INSIDE ALASKA BUSINESS The Anchorage People’s Choice winner was Tracy’s Alaskan King Crab Bisque, based on the Gala Soiree attendees’ votes.
APU Inaugurates New Student Center
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laska Pacific University opened its new 1,800-square-foot Robert B. McMillen Student Center in February. It is located on the second floor of APU’s Atwood Center. Saltchuk Resources donated $250,000 to the project. Cornerstone Construction and RIM Architects also contributed to the project. The center features a gas fireplace, a stage for bands and performances, and Wi-Fi compatible TVs. The interior design includes wood laminate floors and large windows offering views the mountains. The center is close to food services and the bookstore. “The new student center is trendy urbanhome-meets-rustic-cabin-in-the-woods,” said Kelly Smith, Alaska Pacific University dean of students. “Students can enjoy the perks of cutting edge technology with the feel of an authentic Alaska environment. It’s the perfect balance of convenience and comfort.”
Alaska Ocean Leadership Awards
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he Alaska Ocean Leadership Awards were presented earlier this year at the annual Alaska Marine Gala in Anchorage. Kurt Byers and the Alaska Sea Grant Education Services staff received the award for Ocean Literacy. Byers has led the national award-winning Alaska Sea Grant Education Services team since 1988. Deborah Mercy received the Ocean Media Award for excellence in journalism that has raised public awareness of Alaska’s
oceans. Jan Straley, an associate professor at the University of Alaska Southeast, received the Marine Research Award. Straley has studied the behavior of large whales of the North Pacific Ocean for more than 30 years. The North Pacific Fishery Management Council earned the Ocean Stewardship and Sustainability Award. The group was honored for its leadership supervising Alaska’s federally managed fisheries. The Walter J. and Ermalee Hickel Lifetime Achievement Award was posthumously awarded to Caleb Pungowiyi, and accepted by his wife, Gladys Pungowiyi. Originally from the village of Savoonga on St. Lawrence Island, Caleb spent much of his life working for Alaska Native groups and other organizations on the management and science of marine resources, including work on subsistence, Native issues, ecosystem health, climate change and education. He was the former president and chief executive of the Inuit Circumpolar Council, president of Kawerak Inc. and a director of the Eskimo Walrus Commission.
Yukom-Kuskokwim Energy Plan
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uvista Light and Electric Cooperative signed a contract with Hatch Engineering for Chikuminuk Lake hydropower. Hatch has 80 years of experience with projects large and small in more than 150 countries. The agreement includes numerous subcontractor companies from throughout Alaska, including Anchorage, Fairbanks, Wasilla and Bethel. The Chikuminuk Lake hydropower project is one of the most significant energy infrastructure projects in rural Alaska. Located at the northern end of Wood Tikchik State Park, it has the potential to supply electrical power to Bethel and 14 or more other communities in
an economically depressed region dependent on diesel. “Finding a regional alternative to diesel fuel for electricity would displace over five million gallons of diesel per year barged into Bethel alone, and reduce 55,000 tons of carbon dioxide,” said Nuvista Executive Director Elaine “Chicky” Brown. “Our Coop has made great strides toward a comprehensive regional energy plan for the Yukon-Kuskokwim region.” The Chikuminuk Lake Hydropower Project was approved and authorized in 2011 based on a $10 million appropriation by the Alaska State Legislature. The funding allows Nuvista to perform detailed field work in geotechnical, environmental, preliminary engineering, licensing, and public meetings related to a hydropower project that could be the first of its kind anywhere in Southwest Alaska.
UAF Receives Software Gift
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$1.6 million software donation to the University of Alaska Fairbanks petroleum engineering department will allow students to learn on the same programs they will use in the workplace. The gift from Petroleum Experts, based in Edinburgh, Scotland, includes 10 copies of a suite of six programs, along with the network license required to run the programs at UAF. The software allows the oil and gas industry to model oil reservoirs, wells and pipeline networks in an integrated way, according to Shirish Patil, professor of petroleum engineering at UAF. This practice is known as “integrated production modeling, or IPM, within the oil and gas industry. Petroleum Experts is a petroleum engineering company with offices in Texas, Scotland and China. The company developed the IPM software to improve the efficiency of oil and gas fields. The software is used by more than 350 oil and gas companies. q
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www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • April 2012