Let's Learn about URSA!

     URSA is more than an acronym for Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Activity. Those words represent opportunity and discovery, open to every undergraduate student. As their slogan says, “don’t just gain knowledge—create it.”

     I spoke with URSA Coordinator, Kate Pendleton, and URSA Co-Director, Dr. Trent Sutton, to learn more. The information provided beneath each topic is paraphrased from each of their interviews.

What is URSA?

Sutton: At least 41 percent of undergraduates are already involved in research at UAF.

Pendleton: Each semester, more students apply for URSA grants. URSA is open to every undergraduate.

Who is eligible?

Sutton: URSA promotes research and scholarly activity.

Pendleton: “You don’t have to be at the top of your class or the most motivated student.” Any undergraduate can apply and reapply for URSA grants each semester. Students at all UA campuses, including rural sites, can apply too. “URSA is trying very hard to make sure anyone in any discipline has access to research.”

What can my project be?

Sutton: Anything a student wants to do, not just hard science, is eligible. Directing a play or creating a sculpture are examples of quality scholarly activities we encourage as well.

Pendleton: Students pick a project based off what they are interested in, or dig deeper into research they do as a student employee. Projects have included creating bowls, researching the effects of the drug spice, studying lampreys, and displaying art and writing. “Whatever it is that a student is interested in, they get funding to do that.”

What does it take to apply?

Once a student has an idea, they need to find a mentor. The mentor will help with the application and guide the student through their project.

Pendleton: Finding a graduate student or faculty member with similar interests is the easiest way to get a mentor.

Then, the student will apply for an URSA grant by way of an online application.

Sutton: There were thirty-eight submissions for the spring 2016 grant.

After, the applications are reviewed and grant recipients are contacted.

What is the application review process like?

Sutton: The URSA Co-directors, Dr. Trent Sutton and Dr. Barbara Taylor, review each proposal. Faculty representing the sciences and arts also review applications. Each proposal is reviewed by 3-4 faculty members. Then, the proposals are ranked by score on a spreadsheet and the prize money cut-off is determined.

What can I use the money for?

Pendleton: There are five awards each year, including two for projects, two for travel, and one $5000 summer research award. Faculty can also get mentoring funds. The awards are a stipend so that students can do research instead of having to get a job.  

Travel grants can pay for travel to the research site or help people attend a conference they couldn’t otherwise afford, either to present a paper or just attend and learn more.

Sutton: We gave out over $3000 in 2015.

What if I get the award?

.

Pendleton: If students receive a grant, they present at Research Day at the end of April. Students from each college compete and present their research.

What if I don’t get the award?

Even if a person doesn’t get a grant, URSA is helpful.

Pendleton: Students may do a masters project based on their URSA project. URSA is a learning process that people can use as a model when applying for larger grants.

Sutton: URSA work can help students build a resume and is a good primer for what grad school will be like. Hands-on learning is where students can reinforce what they learn in class. The book part comes to action. Furthermore, students learn to communicate their data to give it meaning, even for people who don’t have background with their project.

If you are interested in research, scholarly activity, or attending a conference, contact URSA!

Sutton: They can place you with a faculty member, find funding for you, and help you gain new experience

Pendleton: “There is something to be learned by all of it.”

Visit URSA in room 301 of the Bunnell Building

Call URSA at 907-450-8772

Visit their website at https://www.uaf.edu/ursa/

All about the Alaska Legislative Internship Program

It was just over a year ago that I was sitting in my Intro to Natural Resource Management class when a visitor came in bearing brochures and asked to briefly talk about the University of Alaska Legislative Internship Program. This program accepts students from UAF (Fairbanks), UAA (Anchorage), and UAS (Juneau) to move to Juneau during the spring session to work for a senator or representative as an intern. This isn’t your typical internship where you might spend three months getting you boss coffee every morning. 

Instead, you are treated as a full-time staff member and have the opportunity to participate in research, tracking and moving legislation, communicating with constituents, meeting with lobbyists and other staff, and possibly drafting and managing your own piece of legislation. As an added bonus, there are often stipends awarded as well as relocation allowances. 

