Published Dec 8, 2023

Tromsø and Anchorage in Alaska are two Arctic sister cities with several similarities. They are both the largest in their region, surrounded by fjords and mountains, and are closely connected to the outside world through the sea and air. Both cities also have their own university which influences societal development on many levels.

The University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) is a partner university with UiT. In October, a delegation from UiT visited Anchorage to learn more about what opportunities there are for expanding international cooperation.

Every year student exchange takes place between UiT and UAA through the North2North program. It is organized by the UArctic alliance, which is a network of universities in Canada, the USA, and the Nordic countries.

From 2011 to 2022, 38 scholarly articles were published where researchers from UiT and UAA are co-authors. University staff can receive mobility funds from UArctic for short visits to partner universities in Alaska. It is also possible to apply for support for research projects, which have a two-year duration. Right now, UiT and UAA are collaborating on research in social work, geopolitics, indigenous self-governance, and governance in the Arctic region.

UiT signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with UAA in 2015. A new MoU agreement, which renews the existing collaboration and facilitates more exchange, was signed in October by UiT's rector Dag Rune Olsen and Chancellor at UAA, Sean Parnell

Published Dec 8, 2023 by Alex Johnson

As El Nino’s winter weather has finally started to show its true face in the interior, the University of Alaska Fairbanks’s hockey team is running with all 37 Nanook cylinders working in sync to keep the team moving forward through the snow and ice.

The team was announced as College Hockey News’ Team of the Week, thanks to continuing their ownership of a familiar trophy called the Governors Cup. The Nooks ran away with the season series for the thirteenth year in a row after last weekend’s sweep over that team down south.

“Yeah, I mean we’re obviously thrilled with being able to secure the Governors Cup. That’s an important thing for our campus and our program. To be able to do it to 13 straight, it’s not an easy task to be able to do, and happy for our guys. Proud of our guys, that were able to come up with two wins in that building,” said Erik Largen, the Head Coach of UAF Hockey.

Even with taking home the Governors Cup for the year, the team is already turning the page to focus on what the next check mark is for the season. The open boxes for the team are moving into the Top 20 for the pairwise and taking care of business in the back half of the year.



Published Dec 8, 2023 by Adrian Peterson Adrian Peterson

An investigation is underway after two students reported a potential incident of being "roofied" at the UAF Pub

On Dec. 6, the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) put out an emergency alert regarding an incident of assault using drugs.

According to the Office of Rights, Compliance and Accountability, two students, one male and one female, were victims of a suspected roofie incident on December 2.

This incident is under investigation by the Alaska State Troopers.

Published Dec 7, 2023

The University of Alaska Fairbanks, or UAF, will establish an unmanned aircraft technology facility at Palmer’s city airport, university and Palmer airport officials say.

The university has been engaged for over a decade in research and development of unmanned aircraft systems for public and commercial use and is now expanding its range to other areas of the state.

Air carriers have used automatic pilots for years on flights as an aid human air crew, but what’s envisioned now is aircraft operating under the control of a ground-based pilot or even autonomously.

In Palmer, discussions are underway with owners of hangers at the city’s airport and a lease is expected to be signed in a couple of months, according to Dr. Catherine Cahill, director of the UAF’s Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration.

Equipment is already being purchased for the facility although a hanger has not yet been selected, she said in an interview.

“We’re very exciting about this potential, for the community as well as the airport,” said John Diumenti, Palmer’s airport manager.

“These systems will blend in just like any other aircraft. They will comply with the same rules that everyone follows,” he said.

There is intense interest in the potential for autonomous and semi-autonomous aircraft because of the continuing shortage of pilots in the aviation industry.

Published Dec 7, 2023

Alaska law says the director of the Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska or a designee has a place on the board of the state-owned Alaska Aerospace Corporation.

The corporation board is meeting today in Anchorage, but Robert McCoy, the director of the GI and longtime chair of the corporation, is no longer listed as a board member or as chairman of the board.

McCoy was a board member and chairman when the board met last week. McCoy has been chairman for about eight years and a member of the aerospace board for more than a decade.

McCoy, director of the GI since 2011, is a veteran space scientist. He is a leader in his field with a doctorate in astro-geophysics from the University of Colorado. McCoy has been a contributing author on more than 70 publications.

The governor has the power to appoint members of the board.

I’ve written to McCoy to ask what happened and to UA President Pat Pitney, who is also a member of the board. I’ve also asked Sen. Gary Stevens and Rep. Louise Stutes, two non-voting members of the board, what is going on.

Senate President Stevens said he was not told why McCoy was removed and was surprised by the move. “In my opinion he has done an exemplary job as chair and it would have been advantageous for the agency if he had been allowed to continue,” said Stevens. Stutes said no explanation was offered.

Published Dec 7, 2023 by Denise Wilhelm

In a tragic motor vehicle collision, Delta Junior High teacher Lindsay Ohlert died November 29. The incident occurred north of Shaw Creek at Mile 287 of the Ricardson Highway.

According to Alaska State Troopers, the incident involved two vehicles, leading to Ohlert's vehicle rolling during the collision. Ohlert, who was alone in her vehicle, was trapped and pronounced deceased at the scene. The occupants of the other vehicle were uninjured. Troopers are continuing their investigation into the incident.

“She was brilliant with languages. That was really nice for all of our bilingual population,” Pugh remembered. “It’s going to be impossible to fill her shoes. Over the years she’s stepped up into a lot of different roles.”

As a teacher, Pugh said Ohlert was the kind who went out of her way to make students feel special and successful.

She taught evening classes for UAF sometimes, Pugh said, such as photography and Russian language. Ohlert was a noted local photographer who especially enjoyed photographing the northern lights.

Published Dec 7, 2023

On a recent afternoon, middle Alaska slipped into darkness.

But a few hours after the 3:17 p.m. sunset, a golden light appeared in a field cleared of trees by a farmer more than a century ago.

People had gathered there with candle lanterns on the quiet acreage of the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus to remember souls lost in July 2023. That’s when a helicopter crash in far-north Alaska took the lives of pilot Tony Higdon and the scientists accompanying him: Justin Germann, Tori Moore and Ronnie Daanen.

Ronnie (Ronald) Daanen was born in the Netherlands. With his wife and young twins, he moved to Alaska in 2004.

Here, he became intrigued with — among many other things — giant blobs of earth and trees and rock that flow downhill toward the Dalton Highway. He starred in goofy rap videos about those mysterious “frozen debris lobes” of the Brooks Range with his UAF colleague Margaret Darrow. She remembers driving more than 30,000 cumulative miles together to their far-north field sites over the years. Darrow misses her friend and cherishes the memories of them “laughing at ourselves so hard that we cried.”