Word up, friends!
I'm running out of silly ways to open my blog posts :) A couple of weeks ago, Theatre UAF did a presentation of The Laramie Project in the Lee H Salisbury Theatre. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the play, it is an analysis of the reaction of the people in the town of Laramie Wyoming following the 1998 brutal beating and eventual death of Matthew Shepard, a 21 year old University of Wyoming student. Why was he killed? He was gay. This was a hate crime of the most heinous sort.
The play is a brilliant observation of the concepts of hatred and ignorance in our society, and I highly encourage anyone who hasn't seen or read the play to do so. The rendition done here at UAF was quite impressive. A solid performance by the cast in a pretty difficult play to perform. In the play, each actor plays 8-10 of the residents of Laramie, each with a different personality, opinion and story. In most plays it is difficult to play one person well, but playing 10 is absolutely exhausting for actors. Nevertheless, the performance was quite solid, and was received by very positive reviews in Fairbanks. I would share photos, but of course I don't have any, being that I was only an Usher, not a cast member. Anyway, Thanks for reading, more to come!
Joe
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness week
Hello again, everyone!
I know I'm bombarding you with blogs right now, but I have a lot to share! Two weeks ago was National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. The goal of this program is to promote awareness of the plight of those living in poverty and in homelessness, and to see what we can do to help. To commemorate this event, two UAF students, Mariah Acton and Anna Dale, organized a weeklong vigil on campus to raise awareness. Mariah is also one of my Student Ambassadors, so I was extra proud of her role in this event. Volunteers stood out in the cold in temperatures down to -20F to raise awareness. The volunteers also raised more than $400 for the Fairbanks Rescue Mission. Throughout the course of the week, I stood with the for somewhere between 3 and 4 hours in the cold. I would have stood more, but my duties called me away. I was also going to volunteer at the rescue mission with the group, but the brakes on my truck went out that day, and that had to take priority :(
The week was a tremendous success. The event was covered in the local media, and it is my hope that we will do this or something very close to it next year again. Thanks for reading!
Joe
PS: I will have photos of my participation posted soon!
I know I'm bombarding you with blogs right now, but I have a lot to share! Two weeks ago was National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. The goal of this program is to promote awareness of the plight of those living in poverty and in homelessness, and to see what we can do to help. To commemorate this event, two UAF students, Mariah Acton and Anna Dale, organized a weeklong vigil on campus to raise awareness. Mariah is also one of my Student Ambassadors, so I was extra proud of her role in this event. Volunteers stood out in the cold in temperatures down to -20F to raise awareness. The volunteers also raised more than $400 for the Fairbanks Rescue Mission. Throughout the course of the week, I stood with the for somewhere between 3 and 4 hours in the cold. I would have stood more, but my duties called me away. I was also going to volunteer at the rescue mission with the group, but the brakes on my truck went out that day, and that had to take priority :(
The week was a tremendous success. The event was covered in the local media, and it is my hope that we will do this or something very close to it next year again. Thanks for reading!
Joe
PS: I will have photos of my participation posted soon!
Musky Oxes!
Hello again, my loyal fans!
Of course, that's not the only cool research that's going on out at LARS. They also do tons of other research. Overall, it was a very cool visit and a cool experience. If you find yourself in a position to visit LARS, I would highly recommend it. Anyway, thanks for reading, stay tuned for my next post!
This is Joe again, coming atcha with some hardcore awesome stories and photos! I recently got to go on a tour of the Large Animal Research Station here at UAF, and it was awesome. This is one of the only places in the world where people can study and raise Musk Oxen, an endangered species. They are studying their digestion and studyin
g their genetics to see if it would be possible to cross breed the gene in Musk Oxen which enables them to subsist on such difficult to process food into domestic farm animals such as cattle. If they are successful, this could mean the ability to raise cattle on a tenth as much feed as they currently consume, which translate into a tremendous reduction in the price of milk and cow meat! This would also mean a significant boon to the environment, because the cows would then need less grazing land, because they need less food. Pretty cool, huh?
g their genetics to see if it would be possible to cross breed the gene in Musk Oxen which enables them to subsist on such difficult to process food into domestic farm animals such as cattle. If they are successful, this could mean the ability to raise cattle on a tenth as much feed as they currently consume, which translate into a tremendous reduction in the price of milk and cow meat! This would also mean a significant boon to the environment, because the cows would then need less grazing land, because they need less food. Pretty cool, huh? Of course, that's not the only cool research that's going on out at LARS. They also do tons of other research. Overall, it was a very cool visit and a cool experience. If you find yourself in a position to visit LARS, I would highly recommend it. Anyway, thanks for reading, stay tuned for my next post!
Joe
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Hello New York!
Greetings from New York!
Carrie Coxon, our new admissions counselor and East Coast recruiter, and I are traveling throughout the great state of New York in an effort to recruit another great group of students to UAF! We are having a blast and loving New York. We are mostly focused in the Albany area, but we are heading into NYC on Friday and can't wait to see the Big Apple. Are you from the East Coast? Contact Carrie at carrie.coxon@alaska.edu.
