Sun Dogs!

Photo of yesterday's sun dog by Todd Paris, UAF Marketing and Communications

There are three things about a Fairbanks winter that make me all aflutter: 1) the Aurora Borealis, which I fawned over in a previous post; 2) the ice and snow that cover every twig on every branch on every tree, every day, all winter, which I am certain to wax poetic about sometime soon; and 3) the sun dogs, the topic of today's post.

Yesterday felt like the first day of real winter and the thermometer hung out around -20 degrees. I gave a campus tour and, as we walked around campus, the man I was with had ice on his eyelashes. Yesterday also gave us the first great sun dog of the season.

Ned Rozell, with the help of UAF's atmospheric scientist Ken Sassen, explain the sun dog phenomenon as, "plate-like ice crystals" that reflect "sunlight from their flat sides and create columns of light that extend from the sun to the ground." Sassen adds that "the two colored bands are there because light gets refracted." To read the entire article, which contains a more detailed explanation, click here.

I think I love sun dogs so much because they are so unique to the arctic and they can't see them anywhere else. It just goes to show, we really are defined by our location.

Earn 3 credits in 2 weeks!

January 3-14, 2011
WINTERmester is an excellent opportunity to take a three-credit course before Spring Semester 2011 begins.

WINTERmester credit courses are intensive, meeting five days a week, January 3-14. Many credit courses require reading to be completed prior to the start of class. Check for the course syllabi link on this page and get your textbooks at the campus bookstore before leaving for break.

Registration for WINTERmester is available at uaonline.alaska.edu or at the Summer Sessions and Lifelong Learning secure registration form or by using the In-Person Registration Form for students as follows:

• November 8 - Online registration available for continuing UAF students.
• November 10 - Registration open for all students.
  

WINTERmester payment must be completed by January 3. Students with guaranteed financial aid for spring semester will have payment applied to their account on January 10 without late fee.

Registering for a 100 or 200 level WINTERmester course requires a 2.5 gpa.

Dorm housing is available. Contact Residence Life for information and reservations at 907-474-7247  

What Exactly is Broomball?

Broomball is one of UAF's most popular - and fun - intramural sports, but many students arrive on campus with no idea what it is or how to play it. UAF's student newspaper, the Sun Star, came to the rescue when they recently ran this piece covering the Broomball basics.

Late Night Sweeping

By JR Ancheta
Sun Star Reporter

Looking for something to do at night? Broomball is a late night activity that is growing in popularity. Envisioning athletes running after a ball with a normal heavy-duty broom is a reasonable concept, but often is inaccurate. “It’s basically just like hockey,” said Matt Anderson, a junior. “Except there’s no puck, no hockey sticks, and [no] skates.” Broomball is played on the ice rink at the Patty Center in the evenings from 10:30-12:30.

Davida Isaacs from Southeast Alaska, Prince of Wales Island runs accross the ice Monday Nov-8. "I've never been on ice before and I like to run" Isaacs said. JR Ancheta / UAF Sun Star

Broomball is a mélange of different sports such as lacrosse and soccer, but hockey remains its most predominant influence. Each team has six players, which includes a goalie, on the ice at a time but has the option to rotate players any time. Helmets are the only mandatory gear, but shin and knee protection are encouraged. Unlike hockey, slipping and falling are very common.

“All you need is experience,” said Matt Nyholm, a junior. “The more you play the better you get.” He said that having some soccer experience is an advantage in passing the ball. “Dexterity, coordination, and especially balance sure helps,” Nyholm said.

Whether it is the opportunity to meet new people or to try something new, broomball lures many to create teams and compete. “I’ve never been on ice before and I like to run,” said David Isaacs, a freshman from a remote Prince of Wales Island in Southeast Alaska.

Tamara “T” Dale, an exchange student from England, said she took up the sport, “because I’m only here for a semester and I wanted to try everything that was unique to have fun.”

The UAF Intramural Broomball Rules state: “no sliding will be allowed during game play.” This rule was recently enforced and disappointed many broomball players. “[Sliding] made it fun because you could travel a lot faster…[and] had more control…so you could do some stunts that [are] pretty awesome,” Jonathan McMahon said. “Basically, they’ve taken most of the fun out of the game.”

Ruth Olsen, Director of Intramural Sports and the Student Recreation Center said that the “no sliding” rule came into effect numerous years ago due to injuries from the sport Olsen became aware that the rule was not being enforced during a recent captains meeting. It is now enforced for safety and liability issues. “You can go to your knees, they just can’t run five feet, slide in their knees and then hit [the ball] because they have no control,” Olsen said.

Approximately 180 participants in 21 teams are playing this season and Olsen predicts it will continue to be a popular intramural sport. Sliding or not, students continue to be attracted to the sport called broomball.

