Archive

Engineering professor Getu Hailu’s research simulates lunar atmospheres to test various material strengths as they relate to extreme temperatures, which will be used by NASA to better understand how equipment like rovers might degrade on the moon.

The grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Alaska Native Education program will help the Bristol Bay Teaching and Learning Collaborative facilitate teacher development and retention, enhance positive engagement between the communities and schools, and provide culturally responsive education courses to teachers from outside the region.

UAA Biological Sciences Professor Brandon Briggs and students in his lab have traveled throughout Alaska to study the microbes and microbial processes associated with extreme environments in polar regions. By looking at how these “extreme microbes” respond to and manipulate their environments, the researchers hope to better understand how glaciers change over time.

Provided by the Office of English Language Acquisition, the federal grant will help the School of Education’s language and literacy education graduate certificate program provide students and teachers with development opportunities that increase their knowledge, confidence and skills in language, literacy and content instruction for English learners.

UAA dental hygiene students recently presented their research on therapy dogs in dentistry. During the presentation, the team discussed the benefits of dental therapy dogs, what kind of specialized training therapy dogs receive and what it might look like to have one in the office.

Assistant professor of health sciences Britteny M. Howell received an R15 research grant from the National Institute on Aging to train 12 student research assistants to develop a health program to improve older adults' fruit and vegetable intake and physical activity.

Erin Hicks, associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, has studied black holes and their relationship to galaxies. With the James Webb Space Telescope launch, she is one step closer to unlocking their confounding mystery.

Angelia Trujillo, associate professor in the School of Nursing, has made it her life’s work to make sure nurses and providers have the tools they need to support victims of violence. She worked with Senator Lisa Murkowski on language that was included in a national bill just signed into law.

In Alaska, brain injuries are particularly prevalent compared to the rest of the country. Alaska leads the nation in traumatic brain injury-related deaths. March is Brain Injury Awareness Month and UAA’s Center for Human Development is engaging in significant work to better understand traumatic and acquired brain injuries in Alaska.

New survey results shed light on COVID-19 vaccine potential barriers, motivators and trusted sources of information for individuals with disabilities. The results will be used to inform vaccine distribution and education efforts in Alaska.