June 2009

by Kathleen McCoy  |   

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Summer is a wonderful time to provide enriching experiences on campus for our students and prospective students. We provide full-day curriculum for high school students to encourage and support them to think about their future college careers; summer bridge programs help recent high school graduates starting college in the fall; and undergraduates and graduates work on independent research with our research faculty.

More than 30 high school freshmen to seniors are enrolled in our TRIO program, directed by Stephan Washington. These students take classes and receive information about college admissions requirements, scholarships and various student financial aid programs to better understand their educational opportunities and prepare for a college education.

The Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program's (ANSEP) summer bridge program provides pre-calculus classes to recent high school graduates enrolled in ANSEP to prepare for the math they will be taking in the fall. The program also provides engineering or science internships with our partnership organizations.

Michelle Shero Dr. Ian vanTets is administering the Pathways programs at WWAMI both for high school students who have completed their junior or senior year and also programs for undergraduate students who are interested in working in health care fields in Alaska. Motivated rural, underserved or Alaska Native high school students are receiving college prep courses through the Della Keats/UDOC program this summer. NIDDKD Summer Enrichment Program (STEP UP) is providing the opportunity for underrepresented ethnic minority high school students and undergraduates to do research projects with biomedical researchers at UAA.

More than 200 students applied to do independent research projects with our Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program directed by Dr. David Pfeiffer and Dr. Khrystyne Duddleston this summer. Nine students from across the country are working on different faculty mentored research projects in Biology.

UAA also co-sponsored, with the National Association of Women Judges, the "Color of Justice" bringing together high school students, teachers, counselors, and youth program leaders to promote diversity in the judiciary and legal profession. This year, 80 high school students participated in workshops, classes and mock trials with UAA faculty and staff along with local and national professionals in the legal profession. 

Color of Justice
We hope these programs, along with others that reach out to prospective students will help UAA continue to grow and serve the needs of our community.

Q: Is there a boot camp on campus?
A: Yes, and more than one! The Transportation and Power program, directed by Kelly Smith in the Community and Technical College, is offering a Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) Boot Camp. The boot camp was set up in response to industry demand for training in this field. Non-Destructive Testing checks the integrity of materials using things such as x-rays, ultrasound, and magnetic particle. The 15-week instructional program and related student support began April 6 and is running through August 7.

The second boot camp is Culinary Boot Camp for aspiring chefs between 12 and 17 hosted by the Culinary Arts, Hospitality and Nutrition Department. The camp is four weeks and focuses on baking, intermediate baking and culinary basics.

Q: How are UAA graduates helping Anchorage go Green?
A: The Municipality issued a report in June setting the stage for the Municipality to reduce its current carbon footprint, create a long-term strategic plan, and measure future reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. The report was compiled by Kelcie Ralph and Marcus Welker, UAA graduates, who conducted the assessment while interning with the Office of Economic and Community Development.

Q. Why was Bill Spindle on his knees with his hands in the dirt on campus?
A: To pull weeds with other staff and faculty on June 24 to make our campus more beautiful. Thanks to all for your hard work!

Q: Why does UAA need a new logo?
A: UAA is launching new print logo standards on July 1, 2009, reflecting a collaborative effort among our University Advancement designers, academic deans and General Support Services. Sometimes the public gets confused about the different programs and departments at UAA. The unified logo will help us "brand" ourselves as a unified institution with many, many wonderful components.

Did you know:

Winners of the Alumni Scholarship:

  • Angela Humphrey, Medical Laboratory Technology
  • Shauna Thornton, Elementary Education
  • Rebecca Wabula, Nursing
  • Shaina Fisher, Nursing
  • Erick Romig, Languages
  • Benjamin Persinger, Business Administration and Accounting
  • Brian Slater, Engineering

UAA Winners of the Mayor's Marathon and Half-marathon races:

  • Michael Wisniewski, Marathon, 2:22:29
  • Marko Cheseto, Half-Marathon, 1:09:24

Mayor's Marathon and Half Marathon races are a joint production of the UAA Department of Athletics and the Municipality of Anchorage and presented by ConocoPhillips.

Special thanks to all the UAA volunteers who helped make the races safe and successful!

As always, thank you for all you do to make UAA a great university!

Sincerely,

Creative Commons License "June 2009" is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.