SOUNDINGS - February 16, 1996

UAS SCHOLARSHIP DEADLINE APPROACHES

More than $400,000 in scholarships is available for full-time students attending any of the three University of Alaska Southeast campuses for the next academic year. Scholarship applications must be submitted by March 1.

"Students need only to fill out a single application to be considered for about 200 different scholarships," according to Barbara Carlson Burnett, UAS financial aid director. The scholarships range from full tuition for four years to the cost of books for a semester. The average is more than $1,600 a year according to Burnett.

Scholarship application are available from the UAS financial aid offices. Last year there were about 300 UAS scholarship applicants. Burnett warns, "If students miss this March 1 deadline they miss the opportunity for a UAS scholarship for next year."

A DIFFERENT KIND OF SCHOLARSHIP

An art student on the Ketchikan campus has turned into a patron. Sue Schell is partially supporting three students in Dave Rubin's Life Drawing class.

At the first class Schell discovered not everyone who wanted the drawing instruction could afford it. "So," she said, "I put up some scholarship money."

"I was lucky when I started college," Scheel said. "I had a millionaire uncle who helped me for two years. I promised him someday I would do the same, as far as I could." Since then Scheel has collected more than 180 assorted credit hours in 40 years of college classes and is now working toward a bachelor's degree in liberal arts with an emphasis on fine arts.

NEW CLASS FILLS QUICKLY

A six week Juneau Naturalist Program will be offered for the first time beginning in March. . "We've had a tremendous local response from people who want to learn more about the area," according to Ed Caine, associate professor of marine biology.

In fact, there's been so much interest, the class is already closed. The only advertising has been through word of mouth. Caine says another session is being scheduled for Juneau next spring.

Topics include natural history, seashore life, geology, glaciers, mining, marine mammals, Native cultures, forest ecology, wildlife, birds and more. Students will take three field trips and receive a 4 inch thick resource notebook.

Caine is coordinating the curriculum and Lorene Palmer, director of the UAS visitor industry program, is handling logistics. The naturalist program was developed in Sitka last spring by biology instructor Marnie Chapman.

BOAT BUILDING IN 24 HOURS

Students in Eric Leegard's Small Boat Building II class helped build a 20 foot fiberglass Yakukat dory in 24 hours last week. "It came out beautifully," Leegard said. "We also taped the whole process so students will have a video set of notes on a professional layup procedure of this boat building technique."

The technique includes using a chopper gun to spray fiberglass bits on gell coat. Since the system is inefficient on smaller boats, and since Leegard wants degree students to use this technique, he asked George Bogren to bring in the larger dory mold. "The students did most of the Gel coat spraying on Tuesday evening," Leegard said. "Wednesday morning George and I gave it a shot from the chopper gun, and the class helped finish it that night."

Last year Leegard and his students used the chopper gun to build to 30 foot Tlingit cruising canoes.

FACULTY NOTES

Two Juneau speech faculty members, Sue Koester and Elizabeth Schelle will present a workshop at the Western Speech Communication Association meeting this weekend in Pasadena. Along with recent UAS communications graduate Samira Samimi-Moore, they developed an intercultural communications teaching method using film.

"This FILM method is used successfully in both classes and workshops by all three of us," Koester said. "Realizing we had something that appeals to students and serves as an excellent vehicle for illustrating some of the rather abstract concepts covered in our classes, we decided that other college teachers would want to learn and use it as well."

Richard Hacker, associate professor of law science in Juneau, attended the American Association for Paralegal Education (AAfPE) board meeting in Atlanta. Hacker will also be making a presentation at the "Legislative Update" panel during the Pacific Regional meeting of AAfPE next month. UAS is an institutional member, and Hacker is a recently-elected board member and officer.
Tom Gallagher has submitted a draft of a report on "large project review processes" to the Office of the Governor. The report combines a survey of 45 individuals involved in large project permitting, such as the A-J Mine, with an assessment of processes used in California, Colorado, Montana, Nevada and British Columbia. In the report Gallagher proposes coordination of state permits, reorganization of the State resource agencies into permitting and managing departments, and development of a "special projects process" for Alaska.
Glenn Ramsey, an adjunct faculty member teaching welding in Career Education, has qualified as a certified welding inspector. He received his certification from the American Welding Society.

Interim Director Karen Polley said, "Glenn will now be able to test other welders in the test center we're going to be establishing at the Marine Technology Center. This is a good step for the UAS welding program."

KETCHIKAN FACULTY NEWS

Nancy Siemon has agreed to extend her stay as an exchange professor on the Ketchikan campus for another year. Siemon is spending 1995-96 in Ketchikan on a break from her career at Tompkins Cortland Community College in Ithaca, N.Y.

Ketchikan campus director Fran Feinerman asked her to stay for 1996-97, based on her success with math students. Campus staff got word that Siemon's algebra students cheered when she told them she would stay. The campus gets a dual benefit from the extension, as Siemon's husband Ed is helping Ketchikan campus staff and faculty plan a program in technology education. Ed Siemon, an electrical engineer, has also taught math, technology and physics classes on campus.

A veteran of building maintenance in Ketchikan's public schools has been hired at the Ketchikan campus. John McDermott accepted the permanent building maintenance mechanic position in February after working on campus facilities for about three months in interim status.

McDermott formerly worked in maintenance for Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District and is a past president of the Ketchikan Education Association.

FIELD TRIP TO SITKA

The Juneau Marine Biology Club will spend most of spring break in Sitka. "We're going to be looking at intertidal areas of a more exposed coast than we have in Juneau," according to Ed Caine, marine biology associate professor in Juneau."

Last year Sitka biology and geology students visited Juneau. This reciprocal trip will also include Cathy Connor's geology students and students on the Sitka campus.

Part of the cost for Juneau students is being underwritten by student government, Student Services, and the School of Education, Liberal Arts and Science. There is a limit of 15 Juneau campus students. The cost for each student is $30. Those interested may sign up through Caine at the Anderson Building. The group, which will travel by ferry, leaves March 8 and returns early on March 14.

The Juneau Marine Biology club meets on first and third Monday of each month at 7 p.m. in the Anderson building.

ART CONTEST FOR HOLIDAY CARD

UAS students on all three campuses may enter the Chancellor's Holiday Card contest. The winner will receive $150, and the winning design will be incorporated into holiday cards next December.

The design should reflect a winter holiday spirit with a Southeast Alaska theme. Entries may be black and white or color. Three dimensional art must be submitted in slide form. Entries are due April 12 and may be submitted to Scott Foster in Mourant 108 or mailed to him on the Juneau campus. Students with questions may contact Juneau art faculty members Alice Tersteeg, 465-6503, or George Parker, 465-6438.

HELP FOR WALES SCHOOL

Gather donations for a school that burned in Northwest Alaska is the first service project of a new Juneau campus student organization. Rotaract is the student branch of Rotary and the only one in Alaska. Members are seeking school items such as pencils, erasers, colored markers, notebooks, reading books, games, etc. that may be used in the Wales K-9 school located on the tip of the Seward Peninsula near Nome. Collection boxes will be set up in the cafeteria.