feature UAF music students performing a variety of pieces. Open to the public.

Northern Lights String Orchestra concert
Thursday, Dec. 1, 8 p.m., Charles W. Davis Concert Hall
This free concert will include works by Vaughn Williams, Corelli and Rutter.

Large Animal Research holiday bazaar
Friday, Dec. 2, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m., West Ridge Research Building lobby and room 210
This sale will feature T-shirts, sweatshirts, raw qiviut, Alaska-made items and lots more. For more information call 474-7165.

Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra – Design Alaska Holiday Concert
Sunday, Dec. 4, 4 p.m., Charles W. Davis Concert Hall
This annual holiday concert will feature the Fairbanks Symphony with the Choir of the North, University Chorus and Northland Youth Choir. For tickets and information, call 474-5733.

UAF music department – string chamber groups concert
Tuesday, Dec. 6, 8 p.m., Charles W. Davis Concert Hall
This free concert features UAF music students. Open to the public.

UAF music department – Junior recital
Wednesday, Dec. 7, 8 p.m., Charles W. Davis Concert Hall
This free concert features UAF music student Franz Felkl on violin. Open to the public.

UAF holiday concert, wind symphony and jazz band
Friday, Dec. 9, 8 p.m., Charles W. Davis Concert Hall, UAF campus
This concert will feature the Wind Symphony, directed by Karen Gustafson, and the Jazz Band, directed by James Bicigo, playing holiday classics and more. Tickets are available at the door: $10 for adults, $5 for students, seniors and military; children under 12 attend free. Call 474-7555 for further information.

UAF art department semiannual sale of student artwork
Friday, Dec. 9, noon – 6 p.m., Fine Arts Building, studios 415 and 405
Ceramics and prints will be for sale. Contact Carol Hoefler, UAF art department, at 474-7530 for more information.

University Chorus holiday concert, “Christmas Oratorios”
Saturday, Dec. 10, 8 p.m., Charles W. Davis Concert Hall
The University Chorus in holiday concert, directed by Jaunelle Celaire. Tickets are $5 for students, seniors and military; $10 for adults; and children 12 and under are free. Call 474-7555 for more information.

UAF music department – brass ensembles concert
Sunday, Dec. 11, 4 p.m., Charles W. Davis Concert Hall
This free concert features UAF music students. Open to the public.

UAF music department – Junior recital
Sunday, Dec. 11, 7 p.m., Charles W. Davis Concert Hall
This free concert features UAF music student Khelsea Sawyer on piano. Open to the public.

NW/11-30-11/117-12

Nancy Tarnai
907-474-5042
11/23/11

With the quick snip of an enormous pair of scissors across a royal blue ribbon, University of Alaska Fairbanks officials opened the new $5.325 million School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences/Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station Greenhouse.

“Twenty-eight weeks ago we put the shovel in the ground,” said Jim Mitchell, Ghemm Co. project manager, during a Nov. 22 dedication ceremony. “It’s been a team effort and a really interesting project. It was unique and it had its challenges.”

The week prior to the dedication ceremony, Fairbanks temperatures held at -40 degrees for days and the greenhouse maintained 75 degrees throughout the bitter cold.

“It was a good test run,” Mitchell said.

“This is an exciting day for the School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences and for UAF,” said UAF Chancellor Brian Rogers. “This has been a fast-track project.”

Calling the greenhouse a critical component of SNRAS’s horticulture program, Rogers said the new facility increases the teaching and research space from what was available in the old greenhouse, removed in the spring to make room for the Life Sciences Building.

While some people questioned the cost of the facility, Rogers assured the doubters that this is not just a simple greenhouse; it is equipped with a state-of-the-art climate control system.

“We’ll be able to reach out to communities, help in the drive for food security, extend the growing season and create new economic opportunities,” Rogers said.

He recognized the school’s partners, Pike’s Landing and Chena Hot Springs Resort, and thanked Ghemm Co. and Design Alaska.

Murray Richmond, legislative aide for Sen. Joe Thomas, read remarks sent by the senator. “Alaska agriculture sounds like an oxymoron to some people,” he said. “But they don’t know Alaska. We are the only people who would dedicate a greenhouse when it is 18 below zero.

