Published Oct 24, 2023

The arctic woolly mammoth named Kik, one of the only Ice Age mammals whose life story is known in detail, was born approximately 17,100 years ago in the Alaskan interior, a region bounded by the Brooks Range to the north and the Alaska Range to the south. Back then, the area was a cold, dry grassland that extended across the Bering land bridge into Siberia, and all the way to western Europe. Paleontologists call this vast region the “mammoth steppe” after the largest animals that traversed it.

Adult male woolly mammoths reached a height of 12 feet at the shoulder, with a thick hide, shaggy coat and tusks up to 12 feet long. No predator could bring down an adult, but young mammoths, likely standing about four feet tall, were prey to scimitar-toothed cats. Kik and his herd-mates would have kept a wary eye on these predators, which weighed more than 500 pounds, with serrated canines that could bite through mammoth hide. Beringian lions were another threat; also on the landscape were steppe bison, giant short-faced bears and the gray wolves and brown bears we see today.

To be able to track an Ice Age animal’s movements in such detail is a stunning milestone in paleontology. It began with a moment of inspired curiosity in the mind of Matthew Wooller, an isotope scientist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. In 2015 he was in his laboratory, watching one of his graduate students analyze fish otoliths—small ear bones that add a new layer every year and store chemical information about the fish’s life and habitat. “What if we did the same thing with a mammoth tusk?” thought Wooller, an expatriate Englishman with a shaved head and a crisp, upbeat manner. He was already interested in mammoths from studying their extinction on St. Paul Island in the Bering Sea. He compares a mammoth tusk to a diary written in ivory. “It adds a new layer every day, and the layers stack up on each other like ice cream cones,” he says. “The isotopes in those layers record where the animal was and what it ate that day.”

Published Oct 24, 2023

The Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education (ACPE), with support from the University of Alaska, is hosting its first Alaska FAFSA Summit on October 26-27, 2023.

The Summit will bring together education stakeholders from secondary and postsecondary institutions, as well as representatives from community organizations/non-profits and Alaska Native Education Foundations to develop strategies to increase FAFSA completion through statewide initiatives and/or policies.

Historically, Alaska has ranked last in the nation for FAFSA completion – a pressing issue that requires immediate attention and, more importantly, long-term solution.

Students who successfully complete the FAFSA gain access to state and institutional financial aid opportunities in addition to federal financial aid, with an increased likelihood of accessing free money. Moreover, research shows that FAFSA completion leads to higher enrollment and persistence rates in postsecondary education and career training.

This is why it is imperative for Alaska’s students to file the FAFSA and do so correctly.

Published Oct 24, 2023 by wmpcic

With 66 days of near darkness, only four hours of daylight in December, and average January temperatures of 2.1 degrees fahrenheit, you must have some mental toughness to survive the winter months in Fairbanks, Alaska. Add to it the roughly 40,000 air miles traveling to and from the lower 48 states for non-conference games and you have to have some grit and resolve to be a UAF Nanooks hockey player.

Those in tune with college hockey recognize and respect the perseverance of a hockey program that was nearly left for dead four years ago amid state budget cuts and conference realignment which threatened the future of the sport at both Alaska Anchorage and Alaska Fairbanks.

But, here they are three years later off a 22-10-2 record in 2022-23 that had them 15th in the final Pairwise and a near NCAA berth and 2-3-1 record after a two-week road trip to Houghton, MI, and St. Cloud. After opening the season at home with two losses to #2 ranked Denver, they’ve gone 2-1-1 after getting a win and tie at then #9 Michigan Tech and a split with the then #20 Huskies.

It’s not an easy task to recruit players to Fairbanks compounded by the lack of a conference and brutal travel schedule but the coaching staff is successful in leaving no stone unturned with players from Russia, Latvia, England, and all over the USA and Canada. It needs to be an older more mature team and it is. By average age, it’s the second oldest team in college hockey.

Published Oct 23, 2023 by alaskabusiness

UAS’s new Maritime Training Center-branded vehicle promotes the center while transporting staff and equipment.

The UAS Ketchikan Maritime Training Center is one of six members of the Alaska Maritime Education Consortium, working to address the maritime workforce needs across the state. UAS Ketchikan has been training mariners for more than thirty years. The UAS Maritime Training Center provides maritime programs meeting regional needs throughout Southeast.

The truck purchase was funded partially by a grant from the Rasmuson Foundation.

With its special promotional graphics promoting the work of the center, “the new truck provides the needed transportation for Maritime faculty, staff, and equipment and also increases the visibility of our program,” says Dr. Priscilla Schulte, UAS Ketchikan Campus Director.

Located directly on the water, the Maritime Training Center houses a comprehensive welding lab, as well as a diesel and electronics lab. The facility also has a simulation training lab featuring an NT Professional 5000 Full Mission Navigation Bridge Simulator for both professional training and research. With dozens of hyper-realistic computer-generated models of ships, ports, and environmental conditions, its hardware and software applications provide professional quality simulation that accurately replicates real maritime navigation conditions.

Regarding the new vehicle and its special graphics, faculty Chris Boss notes “Our hope is that it will inspire and educate many more students with the opportunities available in all our trades programs.” Boss is an Assistant Professor of Marine Transportation and US Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer 4 (retired).

Published Oct 23, 2023 by Caleb Jones

This season marks coach Ksenia Gromova’s second year at the helm of the University of Alaska Fairbanks' swim program. One of her main focuses since taking over has been to establish a strong, consistent culture for a team that has experienced a lot of turnover in the coaching department in recent years.

“The cohesion and culture on the team is growing and getting much better,” Gromova said. “We are growing and learning from each other. The girls had long stints of changing coaches. I feel like we’re building something. We’re trying to become a strong team with good levels of communication.”

Gromova has compiled a roster of key returners who are joined by many new faces that are eager to make an impact on the collegiate scene.

Coach Gromova sees potential in her squad this season, and is hoping to send some swimmers to the national tournament later in the season.

“We are hoping to have a couple of them make it to nationals in March. I think we are on the right track for that.” Gromova said.

The swim team takes to the pool at home in their next matchup. They’ll host Cal State East Bay on Oct. 27 and 28 before preparing for the Logger Invitational at the University of Puget Sound in December.

Published Oct 23, 2023 by Caleb Jones

Both of the University of Alaska Fairbanks' cross country teams competed at the GNAC championships on Oct. 21. Ten teams competed in both the men and women’s races. The Nanooks’ women finished third overall and the men took ninth.

It was an impressive performance for the duo of Kendall Kramer and Rosie Fordham as they took first and second place in the women’s 6K. Kramer’s time of 20:46.2 led all runners. She was followed by Fordham who finished in 20:55.5. Naomi Bailey finished in the top 15 with a time of 21:47.7. Her time was 12th best at the event.