Published Aug 10, 2023

The Global Autonomous Systems Conference, being held in Anchorage this week, is welcoming more than a hundred industry experts to the Dena’ina Center over three days.

The theme behind the event is “trailblazing autonomous paths for a new world economy,” with the idea being to create more conversation and promote communication around the use of drones. During the conference, attendees hear from speakers, participate in workshops and can learn more about the various agencies and organizations on site — including the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Alaska Center for UAS Integration.

“I originally came from a military UAV background, where everything was hush-hush, everything operated very strictly, and completely outside of the way we do business here,” ACUASI’s director of operations John Robinson said. “This is important to me because it allows me to bring that passion, that progress, for everybody.”

“It’s not just hidden behind walls,” Robinson said. “That’s important to me. And the conference is important because we’re meeting a lot of new people, getting to communicate, and getting ideas for all the future projects we’re going to be able to do.”

Published Aug 10, 2023 by Annie Berman

In Southcentral Alaska, this year seems to be a particularly good year for monkshood, according to Matthew Carlson, director of the Alaska Center for Conservation Science at the University of Alaska Anchorage.

The cool weather at the start of the summer seems to have pushed back many flowering plants’ blooming season by about three weeks and caused many to bloom all at once, including monkshood, Carlson said.

Two native species of monkshood, or aconite, grow across Alaska, parts of Canada and northern Japan, according to Justin Fulkerson, a lead botanist at the Alaska Center for Conservation Science at UAA.

The plant comes in a range of colors, but usually purple, white and blue. Some species of monkshood that aren’t native to Alaska come in yellow, or a two-tone blue and white.

Most of the “incredibly rare” poisoning events in North America that Fulkerson is aware of stemmed from incorrect dosages as Chinese medicine, he said in an email.

“It should be fine if you brush up against it, or touch it,” Fulkerson said. “I’ve collected it for research with my hands, and I’m still alive.”

For skin absorption to occur, the toxin would need to be in a concentrated form, like a tincture, according to Fulkerson. If the plant comes into contact with a mucous membrane or broken skin, some of the toxin could also be absorbed.

Even in those cases, “death is rare and general sickness that needs medical care is generally more common with accidental exposure or overdose,” he said.

Published Aug 10, 2023 by Claire Stremple, Alaska Beacon

Alaska tribes and the University of Alaska Fairbanks will receive more than $350,000 in grants as part of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, known as NAGPRA, the National Park Service said this week. The groups will put the money toward bringing objects of cultural significance back to Alaska.

NAGPRA requires federal agencies and institutions that receive federal funds, like museums, universities or state agencies, to return Native American, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian human remains and other cultural items to the appropriate owners. The law was passed in 1990.

The Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska and Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska will receive money for the repatriation of remains and significant objects.

There are also federal funds for consultations, where tribes meet with museums to identify cultural objects. The Alutiiq Museum and Archaeological Repository, the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska and the University of Alaska Fairbanks will receive grant money to that end.

Published Aug 10, 2023 by Hailey Clark

These statistics underscore the urgent need for targeted interventions, improved access to quality health care, and a comprehensive approach to address complex factors. The data shows why it is important to disaggregate data and the importance of health equity. Health equity is when every Alaskan has a fair and just opportunity to be healthy.

Amana Mbise, an assistant professor of social work at the University of Alaska Anchorage, said, “Speaking about health disparities can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be that way. You can take small actions like participating in your local community and speaking to your representatives to support policies that increase access to health care for all, better schools, nutrition, housing and transportation. We can all do something to address health disparities.”

Published Aug 9, 2023 by Claire Stremple

A group of University of Alaska graduate student employees took a step to form the state’s first student worker union on Wednesday. The Alaska Graduate Student Workers Association signed an agreement with the university system that defines who is eligible to vote on becoming a union, certifies them as a bargaining unit and triggers a union election in the fall.

The students want to see a vote as soon as possible, said Abigail Schiffmiller, an organizing committee member of the association and a Ph.D. student in the biology department at the University of Alaska Southeast.

“We’re confident that with broad accessibility and inclusivity in the vote, that the vote would show that we have overwhelming support from the graduate student community for this union,” she said. “The reason we want to unionize is to be able to bring our issues to the university and have a way to have some power to get the issues addressed, which is currently not something we have.”

The students have been working towards a union since last December, when they petitioned to organize. The group’s main goals are to secure better pay, health care and working conditions for graduate workers.