“The work you do here is important. You are coming up with solutions. This project is true to the spirit of Alaska. We will find a way.”

Carol Lewis, dean of SNRAS and director of the Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, said controlled environments are the future of agriculture in Alaska. The new greenhouse will present many wonderful opportunities, she said. “It’s going to be innovative and great fun.”

She lauded Ghemm Co. “You made it happen,” she said. The company employed 189 workers, and no accidents occurred throughout the construction; 32 sub-contractors were also hired.

The downstairs portion of the complex, containing three greenhouse modules, remains to be finished, and Rogers said he is committed to completing the project as soon as possible. He has set aside about half of the $500,000 it will take to do the job.

Nancy Tarnai
907-474-5042
11/16/11

A new state-of-the-art horticulture greenhouse will be dedicated on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus Nov. 22 at 4 p.m. The university will host a ceremony at the greenhouse, near the Arctic Health Research Building on the West Ridge.

The $4.5 million teaching and research facility replaces the 40-year-old West Ridge greenhouse that was removed earlier this year to make space for the construction of the Life Sciences building.

The 4,500-square-foot greenhouse includes space-efficient teaching and research areas equipped with state-of-the-art environmental control and innovative plant production systems. The finished upper level has two greenhouse sections of 750 square feet and two sections of 375 square feet. The lower level has three sections of 750 square feet each and houses a 900-square-foot growth chamber area. The greenhouse extends along the south side of the Arctic Health Research Building.

“We are very excited about the research, teaching and outreach opportunities the greenhouse will provide for our faculty and students,” said Carol Lewis, dean of the UAF School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences and director of the Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station.

A computerized control system monitors and regulates environmental variables such as temperature, humidity and light intensity in each greenhouse compartment, providing optimal conditions for plant growth. “This will provide excellent opportunities for students to prepare for careers in the modern greenhouse industry,” Lewis said.

The greenhouse currently features a finished upper level and a partially complete lower level. The greenhouse complex also includes 1,100 square feet of classroom space, a laboratory, two offices, a clean room, storage and an area for handling plant materials, fertilizers and potting media.

The public is invited to the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Contact Marilyn Childress, 907-474-7083 or [email protected], to RSVP.

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

Singer and actress Mzuri Moyo will sing and perform at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and venues throughout Fairbanks this week.

Moyo is best known for her one-woman show, “The Fannie Lou Hamer Story.” Her performances have introduced thousands of audiences to a central character of the civil rights movement.

“Many people have heard the name Fannie Lou Hamer but many people don’t know anything more than she was active in the civil rights movement,” Moyo said. “They don’t know about her contributions to the movement and the family sacrifices she made. From the time I heard her story from her own mouth, this is what I wanted to do.”

Moyo will appear at six venues in three days, Nov. 17-19. On Thursday, Nov. 17 from 12:30-2 p.m. she will be at the Alumni Lounge in Constitution Hall on the UAF campus for a welcome reception. At 6:30 p.m. in the Wood Center Ballroom, also on campus, she will give a free public lecture about Hamer’s life.

While in Fairbanks, Moyo will also meet with the Youth Leadership Assembly at North Pole High School and perform at Bobby’s Downtown at 9:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18. On Saturday, Nov. 19, she will have breakfast with National Association for the Advancement of Colored People youth leaders and give a full performance of “The Fannie Lou Hamer Story” at the NAACP Freedom Fund Banquet at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Ana Richards, UAF Office of Multicultural Affairs and Diversity, at 907-474-7300 or [email protected].

MG/11-15-11/110-12

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

In celebration of Geography Awareness Week, the University of Alaska Fairbanks will host a free public event Saturday, Nov. 19 at the UAF Wood Center. GeoFest, which runs from 1 to 4 p.m., will feature hands-on activities presented by community organizations, all based on the theme “Geography: the Adventure in Your Community.”

CONTACT: Katie Kennedy, UA Geography Program education and outreach coordinator, 907-474-6121, [email protected]