Marine & Environmental Sciences

NASA awards APU nearly $5 million for Microplastics Research and Education Center

By: Alaska Pacific University Published: June 26, 2024 NASA is awarding approximately $5 million to Alaska Pacific University (APU) to help build the Microplastics Research and Education Center. This award was made possible through the Minority University Research and Education Project Institutional Research Opportunity (MIRO). The award enhances capabilities in the sciences and increases work...

Meet Will Elliott, Assistant Professor of Writing

What's your academic background? I finished college as a creative writing major with an interest in outdoor education, where I worked briefly after graduation. However, I still felt like I had questions about this world that needed exploring. I went back to school, this time with a focus in American literature and the environment. After finishing my Ph.D. at the University of California, Davis, I...

Meet Kevin Jones, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies

What's your academic background? I have an undergraduate in environmental engineering sciences from the University of Florida and M.A. and Ph.D. in systematic theology from the Catholic University of America. I’m researching in the fields of theological anthropology and grace, with a focus on the thought of St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas. Who inspires you? I have many good friends who...

APU saddened by the passing of Dr. Charlie Fahl

We are sad to share with you the passing of Dr. Charlie Fahl, trustee emeritus, environmental science professor emeritus, and former academic dean at APU. Charlie's specialty was meteorology, specifically air quality studies and climatology studies. He joined APU in 1982, leading courses in physics, mathematics, and environmental studies. He served as the university’s academic dean – a role...

Meet APU’s New Fall 2020 Faculty

Get to know the 10 new faculty members joining us this fall, including a few who started their own academic journeys right here at APU. Nathan Anderson, M.S., Visiting Instructor of Environmental Science—Nathan will be teaching geomorphology and physics this fall. He recently received his master’s degree in Earth Sciences from Dartmouth College, and his thesis involved research in the Rwenzo...

Spring 2018 Grads: Becca Erdman

Spring 2018 Grads: Becca Erdman Programs completed at APU: Outdoor Studies Major & Psychology Minor with a Wilderness Therapy Concentration Project Title and what it entails? Expedition Yukon: An Exploratory Study on Stress and Coping Mechanisms During Extended Time in the Wilderness For my Senior Project I completed a 54-day expedition paddling the Yukon River and collected dai...

Spring 2018 Grads: Jake Behnke

Programs completed at APU: BA in Outdoor Studies with a minor in Environmental Policy Project Title and what it entails: My senior project is titled “Creating an Energy Portfolio for Alaska Pacific University.” In it, I looked at APU’s current carbon emissions through electricity, natural gas, and campus vehicle fuel usage. I also analyzed our carbon sequestration between main campus and ...

Spring 2018 Grads: Ian McDermod

Programs completed at APU: B.A. Outdoor Studies - Concentration in Land Management Project Title: My senior project is titled: “Creating an Outdoor Documentary Film: The Elucidation of Adventure.” Essentially, I produced, captured, and edited a short outdoor documentary film that follows three kayakers: Becca, Maryann, and Sam, for a portion of their nearly 2,000-mile river trip down ...

Spring 2018 Grads: Caitlin Marsteller

Programs completed at APU: Masters of Science, Environmental Science Project Title and what it entails: My Masters thesis is entitled "Prey availability and preference of Enteroctopus dofleini in Prince William Sound, Alaska." My project focuses on giant Pacific octopuses, what they eat, and why. Although it mostly entailed sitting in front of a massive Microsoft Excel sheet, it also provided m...

Fulbright Scholar Meadhbh Moriarty to work with APU’s FAST Lab

This year, APU's Fisheries, Aquatic Science, and Technology (FAST) Lab will be hosting a Fulbright scholar, Ph.D. student Meadhbh (pronounced "Maeve") Moriarty. Meadhbh grew up in Co. Louth, Ireland, and holds a B.Sc. (Hons) in Marine Science from the National University in Ireland, Galway, and a M.Sc. in Biodiversity and Conservation from Trinity College Dublin. Prior to undertaking a PhD, she wo...

Five Things We Learned From the Fall 2017 Senior Presentations

Each year, seniors give a presentation on their thesis the week before graduation. As always, this year’s senior projects were varied. Topics included everything from “Alaska Zoo Polar Bears, Lost in Pace” and “Mesoamerican Geography and Student Engagement” to “History of medical Care in Seldovia Alaska” and “Suicide Awareness Training.” Here are just five of the things we l...

