UAS in the News
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Scientists look at dynamics of melting at Southeast Alaska glacier
9-14-2016 | KFSK - Scientists have discovered huge underwater ice caves in glaciers that flow into the ocean, depositing plumes of fresh rain and melt water into glacial fjords. A multi-year study of one glacier near Petersburg is focusing on that interaction between the ice, fresh water and ocean water and what that may reveal about melting glaciers around the globe. Roman Motyka is a research professor emeritus with the University of Alaska’s Geophysical Institute. He is based in Juneau and is also affiliated with University of Alaska Southeast. ...More
Language program receives funding
9-15-2016 | Alaska Dispatch News - The Sealaska Heritage Institute has received a grant of $927,000 from the federal Administration for Native Americans to help pay for mentor-apprentice teams to study Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian languages over the next three years. The program will connect two students with one mentor to immerse themselves in the languages, transcribe tapes of speakers in the possession of the Institute and participate in orthography and linguistics programs at the University of Alaska Southeast. ...More
Tlingit linguist Lance Twitchell receives Judson L. Brown award
9-9-2016 | Alaska Dispatch News - The Sealaska Heritage Institute has selected Lance Twitchell as the recipient of the annual Judson L. Brown Leadership Award. Twitchell, whose Tlingit name is X'unei, is an associate professor of Alaska Native languages at the University of Alaska Southeast. ...More
UAS Juneau campus to get shuttle service
9-7-2016 | Juneau Empire - A new Juneau campus shuttle program has launched this semester, providing services between the Auke Lake campus, Anderson Building, Student Housing and Recreation Center. The shuttle service is designed to improve safety for students, while also improving the ability to move between classes and gain access to campus services. ...More
UAS program encourages adults to get their college degrees
9-7-2016 | Juneau Empire - This summer the University of Alaska Southeast’s Finish College Alaska program launched, and with it, the plan to increase the number of degree-toting adults. ...More
Cooperative Extension Service to keep doors open in Sitka
9-1-2016 | KTOO - Leadership for Cooperative Extension Service at the University of Alaska Fairbanks announced Aug. 31 a plan to keep two offices open that it planned to close this fall due to state budget cuts –- one in Anchorage and the other in Sitka. The Sitka office now will be funded largely through grants, some with 4-H and the National Park Service. The program assistant Jasmine Shaw, based at the University of Alaska Southeast, will continue her work offering programs to the community. ...More
UAS has three new arts and sciences faculty
8-21-2016 | Juneau Empire - The University of Alaska Southeast welcomes three new arts and science faculty members: Dr. Keith Cox, Dr. Mique’l Dangeli and Dr. Michael Navarro. ...More
UAS students donate Polar Plunge proceeds to AWARE
8-21-2016 | Juneau Empire - This spring, the University of Alaska Southeast Student Activities Board voted unanimously to donate their annual Polar Plunge funds to AWARE (Aiding Women in Abuse and Rape Emergencies). The students raised over $2,000 for us, which funded AWARE’s Clothesline Project that you may have seen on display during April for Sexual Assault Awareness Month. ...More
UAS hosts Dauenhauer memorial
8-18-2016 | Juneau Empire - The University of Alaska Southeast is hosting a memorial service in remembrance of Richard Dauenhauer, the poet and translator who died in August 2014 of cancer. Dauenhauer and his wife, Nora Marks Dauenhauer collaborated on works that helped the survival of the Tlingit language. ...More
LeConte glacier field work is underway
8-18-2016 | Petersburg Pilot - Researchers involved in a four-year collaborative project to study the impact of subglacial discharge at LeConte Glacier were in town this week to conduct fieldwork in LeConte Bay. The study is focused on improving our understanding of how tidewater glaciers interact with the ocean and how the ocean interacts with the glacier. "Basically, the short story is we are looking at how runoff from the glacier affects circulation in the fjord, and then how that circulation then affects melting of the glacier face,'' says Jason Amundson, a glaciologist with the Department of Natural Sciences at the University of Alaska-Southeast (UAS). "Part of the project is just trying to quantify how much water comes out of the glacier at different times of the year, and the part is being in the fjord measuring water properties." ...More
Promotions of UAS Faculty
8-14-2016 | Juneau Empire - Three professors at the University of Alaska Southeast Juneau campus received promotions. ...More
Since 2008, number of UAS students using disability services quintuple
