Evening at Egan Fall Lecture Series Begins Friday, September 10

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic all 2021 Evening at Egan events will be offered virtually using Zoom

Juneau, Alaska

Date of Press Release: September 9, 2021

The annual fall lecture series Evening at Egan kicks off this Friday, September 10 at 7 pm with a virtual presentation by Dr. Heidi Pearson, associate professor of marine biology delivering a talk called “Humpback Whales and Tourism in Juneau – What Can We Learn from the COVID-19 Pandemic?." The cancellation of cruise ships during Summer 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic provided an unprecedented opportunity to assess humpback whales in the near absence of whale-watching vessels near Juneau. Heidi Pearson will present her collaborative study with UAF and NOAA to assess humpback whale residency patterns and stress hormone levels during this unusual time.

This year due to the COVID-19 pandemic all Evening at Egan events will be offered virtually using Zoom. The full line-up of speakers and registration links is currently live on the Egan Lecture Series page. Once registered, a link is provided to the participant. After each event, the lectures are posted to the UAS YouTube channel. These videos can also be accessed at uas.alaska.edu/eganlecture , with the button for each lecture changing its label from “free registration” to “watch video.”

Schedule

September 10

Dr. Heidi Pearson, Associate Professor of Marine Biology

Humpback Whales and Tourism in Juneau – What Can We Learn from the COVID-19 Pandemic?

The cancellation of cruise ships during Summer 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic provided an unprecedented opportunity to assess humpback whales in the near absence of whale-watching vessels near Juneau. Heidi Pearson will present her collaborative study with UAF and NOAA to assess humpback whale residency patterns and stress hormone levels during this unusual time.

September 17

Mischa Jackson, Assistant Professor of Secondary Education

Alaska Native Education

In Alaska, Jackson worked in the Johnson O'Malley program where her primary focus was Alaska Native student success. This work inspired her to get a secondary teaching degree and she served as a high school social studies teacher, ELL (English Language Learners) teacher, and interventionist. Mischa Jackson's primary research interests and focus are in culturally responsive/sustaining pedagogy and equity, and she is a consummate learner of student engagement and technology integration.

September 24

Political Scientist Professor Benjamin Reilly, University of Western Australia

Ranked choice voting: what is it, how does it work, and will it change Alaskan politics?

October 1

Dr. Elizabeth Graham

Western blackheaded budworm: a tiny moth that orchestrates change in an old growth forest

Western blackheaded budworms are a natural part of the forests in Southeast Alaska. Typically their populations are low and damage is negligible, but every 30 to 40 years their numbers build up and they become the most significant disturbance agent in the forest. An outbreak is currently underway with damage visible in most communities throughout Southeast Alaska. A look back at previous outbreaks and the impacts will be reviewed as well as the status of the current outbreak.

October 8

Wendy F. Smythe, Ph.D., Xáadas

Wendy F. Smythe, Ph.D., Xáadas is an Assistant Professor in American Indian Studies and Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD). She is also an Associate Editor for the Journal of Geoscience Education, as well as Editor for the UMD Native American Community Editorial Board. She works in geoscience, racial diversity, and native education. She is the subject of a new mural in Seattle which highlights her work in climate science and traditional Haida knowledge. This is part of the Findings Project, a national endeavor in which artist Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya is installing murals to highlight diverse women in science.

October 15

Richard Chalyee Éesh Peterson, President, Central Council Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska

The Interrelationships between Tribes, Corporations, and City, State and Federal Governments

Chalyee Éesh will speak about the interrelationships between tribes, corporations, and city, state and federal governments. He will discuss understanding tribal sovereignty and being good neighbors. He will also talk about how healthy tribes make healthy communities.

October 22

Joel Markis, Associate Professor and Program Director, Applied Fisheries

Fisheries, Aquaculture and Mariculture in Southeast Alaska

Markis will discuss why fisheries are important, especially in Alaska. He will provide a history of Alaskan fishery enhancement and aquaculture in Alaska. An overview of mariculture will include information about species that are cultivated in Alaska, production numbers in Alaska and nationwide.

October 29

Dr. Megan Buzby, Associate Professor of Mathematics

The `Real' World, from One Mathematician's Point of View

What does a mathematics professor do on sabbatical? This one co-wrote an open-access textbook for mathematical modeling. Mathematical modeling is the process of describing phenomena found in the real world using mathematics. The more mathematical tools you have under your belt and the more you learn about the world around you, the more possibilities you have for describing and analyzing a changing system from this quantitative perspective. One could and should ask what may be learned from a quantitative approach, and what details are inherently lost or camouflaged. In this talk, I will give you some insight into one professor's sabbatical, provide examples of some useful mathematical models with mostly biological applications, discuss the inherent assumptions that go into developing these models, and the interesting outcomes that follow. All are welcome!

November 5

Jason Gootee

Health Insurance in Alaska

Jason Gootee will provide a look at the 2022 environment for health insurance in Alaska.

November 12

Ronalda Cadiente Brown, Associate Vice Chancellor for Alaska Native Programming and Director of the PITAAS Program

Alaska Native Success Initiative

Ronalda will discuss her work with Southeast Alaskan leaders on the Alaska Native Success Initiative for UA. Ronalda will give an update on this work, which seeks to improve the participation and success of Alaska Natives through educational achievement statewide, as well as Alaska Native representation and success throughout the University of Alaska system. Ronalda led the UAS committee which was comprised of leaders from Alaska Native corporations, tribal entities, and other southeast organizations.

November 19

Renee Tl'aagunk Culp, Juvenile Justice Coordinator, Central Council Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska

I too yei yatee - It is within you: Generational Trauma & Resiliency

Generational trauma is a well-known concept within trauma-informed care, a lesser-known concept, generational resilience is an important topic to add to the discussion. It must be, that for me to survive, even thrive beyond these traumas, I must also hold generational resilience deep within me. We will explore building, honoring, and uplifting resilience in students, while considering how generational resilience may be experienced within youth and their families.

Updates for the lectures series can be found on the Egan Lecture Series page. Lectures can be watched live or recorded on our YouTube channel.