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Environment - University of Alaska at  Anchorage

Page history last edited by Candace Blas 14 years, 7 months ago

 

 

 

 

 

 

Greetings,

 

          We are continually searching for new ongoings at UAA to document on our Wiki. Please

feel welcome to bring your knowledge to this page so that it can be a helpful resource for us

all! We hope you enjoy learning about the many sustainability efforts at UAA and are prompted

to participate in the discussion!

 

Happy learning,

Your friends at the Center for Community Engagement and Learning

 

 

 

 


Service  |  Academic Work  |  Education & Training  |  Capacity Building  |  Deliberative Democracy 

 

   Sub-categories in this issue


  • Air Quality
  • Clean Water
  • Deforestation
  • Energy
  • Greening and Recycling
  • Health
  • Resource Protection
  • Sustainability 
  • Food Production
  • Species Protection
 

 

Types of Service   short-term  |  ongoing school year  |  summer


 

One-time and Short Term 

 

 

 

Ongoing School Year and Site-Based Teams

 

 

Advocacy & Direct Action

  • Alaska Conservation Solutions:  At this website, you will find a powerpoint presentation on global warming that has been delivered at UAA along with other valuable information on climate change in Alaska. 
  • Powershift- several UAA students have attended this conference in Washington DC to lobby for climate action

 

 

Academic Work   courses  |  service-learning  |  CBR and policy research   |  departments and institutes


 

Departments and Programs

 

 

Courses

  • Sustainability in Higher Education- some of the courses offered at UAA.  
  • Dr. Nyree Mcdonald is a professor of fluid mechanics at UAA. In her classes, students explore the hydroelectric potential of Alaska's vast resources through designing wind turbines.
  • Dr. Mark Carper teaches People, Places, and Ecosystems, addressing issue pertaining to the individual and their

          personal environments. A sample of the course work is the Consumer's Dilemna PowerPoint, which demonstrates individual consumption in relation to society.

 

 

 

 

Service-Learning Projects

                              contact: Dorn Van Dommelen afdv@uaa.alaska.edu

  • LSSS 311: People, Places, and Ecosystems

                              contact: Mark Carper afmdc@uaa.alaska.edu

  • Phil 495: Service Learning in Applied Ethics

                              contact: Tom Buller aftgb@uaa.alaska.edu

  • Phil/Envi 303: Environmental Ethics

                           Community Partner: Anchorage Waterworks

                            contact: Raymond Anthony ranthon1@uaa.alaska.edu

  • PS 495: Internship in Political Science

                              contact: Kim Pace afkjp@uaa.alaska.edu

  • Biology Labs participate in data collection of macroinvertebrates at several creek sites

                          Community partner: Anchorage Waterways Council

  • Envi 202: Advocates for incorporating environmental principles into daily life and economy

                              contact: Lilian Alessa: afla@uaa.alaska.edu

  • Intro to Civic Engagement

                              contact: Annalisa Raymer afalr@uaa.alaska.edu

  • Bio 373 Conservation Biology- water quality assessment at Chester Creek

                              contact: Frank Von Hipple frank@uaa.alaska.edu

                              Community Partners: Russian Jack Community Council,

                               Anchorage Waterways Council

  • CEL A450 Civic Engagement and Learning- Two students are creating the carbon baseline for

                             Anchorage

                               contact: Diane Hirshberg afdbh1@uaa.alaska.edu

 

 

 

 

 

Education & Training   forums  |  workshops  |  reflection activities


 

 

Campus and Organizational Capacity-Building   training  |  fundraising  |  resource development


 

 

 

 

Research, Policy Analysis, Deliberative Democracy   evaluations  |  policy research |  advocacy

 

University-wide Reports 

 

Policy Analysis, Deliberative Democracy, and Commitments 

 

 

