Published Feb 28, 2023 by Eric Engman/UAF

“The partnership between the DOLWD, MAPTS and the Kinross-operated Manh Choh project is an example of how to prepare a local workforce for mining careers that are in high demand in Alaska. We are already scheduling several job fairs for the week of March 21st in the surrounding communities.”

MAPTS Director William Bieber highlighted the benefits of the grant, adding trainees will gain the skills necessary to start and hold mine-related jobs that can transfer to other industries.

“This program and facility is the only one in the world that trains entry-level miners in a real mining environment,” Bieber said in a news release.

Published Feb 28, 2023 by Josh Reed

On the college skiing scene, Anchorage’s Luke Jager completed his college career in his home town by sweeping both the freestyle sprint and the classic 10K races at the UAA Invite at Kincaid Park last Monday and Tuesday. The senior at the University of Utah edged out teammate Walker Hall with a time of 3:09.98 to win the freestyle race and outpaced Norwegian Andreas Kirkeng and APU skier Zanden McMullen by less than three seconds each in the classic race.

UAA junior Leon Nikic won the giant slalom last Wednesday at the NCAA West Regional at Alyeska Resort in Girdwood by going from being in ninth place after his first run to catapulting himself into first place with final time of 1:34.59. Thanks to a blazing second run that helped him leapfrogged the rest of the field and become the first Seawolf to win a NCAA West Regional title since Sean Alexander won the giant slalom in 2016.

In college hoops action, the UAA women’s basketball team closed out the 2022-23 regular season with their third and fourth straight victories this past week, the first which came over Seattle Pacific University last Thursday and clinched playoff berth to the GNAC tournament. The Seawolves were led in scoring in both games by junior guard Vishe’ Rabb who scored 43 points in the two contest combined that included her fourth game of scoring 25-plus her last six games against the Falcons.

The UAA men’s won’t be going to the playoffs for the first time since the 2018-2019 season but they were able to end their 2022-2023 season on a high note with 70-61 win over GNAC foe Montana State Billings in their finale this past Saturday. The result snapped a three-game losing skid to close out a season that was defined by close losses and narrow margins of defeat. The Seawolves were led in scoring in their final two games by junior guard Dathan Satchell who scored 27 combined points followed by senior guard AJ Garrity with a combined 25 points.

The UAA track and field team had a strong showing at the 2023 GNAC Track and Field Championships last week and were headlined by sophomore Cole Nash who received Male Athlete of the Week honors after winning the 3,000-meter in a meet record time of 8:18.32 and setting the 5,000-meter meet record of 14:17.09. The Seawolves also had junior sprinter Kevin Angarita win his first GNAC title with a first place finish in the 400-meters in a time of 48.70 while freshman sprinter Olivia Manley of Fairbanks set new personal bests at 60 meters and 200 meters as she finished fifth in both races.

The UAA men’s hockey team was back in action this past week after nearly a month off and were able to snap a five-game losing skid with a 4-0 shutout of Long Island University on Saturday for their first win of the new year. The triumph was sandwiched between a losses to University of Connecticut on Thursdays and a LIU in the second game of their three-game series on Sunday. The Seawolves had nine different players record a goal with junior forward Matt Allen leading the team with a pair, both of which came in the team’s 4-3 overtime loss to UCONN.

Published Feb 28, 2023 by Tim Rockey

A new commissioner has been appointed to head the Department of Education and Early Development.

According to a press release from Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s office, current Innovation and Education Excellence Director Susan McKenzie was selected by the State Board of Education and Early Development and was subsequently approved by Dunleavy.

“Our children deserve our best. Movement into higher leadership roles has been a blessing, and I’ve realized there is great alignment in my skill set and the service as Commissioner,” McKenzie said in the release. “I bring gained educational wisdom, Alaska experience and relationships, strong leadership, and knowledge of Alaska Department of Education and Early Development to use for such a time as this. I am a change agent for ineffective systems and practices. As a servant leader, I lead by example and will be involved with all groups, making changes needed to provide an excellent education for every student every day.”

McKenzie earned her masters degree from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in language and literacy with a reading endorsement, completed administrator licensing at Portland State University in 2009 and renewed that licensing at Concordia University Chicago in 2015.

Published Feb 27, 2023 by JR Ancheta

Ezgi Karasözen, a University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute research seismologist, was packing for a trip from her home in Colorado to Anchorage on a Sunday afternoon when her husband, Onur, came in.

There had been a devastating magnitude 7.8 earthquake, he told her. She thought for a brief moment that he was telling her about a quake in Alaska, her destination.

No, he said, it had just struck their native Turkey and northern Syria, both 12 hours ahead of Alaska.

“He told me the magnitude and I was like, just wait a second, can it be 7.8? Is the magnitude correct? Is it going to be bigger? How did they estimate it?”

That was the seismologist in her. She soon learned the early morning quake occurred on a major fault, one she knew from her own research to be of a kind that can lead to catastrophic damage.

An email alert soon arrived from the U.S. Geological Survey confirming the 7.8 magnitude.

“And then I burst into tears,” she said.