I was very interested, but, being a Rural Development student with very little knowledge of politics, thought it highly unlikely that I would have a chance at being selected. Despite this, I went ahead and applied in October, hoping for the best. The application was relatively simple and required a cover letter, resume, two letters of recommendation, a writing sample, and a short research paper proposal idea. 

A few weeks later I was notified that I had been accepted into the program! Ever since I received that exciting email, it has been a crazy few weeks of phone interviews with senators and representatives who are all eagerly searching for interns. There are only nine students, and 23 offices who are hoping to bring on an intern. Because of this, I was receiving 5-10 phone calls a day for about two weeks until I made my decision. 

I finally picked the office that I believe will best fit my passions and interests, and will be headed to Juneau for the Spring 2016 semester where I will receive 12 credits that will transfer back to UAF when I complete the program. I am thrilled that I have an opportunity such as this to gain first-hand experience and utilize what I have been studying for the past five semesters.

I share this experience with you to let you know that if you are looking for a school with unique opportunities that will prepare you for a career after college, then UAF may just be the school for you! There are opportunities here that you may not get anywhere else, and doors may open that you never thought would be possible. 

For some more info about the University of Alaska Legislative Internship Program, visit their website: http://www.uas.alaska.edu/internprogram/

Word on the Street: Thanksgiving Edition!

Before Thanksgiving break, Jessica, Daniel, and I walked around campus asking UAF students "What do you look forward to this Thanksgiving break?" and "What is your favorite part about Thanksgiving?" These are the answers we got:

What do you look forward to in the holidays? Answer below! And stay tuned, more Q&A photos coming soon!

Any questions you want us to ask UAF students? Ask below.

The College of Engineering and Mines

Hey! Have you ever thought of being an engineer? What do engineers do? Is it hard to become an engineer? Well than you are in the right place. I have been at UAF for four years now and am about to graduate with a B.S. in mechanical engineering. Since I've been here I have learned about the many different opportunities that the College of Engineering and Mines (CEM) has to offer.

Degrees offered:

• Mechanical Engineering
• Electrical Engineering
• Mining Engineering
• Civil Engineering
• Geological Engineering
• Petroleum Engineering

The College of Engineering and Mines is housed in the Duckering Building. For many years UAF has sought to expand its engineering program and in 2012 work had begun on expansion to Duckering. This new expansion would join Duckering and Bunnel, with the connecting building containing new labs and work spaces. What CEM lacked was space in order to house a vast range of student projects. This new expansion would include numerous labs and a central area.

What makes UAF a good place to study engineering? Well the main reason is that it has very good faculty to student ratio, meaning that the classes are smaller. Most of my class are from 40 to 20 students, which is not bad compared to other colleges where classes are commonly in the hundreds.
The College of Engineering Mines also has plenty of student organizations in order to get involved with outreach and projects. The one I am most closely affiliated with is the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. CEM is also involved with many engineering competitions such as Concrete Canoe and Steel Bridge. Just this semester I became the lead student for CEM's Collegiate Wind Competition team, Arctic Winds.

Arctic Winds in front of the new Engineering Building

These competitions allow us to work with real engineering problems and to design solutions. The Collegiate Wind Competition challenges students to design and build a small wind turbine for off-grid applications. In addition to building the turbine we also have to make a business plan and deployment strategy for fielding the turbine. 

Designing the turbine is also my senior design project, which is supposed to show off all the cool stuff we learned in our engineering classes. It's very different going from all the theory in the textbooks to actually applying them to real world problems. Its fun and gives the team members a chance to gain valuable experience. 

"Just doin' some science here."

This added experience really gives us an edge compared to other students when trying to get jobs. When employers look at your resume, they almost immediately look for projects to see what experience, if any, you have. 

So what do engineers do? Well, we take lots of math classes and classes that use math. These might be classes like fluid mechanics, where we look at how things such as water behaves in pipes. Or thermodynamics, where we learn why we feel colder in Washington at 20 C than we do in Fairbanks at -10 C. After we take classes like those we can then apply the principles to "engineer" solutions. 

