Published Jun 9, 2023 by Alex Bengel

As part of its summer programming, the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) is putting on a series of conversations with prominent community members. These interviews focus on the lives of those who have worked to serve their community.

It is known as the Fairbanks Tall Timber Series. The events happen every Monday night at 7:00 p.m. at UAF’s Engineering Building, and are free to the public.

Published Jun 9, 2023

The Alaska Native Language Center’s film “Awake” has won a Northwest Regional Emmy through the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

The film, produced by Channel Films in the fall of 2022, captures the past, present, and future of language revitalization.

It won in the long-form branded content category.

The ANLC, part of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, is celebrating 50 years of cultivating and promoting Alaska’s 20 Native languages.

“On behalf of the faculty and staff of the Alaska Native Language Center past and present, I am humbled by the recognition of this award, made possible by everyone who participated in the preliminary works of this film publication,” said ANLC Director Walkie Charles. “I’m honored to see the recognition of our languages — statewide — that exemplifies their resilience and hope to move forward in strengthening and revitalizing our heart languages.”

Published Jun 8, 2023

When Katherine Longuevan accepted her Bachelor of Arts in economics during the Spring 2023 Commencement Ceremony, most of the cheers came from right behind her rather than from in the audience.

Behind Katherine at the May 2023 event was her mother, Sandra Longuevan, who also just earned her economics degree. They were followed by Joseph Longuevan, Katherine’s brother and Sandra’s son, who obtained his economics degree in spring 2020 during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic when all in-person gatherings were canceled, including his own commencement ceremony.

“We did all of it together,” said Katherine. “We went to classes together. We did our homework together. We got angry and went through all the same stressors together. So to be able to walk with my mom, as well as my brother who had already finished his journey and was able to come back, was just surreal and a beautiful experience to be able to share with everybody.”

Not only was Joseph the first to receive his economics degree, but he was also the first to fall in love with the field. Originally intending to study political science, his interest was piqued during a high school economics class. That interest grew to a proper passion after he came to UAA and began working with the economics faculty in the College of Business and Public Policy.  

“At the end of the day, econ made me realize I love evaluating policies on quantitative merits compared to the way political scientists make arguments,” said Joseph. “The way economists think about problems — the structural approach and scientific rigor — really appealed to me because I like being very diligent about how I go about answering questions.”

Published Jun 8, 2023 by Tim Ellis, KUAC - Fairbanks

Fairbanks-based military and security analyst Troy Bouffard says that’s an ongoing a challenge for installation commanders.

“It’s always a threat, for sure,” said Bouffard, who directs the University of Alaska Fairbanks’s Center for Arctic Security and Resilience.

Bouffard is a 22-year Army veteran and doctoral student, and he says it’s not surprising that adversaries are interested in the U.S. military buildup in Alaska and its role in maintaining U.S. national interests in the Indo-Pacific region.

“So, nothing too new there,” he said in an interview Tuesday. “We definitely have adversaries who are probably increasing their efforts to gain knowledge and intel.”

Bouffard agrees with Sullivan that Alaska has a lot of military assets of great interest to U.S. adversaries, including its ground-based missile defense system, advanced jet fighters and a rapidly deployable Army expeditionary force.

“With the 11th Airborne Division being reactivated,” he said, “there’s a lot of interest from our adversaries on, like, ‘What kinds of capabilities are they developing?’ ”

Published Jun 8, 2023

The University of Alaska Fairbanks is using underwater autonomous vehicles in order to learn more about the ecosystem in the Gulf of Alaska.

After more than a month apart, Gretel and Shackleton began their reunion with a slow dance.

The autonomous underwater vehicles circled each other in the Gulf of Alaska in April, gathering data about ocean conditions: temperature, light, salinity, chlorophyll, fluorescence, and even acoustically determined densities of fish and zooplankton.

The torpedo-shaped vehicles, known informally as gliders, met after taking separate journeys to the middle of the continental shelf south of Seward, about 70 miles offshore. Seth Danielson, a University of Alaska Fairbanks oceanographer, expects it to become a spring ritual.

Shackleton and Gretel made their first transects in the gulf in 2021 and 2022, respectively, repeating the process again this year. With each new data set, Danielson’s team at the UAF College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences expects to better understand how weather and climate are affecting crucial components of the gulf’s ecosystem.

Published Jun 8, 2023 by UA Workforce Development

A donated underground loader from Northern Star Resources – Pogo Mine will let University of Alaska Fairbanks students train on the same modern equipment they are likely to encounter in their future jobs.

The Sandvik loader, valued at $85,000, made the 130-mile journey from the Pogo Mine to the program’s headquarters at the Hutchison Institute of Technology in Fairbanks in mid-April. More than a dozen students walked alongside the 52-ton loader as it crawled through the parking lot to the program’s garage.

