2022 Faculty Initiative Fund Awardees
Dr. Heather Batchelder, Associate Professor, University of èƵ Southeast
Co-Investigator: Dr. Ginger Blackmon, Associate Professor, University of èƵ Anchorage
Co-Investigator: Dr. Krista James, Assistant Professor, University of èƵ Anchorage
Co-Investigator: Tara Maltby, MA.Ed., BCBA, Assistant Professor, University of èƵ
Fairbanks
Co-Investigator: Dr. Hilary Seitz, Professor, University of èƵ Anchorage
Abstract:
Project SHINE (Supporting High Impact, Culturally Responsive Instruction within Natural
Early Literacy Learning Environments) aims to support the workforce development need
for qualified personnel
prepared to provide high impact, culturally responsive, early literacy instruction
to èƵ’s emergent readers some of whom may be at-risk for developmental delays,
have identified disabilities, and/or have
experienced generational trauma. Increasing the awareness of the importance of culturally
responsive early literacy interventions from the district level to the teacher/paraprofessional
in the classroom is
imperative as the state and nation expand early intervention services for young children.
Project SHINE goals include: 1) Increasing the number of qualified personnel prepared
to provide high impact, culturally responsive early literacy instruction for èƵ’s
emergent readers. 2) The development of a plan for an inter-èƵ course, course
sharing and course rotation focused on; culturally responsive literacy instruction
in early childhood (èƵ undergraduate level course/professional development
course for pre and in-service teachers/school leaders across the state). 3) Dissemination
of high impact culturally responsive early literacy interventions statewide.
Award: $30,000
PI: Carrie Aldrich, Assistant Professor of Writing, University of èƵ Anchorage
Co-PI: Dana Greci, Professor of Developmental Education, University of èƵ Fairbanks
Sarah Kirk, Professor of Writing, University of èƵ Anchorage
Jay Szczepanski II, Assistant Professor of English, University of èƵ Southeast
Jennifer Tilbury, Associate Professor of Developmental Education; CTC Director of
Student
Success and Instructional Support, University of èƵ Fairbanks
Abstract
The goal of this Tier I Faculty Initiative Fund proposal is to connect faculty members
involved in placing students into first year writing across the University of èƵ
system. Writing was the first discipline to align course prefixes across the state,
and placement reform is now underway in different forms across the state. Because
corequisite and other studio support models have in the past decade emerged as best
practices for student success in first year writing, this is an important time for
those involved in writing placement to join together to share our successes, challenges,
and visions for the future. This project
aligns with the èƵ mission, impacts every student who enters the University
of èƵ system, and has important implications for improving student success and
addressing equity gaps. In order to offer
equitable access to higher education, the University of èƵ needs a system of placement
that takes into account our students’ diverse needs, experiences, and abilities.
Award: $30,000
Kristen Gorman, PhD (Principal Investigator). Research Assistant Professor. College
of Fisheries and Ocean Science, University of èƵ Fairbanks
Douglas Causey, PhD (co-I). Professor. Department of Biological Sciences, University
of èƵ
Anchorage
Veronica Padula, MS (co-I). Research Development and Education Director. Ecosystem
Conservation Office, Aleut Community of St. Paul Island, St. Paul, èƵ
Abstract
The support of a Tier I, six-month project to be conducted May through October 2022
that is designed as a pilot investigation into the spatial foraging behavior of two
species of seabirds that nest at St. Paul Island,
èƵ. The proposed project would be a first official research collaboration between
investigators at the University of èƵ Fairbanks (UAF, Gorman), University of èƵ
Anchorage (UAA, Causey), and the Aleut Community of St. Paul Island (ACSPI) Tribal
Government (Padula). Further, project funds will support a foundational experience
for a UAF undergraduate researcher to assist with fieldwork.