- Lael
Carrie Coxon, our new admissions counselor and East Coast recruiter, and I are traveling throughout the great state of New York in an effort to recruit another great group of students to UAF! We are having a blast and loving New York. We are mostly focused in the Albany area, but we are heading into NYC on Friday and can't wait to see the Big Apple. Are you from the East Coast? Contact Carrie at carrie.coxon@alaska.edu.
- Lael
Back from travels!
Hey again, righteous fans!
This is Joe again from the UAF Office of Admissions. I just thought I would take a couple of moments to write a blog about my recent trip to the Eastern part of this country. I just got back from a week of high school and individual visits in Michigan and Pennsylvania (and this was pre-November 4th, so the political atmosphere was intense). In Michigan, everything was going pretty great. I ran into a whole bunch of students who were interested in our Biology programs, our Hockey team, our Natural Resource Management progam, and our Marine Biology MS and PhD Programs. Overall, the enthusiasm of the students, families, teachers and counselors in favor of UAF was wonderful.
Now, it wasn't all fun: When I was supposed to fly from Musekgon (Western MI), the whole airport was fogged in, so I had to re-rent a car, and speed across the state to Detroit so I could catch my connecting flight from Detroit to Pittsburgh. Then, when I got to Pittsburgh, I found out my hotel was actually an hour drive away from the Airport. (and my rental had a funny smell, for some reason). But, after that, things went pretty well.
But hey, pop quiz: what excitement just recently occured in the state of Pennsylvania? That's right, the Phillies winning the World series for the first time in 28 years. Does Philly know how to party? Well, it would appear they do. They actually had a city wide celebration and parade on the 31st, which was the day that I was in Philly. Now dig this: the parade route went down 21st and Market, and my hotel room was overlooking 22nd and Market. I actually got to watch the Phillies' float drive by from my window. It was awesome.
In Pennsylvania, I also received a lot of postive reactions to UAF. Mostly I was asked questions about Engineering, Physics, Liberal Arts, and such. Again, the positive attitude present in the schools was very heart-warming. One of the schools in Allentown was so excited to have me at the school, I actually wound up giving the presentation in their auditorium, and they took photos for their yearbook (which I wish I had asked for copies of, in retrospect)!
Anyway, I know this is longer than I initially meant for it to be, but it's all good information and/or in good fun. Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for the next exciting adventure of Joe in Admission Land!
Joe
This is Joe again from the UAF Office of Admissions. I just thought I would take a couple of moments to write a blog about my recent trip to the Eastern part of this country. I just got back from a week of high school and individual visits in Michigan and Pennsylvania (and this was pre-November 4th, so the political atmosphere was intense). In Michigan, everything was going pretty great. I ran into a whole bunch of students who were interested in our Biology programs, our Hockey team, our Natural Resource Management progam, and our Marine Biology MS and PhD Programs. Overall, the enthusiasm of the students, families, teachers and counselors in favor of UAF was wonderful.
Now, it wasn't all fun: When I was supposed to fly from Musekgon (Western MI), the whole airport was fogged in, so I had to re-rent a car, and speed across the state to Detroit so I could catch my connecting flight from Detroit to Pittsburgh. Then, when I got to Pittsburgh, I found out my hotel was actually an hour drive away from the Airport. (and my rental had a funny smell, for some reason). But, after that, things went pretty well.
But hey, pop quiz: what excitement just recently occured in the state of Pennsylvania? That's right, the Phillies winning the World series for the first time in 28 years. Does Philly know how to party? Well, it would appear they do. They actually had a city wide celebration and parade on the 31st, which was the day that I was in Philly. Now dig this: the parade route went down 21st and Market, and my hotel room was overlooking 22nd and Market. I actually got to watch the Phillies' float drive by from my window. It was awesome.
In Pennsylvania, I also received a lot of postive reactions to UAF. Mostly I was asked questions about Engineering, Physics, Liberal Arts, and such. Again, the positive attitude present in the schools was very heart-warming. One of the schools in Allentown was so excited to have me at the school, I actually wound up giving the presentation in their auditorium, and they took photos for their yearbook (which I wish I had asked for copies of, in retrospect)!
Anyway, I know this is longer than I initially meant for it to be, but it's all good information and/or in good fun. Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for the next exciting adventure of Joe in Admission Land!
Joe
Prometheus Bound in the Philadelphia Museum of Art
Rawwwr!
I was even able to find Nanooks in Pennsylvania!
Friday, September 26, 2008
Fair in Fairbanks
Hello again, every people!Joe here, and I wanna tell you a little bit about the Fair in Fairbanks. The Tanana Valley State Fair is one of the fun events in Fairbanks which occurs during the first week of August every year. As with most fairs, this is an opportunity to ride the rides, see the sites, and eat some delicious food. Among other things, one of the things that the Fairbanks fair is known for is ginormous vegetables. We have the midnight sun in the summer, so they grow pretty darn big.