Published Jun 8, 2023 by courtesy Emily Yates

The Fairbanks Shakespeare Theatre is building a new stage this year at their outdoor location at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Actors have been performing on platforms laid on gravel for the past few seasons since their old stage at Jack Townshend Point had to be torn down due to safety reasons.

The new stage is built to last so the theater troupe hopes to to use it for many seasons to come, she said.

“We received a grant through the GBA Good Sense program to be able to put something in place that has a little more permanence,” Yates said. “It should be able to be used in as many upcoming shows as we have as long as the university, in their kindness, lets us use this space.”



Published Jun 8, 2023 by Staff report

The Tanana District 4-H program will host Cloverbud Day Camp July 17-19 at Georgeson Botanical Garden, located on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus.

This three-day camp is for youth who have just completed kindergarten to second grade and is half days, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., daily. It gives youth an opportunity to attend camp without being gone overnight. The camp offers nature observations, crafts, games and educational adventures.

Published Jun 8, 2023 by Staff report

The University of Alaska Fairbanks will launch the Fairbanks Tall Timbers interview series on June 12.

The eight-week series is presented by UAF Summer Sessions and Lifelong Learning and honors unsung heroes in the Fairbanks community. Veteran journalist Robert Hannon will lead the weekly discussions at 7 p.m. Mondays at the BP Design Theater, located on the fourth floor of the Usibelli Building.

The interviews will be livestreamed and made available as recordings online.



Published Jun 8, 2023 by James Brooks Alaska Beacon

Gov. Mike Dunleavy has appointed Tuckerman Babcock, a longtime Republican and former aide, to the University of Alaska Board of Regents. Babcock, together with the governor, orchestrated an illegal loyalty pledge scheme, a federal judge ruled two years ago.

The governor’s office announced Babcock’s appointment late Wednesday after the Alaska Legislature rejected a prior pick for the office. Lawmakers failed to confirm Bethany Marcum to the 11-person board in May.

Several sitting legislators said they believe Babcock is unlikely to be confirmed by the Legislature when it meets next spring.

In Dunleavy’s first year, Babcock was a supporter of the governor’s plan to sharply cut spending on state services, including the university. Marcum’s support for those cuts in 2019 was cited as a reason for her failed confirmation this year.

Whether or not he is confirmed, Babcock will sit as a member of the board in the meantime, participating in the university’s annual budgeting process and debates on policies.

“Tuckerman’s experience serving in numerous statewide government positions and 10 years in business management makes him a great fit for the University of Alaska’s Board of Regents,” Dunleavy said in a prepared statement. “I am grateful for his continued service and commitment to the state of Alaska. I am confident that Tuckerman’s expert knowledge of public service and leadership will continue to help Alaska for the better.”

Published Jun 8, 2023 by Staff report

The University of Alaska Fairbanks men’s hockey team will hit the ice for their first regular season game at home versus the Denver Pioneers Oct. 8, following a couple intrasquad scrimmages and a lone exhibition match in late September.

The Pioneers and Nanooks have faced off four seasons running, with Denver taking command the previous seven meetings at 1-5-1 — the exception being last season when the teams split two games in January, the Nanooks snatching a 3-1 road win.

“Our home schedule will be very competitive and exciting for our fans,” said head coach Erik Largen in a news release. “We will play a few times each month allowing for our fans to stay connected to our team and be able to cheer on this year’s group of student-athletes.”

At the end of an October road trip, UAF returns to town in search of 13-straight Governor’s Cup wins with the first leg of the annual competition Nov. 3 and Nov. 4 against the University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves.

The Nanooks finish off 2023 playing host to Augustana on Dec. 15-16 and look to kickstart the new year Jan. 13 with a single game against UAA. The regular season closes with three of their final four series on home ice at the Carlson Center.

Published Jun 8, 2023

Eliska Albrigtsen, head coach of the Nanooks Nordic ski team has been named the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association (RMISA) Nordic Co-Coach of the Year. Miles Havlick of Utah was also named RMISA Nordic Co-Coach of the Year.

“We are incredibly proud of Elise’s selection for this RMISA honor.” Said Director of Athletics, Brock Anundson. "It is a true testament to her dedication to the sport and ability to recruit, train and develop some of the best student-athletes in the sport. We celebrate with her and our ski student-athletes on their incredible success this past season and look forward to the success that lies ahead." 

Published Jun 8, 2023 by Alex Bengel

For Alaska resident Lizzie Hartman, cooking is a passion.What started out as a hobby has now landed her on MasterChef: United Tastes of America with Gordon Ramsay.

The national television program, now in its 13th season, sees contestants representing different regions of the U.S.

“I’ve watched MasterChef my entire life. It’s one of my favorite shows growing up,” Hartman said.

She has lived in the Alaskan Interior for 15 years. “Obviously, it was a very tough move as a teenager, with the darkness, the winters, so cooking was something that really helped me work through the winter.”

Hartman began by cooking socially. “It was a way for me to make friends. It was a way for me to connect with my community.”

Eventually, she attended culinary school with the University of Alaska Fairbanks.