This talk is based on research for a paper by Prof. Rashmi Prasad, with assistance from two UAA M.B.A. students, Monica P. Emerton and Mikhail A. Gorshunov. Prasad is a professor of business administration and director of graduate programs in the UAA College of Business and Public Policy.
(2:13) Dr. Ann Jache, UAA Sociology Dept, Chair Gerontology Minor (11:59) Casey Smith, World Class Snowboarder (28:58) Arliss Sturgulewski, Distinguished Alaska State Legislator 45:11) Dr. Richard Newman founder Total Health Clinic Anchorage (1:00:16) Willie Hensley, Alaska Native Leader and Distinguished Professor in Public Policy and Administration.
The moderator is JP Ouellette, a Human Services Practicum IV student.
This panel was organized by the UAA Human Services class ‘Adulthood and Aging,’ and Practicums II, III and IV, as well as the UAA Campus Bookstore.
Alaska writer Colleen Mondor gets high praise for her book on aviation adventures and misadventures in Alaska. She is introduced at this UAA Campus Bookstore by fellow Alaska writer Sherry Simpson.
Here’s a bit more on the book from the author:
“I learned to fly at age 18 and have degrees in aviation, history and northern studies. ‘The Map of My Dead Pilots’ is based on my experiences as lead dispatcher at a Part 135 (commercial) air carrier based in Fairbanks. The ‘Company’ had bases in multiple bush locations and flew single-engine, multi-engine and twin turbine aircraft carrying everything from scheduled passengers and mail to convicts and sled dogs. There were incidents and accidents, moments of Pythonesque absurdity and brain-numbing hard work. It was never the profession I learned about in the classroom nor the glory stories so popular in modern myth…It is the story of the people who worked at one Alaska commuter and the culmination of my efforts to understand how commercial pilots live and die in the Last Frontier.”
This, from Alaska writer Nick Jans:
“Strap yourselves in. ‘The Map of My Dead Pilots’ is one hell of a ride, one of the best Alaska books ever. In gorgeous, literary prose that nails the rhythms of a barroom conversation and plumbs the depth of the human soul, Colleen Mondor writes a one-way ticket into the world of Alaska aviation.”
How many times have we heard a version of the question, “Is there life somewhere out there?” Hollywood has spent millions of dollars making movies and television programs exploring this question. Let’s face it, we’re curious.
Christopher P. McKayMcKay’s talk, “Search for Life in the Solar System,” addresses the fundamental question of life in the Universe. McKay argues that an organism would be alien if, and only if, it did not link to our tree of life. In our Solar System, the worlds of interest for a search for life are Mars, Europa, Enceladus and, for biochemistry based on a liquid other than water, Titan.
The discovery of alien life, if alive or revivable, will pose fundamentally new questions in environmental ethics. McKay believes that we would do well, ethically and scientifically, to strive to support any alien life discovered as part of an overall commitment to enhancing the richness and diversity of life in the Universe.
McKay received his doctorate in Astro-Geophysics from the University of Colorado and is a research scientist with the NASA Ames Research Center studying planetary atmospheres, astrobiology and terraforming and terrestrial analogs as vehicles to understand ecosystem sustainability. McKay has done extensive research on planetary atmospheres, particularly the atmospheres of Titan and Mars, and on the origin and evolution of life. He is a co-investigator on the Huygens probe, the Mars Phoenix lander and the Mars Science Laboratory. He has also performed field research on extremophiles, in such locations as Death Valley, the Atacama Desert, Axel Heiberg Island and ice-covered lakes in Antarctica.
McKay’s current research focuses on the evolution of the solar system and the origin of life. He’s also actively involved in planning for future Mars missions, including human settlements, and has conducted polar research since 1980, traveling to the Antarctic dry valleys and more recently to the Siberian and Canadian Arctic to conduct research in these Mars-like environments.
Representatives from federal, state, and local law enforcement made presentations to students as part of National Criminal Justice Month in March. Topics included the missions of their agencies, how agencies cooperated in Alaska, qualifications for prospective candidates, and how the experience of law enforcement differs in Alaska from other states.
This podcast covered federal law enforcement agencies. Special Agent Eric Gonzalez, Chief Counsel for the FBI; Deputy U.S. Marshal Jimmy Johnson, U.S.Marshals Service; and Group Supervisor Todd Jones, Drug Enforcement Administration.
About The University of Alaska Anchorage Podcast and RSS Feed
Welcome to the UAA Podcast page. Feel free to listen to UAA podcasts in your browser, download them, or subscribe through iTunes. Also feel free to post your comments.
Listen to The University of Alaska Anchorage Podcast and RSS Feed
Help!
E-mail us at aynews@uaa.alaska.edu
Return to the UAA Homepage