Last week a student from the Outside (which is what Alaskans call everywhere except Alaska) was sitting in my office and we were chatting about UAF, Fairbanks, and the adventure that awaits her up here. I mentioned the Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights, to which she responded with a blank stare. I pulled up micrometeorologist's youtube page because trying to explain the Aurora is futile. It is, quite simply, impossible to do them justice.

We both sat transfixed. I've seen the Northern Lights more often than I can count, but my stomach still flip-flops every time I look to find them dancing above me.

Micrometeorologist is really Taro Nakai, a postdoctoral fellow at UAF's International Arctic Research Center. In his spare time he creates phenomenal youtube videos that communicates the overwhelming beauty of the arctic.

This next one is my favorite. In fact, I've watched it a couple of times (okay, 4) while preparing this blog post to, you know, make sure it really was my favorite. It emphatically is.

This final one is another of my favorites because it communicates how vital and exhilarating the winter sun is.

Music student selected for exclusive conducting workshop

From: http://www.uafnews.com/tag/students

Music student selected for exclusive conducting workshop

Emerson Eads

11/18/10 University of Alaska Fairbanks music student Emerson Eads is one of 10 people nationwide selected to participate in the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra Conducting Workshop next month.

“This workshop is a terrific opportunity for me, not just because of the teacher, but because of the professional orchestra,” said Emerson, a senior in the music program. “The ability to have podium time with the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra is a terrific opportunity. Also, the players vote on who will be selected to return and conduct the orchestra in a performance during the first week of January, so that’s an exciting opportunity.”

He will conduct at a concert Sunday, Nov. 21 at 4 p.m. in the Davis Concert Hall at UAF. The concert will feature the world premiere of his composition, “The Red Balloon Suite,” and a performance of Mozart’s “Piano Concerto No. 9 ‘Jeunehomme.’” Donations for admission will be accepted at the door.
Son of pianist and composer Emerson Eads Sr., Emerson has been surrounded with music his whole life. He grew up in Delta Junction, where his high school music teacher introduced him to vocal studies, music theory, sight singing, conducting and orchestration. After high school, Emerson earned a bachelor’s degree in history education with a minor in music from Covenant Life College. He taught choir and band at Whitestone High School in Delta Junction for six years before coming to UAF in 2009. During his time in Delta Junction, Emerson also directed the Whitestone Community Choir and the Delta Community Choir.

In addition to his work conducting, Emerson is a vocalist and composer. His resume includes the composition of a seven-minute work, “Homeland,” celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Alaska’s Statehood, which was performed by Opera Fairbanks. He studies with music department faculty members Jaunelle Celaire and Eduard Zilberkant.

“Composition and conducting are both equal passions of mine,” he said. “I love singing and, as much as I’d love to do it all, there aren’t enough hours in the day to devote to it all. I am so grateful to the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Department of Music and the faculty members, who have gone out of their way to foster my musical upbringing in so many ways.”

The Baltimore Chamber Orchestra Conducting Workshop is an acclaimed and highly competitive workshop. Participants work under the supervision of Baltimore Chamber Orchestra music director Markand Thakar to conduct the orchestra in works by Elgar, Mozart, Schubert and Beethoven. Participants range from young professional to advanced pre-professional conductors. Thakar is the co-director of the graduate conducting program at the Peabody Conservatory of The Johns Hopkins University, where Emerson plans to get his master’s degree.

Life in Fairbanks, by Ben Abbott, Biology and Wildlife graduate student

What follows is a blog entry written by Ben Abbott, a current Biology and Wildlife graduate student which was posted at http://www.bw.uaf.edu/graduates/life-in-fairbanks.php. I think Ben really captures what life is like here in Fairbanks and while it's long, I think it's completely worth the read.

"Please turn off your electronic devices, we are approaching Seattle."
It was mid January and I was moving from Utah to Alaska. James, a guy from Seattle I'd been chatting with, leaned across the aisle. "Just remember to keep your face covered. I went through Fairbanks once in February. Snow was so dry it froze my eyes open."

Until I moved to Fairbanks, I never imagined what life would be like just two degrees shy of the Arctic Circle. Fairbanks sits in the heart of Alaska's interior, combining the comforts of civilization with more than a taste of legitimate frontier living for those who seek it. Though my eyes haven't been flash frozen open by the cold, there's been so much going on that I have hardly closed them since getting here.

Blueberries are plentiful throughout Denali National Park. Photo credit: Todd Paris

What is Fairbanks like?
Search "Fairbanks Alaska" on YouTube and you'll find clips of the northern lights, the midnight sun, "moose walking in back yard" and the obligatory "coffee freezing in MID AIR" trick. A few novelties and eccentricities aside, day to day life isn't as different as you might expect from many other college towns in the U.S.