My particular job for Arctic Winds is to help design a control and power system. Or in other words make sure that we can put out steady power to charge, lets say your cellphone. I use what I have learned in classes like elements of electrical engineering and digital electronics to look at current solutions to then apply them to what we need. 

"Yup, total get this."

In all its a lot of fun and the challenge makes it worth it. UAF has many different competitions that students can jump onto to gain experience. If you're looking at going to UAF, just drop by the Duckering Building and see whats going on! Most student organizations are happy to show off what they are working on and there are posters along the building hallways that show what students have done in the past. 

Hope you enjoyed the long post!

Clay 

Alaska: Where Your Sense of "Normal" Will Change

Alaskans aren't your typical type of people.

Photo by Deanna D Knutson

For example, they like to do yoga in the snow

Photo by Deanna D Knutson

Here in Alaska, temperature is just a number. Whether it's 100F or -20F, Alaskans will be outside taking advantage of the beautiful outdoors.

Photo by Deanna D Knutson

People do go out and enjoy the -40F temperatures too, but only for short periods to jump out of their car and snap a photo at the UAF sign.

Photo from UAF Staff Report

Every year once the temperature gets at least below -35F people are out there is all sorts of clothes, or lack thereof, posing and freezing their butts off.

People partake in activities like the Polar Plunge, an event where people fund raise and once they have enough, they jump into a big hole cut out of a lake.

Photo from Pete

Or they participate in the Slush Cup at Alyeska ski resort

Photo credit to Lisa Gill004

Because here in Alaska, when the whether gets cold it doesn't mean you have to come indoors, it just means you do something different. Like apparently wear less clothing. 

Photo by Deanna D Knutson

Winter Campus Photos

Center of Campus

Rainbow 

New Engineering Building

Zero degrees Fahrenheit 

 Yukon Drive 

Having A Car; Is It Worth It?

So you think you want to own a car.

Don't worry this isn't actually a picture in Alaska

Pros

Can travel any where you want!

• Go to the store any time.
• Drive to hockey games at the Carlson Center.
• Visit the movie theater.
• Relax in Chena Hot Springs.
• Have the freedom to roam around Fairbanks.

If you live off campus it can make the commute easier by always having a ride.

Cons

Having to purchase parking permit

• Single Vehicle Decal – Registers one vehicle for parking at any UAF facility 
• Semester decal is $41 for 8 or less credits. (FPDG) 
• Semester decal is $78 for 9 or more credits. (FPDF) 
• Annual Parking Decal is $143. (FPDA) 

Need to winterize the car so you can use it when it's cold out

• Install a battery blanket or other warming device
• Install a oil heater
• Install a block heater
• Invest in some studded tires (be conscientious regarding the laws on when studded tires are allowed, usually must be removed between May 1 and September 15 of each year)

You'll have to deal first hand with the snow. Make sure you purchase a window scraper and brush to clear off your car, you're going to need it. Something else to consider if you've never had to deal with snow before is that after a snowfall or a cold night, you're going  to have to add an extra 5-15 minutes just devoted to making your car road worthy again.

*All winterizing is suggested to be done once you get to Fairbanks. Yes it may cost more to do up here, and auto shops at home may know what they are doing, but Fairbanks is much colder than what they might expect. The auto shops in town know how to properly prepare your car for Fairbanks weather.*

Purchase an extension cord with a light-up end to check if it's plugged in and there is power.

Allocate an additional 10-15 minutes to your daily routine after a snowfall to clear off your car. 

Always have an ice scraper/brush in your car to remove snow and frost.

Here is a link to a more comprehensive winterization guide.
https://www.uaf.edu/files/ces/publications-db/catalog/eeh/SAL-02021.pdf

Crazy Weather!

Fairbanks can be known for it's unpredictable weather. With 20 degree changes during the day sometimes, you'll have to be prepared with various outfits!
Recently, there has been quite a lot of snow fall. One moment it may seem like a blizzard outside, then clear skies. After continuous snowing though, we have managed to accumulate over a foot of the fluffy white magic. Crews can always be seen working to clear the sidewalks and stairs, but it can be hard to keep up with the new snow layers that are added. Plenty of snow is compacted though, leaving icy sidewalks, so you best watch your steps! If you happen to have an early class like myself, you might have to "break trail" to make it to your class. It took us a little longer than normal, and was tougher in some areas that had much thicker snow than others, but we made it with one minute to spare.

