UAF Engineering Class Features Kotzebue

A class offered through the UAF College of Engineering and Mines will now feature a virtual tour led by recent civil engineering graduate Caitlynn Hanna. 

Hanna, who’s family is from Kotzebue, recently traveled with CEM dean Bill Schnabel and ACEP’s chief storyteller Amanda Byrd to film segments of a virtual Kotzebue field trip for ES100X:  Engineering Alaska, a 3-credit introductory class to engineering.

“We’re hoping through this class to engage engineering students early in their education career and show them that engineering in Alaska is not only exciting, but also place-based and accessible to all,” said Dean Schnabel. “Caitlynn, an Iñupiaq whose family originates from the Kotzebue region is just the person to lead the virtual field trip.”

ES100X, including the new virtual field trip, is expected to be offered every semester beginning in fall, 2022.   As an asynchronous online course, it will also be available to promising high school students throughout Alaska with an interest in engineering.  The course is required for most UAF engineering majors, and contains elements of numerous engineering disciplines relevant to the development of Alaska’s economy.

For more information on ES100X please contact uaf-cem@alaska.edu.

 

Caitlyn Hanna (middle) and talks with Matt Bergan from Kotzebue Electric Association (right) about how thermosyphons keep the ground frozen below the base of a 900-kilowatt wind turbine in Kotzebue. Dean Schnabel is filming in the background. Photo by Amanda Byrd.