Aviation in the Far North turned into Halvarson’s lifetime career. Then, five years ago, the tail gun turret from that crashed bomber ended up in his basement workshop.
Credit Michael Ulroan / ANSEP
The Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program, or ANSEP, is collaborating with the Lower Kuskokwim School District and University of Alaska Fairbanks, Kuskokwim Campus to create a permanent Acceleration Academy at Bethel Regional High School. Enrollment for the program, which enables students to study college classes while in high school, is open now. Michael Ulroan, with ANSEP, said that the program could save as much as $75,000 in college costs for students.
“You’re getting a high school diploma and making your way to a bachelor’s degree at the same time,” explained Ulroan. “Students can earn a bachelor’s degree in science or engineering, or anything that they want, one year after graduating from high school. That’s five years from the end of 8th grade to earning a bachelor’s degree.”
The study began in the wake of the dramatic 2004 fire season in Alaska when 6.7 million acres of forest burned an area about five times the size of Prince Edward Island and seven times the long-term average. Historically, more than half of this forested terrain has been dominated by black spruce, but after fire, faster-growing aspen and birch are replacing some of these stands. “In a region with only five common tree species, this study shows how changes in tree composition can dramatically alter patterns of carbon storage in boreal forests,” said Jill Johnstone, adjunct professor in biology at USask, researcher at University of Alaska-Fairbanks, and co-author of the study.
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