UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA FAIRBANKS For alumni and friends of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Fall 2008 P.O. Box 757505 Fairbanks, AK 99775-7505 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED WWW.UAF.EDU inside Campus Profile Kuskokwim Campus in Bethel A ‘Real Good’ Story R.G. and Onnie Bouchum Scholarship Extr Credit Learn by Doing Alaska 4-H prepares students for real life Another brick in the wall. y Keltner used his spare time while completing his M.B.A. last academic T year to create a model of the Gruening Building out of LEGO® bricks. At a cost of more than $1,100, the project was more ambitious than many graduate student theses. Keltner also built a web comic strip, complete with construction workers, local media personality Darryl Lewis and Gov. Sarah Palin. The model will be on permanent display in Wood Center. New discoveries in the Aleutians UAF alumni in this story: Ty Keltner, ’02, ’08, and Darryl Lewis, ’88 @ View Keltner’s web comic strip chronicling his LEGO® construction America’s Arctic University project at www.uaf.edu/aurora/. Alumnus within: see pages 21 – 24 June 2008 Volume 1 No. 1 FROM THE CHANCELLOR Published semiannually for alumni and friends of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Alumni and friends, It’s September again, one of the best months of the year for watching the aurora borealis. The aurora is beautifully varied and constantly Contents evolving. It inspires a sense of curiosity and mystery. Scientists try Vice Chancellor for University Advancement to capture its essence, artists its evanescence. This blending of art Cover Story: Jake Poole Beneath the Surface and science, of many strands into a spectacular whole, makes Aurora 6 Director of New discoveries in the a fitting name for the new magazine of the University of Alaska Marketing and Communications Aleutians Scott McCrea Fairbanks. By Carin Bailey Stephens Aurora, some of you may recall, was also the name of a UAF magazine Assistant Director Jackie Stormer years ago, but that is also fitting: we look north to the future but we Managing Editor never forget the past. Kim Davis We can’t get too carried away by the aurora metaphor. The real aurora Creative Director is elusive and fickle. It never shows up when you want to impress Jan Stitt visitors. It flares up suddenly and brilliantly, then disappears just Features Editor as quickly. UAF, on the other hand, is here to stay — constantly LJ Evans changing, yes, but with purpose and care. Our inspiration comes from Around Campus Editor the limitless heights of the northern sky, but our progress is firmly Marmian Grimes grounded in Alaska itself. The Magazine ofEditor the University ofTori Alaska Tragis Fairbanks To our readers in Alaska, celebrate the return of the northern lights in the cool September air, then come inside where it’s warm and enjoy Designers Jenn Baker 18 this first issue. To our friends Outside, I hope the colorful mix of Phil Raymond Campus Profile: Andrea Swingley 12 stories reminds you of the vibrancy of Alaska and its premier university. Kuskokwim Campus Learn by Doing Welcome to Aurora. Photo Manager in Bethel Alaska 4-H prepares Todd Paris 35 years of enterprise students for real life Web Designer By Debbie Carter Brian Rogers Jenn Baker en Ala Chancellor Multimedia Coordinator A ‘Real Good’ Story rtesy of Ow Photo cou [email protected] Megan Otts R.G. and Onnie Bouchum Scholarship 14 @ Learn about Chancellor Rogers at Opinions expressed are those of the By LJ Evans www.uaf.edu/chancellor/. authors and do not necessarily reflect officialIn this Issuepositions of the University of Alaska Fairbanks. ABOUT THE COVER Send comments or letters to the editor to: departments [email protected]. Visit us on the web at www.uaf.edu/aurora/. 2 Around Campus Colorful sea anemones are found Thet-PSFNJQTVNEPMPSTJU University of Alaska Fairbanks is near hydrothermal vents in the accredited by the Northwest Commission 21 Alumnus Islands of the Four Mountains in the ont-PSFNJQTVNEPMPSTJU Colleges and Universities. UAF is an affirmative action/equal opportunity Aleutian chain. Researchers from t-PSFNJQTVNEPMPSTJU 25 Events Calendar UAF made more than 400 dives and employer and educational institution. Photos by Todd Paris, ’83, UAF Marketing explored 1,000 miles of coastline and Communications, unless otherwise during a two-year assessment noted. 