UAF in the news: Week of Nov. 20, 2006

Submitted by Marmian Grimes
Phone: (907) 474-7902
11/22/06

Political ambition leads to job in D.C.
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
WASHINGTON--Brandon Maitlen had a rough start in politics, but it didn’t entirely drive him off. Maitlen ran for student president at the University of Alaska Fairbanks in the spring of 2004. He won, but then got disqualified in a procedural quagmire that could employ lawyers for years. Read more ...

A wood frog’s winter ritual: freeze, thaw
Anchorage Daily News and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
Things didn’t look good for the five frozen wood frogs. The palm-sized amphibians were hibernating in a box outside Brian Barnes’ Fairbanks home a decade ago. Read more ...

Aurora storm connects Alaskans "Â
Sun Star
The next time you see the aurora, just remember others across the world are watching the same storm. Two people separated by vast distance can gaze up at the same moon. Two people separated by distance can look up and see the same aurora storm, but not necessarily the same activity. Read more ...

School, researchers, kids team up for science fun
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
Students, teachers and community members got to explore the fun and wonder of science on Thursday during the first Woodriver Elementary Science Festival. Read more ...

Scientists track local surface currents
Homer News
The next time you’re in the area of Anchor Point or Nanwalek, make a point of scanning the radio dial--there is a chance you’ll pick up this region’s newest radio station. However, the only music transmitted by this station is a mechanical chirp. Read more ...

Arctic resists warming
Anchorage Daily News
An international team of scientists reported Thursday that rising temperatures are steadily transforming the Arctic -- warming millions of square miles of permafrost, promoting lush greenery on previously arid tundras and steadily shrinking the annual sea ice. Read more ...

Go team!
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
For teams visiting from the Lower 48, coming to the Top of the World Classic basketball tournament can be jarring. It’s cold, it’s dark and your nearest diehard fan is at least 2,000 miles away. Except for the hometown Nanooks, there is no home court advantage or even a riled up rival crowd to get a team motivated. Read more ...

Efforts being made to save Han Athabascan language
Anchorage Daily News
EAGLE -- The language of the Han people of the upper Yukon basin will be preserved in dictionary form thanks to the efforts of Belgian linguist Willem De Reuse and the Alaska Native Language Center. Read more ...

Pioneer spirit still burns in Alaska
McMinnville Oregon News Register
As I write this column Thursday evening, my granddaughter, Jennifer, and her friend, Mike, are airborne. They are headed to Fairbanks, Alaska, where they should be arriving about midnight. Read more ...