After a successful search, the Spanish Search
Committee is pleased to announce that Dr. Andrea Dewees will be joining the UAS
faculty in the fall. Dr. Dewees is
originally from Alaska, is a fluent speaker of Spanish, and has participated in
curriculum development with Yupik speaking instructors in the Y-K Delta region,
among many other language-related experiences. She looks forward to coming to UAS to teach Spanish. The School of Arts and
Sciences will also welcome two more new faculty for the 2012-13 school year. Brian Vander Naald is an Economics Ph.D. candidate from the University
of Oregon; Lora Vess, Ph.D. joins UAS from Missouri State University as
Sociology faculty.
The Gathering of Tlingit Tribes and Clans, which this was called Wooshteen Kanax̱tulaneegí Haa At Wuskóowu (Sharing Our Knowledge) and had the theme of Haa eetí ḵáa yis (For those who come after us) was a successful gathering of clan leaders, culture bearers, educators, and interested people and parties. There were over 350 attendees of the conference and more than 100 presenters, which included many UAS Faculty, Students, and Alumni. Members of the Alaska Native Languages team were on the organizing committee, and we look forward to increased UAS participation by developing more student panels for presentations, offering credit to students who attend & volunteer at the conference, and bringing recorded materials into classrooms. This yearʼs conference was videotaped by and will be available for streaming and download in the near future. Previous Clan Conferences were videotaped and made available on DVD, but this yearʼs will be on-demand through a partnership with UAF and The Chariot Group. ---Xh'unei - Lance A. Twitchell
By Rick Caulfield, Provost The Wooshteen Kanaxtulaneegí Haa At Wuskóowu (Sharing Our Knowledge) Conference at the Gathering of Tlingit Tribes and Clans in Sitka was very rich indeed. The multi-disciplinary conference brought together Elders, clans, artists, academics, and community members to discuss revitalization of Native languages, Alaska Native history and archaeology, indigenous ecological knowledge, fisheries, and much more. UAS faculty members Lance Twitchell and Marsha Hotch helped organize the conference, joining longtime UAS faculty members Nora and Richard Dauenhauer plus Alice Taff and Alberta Jones in sharing wisdom and new ideas. UAS deans Deborah Lo (Education) and John Blanchard (Management) participated along with Provost Rick Caulfield. The experience was inspiring for members of the UAS academic leadership; it generated enthusiasm and a number of ideas for building support for Alaska Native language instruction and indigenous studies across the curriculum at UAS campuses. Throughout the four-day Sharing Our Knowledge Conference in Sitka, a room was dedicated to Tlingit language immersion, where only Tlingit was spoken. Here, Florence Sheakley, foreground, and Irene Paul, both of Juneau, kept up a dialog in Tlingit, listened to be Matt Goff of Sitka, Lance Twitchell (Assistant Professor of Alaska Native languages, UAS), and UAS provost Rick Caufield. From more photos, visit the Clan Conference website and scroll down the page: http://ankn.uaf.edu/ClanConference2/mod/glossary/view.php?id=31
The Alaska Coastal Rainforest Center is bringing together scientists
from throughout the United States and Canada at a symposium to
synthesize best practices, foster collaboration for future projects, and
improve community engagement in science and resource management. Coastal Temperate Rainforests: Integrating Science,
Resource Management, and Communities takes place April 17-19 in Juneau. A
field trip to Berners Bay on April 17 kicks off the three day gathering. April
18 and 19 events take place at Centennial Hall. The three day event includes impressive
keynote speakers such as Dr. Peter Kareiva, Chief Scientist
and Director of Science, The Nature Conservancy; Dr. Kirk R. Johnson, Member
of the Committee on the Importance of Deep-Time Geologic Records for
Understanding Climate Change Impacts and Dr. Dolores Garza, Professor
Emerita of the University of Alaska, presenting on Traditional Ecological
Knowledge. More than 35 speakers, academics at leading
universities, researchers and directors from state and federal agencies,
resource managers, policymakers, traditional knowledge bearers, and educators
are attending. The presentations and discussions will be directly linked with
projects currently underway in ecosystem management, land planning, forest
management, recreation and wilderness resources, fisheries management,
trans-boundary data integration and policy decision making, conservation,
climate change, and education. The symposium will also hold an international plenary and
concurrent sessions discussing the following themes: systems interactions,
ecosystem services, cross border integration, adaptation and mitigations,
public policy and education. Symposium sponsors are the University of Alaska Southeast, U.S. Forest
Service Alaska Region, Tongass National Forest, Pacific
Northwest Research Station, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Alaska Region and
North Pacific Landscape Conservation Cooperative, Wilburforce Foundation, The
Nature Conservancy, U.S. Geological Survey, and Juneau Economic Development
Council. For more information, to register and attend, or to view the live feed
online visit http://acrc.alaska.edu. Based at University of Alaska Southeast, the Alaska Coastal
Rainforest Center is a collaborative environment designed to integrate
science, resource management and communities. Contact: Michael Goldstein, Executive Director
Alaska Coastal Rainforest Center
migoldstein@uas.alaska.edu ,907.796.6269.
