Student News: Aug. 3, 2022

A rounded-front building with a sunset in the background and trees in the foreground.

UAF engineering building to be named for Joseph E. Usibelli

The University of Alaska Fairbanks will name its engineering building for UAF alumnus, philanthropist and miner Joseph E. Usibelli during a naming ceremony Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022, at 4 p.m. in Cornerstone Plaza outside the building. The event it open to the public and refreshments will also be provided.

TCC, UAF co-host 38th annual Alaska Tribal Court Conference

TCC and UAF are partnering to host the 38th Annual Alaska Tribal Court Conference from Aug. 2-5, 2022, at Westmark's banquet room in Fairbanks. The theme for the conference this year, “Traditional Values and Strong Tribes: Leading our Justice Systems,” emphasizes immersion in traditional values and practices to respond to the current needs and struggles facing tribal communities and families.

'Show your love,' join UAF's Heart Walk team

The 2022 Fairbanks Heart Walk sponsored by the American Heart Association is Saturday, Aug. 27. The walk begins at 10 a.m. at Veteran’s Memorial Park in downtown Fairbanks. Anyone who signs up as part of a UAF team will receive a newly-designed, UAF-branded T-shirt as shown in the photo. Shirts will be delivered to team captains the week of the walk to distribute out to their team members for the event.

Red salmon gather at a Gulkana Hatchery fish weir

A high-country Eden for sockeye salmon

In late summer, a few months before this mossy valley will feel the sting of 40-below air, bright red salmon dart through a crystal-clear pool amid fragrant green vegetation. The Gulkana Hatchery has a Garden-of-Eden feel, which is fitting since millions of sockeye salmon begin life here each year. Fishermen heading to the Copper River to scoop up salmon often pass this cluster of small buildings tucked in a shallow valley. Few realize that many of the fish they will catch are born here.

Memorial service for Joseph E. Usibelli

Members of the public and University of Alaska Fairbanks are invited to a memorial service for UAF alumnus, philanthropist and miner Joseph E. Usibelli on Friday, Aug. 5, 2022, at 1 p.m. at the Davis Concert Hall on campus. A reception will follow the program. Free parking is available at the Taku Lot with shuttle service from the lot starting at 12:30 p.m. and returning after the program and reception. The memorial service will also be live streamed for those unable to attend.

an aerial view of a group of buildings on green tundra with mountains in the background and a lake in the foreground

Toolik Field Station receives another five years' funding

Toolik Field Station, the largest scientific research station in the Arctic, has received $19.7 million in funding from the National Science Foundation for five more years of operation. Located 370 miles north of Fairbanks, it provides logistical, technical and research support to hundreds of national and international scientists and students each year.

The International Arctic Research Center is hosting a seminar Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, from 3-4 p.m. in Room 401 of the Akasofu Building and virtually by visiting scientist Wilbert Weijer on high-latitude climate science at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The seminar will highlight current climate projects and opportunities for collaboration between LANL and the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Study aims to reduce fuel oil use in remote Arctic homes

Researchers will study whether heaters that store renewable electric energy might substantially reduce fuel oil burned in remote Arctic homes, under a new project led by a University of Alaska Fairbanks team. Curtailing fuel oil use in this way, along with energy efficiency improvements, could cut household energy costs and carbon emissions.