Published Aug 1, 2024 by Matt Wagner

The 30-year-old sharpshooter not only advanced to Friday morning’s final — she headed the field of 32 shooters.

Maddalena scored 593 points out of a possible 600, and the University of Alaska Fairbanks alumna also amassed the highest bull’s-eye total of 45.

That gave Maddalena the edge over China’s Qiongyue Zhang, who finished with the same points but had 40 bull’s-eyes.

Because rule changes that included the number of shots and the weapons used in the event wiped the Olympic record book clean this year, Maddalena established a new Olympic qualifying record.

So Maddalena and seven others turn their attentions to Friday’s final. For her, it’s a chance to make her first Olympic podium after finishing fifth in the Tokyo Games in the event and fourth Monday in the 10-meter air rifle final in Paris. She has USA Shooting’s best chance so far to end its medal drought at the Paris Olympics.

Published Aug 1, 2024 by https://www.kmxt.org/people/brian-venua

Going to college is expensive. The prices for tuition have been on the rise, which is often another major expense on top of record inflation. Those issues can be exacerbated for seasonal workers, too.

But there’s some hope – the University of Alaska Anchorage as well as Kodiak College and Kenai Peninsula College have all recently been approved for CAMP, or College Assistance Migrant Programs, grants through the U.S. Department of Education. Both the campuses in Kodiak and the Kenai Peninsula are affiliated with UAA.

Jacelyn Keys is the director of Kodiak College. She said to her knowledge, no one in Alaska has applied for this kind of funding before.

Now the college will receive nearly $4 million in federal funds over the next five years to serve workers who travel to Kodiak for seasonal employment.

CAMP grants in the Lower 48 usually benefit people who have seasonal jobs in industries like agriculture. But the way it’s being applied in Alaska is geared to serve seasonal workers in fisheries.

Published Aug 1, 2024 by Ariana Tantillo | MIT Lincoln Laboratory

At Operation Ice Camp 2024 in the Arctic Ocean, two MIT Lincoln Laboratory researchers tested a small set of integrated sensor nodes intended to become part of a widespread sea-ice monitoring network.

Here, in the northernmost region on Earth, Evans and Whelihan joined other groups conducting fieldwork in the Arctic as part of Operation Ice Camp (OIC) 2024, an operational exercise run by the U.S. Navy's Arctic Submarine Laboratory (ASL). Riding on snowmobiles and helicopters, the duo deployed a small set of integrated sensor nodes that measure everything from atmospheric conditions to ice properties to the structure of water deep below the surface.

Every two years, OIC, previously called Ice Exercise (ICEX), provides a way for the international community to access the Arctic for operational readiness exercises and scientific research, with the focus switching back and forth; this year’s focus was scientific research. Coordination, planning, and execution of the month-long operation is led by ASL, a division of the U.S. Navy’s Undersea Warfighting Development Center responsible for ensuring the submarine force can effectively operate in the Arctic Ocean.

Making this inhospitable and unforgiving environment safe for participants takes considerable effort. The critical first step is determining where to set up camp. In the weeks before the first participants arrived for OIC 2024, ASL — with assistance from the U.S. National Ice Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, and UIC Science — flew over large sheets of floating ice (ice floes) identified via satellite imagery, landed on some they thought might be viable sites, and drilled through the ice to check its thickness. The ice floe must not only be large enough to accommodate construction of a camp and two runways but also feature both multiyear ice and first-year ice. Multiyear ice is thick and strong but rough, making it ideal for camp setup, while the smooth but thinner first-year ice is better suited for building runways. Once the appropriate ice floe was selected, ASL began to haul in equipment and food, build infrastructure like lodging and a command center, and fly in a small group before fully operationalizing the site. They also identified locations near the camp for two Navy submarines to surface through the ice.

The more than 200 participants represented U.S. and allied forces and scientists from research organizations and universities. Distinguished visitors from government offices also attended OIC to see the unique Arctic environment and unfolding challenges firsthand.

Published Jul 31, 2024 by Ian Stewart, Your Alaska Link

Investing in the future was the focus of Atlas Air Worldwide's announcement at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Atlas’ hub at the Ted Stevens International Airport is one of their largest, with Altas looking to make it even bigger. So part of that expansion and investing in the future starts at the university.

"Atlas Air came today to announce $50,000 worth of scholarships for our students, as well as telling us that's just the start, that this partnership is just beginning," shared UAA Chancellor Sean Parnell.

And that partnership could expand into internship programs and possibly classes with Atlas Air Worldwide CEO Michael Steen saying, "We want to make sure that we can kind of attract pilots, engineers, and other potential positions in the company as well as locals here in Anchorage as we expand our presence."

The scholarships are broken down into four $5,000 scholarships for aviation maintenance students and three $10,000 scholarships for aspiring pilots.

Published Jul 31, 2024

A $38.6 million federal grant will help lower the cost of energy-saving heat pumps for an estimated 6,100 Alaska households stretching from Ketchikan to Kodiak.

The money will provide rebates of between $4,000 and $8,500 per household for the purchase and installation of a heat pump.

The funding is in addition to federal tax credits of up to $2,000 per household.

Heat pumps are increasingly popular for their energy efficiency and stable costs compared to fluctuating heating fuel prices. Installation includes an outdoor heat exchanger that pipes warmth into the home, where it flows into the room from an indoor heat exchanger mounted on a wall.

The Alaska Cold Climate Housing Research Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks explains the process: “Because they use electricity to run a refrigeration cycle to transfer heat, instead of using electricity to create heat, they can reach efficiencies greater than 100%.”

“Heat pumps generally save households 25% to 50% on heating bills,” according to the July 22 announcement by the Southeast Conference and Alaska Heat Smart.