The University Fire Department will conduct wildland fire training on campus during the afternoon of Wednesday, May 22.

The training will include burning brush and wood and will result in some smoke in the area. It will take place north of West Tanana Drive, between the roundabout and the Fairbanks Experiment Farm.

For more information, contact the UAF fire marshal at 907-474-6303.

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Photo Courtesy Brower Frantz
Brower Frantz about a mile north of Point Barrow scouting the sea ice for a group of UAF researchers in March.

Molly Rettig
5/20/2013

On the 5-mile snowmachine ride up to Point Barrow, we saw several fresh polar bear tracks the size of dinner plates, a pile of whalebones from last year, and a 3-foot-wide crack in the sea ice that could swallow a sled. The crack was created when an ice floe in the open water crashed into shore-fast ice.

It was masked in a snowdrift, and our guide Brower Frantz nearly fell into it.

Frantz’s job is to spot and avoid hazards like these. He is a bear guard and supervisor for UMIAQ.LLC, a Barrow-based company that provides field logistics to researchers and other groups. His task this week is to keep a group of University of Alaska Fairbanks researchers safe as they drill, slice, probe and travel on sea ice off the coast of Barrow.

Frantz picks up tracks out of the corner of his eye while cruising on a snowmachine through a world of white.

“We grew up this way, and tracking is definitely one of the keys to success in our subsistence way of life. So tracking is one of our sixth senses, so to say,” Frantz said.

He also has a keen sense for ice, which is moving a lot this spring. That’s a big reason the UAF Sea Ice Field Course is here. Twenty-two graduate students and seven instructors (from Alaska and around the world) are spending 10 days practicing the key field techniques used to study sea ice.

The snow and subzero wind chill doesn’t stop the science. Bright jackets pop against the ice about 100 yards off shore as students learn techniques like ice core sampling, measuring snow depth and finding the electric conductivity of the ice. These tests yield data on the thickness, temperature, salinity and microstructure of the ice, which can be plugged into a bigger portrait of how sea ice is changing.

One obvious change is that shore-fast ice is getting thinner and breaking up earlier in the year (as well as freezing up later). Through the 1980s, the ice used to be solid from November through June or July. Locals could go whaling and travel between coastal communities without worrying about falling in a crack or floating away on a broken slab of ice. Now there’s a large gash in the ice shelf in front of town, only a few hundred feet from shore.

“That’s the first time I’ve seen open water so early in the year, in mid-March. That was definitely an eye-opener,” Frantz said.

Last week, a whaling crew was nearly stranded when an opening (called a lead) formed between them and the shore. They managed to cross the big crack, plus 10 smaller ones, on snowmachines to get back to safety, and the ice was evacuated for the day. These events could become more common as the ice becomes less stable.

Frantz says sea ice research can add detail to the history and trends that locals are already seeing. And he enjoys being a part of it: snowmachining on the beach, tundra and ocean, setting up camps and supporting groups on the ice.

Photo Courtesy Molly Rettig
Bear guard Brower Frantz surveys polar bear tracks on the way to Point Barrow.

“At some point I can’t believe I’m getting paid for this.”

When he isn’t protecting scientists, Frantz is soaking up spring in Barrow.

“You go from almost a dormant stage due to the complete darkness for a couple of months, and then you get pure light throughout the summer. It’s the funnest time of the year.”

Geese and ducks are migrating through Barrow, and hunters head inland for the weekend to bring home fresh meat and eggs.

“If it’s not going to disturb the whalers, we’ll sometimes go out on lunch break and wait for a couple flocks to fly by and we’ll get provided with a duck dinner,” Frantz said.

As I leave Barrow, spring continues to chip away at winter.

The sun sets at 2 a.m. and rises an hour later. Flocks of eider ducks shoot across the sky every 10 minutes en route to Canada. Whaling crews are camped at the edge of the Chukchi sea ice watching for bowheads. School is ending, and kids wearing only sweatshirts are riding their bikes through mud puddles and catching a few last sled runs.

Photo 1 Courtesy Brower Frantz: Brower Frantz about a mile north of Point Barrow scouting the sea ice for a group of UAF researchers in March.

Photo 2 by Molly Rettig:  Bear guard Brower Frantz surveys polar bear tracks on the way to Point Barrow.

 

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Sophomore Miriam Brooks practices her silk climbing skills in the Student Recreation Center.

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Chris Brooks
907-474-6805

A record five Alaska student-athletes were named to Capital One Academic All-District® At-Large Teams on Thursday afternoon, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America. Student-athletes are selected based on a combination of athletic performance as well as academics.

The selected Nanooks, which represent three separate at-large squads within the program were hockey senior Adam Henderson (Whitehorse, Yukon/Business Administration), sophomore shooter Ryan Anderson (Great Falls, Va./Biology), senior skier, Lex Treinen (Anchorage, Alaska/Northern Studies), sophomore swimmer Danielle Lyons (Prince Albert, Saskatchewan/Biological Sciences) and sophomore skier Alyson McPhetres (Chugiak, Alaska/Spanish & Geological Engineering).

