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Alaska adventure for credit: student opportunities to last a lifetime
By Benjamin Nestler
Whalesong Staff
As the pressure
of the semester mounts, many of us start to daydream about that
once-in-a-lifetime cruise you wish would have never ended. Some
of us have to work all summer in order to pay for our education
so we can get that dream job we all know awaits us upon graduation.
Trevor Joyce has been able to live this dream during his summer
vacation for the last two years.
One of the great perks of going to UAS is that there
is a plethora of ways to combine a lifetime experience to an exotic
location and get paid for it, and even get some college credit in
the process. Degree-seeking students interested in graduating on
time but still need to work in the summers to pay for tuition may
like this idea.
Joyce was involved in a research project on Buldir Island;
a tiny, remote dot in the Aleutians. His official title of Biological
Science Technician for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service looks
very impressive on a resume, and was a worthwhile experience. Joyce
was the sole American among a diverse host of international faces.
“The team comprised of my immediate supervisor,
Erika Sommers from New Zealand, a Russian researcher from the Russian
Academy of Science in Moscow, a Ph.D. researcher and his intern
from Memorial University of Newfoundland, two Canadians, and one
German.” said Joyce.
Dropped off in May by the M/V Tiglax, the group was
prepared to do its research in near isolation visited only once
halfway through the excursion, and then picked up in September.
The group had scarce access to creature comforts, living in rustic
cabins with no running water, communal cooking, but unlimited access
to outdoor plumbing. More than making up for these inadequacies
is the breathtaking view of a face of nature rarely seen by man.
Projects involving data collection of over 20 different species
of seabirds took place last summer on Buldir Island, while the previous
summer’s research took place on nearby Kasatochi Island. Buldir
Island hosts the largest seabird-resting colony in the North American
hemisphere. If you are into puffins, murres, or auklets this is
the place to be. Some birds such as the Asian migrant, which are
rarely seen in North America can be found on this remote island.
Joyce’s project team focused on collection of ecological
data on reproductive performance of seabirds, and nesting success
rates such as how many hatchlings reached fledgling status and how
many fledglings survive to adulthood. The data is used to monitor
the health of the marine ecosystems in the Aleutians in response
to environmental pressures such as global warming, over fishing
and pollution. Luckily, the habitat isn’t popular enough for
a resort yet so the dangers of urbanization and the strangulation
of another beautiful slice of nature by man hasn’t occurred…yet.
Assistant professor in the Biology program Beth Matthews
was one of Joyce’s advisors who guided his procedure and methods
for his research for college credit. According to her, a number
of students take advantage of the Field studies, behavior and ecology
course. This course is available to any student with the proper
prerequisites and involves a variety of fieldwork with the guidance
of a mentor. A grant called “Research Experiences for Undergraduates”
has been awarded to the UAS Biology department by the efforts of
Dr. Brendan Kelly and Beth Matthews. This grant expires at the end
of the semester, but has been applied for and hopefully it will
be awarded for another three years. The grant allows up to eight
students to do research with a faculty mentor and provides a stipend.
It is a nationally competitive program funded by the National Science
Foundation.
Matthews, Dr. Kelly, and Dr. Ginny Eckert of the Biology
Department, are some great contacts for those of you interested
in finding out more about projects such as this one. Other projects
that have been previously funded were: tracking ringed seals in
the arctic, a study of harbor seals, and distribution of crab larvae
in Glacier Bay, and crab reproduction here in Juneau. If you are
excited about research at its purest in this kind of environment,
contact one of these professors via internet by clicking the Biology
link on the UAS homepage. Job postings for service in the Alaska
Maritime National Wildlife Refuge for next summer are also available
at: www.corecom.net/~usfws/.
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