And of course, my personal favorite is the wildlife. When I was a kid, I always thought seeing ducks and sheep and such was boring, but now I think it's awesome! Go figure, eh? Anyway, I hope you like the photos, and stay tuned for more of my adventures in the near future!
Ciao,
Joe
Hello, all!This is Joe, and I know it's been along time since I last posted, so I'm sorry. Let's pretend it's a couple of months ago so I can tell you about my trip to Pittsburgh. I went to Pitt in July to attend the National Student Recruitment Conference. I learned all about how to make our university more interesting and fun for our students and our prospective students. If you are interested in learning more about our student recruitment program, check out our Ambassador website.
While I was in Pittsburgh, I took the time to take in some of the sites, sounds, and smells. I climbed to the top of the Cathedral of Learning (no elevators for me, thank you very much!), visited the Carnegie Museum of Art and Natural History, and went to see of Pirates game at PNC Park. Overall, it was pretty great, and afforded me an opportunity to take some great pictures. Enjoy!
Ciao,
Joe!
Yup, that's an actual Claude Monet in the Carnegie. Beautiful, huh?
This is me at PNC Park, the most beautiful ball park in the country. :)
This is me eating a sandwich called a Hermenes. It's a concoction of burger, cole slaw, and fries. Not that great, but I had to try it, anyway :)
Monday, August 18, 2008
New Team Member!
Hi Everyone!!!
Jessica, Ginny, Joe, Lael and the rest of the Admissions staff have given me a warm welcome here at the office – they’re still showing me the ropes. It’s a strong team, and everyone’s dedicated to helping students find their place at UAF, and I’m glad to be part of that mission.
If you have any questions about anything, drop me a note at brandon.ilgen@alaska.edu.
* Photos by Todd Paris
Monday, August 4, 2008
Learning to tie a square knot for my harness for repelling.
Yes, that is me! A week ago I had the opportunity to visit Fort Lewis in Washington for an Educator's Visit to the ROTC Leadership Development Assesment Course. I learned so much about the ROTC program and even got to try out some of the trainings cadets go through. This picture is me in full chemical warfare gear. For more information on the ROTC program here at UAF, visit: http://www.uaf.edu/ROTC/ or contact Major Kelly Nichols at rotc@uaf.edu Sunday, July 20, 2008
Fishing in Homer for the 4th of July
For the Forth of July weekend I drove down to Homer, Alaska which takes about 10 hours if you go straight from Fairbanks. I made a stop in Anchorage to visit a friend and spend the night so that I could get into Homer the next day in the early afternoon. Here are some of my favorite photos from the ride down:
Denali in all of it's glory (not a cloud in the sky!)
Ginny in all of her glory (w/ Denali in the background)
Funny cell phone tourists
Here's an amazing glacier as seen from the bedroom window of Junee's, the Bed & Breakfast I visited for 2 nights.
Here's a picture of me and June, the woman who ran the B&B that spent 2 nights. Would you believe she's 80-years-young!
June is an amazing woman who spent an entire evening knitting and telling me about her goldmining parents in the early 1900's and even made sourdough pancakes for breakfast with starter her mother brought across the Chilkoot trail! There's even a framed photo in her house of her father with 12 POUNDS of gold, back when it was only $35 an ounce. [Today's price: $959 an ounce.]
Here's me and my second catch of the day, a 32 lb. Halibut. It was hard work getting this bad boy up and I had the bruises and sore arms to prove it. But man, was it worth it!
...and the video to prove that it was ALL ME BABY!
What a successful day!
Our fish getting filleted with the mountains and ocean just feet away!
Denali in all of it's glory (not a cloud in the sky!)
Ginny in all of her glory (w/ Denali in the background)
Funny cell phone tourists
Here's an amazing glacier as seen from the bedroom window of Junee's, the Bed & Breakfast I visited for 2 nights.
Here's a picture of me and June, the woman who ran the B&B that spent 2 nights. Would you believe she's 80-years-young!June is an amazing woman who spent an entire evening knitting and telling me about her goldmining parents in the early 1900's and even made sourdough pancakes for breakfast with starter her mother brought across the Chilkoot trail! There's even a framed photo in her house of her father with 12 POUNDS of gold, back when it was only $35 an ounce. [Today's price: $959 an ounce.]
During the trip I walked "the Spit" and visited multiple coffee shops, old bookstores, bakeries and art galleries. Saturday morning my friends and I got up at 5am to get ready to be at the dock for our Charter at 6:30am. We took a boat with our captain Ben and two other guys who signed up last-minute on our charter. It was tons of fun!
Here's me and my second catch of the day, a 32 lb. Halibut. It was hard work getting this bad boy up and I had the bruises and sore arms to prove it. But man, was it worth it!...and the video to prove that it was ALL ME BABY!
What a successful day!
Our fish getting filleted with the mountains and ocean just feet away!It was a fantastic trip, a relaxing vacation and a beautiful place. It's hard to believe that a place this beautiful is just hours away from the University that I attended and now work. Alaska is such a cool place!
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