Student Research 

  • Students Kelcie Ralph(askmr16@uaa.alaska.edu) and Marcus Welker(marcuson2@hotmail.com) are currently completing a carbon baseline for the city of Anchorage. Their faculty adviser is Diane Hirshberg(afdbh1@uaa.alaska.edu). A comprehensive report will be released in April of this year. They are using software provided by ICLEI to assist in the collection of their findings.
  •  Proposed Climate Action Plan for the Municipality of Anchorage- After a year of research, travel, and deliberation, the Climate Change Action Team at UAA has produced an in-depth and forward thinking proposal for the city of Anchorage. Travelling to Norway and Hungary, the six students and their faculty advisers were exposed to inventive and successful means of sustainability. Their report and advocacy provides a solid foundation for progress in the face of climate change in Anchorage.
  • Engineering student, Garratt Yager is researching lethal sediments to salmon in local creeks and designing methods to clean/filter the water.

 

 

Research Institutes 

 

 

Biology Department

  • Dr. Lillian Alessa heads the Resilience and Adaptive Management Group at UAA 
  • Dr. Khrys Duddleston is an associate professor of microbiology. Her research focuses on the creeks and wetlands of Alaska.
  • Dr. Andrew Kulmatiski is doing research on plant-soil interaction.
  • Dr. Don Spalinger is a professor of ecology and his research interests are primarily the nutritional ecology of large herbivores in northern ecosystems.
  • Dr. Jeff Welker is the director of the Environment and Natural Resources Institute of UAA. His research with the institute addresses the climate changes occurring in the northern latitudes.
  • Dr. Frank Von Hipple

 

Engineering Department

  • Dr. Osama Abaza had done extensive research on the use of recycled tires mixed with concrete to create an adaptable material for roads in extreme cold climates. This new mixture will eliminate thermal cracking, rutting in the Alaskan roads, as well as reuse discarded tires.
  • Dr. Tom Ravens received a grant from the Alaska Energy Authority, and with the funds, he is leading a two year research project, accessing rivers in Alaska for their energy potential. He is also conducting several other projects including work on sustainable marshes and dam removals to promote salmon runs in Anchorage.

 

 

  • Girdwood Renewable Energy Project- Several students and professors are collaborating on this future center for educational and scientific exploration.  

 

Geology Department

  • Dr. Derek Sjostrom ia an active member of the Environment and Natural Resource Institute  and is currently involved with several water quality projects in Anchorage. 
  • Dr. Leeann Munk is the chair of the geology department, and her research is centered on environmental geochemistry.

 

Geography and Environmental Studies

  •  Dr. Dorn Van Dommelen

 

Philosophy Department

  • Dr. Raymond Anthony

 

  

Construction, Facilities, and Transportation

 

Construction and Facilities

  • Integrated Science Building- Currently under construction, this new building incorporates many environmentally conscious building practices. Along with the other science departments the building will house Environmental Science. 
  • New boilers are being installed throughout the campus bringing the efficiency level from 35% to 92%.
  • In several of the buildings motion sensitive lights have been installed
  • LED (Light Emitting Diode) lights are being increasingly used
  • A Co-generation plant is in its planning stages. This plant will provide heat and electricity for the university and medical districts. Reducing carbon emission, it will utilize the exhausted heat from the production of energy to heat the U-MED district. This will use the heat lost in the current plant and conserve energy!

 

 

Dining Services

  • As the food providers for UAA, NANA and Cisco have agreed by contract to incorporate  sustainable practices. 
    • An example of some of the dining service's practices: A recent study has shown that when a tray is offered, more food is taken and subsequently thrown away. In an effort to reduces waste, trays are only given upon request.                                             
  • Two students did a study on the food wasted at the university. Here is their final report and their brochure.

 

Transportation

  • Each student is issued a Wolfcard upon acceptance, and this ID allows free access to all  public transportation in Anchorage.
  • A shuttle service is provided for the students, to reduce parking volume on campus and unnecessary driving.
  • USUAA passed a bill for a dorm only parking permit to help reduce parking and driving at UAA. 

 

 

 

 

 

Contacts   staff  |  faculty  |  students  |  community partners (local, regional, national)

 

  •   Shauna Dunn, Program Coordinator, Center for Community Engagement & Learning:  engage@uaa.alaska.edu
  •   Candace Blas, Project Coordinator

 

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