09/2008 On the web program. Story begins on page 6. Photo by Shawn Harper. @ Look for this icon for information about enhanced content, including multimedia, online. America’s Arctic University www.uaf.edu AROUND CAMPUS AROUND CAMPUS Digging up the past Susan Butcher Institute names @ See David Monson discuss the new tudents at this summer’s archaeological fi eld school For their work at the site, which consisted of digging eight institute at www.uaf.edu/aurora/. near the Gerstle River spent fi ve weeks sifting through hours a day, six days a week for fi ve weeks, students earned founding director S UAF has created the Susan Butcher Institute, a program that aims to cultivate public service thousands of artifacts dating back to some of the continent’s six academic credits. and leadership skills in Alaska residents. Butcher’s husband, David Monson (pictured below), fi rst inhabitants. Thomas Allen, an undergraduate anthropology major from will serve as the institute’s Assistant Professor Ben Potter, who’s been involved with Fairbanks, was particularly impressed with what he was fi rst executive director. He will the site since the mid-90s, said their discoveries are globally helping to fi nd at the Gerstle River site. develop a range of programs Koerner Kay by photo UAF signifi cant. intended to inspire people, “Stones and bones are cool, but what they can actually tell you especially youths and emerging Agriculture “The site has a number of qualities that are extremely rare about what people were doing here 10,000 years ago, that’s leaders, to improve their own in the subarctic, whether in North America or Asia,” Potter really why I’m out here.” communities through public in action said. “First of all, we have incredibly good preservation of service, volunteerism and ummer visitors to organic materials that typically deteriorate in acidic soils of taking on new challenges. The Fairbanks were able boreal forest settings. Another reason it’s important is that it’s institute expects to offer a to see agricultural extremely well stratifi ed. The soil lays down like a layer cake, researchS in progress via a Stones and bones are cool, but what wide variety of workshops and which helps us identify specifi c occupations and the artifacts collaborative project between Photo by Nora Gruner Nora by Photo seminars starting in fall 2010. that are associated with each other." “they can actually tell you about what the School of Natural people were doing here 10,000 years Resources and Agricultural Potter also said that the site is unusual in the number of LARS opens barn doors Sciences and the greenhouse artifacts unearthed. ago, that’s really why I’m out here. uskoxen, caribou and reindeer greeted more than 600 visitors at the spring open house at at Pike’s Waterfront Lodge. omas Allen, anthropology major” the Institute of Arctic Biology Robert G. White Large Animal Research Station. “To this point I think we have around 10,000 to 12,000 fragments M Research professional Jeff of stone tools and some of the tools themselves,” he said. The station hosts the annual event to Werner (pictured above) “We’ve probably got about 500 tools that we’ve found so far give the public a chance to see and Professor Meriam in our excavations. For all of these reasons, it’s an extremely @ Watch an audio slideshow of the Gerstle the spring calves and learn Karlsson headed the project, signifi cant site.” River dig at www.uaf.edu/aurora/. about large-animal science which examined how before the station offi cially to grow sustainable opens for the summer. food crops in rural communities. Werner Visitors saw how ultrasound and Karlsson designed is used to assess animal the greenhouse and a body condition and teaching tool to explore witnessed how muskoxen planting and operating digest the coarse woody techniques. Local plants that make up their diet members of the youth at interactive science displays organization Future hosted by scientists and students. Farmers of America Guides stationed along the tour path planted and maintained provided a running commentary of natural a crop of hydroponically history about the animals and the facility. grown tomatoes, cucumbers, celery and other vegetables. Decades of observing the restless Earth The greenhouse was open For the last 20 years, Alaska has been a safer place, despite being home to more than 50 histori- to the public throughout cally active volcanoes. This security comes from the service and research conducted by a team the summer season; FFA of scientists with the Alaska Volcano Observatory, a joint project among the UAF Geophysical members planned to sell the Institute, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical vegetables as a fundraiser for Surveys. The observatory was founded in 1988, just 18 months before the eruption of Mount the local organization. Redoubt in Southcentral Alaska. @ Watch Okmok volcano erupt in July 2008 at www.uaf.edu/aurora/. 2 UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA FAIRBANKS 3 AROUND CAMPUS AROUND CAMPUS New ‘Nook leaders Growing our own Cut, colored and coiff ed KUAC captures gold Home ice advantage fi ve-year, $700,000 gift from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation early two dozen students joined the student body of the UAF UAC TV producers added to their gold cache in Tanana Valley Campus this spring as the inaugural June, bringing home television’s top honors for the UAF alumnus Dallas Ferguson is the new head A will help support Native students seeking doctoral degrees at UAF.