Published Sep 27, 2023 by Jackie Purcell

Auroral displays begin as solar plasma from the sun gets carried to Earth by solar winds. The particles of energy get swept into the Earth’s magnetic field, mostly the north and south poles. As the electrons and protons collide with gases in the atmosphere, tiny little sparks of light are emitted.

Where did the colorful bands of light get their name? The term aurora borealis comes from the astronomer Galileo in 1619. Aurora was the name for the goddess of the dawn according to the Romans (known as Eos and usually described as “rosy-fingered” by the Greeks), while borealis was the god of the north wind.

Solar activity is expected to steadily increase until fall 2024. For the forecast — check out the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute.

Published Sep 27, 2023 by Alex DeMarban

A $330 million energy storage project in Healy that could support renewables and help hold down electricity prices along the Alaska Railbelt moved closer to reality this month.

The federal Department of Energy said that it has selected Westinghouse Electric Co. and eight other “long-duration energy storage” projects in the U.S. to potentially receive grants to help kickstart projects.

Such projects can deliver more than 10 hours of electricity at a time, helping smooth out energy from fluctuating solar and wind installations.

The selection opens up the possibility of Westinghouse receiving $50 million to launch a first phase.

Westinghouse has proposed constructing the energy storage facility in Healy south of Fairbanks, at the site of a coal-fired power plant unit that’s set to be retired at the end of next year, officials familiar with the project said. The facility would rely on a large number of heated concrete blocks to store releasable energy, they said.

The project will use a heat pump to draw electricity from the power grid and convert the electricity into heat stored in the inexpensive concrete blocks, the Energy Department said in a statement. The stored energy is converted back into electricity using a heat engine.

The Westinghouse project could provide enough stored energy to power about 2,000 homes for a month, said Meadow Bailey, a spokesperson with the Golden Valley Electric Association in Fairbanks.



Published Sep 26, 2023

Wilmington-based SeaTox Research Inc. and its project partners received an almost $1.5 million grant to develop test kits to help identify toxin-producing algal blooms in Alaska’s commercial shellfish, according to a news release.

The award is titled the Monitoring and Event Response for Harmful Algal Blooms (MERHAB) grant from the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science.  SeaTox’s project is through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), in partnership with the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the Kodiak Area Native Association.

The $1.5 million is a five-year grant to help fund the project, which involves SeaTox developing a testing mechanism to be used in Alaska to test commercial shellfish that could be contaminated with deadly algal toxins, SeaTox cofounder Sam McCall said Tuesday.

The project is an effort to protect residents of Kodiak Archipelago, Alaska, who experience heightened levels of paralytic and amnesic shellfish poisoning, according to SeaTox. These poisonings are deadly to humans and are caused by eating shellfish contaminated by harmful algae, according to Alaska’s Department of Environmental Conservation. As little as one milligram of the toxin is enough to kill an adult.

Work will begin on the project toward the end of the year, McCall said. NOAA connected SeaTox with the University of Alaska, due to the Kodiak area’s high levels of algal toxins.

Published Sep 26, 2023

Computer technology aids us daily in our work and personal lives. Banking,online ordering, education, even monitoring your blood sugar and other health conditions is now routine. These systems also track our online habits, learning about our preferences and using that data to offer similar types of products or other content. That’s a simple example of Artificial Intelligence, but A.I.’s use is growing fast and understanding the risks that come with the convenience is important. We’ll learn more about these cyber concerns on this Talk of Alaska.

GUESTS:

• Kenrick Mock – Dean, UAA College of Engineering
• Don Rearden – Professor, UAA Department of Writing
• Andrew Harnish – Professor, UAA Department of Writing

Published Sep 26, 2023

This year, Bristol Bay’s $0.50-per-pound base price had fleet members questioning the industry’s longevity. The dynamic between fleets and processors has existed for decades, with permit-holding fishing crews delivering their catch before knowing its cost, and processors relying on them to do so.

KDLG’s Christina McDermott sat down with economist Gunnar Knapp, who spent decades studying Bristol Bay’s salmon markets, to learn more about the history of this relationship, and what it means going forward.

Published Sep 26, 2023

Automation in a global economy is creating thousands of new jobs that require an entirely different type of worker. No longer is it enough to memorize facts, solve equations, and operate tools and equipment. Machines can do that far faster and with more accuracy than any mere mortal. Instead, employers need employees who can “use their knowledge and skills — by thinking critically, applying knowledge to new situations, analyzing information, comprehending new ideas, communicating, collaborating, solving problems, and making decisions” (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2002).

We commonly refer to these as employability skills, and references to these skills litter both academic and professional literature. Technical skills are the knowledge and skills needed to perform a particular task or activity; technical skills are unique to a specific occupation and often require specialized training and practice for proficiency. And employability skills are everything technical skills are not. They are a cluster of essential non-technical skills and attributes that include work habits, attitudes, character traits, and competencies that are broadly applicable and transferable to any workplace environment at any level of experience (Lamoreaux, 2022). These skills shape how employees work both on their own and with others.

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When we weave the language of human skills throughout our curricula at all levels and across all assignments, students begin to understand the importance of these skills and become more self-aware. However, teaching employability skills doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing. As our understanding increases, we can find organic ways to incorporate them into our existing curricula. Additionally, we must remember that skill development is a learning process that takes time. Thus, it is critical that all faculty embrace the need to teach, assess and reflect on human skills, so students have an opportunity to develop these skills across their academic pathways.