Sharice Walker
907-474-7208
1/17/12

The University of Alaska Fairbanks has renamed its facility in Kodiak. The former Fisheries Industrial Technology Center will now be called the Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center.

The University of Alaska Board of Regents approved the change at its December meeting, with the support of UA President Pat Gamble, UAF Chancellor Brian Rogers and School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences Dean Michael Castellini.

“The name change doesn’t imply a change in mission, rather it describes the work being done there more fully,” said Paula Cullenberg, co-director of the Kodiak center and leader of the Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program.

A task force conducted a program review last year and recommended the name change. The group included members of Kodiak and other coastal Alaska communities, statesmen, commercial fish processors, and faculty and staff members from Kodiak College and UAF.

The Fishery Industrial Technology Center was created in 1981 by the Alaska Legislature to provide research support for Alaska’s seafood industry. The program was one of several grouped together to create the UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences in 1987.

“We are committed to continued support for important research, outreach, and training programs,” said Keith Criddle, co-director of the Kodiak center and director of SFOS Fisheries division.

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Paula Cullenberg, MAP program leader, at 907-274-9692 or via email at [email protected]. Keith Criddle, fisheries director, at 907-796-5449 or via email at [email protected].

ON THE WEB: www.sfos.uaf.edu/ksmsc

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UAF photo by Todd Paris
A wreath adorns the newly dedicated SNRAS greenhouse adjacent to the Arctic Health Research Building on UAF's West Ridge.

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.

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Doug Schneider
907-474-7449
11/1/2011

The Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program and Integrated Marine Systems will bring their training expertise to Kodiak, Nov. 29, 2011, at 8:30 a.m. The workshop will take place at the Uniersity of Alaska Fairbanks Fisheries Industrial Technology Center across the bridge on Near Island.

MAP began the refrigeration training partnership to fill the need for hands-on training for fishermen seeking to better maintain their equipment and do basic troubleshooting while at sea. Workshops are always full. In 2010, 50 skippers and crew took the eight-hour course. In post-workshop evaluations, participants gave the training high marks.

Most Alaska fishermen know that top quality seafood—and top prices for their catch—begins with properly chilling their harvest aboard their vessels while at sea.

As the number of commercial fishermen who refrigerate their catch at sea continues to increase, so has the need for help troubleshooting and maintaining their on-board refrigeration systems, especially when fishermen are far from port.

Since 2005, The Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program (MAP) has partnered with Integrated Marine Systems, Inc., to help some 220 Alaska fishermen better understand, troubleshoot and maintain their onboard refrigeration systems. Training has decreased downtime and increased fishermen’s abilities to troubleshoot minor problems and communicate with technicians onshore.

Said one Petersburg fisherman, “I’ve been fishing for over 35 years, and this class has finally given me the answers I need to run and troubleshoot one of the most important and mysterious pieces of equipment on my boat.”

The Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program is a statewide university extension and technical assistance program that helps Alaskans wisely use, conserve, and enjoy Alaska’s marine and coastal resources.

Kodiak, Alaska—Most Alaska fishermen know that top quality seafood—and top prices for their catch—begins with properly chilling their harvest aboard their vessels while at sea.

As the number of commercial fishermen who refrigerate their catch at sea continues to increase, so too has the need for help troubleshooting and maintaining their onboard refrigeration systems, especially when fishermen are far from port.

Since 2005, the Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program (MAP) has partnered with Integrated Marine Systems, Inc., to help some 220 Alaska fishermen better understand, troubleshoot and maintain their onboard refrigeration systems—training that has decreased downtime and increased fishermen’s abilities to troubleshoot minor problems and communicate with technicians onshore.

MAP began the refrigeration training partnership to fill the need for hands-on training for fishermen seeking to better maintain their equipment and do basic troubleshooting while at sea. Workshops are always full. In 2010, 50 skippers and crew took the eight-hour course. In post-workshop evaluations, participants gave the training high marks.

“I’ve been fishing for over 35 years, and this class has finally given me the answers I need to run and troubleshoot one of the most important and mysterious pieces of equipment on my boat,” one Petersburg fisherman said.

The one day workshop will teach fishermen how to maintain, operate and troubleshoot onboard fishing vessel refrigeration equipment. Additional topics covered will include: refrigeration theory, system winterization, controller programming and system sizing. Participants will use a stand-alone marine refrigeration unit for hands-on training.

The cost of the workshop is $200, and includes a refrigeration manual. Pre-registration is required by Nov. 22. Space is limited. To register, please visit marineadvisory.org.

For questions, please contact Julie Matweyou or call the Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program in Kodiak at 907-486-1514 or toll-free at 888-788-6333.

The Alaska Sea Grant College Program is a statewide marine research, education, communication, and extension service at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences.

The Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program is a statewide university extension and technical assistance program that helps Alaskans wisely use, conserve, and enjoy Alaska’s marine and coastal resources.

Doug Schneider
907-474-7449
10/24/11

Most Alaska high school students are busy with the start of the new school year, sports, and reconnecting with friends.

But about 100 Alaska high school students are focused on the following spring.

This select group of teenagers, representing 20 high schools across the state, recently declared their intent to compete in the Alaska Region National Ocean Sciences Bowl.

The annual three-day ocean science knowledge contest, also called the Alaska Tsunami Ocean Sciences Bowl, is scheduled for March 2-4, 2012, at the Seward High School in Seward, Alaska.

At stake are school prestige, one-year tuition waivers at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and UA Southeast, and the chance to represent Alaska against teams from across the country at next April’s U.S. National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB) Finals in Baltimore, Maryland.