8-15-2016 | KTOO - The Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, requires institutions receiving public money or providing a public service, including colleges, offer a level playing field to people who have disabilities. In 2008, the act was amended to expand the definition of disability. That fall, 23 University of Alaska Southeast students were using disability services. By the spring semester of this year, there were 119. The upward trend is also true at the Universities of Alaska Anchorage and Fairbanks, but it’s not as dramatic. ...More
Scientists discover black carbon on Mendenhall Glacier
8-11-2016 | Juneau Empire - Researchers from the University of Alaska Southeast discovered a chemical on the Mendenhall Glacier which is thought to accelerate glacial melt: black carbon. ...More
UAS welcomes prospects to "Enrollment Day" event Friday
8-9-2016 | Juneau Empire - The University of Alaska Southeast is hosting its inaugural “Enrollment Day” from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Friday at the Auke Lake Campus. Students are invited to a “one-stop-shop” to complete enrollment for the fall semester, the university stated in an emailed message. ...More
In summer program, teachers get schooled in the arts
8-6-2016 | Juneau Empire - To the beat of a deerskin drum and the tune of a Tlingit song, 16 teachers from several Alaskan communities danced into the University of Alaska Southeast classroom where they had spent the last two weeks. ...More
Unfrozen - Scientists Examine Southeast Alaska’s Melting Heart
8-2-2016 | The Nature Conservancy - Hank Lentfer grew up watching Southeast Alaska’s glaciers grow thin and retreat from the shore. “The ecology is shifting literally overnight from having glaciers in the water to not,” says the manager of The Nature Conservancy’s Gustavus Forelands Preserve on Glacier Bay. “The pace of change is apparent for anybody who has lived here.” Although daunting to salmon, glacial streams provide a bonanza to the marine environment. As glaciers grind across the landscape, they crush rocks that are rich in minerals, particularly iron and phosphorus, says Eran Hood, a biogeochemist at University of Alaska Southeast. Glaciers also contain microbes that are rich in carbon, another nutrient. ...More
Alaska students help scientists prove mysterious whale species exists
7-27-2016 | KTUU - There was something strange about the whale that washed ashore St. George Island a couple summers ago, strange enough for the group that spotted the decomposing 24-foot cetacean to tip off scientists and later to help track its location for months as Bering Sea storms pushed and pulled it along the coast. A cohort of scientists that includes University of Alaska Southeast researchers published the discovery Tuesday in the journal Marine Mammal Science. ...More
A 'creative conversation' about race, violence
7-27-2016 | Capital City Weekly - Michael Brown. Trayvon Martin. Tamir Rice. Emmett Till. When Skylar Wright, a recent graduate of Pacific High School in Sitka, was thinking of black people who died violent deaths in America, “I couldn’t use one name… there are so many people. It’s always happening, and it’s continuing to happen. It’s a giant cluster of systematic abuse,” she said. Those thoughts inspired “How Black Women Taught Me to Love,” a poem Wright wrote a year ago for her father and performed July 24 at “Racial Justice and Anti-Violence: A Creative Conversation.” The event was organized and facilitated by friends Christy NaMee Eriksen and Melissa Garcia Johnson The event was hosted by the University of Alaska Southeast. ...More
Chancellor Caulfield appointed as vice chair to a committee on teacher education
7-25-2016 | Juneau Empire - University of Alaska Southeast Chancellor Dr. Rick Caulfield was appointed to serve as Vice Chair of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) Presidential Committee on Teacher Education. ...More
Artists, police promote community dialogue on diversity, peace
7-19-2016 | Juneau Empire - Juneau business owner Christy NaMee Eriksen said she was troubled for days after watching the most recent online videos of white officers killing black men that have reignited a national conversation on racism. From 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday at the University of Alaska Southeast Recreation Center, different Juneau artists will use their respective crafts to create a dialogue focused on justice and anti-violence. The event, titled “Racial Justice and Anti-Violence: A Creative Conversation,” will feature visual works, performances and a community discussion portion. The event is free and open to the public. ...More
Alaska inmates find creative outlet - and national recognition - through art
7-15-2016 | Alaska Dispatch News - Sitting in a room lit with natural light and surrounded by empty chairs, Jennifer Prince began reciting her poem on a June afternoon. "… I've gone to war and back to unpaint the image that a real world exists between the moon and me …" Prince read in a calm, steady voice off a sheet of paper. Prince was at Lemon Creek last year when Hayes, an assistant professor at the University of Alaska Southeast, taught creative writing classes to female inmates. Hayes' colleague Sol Neely works with male inmates at the Juneau prison, and Hayes said she wanted to reach out to the women, who are in the minority there and don't have as many programs offered to them. ...More
