Published Nov 16, 2023 by Arctic Business Journal

Mark your calendars! The Alaska Center for Energy and Power Summer Internship Program will begin accepting applications for the summer 2024 cohort on Friday, Dec. 1. The application period is open through Thursday, Jan. 5, 2024 and successful applicants will be notified mid-Feb. To receive program updates, sign up here.

The ACEP Summer Internship Program is a diverse cohort of undergraduate interns who want to explore how to apply their curiosity and passions for computer science, electrical or mechanical engineering, community engagement, rural development, and science communication across the energy ecosystem of Alaska.

Interns gain hands-on research experience, faculty mentorship and applied skill development in the field of applied energy research over the course of a 10-week summer program. To learn about past intern projects, visit the internship program website.

Published Nov 16, 2023 by Andy Couch NatSu Anglers Fishing Corner

I came hoping to learn from keynote speaker, Dr. Peter Wesley, a professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and perhaps have the opportunity to ask a question or two concerning the relationship between hatchery and wild salmon production. He spoke, with a slideshow power point, about much more than just hatchery / wild salmon stock relationships, and very insightfully. When the opportunity to ask a question was presented, I allowed all other attendees at least a second or two to respond, before blurting my question and getting a response concerning hatchery / wild salmon. Several additional questions followed concerning hatchery / wild salmon relationships. It appears this is a subject the Mat-Su Basin Salmon Habitat Partnership had not delved into in the past, or perhaps, multiple attendees simply wanted to learn more on the subject.

My takeaways on the hatchery / wild salmon relationship — 1. Just as some Alaskans depend heavily on wild salmon stocks throughout the state there are certain Alaskans and some communities now heavily dependent upon hatchery salmon. 2. Habitat (even ocean habitat) can not support an infinite number of salmon — perhaps best illustrated by a reduction in size of 4 salmon species at maturation in relationship to the number of salmon rearing in the ocean over time. 3. According to Dr Wesley most salmon scientists now hold the position that large numbers of hatchery salmon are having a negative impact on wild salmon stocks — while a much smaller group of scientists hold onto the thought that hatchery salmon may have little or no impact on wild salmon stocks / partially based on the thought that the ocean’s habitat may produce infinite numbers of salmon. 4. It is time to have a grown up public conversation concerning hatchery salmon released in Alaska waters, including who, and how many, people benefit from this production, and what is really gained, or not, from the production of hatchery salmon in Alaska.

Published Nov 16, 2023 by Staff report

Tickets are available for an extraordinary community collaboration and night of entertainment that will benefit three theater organizations in Fairbanks.

“Thankful for Theatre: An Enchanting Fundraiser” features Fairbanks Light Opera Theatre partnering with Fairbanks Shakespeare Theatre and Interior Independent Theatre for a one-of-a-kind event at 7 p.m. Nov. 25 in the Great Hall in the Fine Arts Complex at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Tickets are $35 online at www.flot.org or at the door for ages 21 and older.

Together, these local groups will create a night of magic with live performance, delightful desserts, a silent auction and crafted drinks.

The evening celebrates the craft of live performances in Fairbanks. Support of patrons contributes to the continued success of three local organizations.

Published Nov 16, 2023 by Staff report

Fairbanks audiences are in for a unique treat.

Stephen Price will perform a 90-minute guest recital on the organ at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Davis Concert Hall on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus.

Organ may not be a very common “popular” instrument, but according to Jaunelle Celaire of the UAF Music Department, “This young man is good!”

UAF Department of Music is hosting the recital.

Tickets are $10 for the public, and $5 for nonUAF students, seniors and military. The concert is free for UAF students.

Published Nov 16, 2023 by Caleb Jones

On Wednesday, the University of Alaska Fairbanks women’s basketball team took the court against an NCAA DI opponent, the Southern Utah University Thunderbirds, marking their toughest test of the season. They lost by a score of 72-58.

Fairbanks kept it close for the majority of the contest despite the loss. 

The game proved to be a solid outing for the Nanooks, who now see their record fall to 0-6 on the year. They’ll be looking to pick up their first win of the season as they continue their Utah road trip with two games in Salt Lake City against Westminster University on Friday and Saturday.



