2006 Feature Story Archives

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The following stories were featured in 2006. For additional features, see the archives for other years.

Month	Feature
December	Volunteers key to museum school tours What do a retired customs officer, UAF students and a theater buff have in common? Along with more than a dozen other volunteers, they’re a key part of the University of Alaska Museum of the North’s school tour program.
November	Partnership helps Alaskans build better homes Known as the "energy guy" on the Fairbanks campus, Rich Seifert is passionate about teaching people how to save energy and build efficient, healthy homes.
October	Mask maker brings wood to life Jonella Larson grew up in a world filled with art. Her mother, who was raised on St. Lawrence Island, is an accomplished sewer and artistic designer of mukluks, sealskin parkas, kuspuks and other Native clothing.
September	The rigors and rewards of RAHI "When I first came to RAHI I was not sure what to expect," Jordan Jeffery wrote in his journal. In the end, Jeffrey and the other RAHI students said although it was tough, it was the best experience they could have had.
August	If these walls could talk: the Bunnell House From the stomps of a hard-working college president to the pitter patter of kindergarten students, the Bunnell House has been home to a variety of lively inhabitants since it was built in 1922.
July	The campus barbershop: a cut above If barbers today think they have it tough, what with the plethora of celebrity magazines driving a constant demand for the newest Hollywood trend, they should consider the woolly clients Percy Lucha entertained in the 1930s.
June	Tadpoles used in SIDS research at UAF In a West Ridge laboratory a UAF scientist and her students are investigating the control of breathing in tadpoles, research which may one day help explain or even prevent sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS.
May	Gallery redefines Alaska art and architecture Think of Alaska architecture, and igloos, a miner’s cache or rustic cabins probably come to mind. Say "art gallery" and you probably think of paintings and sculptures. At the University of Alaska Museum of the North, new exhibits are helping to redefine those stereotypes.
April	Questions spark undergrad research How does the quality of qiviut from wild and domestic muskoxen compare? What kind of habitat is related to avian species diversity? How is lettuce affected by the shape and size of the containers transplants are grown in?
March	Cabin at core of UAF history The Rainey-Skarland cabin is old and drafty, but Jenny Newton is clearly smitten with the place. She has called it home since last fall. "It’s a proper log cabin with moss chinking," she says. "It’s beautifully designed, and it has such a nice atmosphere."
February	Amchitka’s nuclear legacy Lean, muscular and nearly seven feet tall, blonde haired oceanographer Mark Johnson leans across the rail of the research vessel Ocean Explorer and scans Amchitka Island’s emerald-green bluffs. He looks a bit like a Viking preparing to invade.
January	Arctic climate curriculum geared for rural students Sea ice cover is decreasing, lakes are drying up, ecosystems are changing and thawing permafrost is creating changes in water supply. For residents living in Northwestern Alaska, life has become quite different from what it was years ago.