Lots of students have broken out their cross country and down hill skis. There are some areas on campus where you can do a little bit of downhill skiing, and when the terrain park opens that is a pretty popular place. The trail system on campus has miles of groomed and ungroomed trails for those who love skate and classic cross country skiing. We also have the sledding hill, right next to the Student Recreation Center. Some students even like to ski to class, and yes, they actually ski.

The snow stopped falling yesterday, and may continue, but the temperatures have dropped immensely. Going from 25 degrees Fahrenheit yesterday, today is a chilly 3 degrees Fahrenheit. The next few days are supposed to be in the single digits, going below zero at night! Whenever you  wake up in the morning and are getting ready to head outside, make sure to check a weather app for the temperature outside. It may look like a clear sky and sunny, but the reality is much different. I had to learn that the hard way a few times....but it keeps you on edge!

It's important that you wear proper clothes as it gets colder though. Especially when it is -20 degrees Fahrenheit or colder, frostbite can happen in only two minutes. Hypothermia also comes quick, and you may not even realize it. Wearing multiple layers, or larger jackets, real pants (not just leggings), and hats are important. Face masks are necessary when the temperature drops more.

Me getting my freeze on!

And if you have a car, make sure to plug it in! Many people have dead cars in the Spring or cars that just won't start during the winter because the engine and fluids are too cold. Under 20 degrees, make sure to care for your car.

Enjoy our crazy weather!

Navigating UAF Websites & Resources

Whether you are a prospective student or a current student at UAF, you're going to want to understand where to go online to find the information and resources you need. Here we'll cover a few of the most important things you'll need to know about.

UAF:	http://www.uaf.edu/

We'll start simple, the main University of Alaska Fairbanks website. This is the main hub from which all of the following sites and resources can be found. I highly recommend exploring every nook and cranny of the website and get an idea of what is available to you (hint: there's always a lot available to you).

Virtual Tour:

http://www.uaf.edu/virtualtour/

A recent addition of the UAF website is our new fancy virtual tour! Just click the big "Launch Virtual Tour" link and start looking around!

Chat With Admissions:

http://www.uaf.edu/admissions/

Let's say you have a specific question about UAF but are not able or willing to walk into the admissions office to ask it. The UAF admissions page has a neat little feature in the bottom right called Zopim chat. It's an embedded chat system built into the admissions website. Click on the bar, give your name and your email address, and start chatting with actual admissions staff! Ambassadors like myself are often able to chat with you as well using this feature.

UAF Ambassadors:

http://uaf.edu/ambassadors/

The UAF ambassadors are a group of student volunteers (myself included) who are devoted to helping both prospective and current students by giving them the information they need about college life at UAF. From this page you can click on any of our faces and read about us, our story, and our majors. You can also send us a message if you have any questions.

From here you can also find our blog (which you are probably reading this on right now)! It's: http://uaf-ambassadors.blogspot.com/

Apply / Manage Your UAF Account:

https://uaonline.alaska.edu/

If you are a prospective student, UAOnline is the place you go to apply. As an aside, instructions on applying can be found here: https://www.uaf.edu/admissions/apply/#instructions

Once you've applied and have been admitted, UAOnline becomes the place where you can manage every aspect of your student account. UAOnline is where you can apply for financial aid, sign up for classes, make payments, view/order transcripts, and much more.

Find Contact Info:

https://people.alaska.edu/

Is there a particular person or department at UAF that you need talk to but you don't know their contact information? The UAF people page will help. Try searching for "Computer Science Department" :). The people page replaces an older system called EDIR (https://edir.alaska.edu/), but both pull information from the same place.

UAF Login Information:

https://elmo.alaska.edu/

If you ever forget your UA login information (username, ID, password, etc.), you can use ELMO (easy login maintenance option) to recover that. It requires that you know a few things like the last four digits of your social security number, but hopefully you know that!

