Published Apr 28, 2023 by Ned Rozell

Astrogeophysicist Bob McCoy said the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, which he oversees, has one advantage other research programs lack: the great outdoors.

“Alaska is a vast laboratory with some really interesting stuff that no other university has in its own back yard,” McCoy said during Greater Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce lunch presentation on Tuesday.

McCoy provided an everyday person’s perspective in the GI’s mission and devotion to research.

McCoy said the Geophysical Institute employs nearly 400 researchers, faculty and students. Its budget last year was $87 million spread across seven research groups, eight major facilities and 10 smaller laboratories.

The major research programs include the Alaska Earthquake Center, Satellite Facility, Volcano Observatory, Geographic Information Network, High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP, Poker Flat Research Range and Wilson Alaska Technical Center.

Published Apr 28, 2023 by https://fm.kuac.org/people/robyne

Millions of dollars of research and operations come through the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Director Bob McCoy talked to local business leaders this week about how that impacts the community.

Newcomers to Alaska know the Geophysical Institute for its aurora forecast. But they soon learn the GI is the hub for studying the things that don’t happen anywhere else – the science that makes Alaska unique.

“This is how I like to describe how we see Alaska: it's a vast laboratory, with really interesting stuff that no other university has in their backyard.”

Director Bob McCoy came to work for the university as a space scientist. He says at the GI there are nearly 400 scientists and graduate students who work in the research and operational programs: from Aurora research and the Poker Flat Research Range, to Coast Guard rescues and mineral evaluation.

The Institute recently received a Defense Department designation to research topics important to national security.

“A big deal for us is what happened in 2018. We became the UARC - a University-Affiliated Research Center. That means we have special connection to the Department of Defense and that's opened up a bunch of doors for us. Increasingly we're supporting Eielson AFB, Fort Waiwright, and JBER.”

It is one of only 17 UARCs in the country. Part of that charter is to listen for nuclear detonations around the world through the Wilson Alaska Technical Center, to make sure nations are keeping within the terms of nuclear treaties.

Published Apr 27, 2023 by Christina McDermott, KDLG - Dillingham

Bristol Bay’s Native languages — Yup’ik, Alutiiq and Dena’ina — are thousands of years old, and carry with them distinct worldviews.

“You have 10,000 years’ worth of knowledge, multiple generations that go from astronomy, to ecology, interactions between people, and spirituality,” said Kay Larson-Blair, director of the Bristol Bay Native Corporation’s Cultural Heritage Program.

At the Bristol Bay Sustainability Summit last month in Dillingham, Larson-Blair said that the Native corporation’s education foundation plans to focus on the intersection between education and culture. The cultural heritage program will help them do so, as part of a 10-year plan started in 2021.

Yup’ik is considered a “vulnerable” language by the Endangered Language Project classification system. It has about 10,000 speakers, according to the University of Alaska Fairbanks Alaska Native Languages center. About 400 people speak Alutiiq, and around 50 speak Dena’ina. Alutiiq is considered “severely” endangered, meaning only elders speak fluently and Dena’ina is “critically” endangered, which means most elders do not speak the language fluently.

Revitalization requires fluent educators and the opportunity to integrate the language into everyday life. For many Alaska Native communities, there are relatively few speakers. Typical classroom settings — the most common way to learn languages — can cost thousands of dollars, and learning in class doesn’t always translate well in practice.

Published Apr 27, 2023 by Press Release

The University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities at Northern Marianas College, in partnership with the CNMI Council on Developmental Disabilities and Northern Marianas Protection and Advocacy Systems Inc., conducted the first responder training series on April 26, 2023.

The series provided disability-sensitive training to local first responders, with the goal of creating a more inclusive and accessible CNMI by equipping first responders with tools to support and guide individuals with disabilities.

The training covered various topics, including disability rights, communication tips, and assistive technology resources, and saw participation from the Department of Public Safety, the Department of Corrections, the Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services, and CNMI Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

The activity also featured Daryl Schaffer, a retired U.S. Coast Guard captain, of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, who presented on “Disabilities in Disaster Situations: How a Rescuer Handles What They Encounter.”

The presentation targeted emergency medical service educators and policy-makers, individuals and advocacy groups for those with disabilities, and emergency professionals. Schaffer's presentation focused on addressing the impact in mass rescue operations during large-scale disasters on individuals with disabilities, and provided steps for re-leveling of expectations, addressed the misunderstanding in application of triage and crisis medical protocols, and how to recognize and mitigate the light switch fallacy.