Fairbanks is the second largest city in Alaska, and the largest city in the interior of Alaska. There are 100,000 people in the metropolitan area (which includes Fairbanks, the city of North Pole, Fox, Ester and the surrounding areas). Downtown Fairbanks boasts a variety of small shops, cafes and restaurants. Ubiquitous store chains like WalMart, Barnes and Noble, Safeway, and Home Depot round out the commercial scene. Though you don't have the same variety you would in a larger city, you can basically find anything you need right here in town.

The Alaska Range makes up the southern view from Fairbanks. Denali (the highest peak in North America) is visible on a clear day from campus. A series of prominent hills (called domes by the locals) surround Fairbanks to the north, east and west. The Tanana River flows along the south side of town, and the Chena River meanders right through the city. Farther to the north the Brooks Range separates the interior from the North Slope and Arctic Ocean. Fairbanks is only at 440 feet above sea level.


Recreation

Fairbanks is hard to beat as far as outdoor recreation is concerned. In the summertime many residents go berry picking, mountain biking, canoeing, kayaking, rock climbing, road biking, four wheeling, and trail running. All of these activities are accessible right in town or nearby-no driving required. Basically anything you can do outside anywhere you can do here. The only difference is, with constant light, you can do it 24 hours a day.

Spring and fall bring bird migrations. Creamer's Field, the site of a historic dairy between the university and downtown, is the stopping point for thousands of Sandhill Cranes, Canada Geese and other migrating birds.
In the winter you can go cross country skiing, snow shoeing, dog sledding, skijoring, ice climbing, snow machining, snow biking, swimming (indoors or at Chena Hot Springs), running or check out the ice sculptures around town.

If you're looking to get out of town, Denali National Park, Gates of the Arctic National Park, and many state parks are within driving distance from Fairbanks. For both summer and winter activities there are quite a few community organizations planning expeditions, events, and adventures. The Outdoor Adventures program located in the Wood Center at UAF organizes trips and activities throughout the year.


Cultural scene

Living in Fairbanks, you have access to some of the most breathtaking and pristine wilderness in the world. That said, Fairbanks is more than just a base camp for expedition; it's also a nice place to live.

 

For a town this size, Fairbanks boasts an impressive portfolio of restaurants, cafés and dining establishments. Plenty of American, Mexican, Italian, Korean, Japanese and Chinese diners along with a whopping seven Thai restaurants populate the Fairbanks culinary scene. It's also worth visiting the "northernmost" Denny's, Pizza Hut, McDonalds etc.

Perhaps partially due to the long winters and frenetic summers, the Fairbanks community is very active, with frequent festivals, parties, lectures, races and other events. Every Wednesday and Saturday through the summer the Tanana Valley Farmer's Market brings together local artisans, craftspeople, growers and performers. Fairbanks has an active music and theater scene, which includes the Fairbanks Concert Association, Opera Fairbanks, several dance companies, the world's "northernmost" Shakespearian company and an excellent symphony orchestra. Part of Fairbank's charm is the mix of tuxedos, dresses, and Carhartts you'll see at any of these events. If there is a dress code in town it appears to be overalls, down jackets, and Xtratuffs.

Besides providing a stage for homegrown talent, local venues, including the Blue Loon and Pioneer Park attract a wide range of national and international artists. In the last few years alone Fairbanks has seen Elton John, Snoop Dogg, Cake, and the Wailin Jennys to name a few.


Weather

The first thing I thought of when thinking about moving to Alaska was the climate. Never having experienced anything colder that a few degrees below zero, -30°F sounded menacing and -50°F sounded impossible. Now that I've been through a few winters I can say, yes it does get cold and dark here, and yes life does go on in the winter.

While things do get cold in Fairbanks (it usually hits -50°F at least once each winter), the town's low elevation and far inland location make for calm and dry conditions. The snow comes gradually. There are usually only a few storms a year that drop more than a couple inches of snow. Fairbanks is a land of extreme temperatures but surprisingly mild weather. Staying active through the winter is key to staying happy and healthy.

By May things have usually thawed out. Summer brings long days, warm temperatures, and an incredible burst of activity and growth. For most of the summer (June-August) the sun is only below the horizon for a few hours and even then things never get completely dark. Summer temperatures are typically in the 50-80°F range and commonly sustain around 70°F for weeks on end.

The Alaska Range looms over Fairbanks on a frigid January afternoon. Photo credit: Todd Paris

Lodging

Due largely to high shipping costs and a long heating season, the cost of living in Fairbanks is 16.5% above the U.S. average . For a place with running water, you can expect to pay $800-1,200 a month. Campus housing is convenient and competitively priced, with utilities and internet-access included. There are single and family housing options available.