Scholarships for Alaska Native teachers
7-13-2016 | Capital City Weekly - The University of Alaska Southeast’s PITAAS program, a scholarship program for Alaska Natives who want to be teachers, is accepting applications. In Alaska schools, Alaska Natives make up 25 percent of the student body and less than 5 percent of the teaching force. PITAAS, which stands for Preparing Indigenous Teachers and Administrators for Alaska Schools, is a scholarship program with associated services aimed at getting more Alaska Native teachers and administrators in Alaskan schools. ...More
Building houses for class credit
6-19-2016 | Juneau Empire - Sydne Williamson wants to build houses — “tiny houses.” “I’m proficient at demolition,” she said while taking measurements for some exterior finish work on a 900-square foot home under construction. “But I need to learn how to build. I see tiny houses as a low-cost housing need for Juneau. I think people are ready to get rid of their material things.” Williamson was among University of Alaska Southeast and Juneau-Douglas High School students working on a low-cost housing project through the University’s School of Career Education, in partnership with Juneau Housing Trust, over the past school year out the road near Lena Point. ...More
Introducing the new UAS provost
7-10-2016 | Juneau Empire - Meet Dr. Karen Carey, the new University of Alaska Southeast provost, who was announced last week after a year long, national search. She replaces former provost Rick Caulfield, who now serves as the UAS Chancellor. ...More
After bear mauling, UAS prof expected to make full recovery
7-6-2016 | Juneau Empire - It’s been less than three months since University of Alaska Southeast assistant professor Forest Wagner was mauled by a bear, and he’s already back to hiking mountains. “After ten surgeries and ongoing physical rehabilitation, Wagner is now walking around and has even climbed peaks on the weekends in Anchorage where he is residing as an outpatient,” according to a Wednesday afternoon news release by UAS. ...More
Glacier-Dammed Lake Drains, Triggers Outburst Flooding In Juneau, Alaska
7-01-2016 | Weather Underground - A lake atop one of Alaska's most well-known glaciers is draining quickly and triggering flooding in parts of Juneau. The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a flood warning for Mendenhall Lake and areas immediately downstream, including homes in Juneau's Mendenhall Valley. "Water has been building up in the basin for several months," said Dr. Eran Hood, Professor of Environmental Science at the University of Alaska Southeast. ...More
Juneau Rotary Club donates funds for UAS scholarships
6-26-2016 | Juneau Empire - For 15 years the Rotary Club of Juneau has hosted a wine auction to raise funds for the University of Alaska Southeast scholarships to be awarded annually. In collaboration with UAS, an endowment fund was established and has continued to grow over the years. The $35,000 contribution made will bring the endowment up to a sustainable level that should generate enough earnings to issue $6,000 in annual scholarships to UAS students. ...More
UAS Sitka offers NW Coast basketry, design this summer
6-17-2016 | KCAW - UAS Sitka assistant Art professor Liz Zacher and adjunct instructor Mark Sixbey discuss two NW Coast Art classes this summer: the first, with Ketchikan weaver Dolores Churchill runs M-F 6-9 PM June 20 – Jul 2; the second, with Sixbey runs July 11 – 27. ...More
UAS Ketchikan students make honors lists
6-15-2016 | KRBD - University of Alaska Southeast Ketchikan Campus has announced which students earned spots on the UAS Chancellor’s and Dean’s lists for the spring 2016 semester. To make the Chancellor’s List, a student must earn a 4.0 grade point average, and complete at least 12 credit hours. On the Chancellor’s list are Amy Bauer, Alexis McColley-Edwardson and Melyssa Nagamine. Jones, a former Sealaska Heritage Institute curator, current state archivist and University of Alaska Southeast lecturer, is working on uncovering the lives of jewelers past and present. ...More
Behind the bracelets: Documenting the lives of Native jewelers
6-15-2016 | Juneau Empire - There’s a great deal of doubt involved in matching historic Native jewelers with their creations, even in cases that seem straightforward like that of a silver snuffbox owned by Rudolph Walton and emblazoned with his initials. “He made it,” called out a woman from the audience, adding that she had heard so from his granddaughter. “We should chat,” Jones responded. Jones, a former Sealaska Heritage Institute curator, current state archivist and University of Alaska Southeast lecturer, is working on uncovering the lives of jewelers past and present. ...More
UA gets more money from the state than it expected
