Do octopuses actively use smell to find food? It seems like an obvious question but according to Willem Weertman, an environmental science grad student, there’s really no evidence to prove it. Yet. This year, Willem is researching octopus olfaction at the University of Washington’s Friday Harbor Laboratories. His test subject is the east Pacific red…
Do Octopus Smell to Find Food?
Walls Not Required
By Molly Legg Written for OS 302: Wildland Ecosystems and Human Impacts Fall 2020 The typical classroom in an American university is easily envisioned as a large hall packed with hundreds of students being lectured by a professor. However, Alaska Pacific University (APU) takes a different approach. With small class sizes, knowledgeable instructors with lived experience, and…
What is Active Learning in the Era of Covid-19
By Chloe Steiner Written for OS 302: Wildland Ecosystems and Human Impacts Fall 2020 Active learning is something Alaska Pacific University (APU) prides itself in. It can include simple class discussions to case studies and hands-on field study. While active learning is not as simple in lectures, professors have still attempted to implement it through…
Meet the Fall Class of 2020
The Fall Class of 2020 includes 55 students, each with their own unique achievements. Below, meet three of the latest graduates from APU. Lani Newlin Bachelor’s of Business Administration Class of 2020 Coffee is a big deal for many college students. For Lani, it was also the theme of her senior project. APU business students…
Media Writing students check in with Felix Rivera ’11
This semester, APU’s Media Writing class checked in with Anchorage Assembly Chair Felix Rivera ’11. Their story about Rivera’s career and time as a student is reprinted below. Students Raelene Active, Laura Ditto, Emily Dotten, Rose Gildersleeve, and Xavier Mckinney contributed. Felix Rivera, Class of 2011, came to APU from his home state of Texas…
Meet Andrea Andraschko, Visiting Instructor of Business
What’s your academic background? I have a B.A. in chemistry (’87) and a B.S. in radiologic science (’12) from UNC-Chapel Hill, and an M.B.A. in management (’15) from Wayland Baptist University. Who inspires you? Not an individual, but I’m most inspired by people who stand up for what is right, no matter the personal cost. …
APU grad on National Geographic’s ‘Life Below Zero: Next Generation’
Alaska Pacific University graduates may see a familiar face on their TVs this winter. Michael Manzo, a 2014 sustainability studies graduate, is a cast member on the new National Geographic series Life Below Zero: Next Generation. Michael’s story on the show follows his roaming life in northern Alaska, traveling rivers on freighter canoes that stemmed…
APU Nordic skiers compete across Alaska this winter
If you’ve ever wanted to watch the APU Nordic Ski Team in top-level competition, now’s your chance. Due to COVID-related race cancellations in the Lower 48 and Canada, more APU Nordic athletes are competing locally, right here in Alaska. In a typical season, APU Nordic’s top skiers race internationally from November to April on the…
Meet Dr. Beth Leonard, Research Professor of Indigenous Studies
What’s your academic background? I completed all my degrees at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. I have a B.A. in linguistics, M.Ed. in Language & Literacy, and Ph.D. in Cross-Cultural Studies. Who inspires you? My father who is 92, raised on the land and fluent in the Deg Xinag and Holikachuk languages. What was the…
Life at the Kellogg Campus
Tucked down a long driveway off Farm Loop Road lives a close-knit community of APU students. At the Kellogg Campus in Palmer, neighbors are classmates, roommates are co-workers, and living, learning and working are intertwined. The Kellogg Campus is an 800-acre farm that hosts APU’s Master of Science in Outdoor and Environmental Education program (MSOEE)….