Importantly, the data produced by the project would be a feature component of subsequent
proposals to extramural funding opportunities. Our research team is broadly focused
on advancing knowledge of Bering Sea seabird response to environmental change by considering
new parameters not incorporated in past studies such as detailed spatial foraging
information based on GPS- and geolocator-tracking of seabirds, which is critical information
for our ACSPI Tribal Government partners who have a strong interest in Indigenous-led
management of the marine waters surrounding the Pribilof Islands. The proposed project
addresses criteria outlined in the UA FIF RFP regarding 1) inter-èƵ collaborations,
2) scholarly endeavors and student engagement, 3) start-up funds to help develop extramural
grant proposals, and 4) community partnership.
Award: $29,700
PI: Dr. Getu Hailu (UAA), Co-PI: Dr. Sunwoo Kim (UAF)
Abstract
The American Lung Association “State of the Air” report found that èƵ has some
of the worst air quality in the nation. The situation is expected to worsen. As the
Arctic thaws, new economic opportunities, such as tourism, resource exploration and
new shipping routes will be created. With increased transportation, increase in emission
of air pollutants such as particulate matter and greenhouse
gases is expected. As glaciers melt, black carbon is exposed and released to the atmosphere.
Swelling temperatures and increasing amounts of CO2 in the atmosphere create favorable
conditions for increased pollen seasons, and increased amount of pollen produced.
Frequent wildfires and dust from gravel/dirt roads in èƵ are another source of
air polluting particulate matter and gases. Consequently, the air quality in the èƵn
homes will be adversely affected, resulting in poor indoor air quality (IAQ).
Because people spend up to 90% their time indoors, the health and economic concerns
associated with poor IAQ are enormous. There is mounting evidence that exposure to
poor IAQ is the main cause of allergies, hypersensitivity reactions, airway infections,
and even cancer. This project will contribute to the maintenance of good IAQ for èƵns
by determining (a) the fundamental mechanisms of pollutant
movement and dispersion in indoor environment; (b) testing appropriate air filtration
technologies; (c) testing effective ventilation methods; and (d) developing guiding
procedures for maintaining good IAQ.
The project will bring together researchers from UAA and UAF and èƵ Native Tribal
Health Consortium (ANTHC).
Award $29,950
PI: Yongwon Kim
Eugenie Euskirchen
Masahito Ueyama
Abstract
Boreal forests cover 17% of the planet’s land surface area in a circumpolar belt of
the Northern Hemisphere. This region is vulnerable due to rapid climate and environmental
change. Boreal black
spruce forests are a significant reservoir of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and
play an important role in protecting discontinuous permafrost. Stem respiration of
black spruce is a critical, yet poorly
understood, component of forest ecosystem carbon cycle dynamics. It is, therefore,
necessary to study variability in stem respiration at different time scales, especially
the response of the temporal variation in stem respiration to climatic factors. However,
because stem respiration of black spruce is commonly measured only during the growing
season, the non-growing season stem respirations do not represent the annual average,
and the contribution to the ecosystem respiration (Re) estimated by eddy covariance
tower in interior èƵ. Furthermore, considering that abrupt and rapid climate change
in èƵ, a year-round measurement of stem respiration would provide crucial information
on stem respiration and its contribution to surface carbon budget and ultimately,
climate change in èƵ. In order to investigate the phenological characteristics
and quantitative assessment of stem respiration, this project will obtain hourly stem
respiration measurements using a forced diffusion (FD) system in a boreal black spruce
stand in interior èƵ. The research site is located within the footprint of eddy
covariance tower operated by
Drs. Euskirchen (IAB, UAF) in Bonanza Creek (BNZ LTER), and Ueyama (Osaka Prefecture
University, Japan) within the UAF campus.
Award $24,938
Final Report
PI: Nelta Edwards (UAA)
Zeynep Kilic (UAA)
Kasia Polanska (UAS)
William Urquhart (UAS)
Lora Vess (UAS)
Abstract
This proposal is at Tier II for projects with a budget of less than $10,000. The goal
of this proposal is to do the necessary curriculum work and planning to establish
a BA/BS degree in Sociology that will be
jointly offered by UAA and UAS. Regardless of the joint degree outcome, the proposed
work will align Sociology curricula at UAA and UAS which will make it easier for students’
degree planning as well as
the resulting petition processes.