6-6-2016 | Alaska Dispatch News - University of Alaska President Jim Johnsen said he received relatively good news this week after the state Legislature struck a budget deal: the university would face a smaller cut to its state funding than it had braced for amid crashing oil prices. But it wasn't enough to avoid the elimination of hundreds of staff and faculty positions in the university's statewide spending plan approved Friday by the UA Board of Regents. ...More
Free conference aims to prevent disease by preventing, addressing trauma
6-1-2016 | Juneau Empire - The Juneau Suicide Prevention Coalition (JSPC) will hold a two-day conference called “Adverse Childhood Experiences and Suicide: Learn, Change, Prevent” all day on Thursday and Friday, June 2-3 at the University of Alaska Southeast. An evening session will also take place on Thursday, June 2 at 6:30 p.m. There is no cost for the conference and meals will be provided. ...More
How the suburbs killed a salmon creek and science informs its restoration
5-24-2016 | KTOO - Federally funded environmental science on a geologically doomed creek in Juneau could inform fish-saving restoration on other impaired water bodies. Alaska’s Department of Environmental Conservation has announced nearly $300,000 in grants to improve water quality in some of the state’s most damaged watersheds, including the orange-tinted Duck Creek. Amy Sumner, a biologist and project manager with the Juneau Watershed Partnership said the [restoration] effort will be coordinated with the University of Alaska Southeast and train budding student biologists in water quality assessment. ...More
Community dialogue on life after incarceration planned for Wednesday
5-24-2016 | Juneau Empire - Five formerly incarcerated individuals will tell their stories of what it’s like reentering the community at the Juneau Reentry Coalition’s May meeting Wednesday night. The community is invited to attend, listen and take part in an inclusive social dialogue, said Don Habeger, the coalition’s community coordinator. Dr. Sol Neely, Assistant Professor of English at the University of Alaska Southeast, will moderate the community dialogue. Neely also teaches a UAS literature and philosophy program at Lemon Creek Correctional Center called The Flying University. ...More
Bullwinkle's makes headlines for providing UAS scholarships
5-23-2016 | KTOO - Bullwinkle’s Pizza Parlor is one of four semifinalists in a national campaign recognizing its program that covers employees’ college tuition. [Bullwinkle's owner Mitch Falk] said he screens his applicants and approves their curriculum before he gives them the scholarship. To continue receiving it, employees must work at least 20 hours per week and maintain a B average. He usually pays for University of Alaska Southeast classes for two or three workers a semester. ...More
Dozens of musicians to participate in performance of “Inuksuit” this weekend
5-20-2016 | KTOO - An outdoor percussion performance with up to 99 musicians will have its Alaska premiere Saturday. The composition is called “Inuksuit” and will take place at the University of Alaska Southeast campus. “Inuksuit” is by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Luther Adams who is a former resident of Fairbanks. The performance is organized and conducted by Third Coast Percussion who is here thanks to Juneau Jazz and Classics. ...More
UAS 2016 Faculty Excellence Awards given out
5-8-2016 | Juneau Empire - Four University of Alaska Southeast faculty members were the recipients of annual Excellence Awards during a ceremony at the Auke Lake campus on May 2. Juneau faculty Karen Mitchell (English), Jason Amundson (Environmental Science), Johanna Fagen (Biology) and Ketchikan faculty William Urquhart (Sociology) were selected by their peers and students for excellence in teaching, research, adjunct instruction and faculty advising. ...More
UAS ceremony honors 670 grads
5-3-2016 | Juneau Empire - The number of University of Alaska Southeast degrees, certificates and licenses handed out during a ceremony on Sunday were among the most ever, according to the university. UAS graduates received their diplomas during a commencement ceremony held Sunday at the Charles Gamble Jr.-Donald Sperl Joint Use Facility. UAS awarded 755 associate, bachelor, and master’s degrees along with occupational endorsements, certificates, and professional licensures. Awards were granted to 670 graduates from the Juneau, Ketchikan and Sitka campuses. ...More
Interview - Tlingit linguist says language carries wisdom of elders
5-2-2016 | KNBA - Most of Alaska’s twenty Native languages are going extinct. However, a Native languages assistant professor at the University of Alaska Southeast is bucking that tide. Lance X’uneit Twitchell worked hard to learn Tlingit, a language used by his family for thousands of years. Tlingit people have a rich and complex high civilization along the Pacific coast in Southeast Alaska famous for its totem poles, clan system, regalia, rich poetry and formal rhetoric. ...More