Students arrive at UAF for a two-week research camp

Submitted by Sonja Bickford
Phone: (907) 474-6714
07/17/06

Fairbanks, Alaska-On Monday morning, 106 middle and high school students from 10 states and 25 communities in Alaska arrived on the UAF campus for the start of the two-week-long Alaska Summer Research Academy. Students attending the camp get a preview of college life and hands-on experience in one of 14 professional fields.

"The ASRA camp is in its sixth year and this year the camp is full,"? said Jeff Drake, associate director of ASRA. "Every year we get more students from out of state."?

The academy offers 14 modules, including aviation, civil engineering, electrical engineering, health sciences, wildlife ecology, and marine biology. Students receive one college credit on completion.

Several of the modules reflect students’ interest in technology. The two most popular are forensics, where students will work to solve a crime scene using techniques seen on the hit television show "CSI," and computer forensics, where students will learn data recovery and how to detect compromised systems. All modules are set up for the students to learn by being engaged and involved. Aviation students will experience flights in both a simulator as well as in a general aviation aircraft and the health science students will learn to suture and conduct ultrasounds at the Fairbanks Memorial Hospital.

"The camp offers a real adventure for the students," said University of Alaska Fairbanks chancellor Steve Jones. "Students get to work with world-class researchers who stimulate the students’ interest and enthusiasm in research and science."?

The ASRA camp has partnerships with the Alaska Department of Transportation, Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, Golden Valley Electric Association, Industrial Arts Learning Lab, National Park Service, Alaska Natural History Institutes and the Denali Foundation. The camp is hosted by the College of Natural Science and Mathematics and supported by other UAF entities like Alaska Sea Grant College Program, College of Engineering and Mines, Geophysical Institute, Alaska Space Grant Program and UAF Summer Sessions.

Editors: Camp schedule and a list of modules is below. For more information about ASRA please visit www.uaf.edu/asra.

CONTACT: Sonja Bickford, CNSM public relations officer, at (907) 474-6714 or via e-mail at s.bickford@uaf.edu.

Camp schedule

Opening day: Monday, July 17, noon
Research/projects: Tuesday, July 18-27, 9:15 a.m.-noon and 1-5 p.m.
Student presentations: Friday, July 28, 8:45 a.m.-3 p.m.

Modules

AVIATION
Lead instructor: Roger Weggel (UAF)
Location: Hutchison 149, 201
Activities: piloting skills, air traffic control, flight simulation, maintenance, weather forecasting etc"|
Media days: any
Of interest: students will visit local air traffic control towers, fly in flight simulators and experience flight in a general aviation aircraft.

CIVIL ENGINEERING
Lead instructors: Dave Waldo (DOT) & Lisa Minnear (UAF)
Industry partner: Department of Transportation
Location: Georgeson Botanical Gardens
Activities: survey and stake the foundation for a tree house & retaining wall in the Babula Children’s Garden. Students will improve the existing stream running through the garden.
Media days: July 18-26
Of interest: Third year the module has engaged in public service projects for the Fairbanks community

COMPUTER FORENSICS
Lead instructor: Chris Hecker (UAF)
Location: Chapman 206
Activities: science of digital forensics. Erased info & recovery, compromised computers, internet safety.
Media days: July 18-26
Of interest: The first module to fill up! Kids are very interested in cyber security, war games, and virtual environments.

ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
Lead instructor: Richard Wies (UAF)
Industry partner: Jim Baird, Industrial Arts Learning Lab
Location: Duckering 202
Activities: Two design teams will work on electrical power projects. Goal of the module is to explore the production, transportation, and use of electricity and how it impacts everyday life.
Media days: July 19, 21, 22 and 26
Of interest: Student from Oakland, Maine. Students will see the world’s largest battery here in Fairbanks.

FILMMAKING
Lead instructor: Leonard Kamerling (UA Museum)
Location: Denali National Park
Activities: students will write, stage, produce & edit a short original dramatic film in Denali National Park.
Media days: July 19-25 in Denali
Of interest: students will film in Denali for 4 days and then edit their film at UAF.

FORENSICS
Lead instructor: Michelle Russell (UAF)
Location: SAC, Natural Sciences Facility
Activities: Just like the hit show "CSI"?: crime groups, crime scene sketches, hair and fiber analysis, blood spatter, casting and imprints (with law group), fingerprinting, DNA whodunit, laboratory sample work
Media days: July 19-July 21, July 24-26
Of interest: Rural students, module filled fast.

GEOPHYSICS
Lead instructor: Michael West (UAF)
Location: Denali National Park
Partners: Geophysical Institute, Alaska Earthquake Information Center, Alaska Volcano Observatory
Activities: Explore earthquakes, visit the 2002 Denali Fault earthquake site, test and install instruments, analyze data.
Media days: Any day July 18-26
Of interest: Students from Massachusetts, Texas, North Carolina and Alaska.

HEALTH SCIENCE
Lead instructor: Lori Gibertoni (FMH)
Location: Fairbanks Memorial Hospital
Activities: Students learn and get hands-on experience in Emergency Medical Services, emergency room procedures, lab work, radiology procedures, respiratory care needs, pharmacy protocols, surgery, casting, physical therapy and home health care options.
Media days: July 18-26
Of interest: Students will earn CPR certification during the two-week camp.

LAW
Lead instructor: Ed Husted (UAF)
Location: TVC 103
Activities: Activities will fallow the pattern of the TV series "Law and Order."? Police officers will demonstrate a crime scene investigation, students will visit the Fairbanks Correctional Facility and meet with lawyers and a judge.
Media days: July 18-26
Of interest: Rural student. Students will work with the forensics module on several days.

MARINE BIOLOGY
Lead instructor: Ann Knowlton (UAF)
Location: Kasitsna Bay Laboratory
Activities: Looking at sea cucumbers, how salmon avoids being eaten by a bear, and in the tradition of Jacques Cousteau and Sylvia Earle the students will thoroughly explore the marine environment.
Media days: July 18-25
Of interest: Students from Maryland, Colorado, New York and Alaska.

PROGRAMMING FOR SCIENTISTS & ENGINEERS
Lead instructor: Tom Johnson (UAF)
Location: Natural Sciences Facility
Activities: LabVIEW programs have been used to drive a rover on Mars, automate factories, and program LEGO robots. Students will face many programming challenges.
Media days: July 18-26
Of interest: www.ni.com/labview

ROBOTICS
Lead instructor: Robert Parsons (UAF)
Location: Natural Science Facility 252 and 254
Activities: Mobile robots, robot design and contests (dance, speed, multiple sensor contests)
Media days: July 18-26
Of interest: Students from Tennessee and Alaska

WEB DEVELOPMENT
Lead instructor: Peter Kristeller (UAF) & Eric Muehling (UAF)
Location: Natural Science Facility 253 and 101
Activities: Web development from journalism to electrical engineering. Students will create websites, set up web cams, programming and content experimentation Media days: July 18-26
Of interest: Work produced by the students will be highly visible daily on the ASRA website.

WILDLIFE ECOLOGY
Lead instructor: Peregrine Barboza (UAF)
Location: R.G. White Large Animal Research Station
Activities: Students will work with muskox and caribou at the R.G. White Large Animal Research Station. Students will measure the quality of wild foods, growth and condition of large animals, and study the migration of birds.
Media days: July 18-26
Of interest: Students will get hands-on experience in large animal research. Students will be working at Creamer’s Field, LARS, etc"