Baby Animals!

Hey True Believers,

OK, I'm gonna go out on a limb here: baby animals are adorable. There, I said it. But the internet's been saying it for me with phenomena like LOL Cats and Cute or Sad. Today I'd like to tell you about a cute overload at the University of Alaska Fairbanks: baby Musk Oxen, Reindeeer and Caribou at the Large Animal Research Station (LARS). This last saturday the farm had its annual Spring calving event/open house. This was an opportunity for people to visit LARS and see the cute babies, take pictures, and learn more about the farm. Look at those babies and tell me you don't want one of your own!

I know I said this in a blog post last year, but the research being done at LARS is awesome. Not to mention how rare it is for students to be able to work with such rare animals in such a safe, controlled and well supported setting. If you have an interest in Biology or Wildlife, I highly recommend you check out some of the opportunities here at UAF.

Thanks for reading, and my next post will have pictures from Denali National Park, so stay tuned!

Joe

Photo Credits: Joe Alloway and Erin Harris, 2009. Above: Me with babies in the background. Below, Super Adorable Caribou and Musk Oxen!

Happy Commencement at UAF!

Dear Legion of Loyal Fans,

Mothers' Day has come and gone, and UAF has celebrated it the same way we have for the last 87 year: commencement. This year we had approximately 600 students attend commencement for degree programs everywhere from Occupational Endorsements to PhDs. We had a grand total of 37 PhDs, which is wonderful.

Commencement is always a wonderful day for me, and this year was extra special: I was asked to be the announcer. Believe it or not, as comfortable as I am with speaking in public, I was very stressed about mispronouncing names. They worked so hard to get here, the least I can do is say it right, eh? We also had some all-star speakers at this year's commencement: Vic Fisher, one of the surviving drafters of the Alaska Constitution, and Jennifer Williams, our president of UAF's Associated Students of Business. And the Carlson Center was totally packed with family, friends, and well wishers. Wherever you are, I highly recommend you get involved with commencement. I can say from experience, it never gets old, and it gives you a certain perspective on life. I don't know, I just love it. Thank you for reading, my next post will be about baby animals!

Stay tuned for the next exciting adventure!

Joe

Photo Credits: Todd Paris, UAF Marketing and Communications.

Photo information: Top, Joe Alloway, UAF's Commencement announcer. Next, Vic Fisher, 2009 Commencement Speaker. Middle, Mariah Acton, one of my Student Ambassadors, Graduating with multiple honors. Bottom, Heather Neal, another one of my Ambassadors, supports fellow engineer Tess Caswell.