| UA News for February 19, 2024 |
| In today's news: UAA women's basketball couldn't quite bridge the gap and fell to Central Washington 72-65; more than 100 kids participated in STEM activities during the start of UAA Engineer Week; UAA men's basketball traded leads to successfully outscore Western Washington 71-69; a bill on textbook price transparency is moving through legislative committees; ice fog requires sustained temperatures of minus 30 or colder to become visible; a new study is researching cognitive decline in older dogs; scientists and others are gathering to discuss the impact of beaver migration in the Arctic; UAA alpine skier Leon Nikic is having a fantastic final season; UAA celebrated Elizabeth Peratovich Day; and a symposium at UAS explored Arctic issues.
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| | | | More than 100 students compete at UAA’s Engineer Week event | Published Feb 19, 2024 by Georgina Fernandez University of Alaska Anchorage hosted its first day of Engineer Week Saturday where more than 100 kids, ranging from preschool through elementary school age, put their STEM skills to the test. The event featured contests, ranging from an egg drop experiment to seeing who could build the tallest spaghetti tower.
Katie Mills, a manager with ConocoPhillips, and event volunteer, said each activity includes an aspect of engineering as well as learning about problem solving, intuition and perseverance.
“That’s really kind of at the heart of engineering is, you know, how do you see something go wrong? Mills asked. “And then think through how to problem solve and do better next time and learn from your mistakes and get back out there instead of being defeated and giving up?”
Mills said it’s all about getting kids interested and involved with science, technology, engineering and math.
There are more E-Week events scheduled this week including an opportunity for high school students, on Feb. 20 and 22, to visit UAA labs for a tour and an equipment demonstration. That’s during a free of cost Journey into Engineering event.
| | | Readership | 305,005 | Social Amplification | 0 |
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| | UAA men's basketball grinds out a second straight victory against Western Washington | Published Feb 19, 2024 by Josh Reed Just two days after coming out on top of a double-overtime game with Simon Fraser, the University of Alaska Anchorage men’s basketball team found itself in another tightly contested battle, this time with Western Washington on Saturday night at the Alaska Airlines Center.
The Seawolves were able to successfully defend their home court by holding the Vikings, who ranked eighth nationally with an average of 90.1 points per game, to their lowest point total since November in a 71-69 victory.
Neither team held more than a seven-point lead as they traded blows and went back and forth until the Seawolves knocked down some clutch free throws in the final minute. The last one came from Williams to make it a four-point game with 10 seconds left.
| | | Readership | 794,684 | Social Amplification | 0 |
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| | College Price Transparency Bill Advances Toward Final Vote in Alaska Legislature | Published Feb 18, 2024 The Alaska House Education Committee on Monday gave its unanimous support for a price transparency bill aimed at the University of Alaska.
If Senate Bill 13 becomes law, the state university system will be required to list the cost of course materials, including textbooks, in its course catalog.
“This bill has got a simple concept: We’re trying to give students as much information as possible to financially plan as they’re signing up for their classes,” said Sen. Robert Myers, R-North Pole and the sponsor of the bill. | | | Readership | 141,659,727 | Social Amplification | 0 |
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| | Ice fog is no longer a regular occurrence in Fairbanks | Published Feb 18, 2024 by Ned Rozell Ice fog is a surface cloud composed of water we emit into the air all the time; it only becomes visible when the cold hammer comes down hard and hangs around for a bit.
Ice fog has a magic number: minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit. It does not form until the air gets that cold, and it dissipates when the temperature rises above that.
| | | Readership | 787,101 | Social Amplification | 1 |
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| | Study aims to understand cognitive decline in older dogs | Published Feb 17, 2024 by Alaska Native News A University of Alaska Fairbanks researcher has launched a study of cognitive decline in older Alaska dogs.
Canine cognitive disorder, or CCD, presents similarly to Alzheimer’s disease in humans, with symptoms including disorientation, failure to recognize family members, inability to retain control over basic bodily functions, and changes in personality.
Dr. Greg Pietsch, a veterinarian and assistant professor in the UAF Department of Veterinary Medicine in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, is the principal investigator for the project.