If you choose to live off campus, this is one of the few places where, along with "How much is rent?", you should ask, "Does it have water?" Dry cabins (small units without running water) are a common option for UAF students and can typically be found in the $500-800 a month price range. Housesitting notices are frequently advertised through the Biology and Wildlife list serve and can be a great way to save money and get a place near campus.


Transportation

Fairbanks, like much of Alaska, is truck-country. Cars and trucks are the most common form of transportation. There is also a well-developed bus and shuttle system, particularly around campus and downtown and you definitely can manage without a car. One thing you'll notice around Fairbanks is the number of bicycles. Cycling is a popular transportation alternative and there is a large cycling community. While the Fairbank's cycling infrastructure isn't perfect, it is growing. Campus and community clubs and organizations give workshops on bike maintenance, winter riding, and other subjects. With a pair of studded tires, year-round cycling is totally manageable and many students (including yours truly) use biking as their primary form of transportation.

UAF Fight Song

In the world of admissions and outreach we meet with a variety of students thinking about college. This afternoon the admissions team met with 60 5th graders from Ladd Elementary School (a local Fairbanks School). It is always so much fun to present to enthusiastic kiddos and this was no exception. Led by Joe Alloway, the 5th graders helped us with a resounding rendition of the UAF Fight Song. Here are the words in case you don't know them...

Fight for Alaska
Win the victory!
Fight for the blue and gold

Hail to our banner
As it waives so free
Over the victor's gold!

Fight for the Polar Bear
Mighty Nooks are we!
Onward to honor and fam

We're going to FIGHT
For our Alma Mater
Fight for Alaska's name!

GO NOOKS!

Here's a video of Matt Anderson leading the fight song on the bus ride down to Anchorage for the Governor's Cup:  http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=483645111557

UAF News and Events » Blog Archive » Alaskan has close encounter with comet Hartley 2

UAF faculty member, Don Hartman, of the physics department was recently recognized for his role in capturing this beautiful photograph of a the comet Hartley 2. Who wouldn't want to learn from this guy?!

UAF News and Events » Blog Archive » Alaskan has close encounter with comet Hartley 2





An image of comet Hartley 2 from NASA's EPOXI mission. The image was taken as the spacecraft flew by the comet on November 4, 2010. According to NASA, the Hartley 2 comet is 1.4-miles-long and is composed of water ice, carbon dioxide ice and silicate dust. The name "EPOXI" is a combination of the names Extrasolar Planet Observations and Characterization (EPOCh) and Deep Impact Extended Investigation (DIXI).

UA Scholar Reception a Success!

UAF celebrated this year's UA Scholars on Friday night with a reception and program that featured University of Alaska President Patrick Gamble, UAF Chancellor Brian Rogers, and current UA Scholar and UAF student Shaun Nesheim. The UA Scholars program recognizes and gives scholarships to the top 10% of the graduating class of every high school in the State of Alaska.

Shaun Nesheim, UA Scholar and UAF student, gave a lively and personable speech about the great opportunities at UAF, including International Study Abroad, the flexibility of his schedule to take the classes he wants, and the ample scholarships available at UAF.

Mike Sfraga, our amiable Vice Chancellor for Students, shows a new crop of potential students that UAF is not only serious about academics, but we're also fun!

Several of our Student Ambassadors were on hand to chat with students and parents about what it's really like to attend UAF.

It was a busy night in the Great Hall with over 200 in attendance and all of our schools and colleges represented.

Student Ambassadors Victoria and Heather enjoyed the evening and hanging out.

Interim Dean of the College of Natural Science and Mathematics Paul Layer talks with a UA Scholar about the many opportunities they offer.

If you're interested in challenging yourself academically, consider applying for the Honors Program at UAF!

So...You Wanna Chat?

Last week we debuted a new chat feature on our admissions page in an effort to make the process of deciding on, applying to, and enrolling in UAF as seamless as possible. We are happy to report that is has been a tremendous success. Students and those of us in the Office of Admissions and the Registrar are excited about the ease of navigation and the ability to have an immediate and productive interaction.

Here’s how it works: an incredible student who looks very similar to you is perusing UAF’s Admissions website looking for the answer to a burning question about anything to do with UAF. They don’t see the answer right away, so they click on the orange chat button at the bottom of the page and ask their question. Within moments, an Admissions representative provides an answer, which prompts more questions, answers, and conversation. The next thing you know the student happily exits the chat with the information they sought and a personal connection with UAF.

If you’re checking out our page in the middle of the night or at another time when we’re offline, just click on the same orange chat button to leave a message. It will be sent to one of us and we’ll respond to you via email within a short time.

What are you waiting for? Head over to the Admissions page and give it a try! You can give us some feedback while you’re at it. Do you love it? See a way we can improve it? Let us know.