For alumni and friends of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Spring 2011 Alumnus inside The Festival of Native Arts, founded in 1973, happens each year in March, on the Fairbanks campus. The festival unites the major Native culture groups of Alaska, as well as indigenous groups of the continental United States and foreign countries. These groups share the rich heritage of their respective cultures through music, dance and art. UAF students are the driving force behind FNA, responsible for organizing, fundraising, housing and transportation. Planning takes place year-round. Such commitment is a testament to great pride in cultural values and traditions. About the cover artist Photo courtesy of Jamie Smith. courtesy of Jamie Photo Jamie Smith, ’98, is the creator of the beloved cartoon “Nuggets.” He also does freelance illustration, teaches drawing courses and blogs all about it at www.inksnow. blogspot.com. Volume 3 No. 2 Published twice a year for alumni and friends of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Contents FEATURES 6 Cover story: Unlimited freedom? By LJ Evans 6 Academic freedom sounds like a good idea — but what exactly is it, and what is it doing at UAF? The future of Alaska food By Brooke Sheridan 12 Can Alaska produce enough food on its own for its population? Young at art By Andrew Cassel 16 Seeking inspiration at the annual Visual Art Academy 12 for sixth through 12th graders. “Man with messy hair” By Nancy Tarnai 16 20 Native New Yorker Jerry Lipka finds home in Alaska. DEPARTMENTS 2 Around Campus 23 Alumnus 29 Events Calendar 20 Chancellor ..............................................................Brian Rogers Opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily Vice Chancellor for University Advancement .............Jake Poole reflect official positions of the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Director of Marketing and Communications ..........Scott McCrea Send comments or letters to the editor to [email protected] or to Assistant Director ...............................................Jackie Stormer P.O. Box 757505, Fairbanks, AK 99775, or call 907-474-6726. We Managing Editor ......................................................... Kim Davis reserve the right to edit for grammar and length. Visit us on the Creative Director .......................................................... Jan Stitt web at www.uaf.edu/aurora/. America’s Arctic University Features Editor ............................................................. LJ Evans Editor .........................................................................Tori Tragis The University of Alaska Fairbanks is accredited by the Northwest www.uaf.edu Designers ..................................Phil Raymond, Andrea Swingley Commission on Colleges and Universities. UAF is an affirmative Photo Manager ..........................................................Todd Paris action/equal opportunity employer and educational institution. Web Designers ................................Jenn Baker, Sherrie Roberts UAF photos by Todd Paris, ’83, unless otherwise noted. Alumnus section photos provided by alumni unless otherwise noted. 04/2011 AROUND CAMPUS AROUND CAMPUS Purely Alaska illustrates cultural journalism Students to design $17.95 u.S. Anthology/nonfiction ✸ “Here’s a fascinating guided tour of the real Bush Alaska, not the prettified PURELY ALASKA PURELY Purely Alaska: reindeer along the treacherous shores of “Purely Alaska portrays the stunning physical world of Alaska and its spectacular version we see in tourist brochures. Here we meet the good and the bad, challenges. These stories open hearts and memories to reveal the pain and strength, the happy and the sad…” —Stan Jones, author of Village of the Ghost Bears the joy, endurance and faith of those who survive and thrive within Alaska’s often unforgiving wintery power.” —William L. iggiagruk Hensley, author of Fifty Miles from Tomorrow Authentic the Arctic Ocean to northern Canada. NASA payload PURELY ALASKA Authentic Voices from the Far North Voices from the Nellie gave birth twice while on the UAF is one of 12 universities selected Far North is a drive. She and her husband had to bury to participate in NASA’s CubeSat ✸ Susan B. Andrews & John Creed Launch Initiative. Engineering and Amy Reisland-Speer at Grizzly Bear Campground near Denali Della Keats, beloved Iñupiaq tribal doctor follow-up to the a newborn on the tundra. Nellie herself Inside you’ll find 32 stories as diverse and far flung as Alaska itself. A village girl discovers a surprising new world at a boarding school hundreds of miles from home. ✸ A mother tries to steer her son toward college but he just wants to be a salty ✸ science students will design an auxiliary fisherman like his dad. An