Award $9,708.02
PI: University of èƵ Southeast, Juneau: Glenn Wright, Associate Professor of Political Science University of èƵ Southeast: Ketchikan: Kasia Polanska, Term Assistant Professor of Political Science and Sociology William Urquhart, Associate Professor of Sociology University of èƵ Fairbanks: Amy Lauren Lovecraft, Professor of Political Science Jeremy S. Speight, Associate Professor of Political Science
Abstract
The University of èƵ Mission "... inspires learning, and advances and disseminates
knowledge through teaching, research, and public service, emphasizing the North and
its diverse peoples." Our proposal seeks to broaden the knowledge and programs
available to students in èƵ and beyond by coordinating curricula between the University
of èƵ Southeast (Juneau and Ketchikan) and the
University of èƵ Fairbanks (and the satellite campuses it serves). In brief, our
initial research indicates a coordinated structure between these campuses can improve
efficiency by reducing duplication
in course offerings, enhance advising capabilities by developing a system for long-term
course planning and coordination, create stronger and more specialized mentoring relationships
with cross-campus advising, expand opportunities for students by broadening the range
of courses available to students through the UA political science curriculum and encourage
greater student engagement in discipline-
specific extracurriculars and scholarly research. We seek to combine the strengths
of interdisciplinarity in the social sciences from UAS with UAF’s wider range of Political
Science courses and strength in faculty
research. The resulting partnership will advantage UA students by providing not only
more classes, but more opportunities to participate in activities at both campuses
(web-based lectures and events, specialty advising, faculty grant research, student
exchanges, internships, and service opportunities). This new relationship will particularly
benefit rural students and those seeking more coursework related to environmental
and Indigenous affairs in the state by offering more, and routinized, online classes
as well as more curriculum to meet students' learning needs.
Award $10,000
PI: Dr. Mari Hahn (Professor, UAA) and Dr. Jaunelle Celaire (Professor, UAF), Ann
Schaefer (Piano Term Instructor, UAF) and Natnaphol Amornkiat (Staff Pianist, UAA)
Abstract:
This inter-èƵ project involves the UAF and UAA Departments of Music. The Principal
Investigators will engage in collaborative research, creative activity and professional
development that will integrate with student engagement. The goals of course alignment
and the expansion of learning networks will be met through the study and performances
of selected musical theater excerpts, by UAA
and UAF students. Community outreach and recruitment activities will be possible through
ASD, Charter, and North Star Borough school visits. The Supporting Collaborators will
assist with the rehearsal process and performances.
Award $7,000
Final Report
PI: Jill Flanders Crosby and Becky Kendall
Abstract
This project proposes a collaborative relationship between the UAA Department of Theatre
and Dance and Momentum Dance Collective to build and promote program development,
a vital culture of arts education, and join forces to meet the needs of our respective
organizations in times of dwindling budgets and artistic opportunities in performance
and arts education.
Award $5, 884
PI: Margaret Keiper (UAF)
Benjamin Rush (Prince William Sound)
Timothy Miller (UAA)
Forest Wagner (UAS)
Mark Oldmixon (UAF)
Paul Twardock (APU)
Abstract
The èƵ Developing Outdoor Leaders Conference (ADOLC) is a proposal focused on
supporting the growth of the fall 2022 ADOLC. The goals of this proposal are to alleviate
cost related barriers to expand outdoor opportunities for students to attend the fall
2022 ADOLC, increase the profile of èƵ Developing Outdoor Leaders Conference to
advance the growth of the outdoor recreation economy in èƵ, and create a fiscally
sustainable high-impact platform èƵ students and outdoor professionals to learn
outdoor recreation knowledge from each other.