Henderson, who just received his Master’s degree in business administration, was selected to the Region 8 Division I men’s team, and Anderson and Treinen were tabbed to the Division II men’s team while Lyons and McPhetres were put on the Division II women’s team.

“It is indeed an honor to have five student-athletes in our Alaska Nanooks athletics program recognized by receiving this prestigious award,” director of athletics Dr. Gary Gray said. “It demonstrates the high level of commitment our student-athletes have toward academic excellence.”

Henderson, who served as the hockey program’s captain this past season held a 3.86 cumulative grade-point average and received his post-graduate degree in just one year after claiming his Bachelor’s degree last spring in business administration. The CCHA Scholar-Athlete of the Year played in all 37 games as a senior and ranked 22nd in the country with 364 faceoff wins. He was part of nation’s fourth-best penalty kill squad and was a Senior CLASS Award nominee.

Anderson, who holds a 3.88 GPA, was a National Rifle Association First Team All-American for smallbore as well as a Second Team All-American in air rifle this past year. He led the team in both areas at the national match to lead the Nanooks to a fourth-place finish. Following the collegiate season, Anderson went on to take the gold medal in the three-position and prone smallbore events while also taking silver in the air rifle at the National Junior Olympic Shooting Championships.

Treinen, who had a 3.78 GPA as an undergraduate and holds a 4.0 in his graduate program, took runner-up in the 15-kilometer freestyle at the NCAA Central Region Championship to help the men’s skiing program take second. He was also third in the 20-kilometer classic at the conference championship to help the Nanooks to a third-place team finish. Prior to this year, Treinen was a two-time NCAA All-American and has qualified for the NCAA Championship three times. He was also a member of the U.S. U-23 World Championship Team in 2011.

Lyons, a 3.94 student, produced NCAA B-cut times in both the 100 and 200 freestyle events this year. She secured All-Pacific Collegiate Swim and Dive Conference status in the 400 and 800 free relays as well as the 400 individual medley at the 2013 conference meet and was a member of the 400 medley relay that set a varsity record during the season. She was a member of Alaska’s three All-America relays at the 2012 NCAA Championship and was part of the first group to be named Great Northwest Athletic Conference FAR Scholar-Athletes last summer. Despite battling mono and pneumonia during the season, she still won nine events during the dual-meet season.

McPhetres, a dual-sport athlete who double majors in Spanish and geological engineering, holds a solid 3.92 GPA. She was one of two women’s skiers for the Nanooks to qualify for the 2013 NCAA Championship after winning both events at the Central Region Championship to lead the Nanook women to the team title. She was also the conference champion in the 15-kilometer freestyle skate and was honored on the All-Central Collegiate Ski Association Second Team. As a member of the cross country program, she was a 2011 NCAA Championship participant and earned a spot on both the GNAC and USTFCCCA All-Academic Teams.

All five Nanooks now advance to the national ballots to determine this year’s Capital One Academic All-America At-Large Teams, which will be selected the first week of June.

Men’s At-Large Teams
Women’s At-Large Teams

For more information, contact Chris Brooks, Media Relations Assistant, at cpbrooks@alaska.edu.

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The University of Alaska Museum of the North will host a free public seminar, “Mammoth Butchering and Alaska Salmon Harvesting: Perspectives on Prehistoric Subsistence” by Kathyrn Krasinski [cra-SIN-skee] Tuesday, May 21 at 11 a.mm in the Reichardt Building, Room 201.

Krasinski is a finalist for the joint position of curator of archaeology at the University of Alaska Museum of the North and assistant professor in UAF’s anthropology department.

For more information contact Link Olson at leolson@alaska.edu

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Photo by Todd Paris
Heller Continues Competition Swimming, Attempting to Make German National Team

Chris Brooks
907-474-6805

Junior swimmer Bente Heller (Hamburg, Germany/Psychology) captured the program’s first-ever national championship back in March when she won the 100-yard backstroke at the NCAA Division II Championship in Birmingham, Ala.

But a determined Heller is not satisfied with winning an NCAA title – she aspires for more in the pool, which is why she has continued her vigorous training since she returned from the NCAA meet. Head coach Scott Lemley has worked closely with Heller to help her prepare for what is to come during the summer months as she attempts the pinnacle of swimming in Germany.

The Hamburg native will compete in three big meets over the next month with the hopes of being named to the German National team and potentially qualify for this summer’s World Championships. In order for her to make the squad, she must be ranked in the top-10 in any single event among German swimmers and must have swum such event in a long-course meter pool. To make the World Championships, she must rank in the top two of any event. Currently, Heller’s times can only be converted from a short-course yard pool since that is the norm for collegiate swimming.

“It would mean the world to me,” Heller said. “It would be a big deal, it’s the highest goal [for Germans]. It would be great to make the German team and then still be here to swim for Scott [next season].”

This isn’t Lemley’s first go-round training into the summer months with a Nanook swimmer. Last year, Lemley worked with Heller’s teammate, Margot Adams (Anchorage, Alaska/Political science), in her attempt to make the U.S. Olympic Trials. The two traveled to California and trained extensively for the butterfly trying to make the trials’ cut.

