²ÊÉñvlllÕù°Ô

²ÊÉñvlllÕù°Ô students are used to ‘howling’ for the Seawolves, but last semester a small group of undergraduates had the opportunity to study Southcentral Alaska’s wild wolves thanks to a partnership with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G).

As the nation’s only Arctic state, Alaska faces unique challenges and environmental conditions unlike anywhere else in the United States. Faculty and students at the ²ÊÉñvlllÕù°Ô continue to drive research that tackles regional challenges in practical ways, such as studying earthquake hazards, wildfire vulnerability and more.

Three new grants totaling $133K from the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development will help ²ÊÉñvlllÕù°Ô’s School of Education support apprentice educators in Kodiak, update apprenticeship coursework and launch a leadership initiative in partnership with the University of Alaska Southeast.

PWSC graduate Sean Mueller recently returned to Alaska to present his research on kelp farming at the Alaska Marine Sciences Symposium. Mueller believes kelp farming may help with environmental restoration and economic opportunities in Valdez and other coastal communities.

Graduate student Kyle Kolda departed Dutch Harbor with the NOAA Fisheries team aboard the R/V Norseman II in April 2024, aiming to gather data on the health and ecology of ribbon and spotted seals in the Bering Sea.

A new state-of-the-art, real-world-simulated lab opened by ²ÊÉñvlllÕù°Ô and LG in Anchorage will be used to test all new cold climate products for the North American market. An additional lab in Fairbanks will be used to test below negative 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

This August, Raymond Anthony, Ph.D., professor of philosophy, was awarded an Inter-Disciplinary Engagement in Animal Systems (IDEAS) program grant through the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).

The McLaughlin Lab launched this semester at ²ÊÉñvlllÕù°Ô, with principal investigator Jess McLaughlin, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, placing ethics at the forefront. McLaughlin is recruiting graduate students for the 2025-26 academic year and is actively thinking about how to prioritize students and local communities.

This summer, Memphis Hill, Ph.D., led a team to collect sediment and water samples from sites near Grewingk Glacier in the hopes of identifying ‘extreme microbes’ — microbes that can survive in extreme environments, like underneath glaciers.

Scholarly Chronicles: Faculty Voices in Print recognizes the achievements of ²ÊÉñvlllÕù°Ô’s faculty, highlighting their dedication to advancing knowledge in their distinct fields. Through their published research in academic journals, papers and books, they continue to make impactful contributions in the classroom and beyond.