Award: $25,000
PI: Jonas Lamb
Jeri Cary
Abstract
There are more students studying Lingít at the University of èƵ Southeast (UAS)
in a given semester than there are living fluent speakers. The UAS èƵ Native Arts,
Languages & Studies Program requires unique texts, audio recordings and curricular
resources to support student engagement with language revitalization through learning,
documentation, and community activities. Many of these curricular resources exist
only in analog formats which limits access to learners beyond our campus. This project
would acquire an archival quality book scanner to support digitization of fragile,
rare and/or out of copyright, curricular resources currently owned by the èƵ Native
Arts, Languages & Studies Program, items in the Cyril George Indigenous Knowledge
Collection (UAS Egan Library) and
potentially items pertaining to to Lingit, Haida and Tsimshian on loan from the èƵ
Native Languages Center (ANLC) and èƵ Native Languages Archive (ANLA) at UAF.
The initial acquisition of
equipment through the FIF paired with additional committed funding from the Egan Library
may serve as seed funding in the procurement of additional grants from the Institute
of Museum and Library Services
(via the èƵ State Library Interlibrary Cooperation Grants) to increase the scale
and scope of the project.
Award $10,000
Final Report
PI: Andrew Harnish, Assistant Professor of Writing, UAA Department of Writing
Co-PI: Shane Castle, Assistant Professor of Writing, UAA Department of Writing
Co-I: Carrie Aldrich, Assistant Professor, UAA Department of Writing
Co-I: Martha Amore, Assistant Professor, UAA Department of Writing
Co-I: Jennifer Booz, Chief Diversity Officer of UAA
Co-I: Jacqueline Cason, Professor and Chair of Writing, UAA Department of Writing
Co-I: Jennifer McClung, Adjunct Instructor, UAA Department of Writing
Co-I: Michele Yatchmeneff, Executive Director of èƵ Native Education & Outreach
of UAA
Abstract
Writing Studies scholarship indicates that racially and ethnically minoritized students
are negatively affected by èƵ writing instruction and assessment when faculty
fail to understand and address those students’ dialects, cultures, and literacies.
It is imperative that the University of èƵ Anchorage (UAA) act on this matter
in order to mitigate equity gaps for èƵ Native and other racially and ethnically
minoritized students. Thirty-seven percent of UAA students identify as ethnic minorities,
and White students pass the introductory writing course at higher rates than many
minoritized groups, especially èƵ Native and American Indian students. Our project
proposes to address this equity gap by offering a series of training sessions led
by Dr. Cana Uluak Itchuaqiyaq (Iñupiaq), an expert in Indigenous composition pedagogy
at Virginia Tech who focuses on institutional racism. Dr. Itchuaqiyaq has agreed to
come to Anchorage in Spring 2022 to lead a two-day workshop for writing instructors,
present a public lecture on antiracist pedagogy, and meet with èƵ Native students.
We request a budget of $10,000 in FIF funds to bring Dr. Itchuaqiyaq to Anchorage
and provide stipends for UAA Department of Writing adjunct faculty to be compensated
for attending the trainings alongside full-time faculty. To promote inter-campus collaboration,
Dr. Itchuaqiyaq’s trainings will be recorded and made available live via video link
to all First-Year Writing instructors in the UA system. Our team will track the results
of Dr. Itchuaqiyaq’s trainings by evaluating UA instructor participation and feedback
and by assessing the academic outcomes of èƵ Native and other racially and ethnically
minoritized students in courses offered by the UAA Department of Writing. It is our
hope that the project will inspire further collaboration, conversation, and action
between the UA campuses on culturally responsive writing pedagogy.
