Last week, APU seniors put their days, months, and years of hard work on exhibit for the entire community to see displaying their senior projects in Carr Gottstein and Grant Hall. Topics ranged from remote weather stations and nature activity backpacks to resiliency in Indigenous communities and social media’s influence on avalanche forecasting. Please enjoy…
Outdoor Studies Department
Honors Assembly Shines Light on Exemplary Students, Staff, Faculty
With the school year winding down, Alaska Pacific University took time last week to recognize it’s exemplary students, staff, and faculty members during the Annual Honors Assembly. Here are the highlights from the April 20th event. Faculty Merit Awards: It is one of the longstanding traditions at APU, that faculty would recommend one another for…
Spring Course Teaches Students Dog Mushing
For as long back as Andrea Grenier can remember, she’s wanted to be a dog musher. What she doesn’t remember, however, is how she got into the sport. “No one really knows how I got into it — I was raised in Connecticut where there isn’t much mushing and my parents don’t even like dogs,”…
“Teaching Climbing through the lens of Emotional Intelligence” Dave McGivern, hosted by the Alpine Club
By Cayley Eller Following our recent spring break a handful of lucky Alaska Pacific University students and administrators had the pleasure of hanging out with former APU instructor David McGivern. Dave, who was a beloved member of the faculty at APU was a prominent figure in developing the climbing program at the University, as well…
Eagle Glacier Collaboration
A new engineering project between UAA and APU looks to bring the two neighboring communities a little bit closer. Civil engineering students from UAA recently had the opportunity to travel up to the APU Thomas Training Center on the Eagle Glacier. The facility, nearly 5,000ft high up in the Chugach, gives APU Nordic athletes the…
Alaska Pacific University Outdoor Studies Professor and Her Dog Will Hunt You Down and Find You.
By Paul Twardock Search and Rescue is a major focus of the outdoor profession, and of Alaska Pacific University’s Outdoor Studies Program. Outdoor Studies Associate Professor, Eeva Latosuo, is an active member of the Alaska search and rescue community, in particular the Alaska Search and Rescue Dogs. Eeva and her dog, Sisu, have been involved…
Alaska Pacific University’s Paul Twardock Joins Host of KSKA’s “Outdoor Explorer” to Discuss Winter Adventure in Alaska’s Public Use Cabins.
Winter in Alaska is a magical place. Students, staff, and faculty thrive under the Northern Lights with a variety of strategies. They hunker down reading, watching movies, studying, and flexing one’s creative mind. Many, however, also embrace winter by getting outdoors. Nordic skiing, ice skating, snow shoeing, “fat” mountain biking, and simply walking in the…
APU on the Air: KTVA visits Louise’s Farm School
Anchorage-based KTVA Channel 11 highlights the University’s outdoors-based education in a segment about Louise’s Farm School. Aired Oct. 29 and reported by KTVA’s Lauren Maxwell, the news story takes viewers to the 800-acre Kellogg campus in Palmer. KTVA is the local CBS affiliate. Farm School students are shown making devil’s club salve and walking through…
APU on the Web: Candela explains icefield study for LinkTV viewers
Glacier science undertaken by double-major Sal Candela is showcased in a short film that takes viewers to one of the world’s largest non-polar masses of snow and ice. Candela, ’15, is completing bachelor’s degrees in Outdoor Studies and Earth Science and was selected for summer 2013 fieldwork by the Juneau Icefield Research Program. It recruits…
OS Faculty Profiles: David McGivern
Which comes first, experience or judgment? Wrong question, says Associate Professor David McGivern. For OS students, attitude is everything. Not long ago my colleagues and I were thinking about our expectations for students who undertake backcountry journeys of their own. On our minds was the tale of a student who attempted to surf an…