Kristy Germain has taught social studies and English at Juneau Douglas High School since 2003. She also taught for a year at Floyd Dryden Middle School. She has been the JDHS student government adviser since 2008 and has a master’s degree in educational leadership and Master of Arts in teaching from the University of Alaska Southeast.
Unmanned aircraft, tidewater glaciers, polar orbiting satellites and biotechnology will be featured in a Science Social to be held at Centennial Hall in Juneau, Alaska April 18 & 19, 2012. The free community presentation will provide hands-on demonstrations, informative stations, a scientific poster session and more from 4:30 to 6 p.m. each evening. A collaboration among the Geophysical Institute¹s Science for Alaska Lecture Series, Alaska BioPREP and the Alaska Coastal Rainforest Center, the Science Social will offer a smorgasbord of information. The aim is to showcase the variety of research and expertise at work in the University of Alaska system. The Science Social is an extension of the ACRC¹s Coastal Temperate Rainforests Symposium that will run April 17-19 in Juneau, drawing scientists from the across the nation and Canada. The Science Social is an opportunity to connect the community with active researchers and their science and provides college-bound youth the prospect to discover what they can become a part of at the University of Alaska. This event is free and families are welcome. Centennial Hall is located at 101 Egan Drive in downtown Juneau. CONTACT: Amy Hartley, Geophysical Institute information officer, 907-474-5823, amy.hartley@gi.alaska.edu
More than 100 students, staff and faculty participated in the first ever Zombies Vs. Humans game on the sunny spring week of April 9-13. There is no question all involved learned, engaged and changed!
Location: Centennial Hall, Sheffield Ballroom 1&2 Abstract: In the lower 48, conservation has lost momentum, and has been misled by messages of doom and gloom, and nature without people. The human footprint is everywhere and even wilderness such as Alaska feels the heavy impact of human activities. A new conservation is embracing working landscapes, partnerships with corporations, and paying attention to the economic value of nature. The new conservation is also trying to connect today’s youth with nature, worried that if fails to do so, videos and the internet reality will trump nature. Alaska has always been special – the last great American wilderness of unrivalled beauty. But Alaska too is facing pressures of mining and logging and unsustainable fishing that could degrade its natural capital. The challenge will be for Alaska to avoid what has happened in the lower 48, and to remain a special place while also allowing for economic growth. This may well require new alliances and strategies that are less about litigation and more about a joint vision for the future.
Join us beginning at 5:30 PM for a public reception celebrating the opening of the Coastal Temperate rainforest symposium. Food and refreshments will be provided in the Centennial Hall Ballroom.
7:00 PM Opening Remarks
Speaker: John Pugh, Chancellor, University of Alaska Southeast
Keynote: “Alaska’s Place in the Future of Conservation”
Speaker: Peter Kareiva, Chief Scientist & Director of Science, The Nature Conservancy
Kristina Paulick auditioned fellow UAS students last fall and Alaskapella was born. “I love a cappella music, but when I tried to find a group here in Juneau that performed all of their music a cappella, I was saddened to learn that such a group did not exist!” said Paulick. “I decided that the best way to put together such a group would be to form a core group of one soprano, alto, tenor, and bass, and then audition more people in from there.” The dozen strong group will perform vocals-only arrangements from Coldplay to Billy Joel to a selection from the Rachmaninoff Vespers. The concert is at the UAS Egan Lecture Hall on Friday, April 13 at 7 p.m. “We perform all kinds of music, from classical to parody to pop and beyond, in all kinds of venues. We will always be a relatively small group, but we all have heart and love singing!” said Paulick. Sound and Motion series organizer Katie Bausler is encouraging community members to take a brief break from the Folk Festival to come out and hear Alaskapella Friday night. “This talented group has performed at several university and community events, especially over the holidays,” said Bausler. “They are always an absolute hit.”
UAS alumnus Kiara Alexander was one of 15 poets who read their original works at the second annual Sound and Motion poetry reading, Friday, March 30 at the Egan Lecture Hall. 
Tlingit culture bearers and renowned artists Percy and Ed Kunz show regalia at the Art of Place presentation on Identity March 23. The last presentation in the series is 
Friday, April 27 10 a.m.-12 noon at the Glacier View Room. Woman of distinction and community leader Helen Watkins will make presentation on the theme of Sustenance.
Artist-in residence Dr. Alexander Tutunov was honored
with a reception on Sunday, April 1, following the last student recital of his
Piano Master Class at UAS. This spring is the last semester Tutunov will teach
the class, which he has led since 2005. Tutunov,
winner of the Russian National Piano Competition, is widely recognized as one
of the outstanding virtuosos of the former Soviet Union. He has taught at the
Minsk College of Music, the University of North Texas, and Illinois Wesleyan
University. Currently he is Professor of Piano and Artist in Residence at
Southern Oregon University and is the artistic director of the Chinese-American
International Piano Institute in Chengdu, China. He also maintains a busy
performance schedule in Europe, China, Mexico, and the United States.
Admit it, ever since you saw them on teh catwalk, you've wanted one! Now you too can represent UAS with a cozy, yet cutting edge, unisex butter-fleece vest. Interested in ordering? Contact Katie Bausler, Public Relations and Marketing Director, 796-6530.