Award $10,000
Final Report
PI: Charmaine M. Robinson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Science, University of èƵ Southeast Ketchikan and Joel A. Markis, M.S., Associate Professor and Program Director Career Education: Applied Fisheries, University of èƵ Southeast Sitka
Abstract
Interdisciplinary studies have a positive impact to students and faculty, most notably
by strengthening synthesis of ideas. From a pedagogical perspective, every college
course should include some level of
cross discipline interaction to successfully prepare students for the dynamic job
market. In a novel approach to connect two different disciplines across two separate
campuses, we propose to create a
powerful learning experience for both Sitka science diver students and Ketchikan anatomy
physiology students by conducting a cold water scuba dive physiology study. University
of èƵ Southeast’s
unique location within a high latitude ocean provides an excellent opportunity to
examine aspects of cold water scuba dive physiology. This work focuses on an assessment
of the impact of repeat cold water
immersion on manual dexterity in humans, an area lacking data in the literature. To
our knowledge, this is the first study utilizing research divers in èƵ to create
a baseline for manual dexterity after cold water immersion. Data collected from scientific
dives conducted by students in Sitka will be analyzed by anatomy physiology students
in Ketchikan. The project goals are as follows: (1) establish and maintain
professional development and intercampus collaborations between Sitka and Ketchikan
faculty, (2) build the intellectual capital of UA by involving students in basic underwater
physiology research, and (3)
diversify scientific diving and anatomy physiology curriculum by developing and testing
high impact pedagogical practices. In order to meet the project goals, Dr. Robinson,
an Assistant Professor at UAS
Ketchikan, will serve as a guest lecturer for the èƵ Dive Semester in Sitka for
one week in spring 2022. To establish Dr. Robinson as a UA scientific diver, Mr. Markis,
an Associate Professor at UAS Sitka, will conduct the necessary check-out dives. Lastly,
Dr. Robinson will lead undergraduate research divers-in-training (FT 288 or FT 291,
Sitka) in a concise physiology research project, the data of which will be analyzed
by undergraduates enrolled in anatomy physiology (BIOL 112, Ketchikan).
Award $9,954
Final Report
Patrick E. Marlow (PI), Associate Professor of Linguistics, UAF
Cathy Coulter (Co-I), Associate Professor of Education, UAA
Lisa Richardson (Co-I), Associate Professor of Education, UAS
Sabine Siekmann (Co-I), Professor of Linguistics, UAF
Abstract:
Faculty from UAA, UAS and UAF will align existing graduate certificates/statewide
endorsements in Language and Literacy (respectively: Language Education, Reading Specialist,
Second Language Acquisition, Literacy and Bilingual Education), identify institution
specific expertise and coursework to be shared across all three programs, and establish
structures and procedures to maintain collaboration, program alignment, and foster
joint research/publication and grant writing to benefit all three programs, èƵ’s
schools and their personnel, and most importantly èƵ’s children.
Award $30,000
Final Report
PI: Matthew Cuellar
Abstract
This proposal is submitted to the 2022 Faculty Initiative Fund (FIF) for consideration
under Tier II for a project period of six months (February 2022 – July 2022). The
goal of the proposed project is to develop
an interdisciplinary course that will engage students in service learning from hands-on
experience in the juvenile court system in Anchorage. The course will be available
for all students at UAA and affiliated
campuses via distance delivery with a particular focus on the intersectionality of
social work, child welfare, and criminal justice in youth serving justice systems.
To meet this goal, we will implement a
three-phase program that incorporates pedagogical development and research evaluation
initiatives. First, we will hire an undergraduate student to assist in strengthening
existing collaborative programs and
organizing service learning opportunities in Spring 2022. Second, we will conduct
focus groups among faculty in the School of Social Work, Justice, and the Child Welfare
Academy to establish a shared course
structure and align areas of study for the class and establish learning outcomes appropriate
for all involved disciplines, which will take place in Summer 2022. Finally, in late
Summer 2022, we will conduct focus groups with members of the service learning team
to identify gaps and challenges in implementing the service learning opportunities
when the course is offered. It is anticipated that the class will be offered in Fall
2023. Developing the course will establish local community relationships that result
in high impact pedagogical practices while also providing the applicant an opportunity
to develop community relationships that will be used to advance research and scholarship
on juvenile justice and youth violence in èƵ.
Award $9,996