“There is some serious depth in this year’s Alaska competition,” said Carol Kaynor, who manages the Tsunami Bowl website for Alaska Sea Grant. “There’s one seven-time coach, one six-time coach, two five-time coaches, and seven three-time coaches.”

This year marks the 15th annual Alaska Tsunami Ocean Sciences Bowl. The Alaska competition is composed of two separate events: a research project and a quiz bowl in which students answer rapid-fire questions that test their knowledge of ocean science concepts.
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Marmian Grimes
907-474-7902
8/15/11

University of Alaska Fairbanks marine biologist Reid Brewer will share stories of octopus near misses, amazing habitat exploration and other riveting tales at a public presentation Tuesday, August 16 at 6 p.m. at the Blue Loon on the Parks Highway.

The presentation, “Octopuses (and other critters) Run Wild,” will include dazzling underwater photos and video. Brewer will also be signing his book, “Sea Life of the Aleutians: An Underwater Exploration.”

The event is free. You must be 21 or older to attend.

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Marmian Grimes
907-474-7902
8/5/11

After months of review, the University of Alaska Fairbanks Fishery Industrial Technology Center is taking steps to reinvent itself to better serve the state.

The Kodiak-based center, part of the UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, will continue to serve as a research and training hub for the Alaska seafood industry and will have a stronger public outreach and formal education focus.

“These changes will result in a stronger, more integrated seafood program for the state of Alaska,” said Paula Cullenberg, leader of the Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program and co-director of the Kodiak Center.

The center will become more closely aligned with SFOS academic, research and outreach programs. Improvements also include increased communication with both the seafood industry and the Kodiak community and distance-delivery courses to local residents. Other plans include the development of a suite of short courses for the seafood industry as well as support for the state’s first seafood food science class, to be offered at Kodiak High School this fall.

“We will fold the Fish Tech Center more fully into all of the programs of the UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences,” said Keith Criddle, director of the School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences’ fisheries division and now co-director of the Kodiak Center. “Students from around the state who are interested in a seafood focus can study under either the undergraduate or graduate student programs in fisheries offered by the School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences. This will increase opportunities for undergraduate and graduate studies in seafood as part of our proven degree programs.”

The changes are the result of the work of a task force appointed by UAF Chancellor Brian Rogers. The group included members of the Kodiak and other coastal Alaska communities, statesmen, commercial fish processors, Kodiak College and UAF faculty and staff. The Fishery Industrial Technology Center was created in 1981 by the Alaska Legislature to provide research support for Alaska’s seafood industry.

ADDITIONAL CONTACT: Paula Cullenberg, MAP leader, 907-274-9692, [email protected].

CS/8-5-11/028-12

Doug Schneider
907-474-7449
5/28/11

As politicians and pundits debate the causes of climate change, the people who live and work in Alaska already know one thing for sure: The climate is changing, and they are feeling the effects.

Take the Alaska Native village of Quinhagak [QUINN-uh-hawk], along Kuskokwim Bay in Southwest Alaska that’s inhabited by 670 people.

“Quinhagak is not like it used to be, you know, a lot of snow,” recalled Wassilie Pleasant, a local resident and member of the village Native corporation. “You could even walk onto the tops of the houses because there was so much snow, they were almost covered. Today there is hardly any snow. It seems like every year it gets worse. It’s not cold anymore.”
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Doug Schneider
907-474-7449
5/28/11

Ocean conditions that last year triggered algal blooms and outbreaks of Paralytic Shellfish Poison appear to be present again this summer, according to experts at the University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences.

“Ocean conditions are about the same as last year, so I expect PSP levels could be on the high side again,” said Ray RaLonde, the aquaculture specialist at the UAF Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program in Anchorage.
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Marmian Grimes
907-474-7902
6/1/11

The University of Alaska Fairbanks is working in partnership with Clean Air – Cool Planet to sponsor a webinar on calculating and reducing carbon footprints on Friday, June 3rd from 10 a.m. – noon.

During the workshop, the Clean Air – Cool Planet Carbon Calculator will be used to conduct a campus carbon emissions inventory and offer solutions to reduce projections of carbon pollution.

The webinar is free and open to the public. It will be held on campus in Room 340 at the Elmer E. Rasmuson Library. There are also 20 spaces available for remote login.

For more information or to register for remote login, email Michele Hebert at [email protected].

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

NAW/6-1-2011/243-11

Carin Stephens
907-322-8730
5/19/11

Seventeen Thunder Mountain High School students in a University of Alaska Fairbanks marine science class will unveil the reassembled skeleton of a sea otter this Friday, May 20, at the Thunder Mountain High School library, at noon.

The class is taught by UAF Professor Shannon Atkinson. Atkinson is an expert in marine mammals at the UAF Juneau Center of the School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences. The class is called DEM BONES, which stands for “Distinctive Education in Motion, Biodiversity of Nature and Environmental Stewardship”.

“I think we motivated students in so many ways,” said Atkinson. “It has been really rewarding.”

She adds that she hopes the students will continue their studies in science or math in college.

The course is worth two college credits at UAF. Subjects covered in the class range from biology and physiology to marine policy.

“I just can’t wait to see everyone’s face when they see what we have been working on all semester,” said student Kylee Henderson. “I am very proud of our class for accomplishing something we have never done before.”

About SFOS

The School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences conducts world-class marine and fisheries research, education and outreach across Alaska, the Arctic and Antarctic. 60 faculty scientists and 150 students are engaged in building knowledge about Alaska and the world’s coastal and marine ecosystems. SFOS is headquartered at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and serves the state from facilities located in Seward, Juneau, Anchorage and Kodiak.

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Shannon Atkinson, professor, 907-796-5453 or via e-mail at [email protected].

ON THE WEB: www.sfos.uaf.edu

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