“I’ve too often seen the impact of cognitive decline on the lives of dogs as they age and the subsequent impact on the humans who love them,” Pietsch said. “Currently our ability to diagnose and offer treatment for these patients is limited. Learning to better identify CCD is an important first step towards the testing of effective treatment options.”
| | | Readership | 20,382 | Social Amplification | 0 |
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| | Scientists, others to discuss impact of beaver movement into Arctic | Published Feb 17, 2024 by Alaska Native News Scientists and others from remote communities across western Alaska and northern Canada concerned about the migration of beavers into the Arctic will gather at the University of Alaska Fairbanks later this month.
Attendees will share observations, knowledge and new research on the impacts of the animals’ recent range expansion.
The Feb. 26-28 meeting of the Arctic Beaver Observation Network will be at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Participants will come from Canada, the United Kingdom, Norway and elsewhere in the United States.
This will be the third meeting of the group, which last met in Yellowknife, in Canada’s Northwest Territories, in November 2022.
Beavers have been damming Arctic streams in Alaska and other Arctic regions, creating numerous ponds. The ponds thaw permafrost, releasing carbon that would otherwise remain locked in place in undisturbed permafrost. Deeper and warmer pond water alters stream ecology and provides an environment where new species can survive the winter.
The meeting will cover several topics over three days, including updated information on where beaver engineering is occurring; its effect on fish, water quality, biodiversity, permafrost and wildfire; local community observations and impacts; and management options.
| | | Readership | 20,382 | Social Amplification | 0 |
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| | UAA Alpine skier Leon Nikic is making the most of his 'last dance' with a sensational senior season | Published Feb 17, 2024 by Josh Reed University of Alaska Anchorage Alpine skier Leon Nikic is determined to make the most of his final season of college competition before he graduates in the spring.
“It’s more or less, make it or break it,” he said. “I knew that coming into the season, so I took an approach that I might as well give it all I got one more year, and do that from the first day of downhill training in April and May until the end of it after NCAAs and see what comes out of it.”
The senior has been steadily ascending during his time with the program, and it’s paying major dividends as his final collegiate season has been his best so far.
Nikic has made it to the podium in almost every race he’s finished this season, 6-of-8, including his first win in the giant slalom at the Denver University Invitational earlier this month. | | | Readership | 794,684 | Social Amplification | 51 |
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| | UAA celebrates Elizabeth Peratrovich Day, honors civil rights legacy | Published Feb 16, 2024 by Your Alaska Link Your Alaska Link stopped by the University of Alaska Anchorage to check out the Elizabeth Peratrovich Day celebration.
A member of the Tlingit Nation, Peratrovich is considered, by many, to be the face of civil rights in Alaska.
"It's just kind of crazy to imagine that she had that strength... It's not crazy. It's amazing crazy that she had the strength and fortitude to go forth and pursue her passion for a better world for Alaska," said Krsitel Komakhuk of the UAA.
Peratrovich was a major force behind the passage of Alaska's anti-discrimination bill. The legislation was signed into law on February 16, 1945.
| | | Readership | 17,937 | Social Amplification | 0 |
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| | Neighbors: Symposium at UAS explores Arctic climate, nuclear weapons, environment and stability | Published Feb 16, 2024 A symposium from 9 a.m. to 5 pm. Saturday at the University of Alaska Southeast’s Egan Lecture Hall will explore Arctic climate, nuclear weapons, environmental, and local and global stability.
“Alaska in the Crosshairs: Climate, Arctic Environment, and the Resurgence of Nuclear Weapons” is co-sponsored by Veterans for Peace Chapter 100, the Juneau World Affairs Council, Point Hope Congress, and the Alaska Peace Center. Admission is free. All sessions can be attended in person or online. Registration is online at akhopecongress.org. Those unable to register online can do so in person at the event
The Arctic has become “ground zero” for growing national and international concerns about the environmental, military, commercial and geopolitical impacts of climate change. Alaska gives the United States its only territorial claim to the Arctic. Global warming is occurring here four times faster than anywhere else. The rapid loss of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is dramatically altering the nature of the entire Arctic region. This, in turn, is disrupting global weather patterns and adding to international competition and potential conflict.
| | | Readership | 86,219 | Social Amplification | 1 |
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