Published Nov 16, 2023

After the Board meeting in Fairbanks, Alaska, a delegation of UArctic Board members headed to Nome, Alaska for a community visit in 3-4 November 2023.

The Board members visited the Northwest campus of University of Alaska Fairbanks to discuss about their language and reindeer herding programs. They also visited a local reindeer ranch to learn about the living conditions in rural Alaska, and the collaboration the ranch does with UAF in reindeer herding education program. During their visit in Nome, the Board also engaged with local community members.

Published Nov 16, 2023 by Alex Johnson

UAF’s hockey team took care of business against Stonehill College this past weekend, completing the sweep to move to six wins on the season.

Published Nov 16, 2023

Researchers at the Missouri University of Science and Technology have been awarded more than $850,000 for work on pollution and waste related to pollution and critical mineral mining in Alaska and Missouri.

The Pollution Prevention (P2) grant is from the Environmental Protection Agency, developed after the Energy Act of 2020 defined critical minerals as non-fuel minerals vital to the economic and national security of the nation, will back a two-year project where the school will work with mining professionals on technical assistance and training to lower pollution levels.

The S&T team, with researchers at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, will provide on-site assistance at mine operations in their states and offer training materials and multiple workshops and case studies that will be presented as part of industry conferences.

Published Nov 15, 2023

After cratering during the pandemic, Alaska’s cruise industry drew nearly 1.7 million passengers to the area in 2023—more than double the state’s population. Birders, who tend to stay longer and spend more money than other visitors, are an especially potent economic force: Nearly 300,000 of them visited in 2016, spending $378 million and supporting more than 4,000 jobs, ­according to a study by Audubon Alaska and the ­University of Alaska Fairbanks. But today most cruise passengers stick to ports of call and life-listers mainly visit popular sites. By providing information about overlooked hotspots—how to get there, where to stay, what birds one might find—the trail aims to lure more visitors to communities clustered along the coastline and help them become prime birding destinations.



Published Nov 15, 2023 by Claire Stremple

Restorative justice is a method of resolution wherein people who are affected by a crime work together to address the harm caused and put things right, explained two researchers from the University of Alaska Anchorage. It is the opposite of how domestic violence cases are handled now, where the defendant and perpetrator are separated.

Dr. Ingrid Johnson from the University’s Justice Center said the model is intended to solve a problem — data shows that many people who experience harms like domestic violence do not feel like they get justice.

“A lot of victims don’t access our criminal justice system,” she said. “The statistics are around 50% of victims of physical intimate partner violence are actually calling the police when they’ve been victimized.”

Johnson said part of why they do not call, especially in cases of domestic violence, may be because they do not think a response from law enforcement or criminal proceedings will repair the harm they experienced. For the half of crime victims who do report domestic violence to law enforcement, the most recent analysis shows that fewer than half of those lead to a conviction.

Some states already use restorative justice programs to address domestic violence. Shimizu, from the University of Alaska Anchorage’s School of Social Work, studies them and said they both reduce recidivism rates and result in greater victim satisfaction.

Published Nov 15, 2023 by Gavin Struve

An up-and-down season for the University of Alaska Fairbanks volleyball team is expected to end on Thursday. The Nanooks will reach the end of their schedule at rival Alaska Anchorage.

The Seawolves swept the ‘Nooks in their first meeting of the season, on Sept. 7 in Fairbanks, but the ‘Nooks boast a winning record since then. Now, the in-state rivals sit tied in the conference standings, so the winner of Thursday’s match will have added incentive to top the other beyond ending the season with positive momentum and bragging rights.

The Nanooks have not beaten UAA since November of 2021 and haven’t defeated them in Anchorage since the delayed 2020-21 season.

But after snapping a four-match skid with a win at Northwest Nazarene on Saturday, UAF has a chance to end its season on a two-match winning streak. It’s been a season of runs for the Nanooks, who got off to a rough start before winning four in a row in September and piecing together another four-game winning streak in October prior to their most recent skid.