UAF OrgSync:

https://orgsync.com/home/824

OrgSync is a new third-party campus engagement network that allows UAF students to organize! It's the new defacto way for UAF to officially manage things like students clubs and organizations. Clubs and organizations have their own pages, and there are a variety of tools and resources they can use to make their lives better. You also don't need to be a UAF student to sign up either, so you can participate without a UA ID! If you have a UA ID, you should use that to sign in. Find a club that you might be interested in!

UAF Social Media:

http://uafcornerstone.net/inspire-wall/

UAF has a variety of social media. If you're interested in connecting with UAF that way, find your social media platforms of choice and like/follow/subscribe!

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UAF is all over the web, and there's a lot more out there than I've listed here. Hopefully you now have a good idea of where to start looking.

As always, you can contact the admissions office or any of the ambassadors and we'll help you find what you are looking for!

Being the Nook

What it's like to be the school mascot for your college. 

Expectations:

Well honestly I've always wanted to be a mascot. Not to be able to wear the presumably stuffy over-sized suit, but to act however goofy I wanted. Who doesn't want to take pictures with everyone and dance around all the time?

You ever see a mascot dance and want to join in? You ever see a random person dance and want to join in? Exactly. If a person is wearing a giant furry head, they automatically become the life of the party. 

School pride coupled with anonymity and flashiness, sounds like my idea of a fun time.

Reality: 

Outfit consists of 1 body suit with tummy padding, 2 foot covers, 2 3-fingered paw gloves, 1 hockey jersey, and 1 polar bear head.

What I wore under: t-shirt, leggings (thicker than I would wish), socks, and boots.

Getting ready: Well this suit was definitely made for a taller person. I have to roll up the legs so they don't look so scrunched. And the arms are too long too. Getting a little hot already with the extra tummy padding, mascots are supposed to be huggable I suppose, but it seems bearable.
The last part is the head, and I needed assistance with that because there's flaps to tuck into the hockey jersey I'm also wearing. Like I would be cold. The head has this contraption helmet-like-thing to position it on you without your head hitting the top. This would be a lovely invention if I was the right size. Because of my height and general smallness, the the head rests on me the bottom hits my shoulders and the helmet part doesn't fit correctly, On a positive note, the suit is not smelly!

Here we go!

5 Mins in: This is fun! The suit is fluffy and the head fits weird, but not bad. Waved at some people, walked around, took a photo with a lady. Successful mascot accomplishments.

15 mins in: Wow I'm hot. Maybe I'll walk outside for some colder air. Nope, doesn't help, there's no breeze, guess I'll go back inside. My hair is getting sweaty and moving in front of my face. Help I can't use my hands to move it away. Got more high-fives and a few hugs, still being a mascot.

30 mins in: I need to get out. Out out out of this suit. At least take the head off. I need to breath normally and get some air! Right now I can feel the sweat running down my back (sorry but it's true). I'm sweaty and I want a shower. I've resorted to using the cheeks on the inside of the head to try to move my hair out of the way. It's not working.

Took a break after 30 mins - Took off the gloves, the head and took off my boots. Man, now I know why these are worn at hockey games!


Back out!: Now it's photo taking time! This is the part of the mascot job I am excited for! There is a photo station set up with lights and props, and the mascot for some school pride. Some people were happy to take a photo and hold props, others where in a sense dragged over by me to be in a photo. Great thing about being the mascot, it's hard to argue with them when they come up and grab your arm and start walking towards the photo booth.

"This was the part of the mascot job I had expected. The dancing, the pictures, the mascot rights to make people do what you want. Yeah, because of this photo shoot and the people, it made it worth it."

The last hour of being the mascot was much easier than my first 30 minutes. Maybe the photo area was cooler than the rest of the Wood Center or it was because I wasn't moving around so much, or I was just distracted by all the people and poses to make.

As a mascot, you're not supposed to talk. And not being able to talk is difficult. Especially if you're in an over-sized hot and sweaty polar bear costume.

After photo

In the end

Pros

• Being able to dance around all the time
• Hug are never denied
• Everyone always smiles at you
• In every photo!
• Got to practice for charades

Cons

• Hot and sweaty
• Uncomfortable
• Can't speak

Worth it? Definitely.