after-work snowmachine outing turns treacherous. award-winning almost died from a raging fever while ✸ A revered Iñupiaq elder recalls a traumatic 1930s reindeer drive across extreme northern Alaska. ✸ A young man struggles against powerful addictions. ✸ An outsider who arrives to help the village finds he’s the one in need of help. Discover much Susan B. Andrews payload for one of the launch vehicles more: tales of adventure, love, hopes, and John Creed bestseller giving birth to a second child. She and dreams. A follow-up to the popular are professors of Authentic Alaska, this anthology offers an journalism and humanities at the insider’s look at the everyday business ✸ university of Alaska’s of living off the land and waterways in EP already planned for next Chukchi College in America’s most remote state. Stories from rural Alaskans icENTER Edited by Susan B. Andrews & John Creed went on to live a long life, raise many Kotzebue, Alaska. Authentic Alaska: www.voicesofalaska.com ALASKA BOOK ADVENTURES™ STEVE WERlE + SuSAN B. A NDREWS + JohN CREED + IVA BAKER + R.A. D IlloN Epicenter Press P NANCy BERKEy + MARCuS MIllER + KARl PuCKETT + BuRToN W. hAVIlAND JR. year. UAF’s participation is RESS www.EpicenterPress.com AMy REISlAND-SPEER + GINA PoPE + JolI MoRGAN + luCy DANIElS + ChINA KANTNER Voices of Its children and become a beloved elder in SoNJA WhITEThoRN + STEVE PIlz + EMMA SNyDER + RoBERT ANDREWS The text of this book was printed on recycled paper with 100% post-consumer waste. KAThRyN lENNIGER + WIlMA PAyNE + TERRy WIlSoN + Al BoWl ING + KATIE CRuThERS Native Writers. the Northwest Arctic village of Noatak sponsored by the Alaska Both books were edited by Chukchi before passing away in the early 1990s. Space Grant Program. Campus professors John Creed and Creed and Andrews head up the CubeSats are a class of Susan Andrews. The latest offering Chukchi News and Information research spacecraft called includes 32 stories from 23 Native and Service, a cultural journalism project picosatellites. They are approximately four Montana State University’s non-Native writers who live in various that has spawned these two books as E1P Flight CubeSat remote communities in the Alaska well as hundreds of rural University inches square, have a Bush. of Alaska student publications since volume of about one quart and weigh The fi rst piece in the volume, by its founding in 1988. The project has no more than 2.2 pounds. Steve Werle, tells the harrowing tale captured several state and national Read more about the CubeSat initiative at of the late Aana Nellie Woods, who honors, including a Robert F. Kennedy @ spacegrant.alaska.edu/highered/ DOING HARD TIME in the 1930s helped drive a herd of Journalism Award. CubeSat. ive justice students went to jail last three journalism students: Sarah whom the students were the evening’s LIVE action: Alternative spring break — not just any vacation FNovember — for three and a half Richards, Dana Davis and Karen Adams. entertainment. hours. Seniors Jessika Shumate, Laegan Also along for the ride as photographers The venture into FCC was a rare Forget sizzling beaches and frosty beer. alternative, service-oriented spring was spent with Plateau Restoration, Bole, Carrie Lofts, Andrew Sheeler and were Cheryl Hatch, Snedden Chair glimpse into the world of corrections Students who want to do something break trip. During last year’s trip to a nonprofi t that works to protect and Javan Halpin portrayed new inmates for the Journalism Department, and from a side the students hoped they’d tangible with their time off each Arctic Village, Alaska, UAF students restore native habitats of the Colorado at Fairbanks Correctional Center. They Jeremia Schrock, a reporter and never have to see again. spring can join the LIVE Program — worked with the local K – 12 school to Plateau through research, education Leadership, Involvement, Volunteer encourage further education after high and revegetation. donned the colorful jumpsuit of a felon photographer for the UAF Sun Star. Once Story by Andrew Sheeler, senior journalism Experience — which sponsors an school. This year’s trip to Moab, Utah, to appear in an instructional video inside, they were under the watchful eye student and editor-in-chief of the Sun Star produced by UAF journalism students. of the FCC guards, who warned them student newspaper. Photos by Jeremia Schrock/ New inmates at FCC are shown a not to mingle with the inmates. Sun Star. video that explains everything from Life on the CAMPUS BRIEFS how to receive mail to the proper inside posed a few THE OCEAN ACIDIFICATION THE ARCTIC REGION GROUNDBREAKING FOR THE procedure for having visitors. Mike complications for RESEARCH CENTER has been SUPERCOMPUTING CENTER will NEW LIFE SCIENCES FACILITY Daku, a justice assistant professor, the