Honors Academic Board

Claudia Lampman, Dean
Leadership Track
e: cblampman@alaska.edu

I currently serve as the Dean of UAA’s Honors College and the Vice Provost for Student Success. I am also a Psychology Professor and a faculty member in the Honors College Leadership Track. Helping honors students begin serving in leadership roles on campus and in their communities is one of the best ways to prepare them for the workplace. I am also one of the founding faculty of UAA’s Honors College. I am a Social Psychologist, which means that I am interested in the social forces that affect how humans think, feel, and act. My area of specialization is the influence of sex and gender in the workplace. Over the years I have taught many Honors courses and supervised dozens of Honors students conducting research and service projects; most of my honors students have gone on to publish their honors work, get accepted to prestigious graduate programs, and go on to amazing careers. I look forward to helping you plan your honors pathway!

Donna M. Aguiniga is an Associate Professor and MSW Field Coordinator for the Master of Social Work program at the University of Alaska Anchorage. She received her Ph.D. in Social Work from The University of Texas at Austin. Her research interests are primarily focused on issues of child welfare, including adoption, kinship care, and the effect of poverty on family functioning. Dr. Aguiniga’s practice background is in child protective services, case management, and community mental health. She also has experience in community-based research and collaboration and served as the Interim Director for the UAA Center for Community Engagement & Learning, supporting community-based projects and partnerships. Since 2014, she has led the UAA Dialogues for Public Life program; this program’s mission includes training campus and community members in how to facilitate community dialogues and deliberations and facilitating events for campus and community organizations. Email: dmaguiniga@alaska.edu; Appointment Calendar here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Donna Aguiniga, Chair
Community Engagement Track
e: dmaguiniga@alaska.edu

Martha Amore
Research & Creative Activity Track
e: mjamore@alaska.edu

Martha Amore lives in Anchorage, Alaska, with her family and teaches writing at the University of Alaska Anchorage. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in fiction and an Interdisciplinary Studies Ph.D. in creative writing. Winner of a Rasmuson Individual Artist Award, she is a contributing editor of the University of Alaska Press anthology Building Fires in the Snow: A Collection of Alaska LGBTQ Short Fiction and Poetry, which was a finalist for a LAMBDA Literary Award. Her collection of short fiction, In the Quiet Season & Other Stories, was published in 2018. She is currently hard at work on a new book.

Originally from the east coast, I was a philosophy major as an undergraduate.  I first moved to Alaska in 1989.  I alternated living in Bethel and Fairbanks with living out of state for graduate school until I began at UAA in the fall of 2003. 

Since I started, I’ve been very involved with the Center for Community Engagement & Learning and have taught a service-learning class off and on for over 15 years.  In the last 7 years, I’ve become very involved with undergraduate research as the local PI for a funded project intended to enhance the health-research workforce.  My own research has been community-based, mostly in the area of food security.  I’ve taught in Social Work’s graduate and undergraduate programs but most enjoy undergrads.  I value the relational aspect of teaching and mentoring and am excited to get to know students from many degree programs and help them navigate the RCA track to best serve their communities and their own interests and aspirations. 

Tracey Burke
Research & Creative Activity Track
e: tkburke@alaska.edu

Mychal A. Machado is an Associate Professor at the University of Alaska Anchorage in the Department of Psychology. They received their Ph.D. in Behavior Analysis at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in 2015 and are now a Board Certified and Licensed Behavior Analyst. Their research interests include many applications of behavior analysis, such as the integration of applied behavior analysis and technology-based interventions to improve behavioral healthcare and social justice issues, using a behavior analytic lens to evaluate methods related to popular claims in health and psychology, and the analysis of verbal behavior. Clinical areas of interest include inpatient and outpatient applications of behavior analytic treatments for children and adults experiencing autism, mental health disorders, or both. Outside of academia, Dr. Machado enjoys skiing, fishing, crocheting, Lego art creation, and spending time with their family.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mychal Machado
Community Engagement Track
e: mmachado2@alaska.edu

Natasa Masanovic-Courtney
Global & Multicultural Studies Track
e: nmasanovic@alaska.edu

I am a professor of German and the coordinator of the German program in the Department of Languages. I have taught German language and literature classes at UAA since 2003.  From 2011-2020, I was the chair of the department. I have been recognized for my mentorship of students who have received prestigious international scholarships. In 2014, I was honored as one of Alaska’s YWCA Women of Achievement recipients for my leadership and efforts toward creating a better community. I believe in international education and the importance of cross-cultural understanding and am committed to exploring international opportunities and education programs for UAA students. Originally, I am from Istanbul, Turkey, and grew up speaking two mother tongues, Turkish and Greek.

My research interests primarily lie at an intersection of natural products identification and human health. My laboratory primarily focuses on the identification of medically relevant secondary metabolites in Alaskan plants using bioassay-directed fractionation, nuclear magnetic resonance, and mass spectrometry. I am currently collaborating with research groups applying these compounds to multiple models including cancer, neurodegeneration, and chronic inflammation.

I was born and raised in Fairbanks, AK, and am a product of our state’s educational infrastructure. I believe UAA’s undergraduates deserve the opportunity to identify topics of interest within their disciplines which inspire them, and to have the latitude to pursue those topics with depth and creativity. I take the opportunities we deliver to Alaskan students personally, and am excited to be working with UAA Honors College to identify ways we can help you to enrich your educational experiences.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Colin McGill
Research & Creative Activity Track
e: cmmcgill@alaska.edu

 

Kimberly Pace
Leadership Track
e: kjpace@alaska.edu

Kimberly Pace is from the thriving metropolis of Soldotna.  After graduating from High School, she moved to Missoula, MT and majored in Political Science with a minor in History, from the University of Montana.  Kimberly did her Graduate work in Political Science and History at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. 

Kimberly is a Professor of Political Science and the Coordinator of the Women's and Gender Studies Program at the UAA, she has been at the University since 1998.  She is a Senator on the Faculty Senate, serves on the Faculty Senate Diversity Committee, the Diversity Action Council, is the Director of the National Coalition Building Institute team at UAA, and for the past 19 years has been the Faculty Director for the Model United Nations for the state of Alaska.  She is the Internship Coordinator for both Political Science and Women’s and Gender Studies. 

For the past 6 years, she has served on the Anchorage Equal Rights Commission (AERC) and is the past Chair. Additionally, Kimberly serves on the Board of the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts where she advocates for accessibility and the needs of the differently abled. 

Kimberly is married to the lovely Sheri and they are the proud parents of Theodore Roosevelt aka Teddy, a 10 lbs. 13 year-old Pomeranian rescue.