“Depending on their level of ambition, it’s important for me to mirror that,” Lemley said. “If they want to train up to conference, which is the natural ending point for most, that’s easy to do. If they make it to nationals, that extends my focus another month. In the rare cases where they have concrete goals and a real purpose to train, I’ll mirror that too. Bente’s goal is the highest goal of an athlete I’ve ever coached.”

This weekend, Heller, along with Lemley, will travel down to Federal Way, Wash., and she will compete in four events at the Sockeye Spring Open, hosted by the Issaquah Swim Team, at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center.

“I’m training for the 100 backstroke right now and we do a lot of 125-yard sprints to prepare for the meter pool,” Heller said. “Aside from that we haven’t changed much [in my training] because I’m in shape.”

Heller is no stranger to this venue and she has produced much success when the Nanooks have raced there for the annual Husky Invitational. This past December, she turned in a runner-up finish in the 100 freestyle with a varsity-record time and took top-10 in two other solo races while being a part of the sixth-place 800 free relay and three other top-15 relay tandems.

“It’s a pool we know is fast, not just fast by reputation,” Lemley said. “She’s swum a lot of her best times there. There’s a certain level of confidence knowing that it’s a world-class facility.”

She will compete in the 50 and 200 frees on Saturday and will be entered in the 100 free and 100 back on Sunday.

Following her trip to Federal Way, Heller will return home to Hamburg, Germany, and continue training for her other two meets, both of which will be held in her home country. On May 31 and June 1, she will compete in the North German Championships in Hanover and will then head to Berlin for the German Championships from June 12-16.

“It’s every athlete’s dream to go as far as they can with the time they have,” Lemley said. “For most European swimmers, unless they swim in college in the United States or swim for their national team, their career is done. Bente is somewhat unique because she fully realizes that this is a unique opportunity and she’s taking full advantage of it.”

Should everything align and it be that Bente is one of the top two in a single event following the German Championships, her summer competition will continue into late July, early August, as she would then travel to Barcelona, Spain, for the 15th FINA World Championships, held July 28 – August 4.

For more information, contact Chris Brooks, Media Relations Assistant, at cpbrooks@alaska.edu.

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Chris Brooks
907-474-6805

Head coach Cody Burgess-Bench announced that the women’s basketball team’s first signee of the spring period as Autumn Childers (Dewey, Ariz.) has signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the Nanooks next season.

“Adding Autumn to the team brings another great combo guard,” Burgess-Bench said. “She is versatile as she can score, make plays and defend. She’s a hard worker and full of energy; ready to step up and contribute. I look forward to watching her grow and as she adjusts to the college game and our style of play, she will only improve on her natural ability.”

Childers, a 5-9 guard hailing from Dewey, Ariz., comes to Fairbanks following a successful four-year basketball career at Prescott High School. As a senior, she was named Most Valuable Player of the Scorpion Shootout and tabbed to the All-Prescott Courier First Team. She helped her Badgers finish 21-9 and reach the second round of the playoffs.

She was also honored on the All-Courier First Team her sophomore and junior seasons and was All-Area the final three years of her prep basketball career. After her sophomore season, she was put on the All-Conference Second Team and holds a career-best outing of 28 points and 15 rebounds.

Off the court, she was an Academic Scholar with a 4.0 grade-point average in 2012. She has also been a member of Key Club (2011-12), Math Club (2012-13) and has been a volunteer since 2009 for the Special Olympics. She intends to major in engineering when she enrolls next semester.

Childers joins the list of Josie Broderick (North Pole, Alaska/North Pole), Kaillee Skjold (Kasilof, Alaska/Soldotna) and Jordan Wilson (Henderson, Colo./Prairie View) who have signed NLI’s to play for the women’s basketball program next year.

For more information, contact Chris Brooks, Media Relations Assistant, at cpbrooks@alaska.edu.

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The Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy will host a statewide webinar Tuesday, May 21, at 10 a.m.

Members of the Alaska Interagency Working Group will discuss challenges and strategies for a coordinated approach to integrated arctic management.

For registration and dial-in instructions, visit www.accap.uaf.edu or call 907-474-6961.

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Polar Perk located in the Wood Center (Monday – Friday):  7:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. (lunch:  11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.)
West Ridge Cafe located in the Arctic Health Building (Monday – Friday):  7:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Campus Cache located inside the Moore-Bartlett-Skarland complex:  Monday – Friday 1 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. / Sat. – Sun. 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Museum Cafe (7 days per week):  10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Lola Tilly Dining Commons will also be open for lunch and dinner during the summer. Please check www.uafdining.com for hours of operation as hours may vary. Please note the website will be up-to-date after May 20 as times are currently being finalized with visiting groups.

Download the flier to post.
Summer 2013 Hours
Wood Center hours (pdf)

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Due to construction on the UAF campus, the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival will be held in a variety of community locations this summer. The festival is scheduled July 14 -28 and will include classes, workshops and performances in dance, music, theater, and visual, literary, culinary and healing arts. The festival is scheduled to return to campus in 2014. For more information, visit the festival online at www.fsaf.org or call 907-474-8869.

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