Winter 2017 Grads: Emerald Hagy

Name: Emerald Hagy Programs completed at APU: Environmental Science Project Title: Consistency of Agency Decisions on Categorical Exclusions of Similar Scope Hometown: Martinez, GA Best Classes at APU: Expedition Alaska and Environmental Policy and Assessment What is your favorite APU memory? During the Physical Geology course with Mike Loso we took a trip to Matanuska Glacier. We ...

Accidental Alaska

By Jennifer Witter, PhD Assistant Professor Environmental Science When we move ahead in life we cannot always know what lies over the horizon. Yet the particular horizon that faces us is a result of the path that we are on, the choices that have been presented, the decisions that we have made up until this point. Louis Pasteur said “chance favors the prepared mind,” which for me sums ...

Feel the Freedom of the Mountain

by Joshua Wilson I carved left and right hitting the wake with such force that I soared into the air. The soft cushion of water greeted the bottom of my ski with joy. As the boat made a long gradual turn I took the opportunity to cut hard and turn myself around 180 degrees. As I faced backwards, I leaned even harder on the edge of my ski. My face came inches from the smooth surface of the water....

APU student becomes first AAUS Aquarium Diver through the APU Dive Program.

Anne Benolkin is the first APU student to complete her AAUS Aquarium Diver certification at the Alaska SeaLife Center. Through a directed study in Aquarium Diving and Husbandry in spring 2016 at APU, Anne gained skills in dive husbandry, dive safety and logistics, public communication, aquarium practices and natural history. Following is an excerpt of her experiences: “When I was nine...

Learning, Application, and Reflection – APU

By Alex Wilson A low lying fog obscures passing buildings and trees as I turn onto Farm Loop Rd. in Palmer, Alaska. I’m heading into one of my first mornings as an assistant instructor at Louise’s Farm School (now F.I.E.L.D. School). After a few weeks into the MSOEE program, I’m really starting to enjoy this unique mix of learning, application, and reflection. It’s apparent that I have ...

Most parents know the meaning of the word move

By Steve Rubinstein Most parents know the meaning of the word move. Maybe all too well. So do most kids. After all it is what kids do. It was they start doing, keep doing and to the sometimes frustration of their parents and teachers will not stop doing. As infants they move in whatever way they can, reaching out to grasp the world around them or touch whatever moves in front of them. As toddle...

We got all the time in the world – An Expedition Alaska Story

By Raina Panarese This is the moment I have been looking forward to for months. The mountain of gear and food is loaded, the group photos are taken, everyone has found a seat in the 16 foot rafts and we push off the muddy banked boat launch in the remote town of Eagle, Alaska. As the Yukon River begins to gently float us into true wilderness. I breath out a huge sign of relief and breath in the...

ES Faculty member Eloise Brown receives funding for Research Project on Invasive species in Kachemak Bay

Funded by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), undergraduate students Kaili Martin and Kailyn Singh will do fieldwork over the spring and summer to compare diver observations with GoPro video. The pair will look for epifauna on docks to determine the feasibility of identifying invasive species (primarily tunicates) by citizenship monitoring. The project includes Eloise Brown’s...

APU Students, Faculty, and Alumni present at marine biology conference

APU was well represented at the 50th anniversary of the Conference of the Biology of Marine Mammals! According to Professor Leslie Cornick Ph.D., there were 9 students and alumni attending, and 5 out of that number gave presentations! The topics covered by APU presentations were diverse and fascinating! One of the presenters, Chayo Fuentes, presented a poster on man-made contaminants found in l...

Brian Janson – A Master of Science in Outdoor and Environmental Education Student

By Shadow Silvers Here I am with Brian Janson, a graduate student at APU. I have decided to interview him to get a feel for the program he is currently attending, the Master of Science in Outdoor and Environmental Education program, so that we can gain a better understanding of the program and the students attending said program. Enjoy part two of three interviews with students graduating ...

Sarah Engstrom – A Master of Science in Outdoor and Environmental Education Student

By Shadow Silvers Here I am with Sarah Engstrom, a graduate student at APU. I have decided to interview her to get a feel for the program she is currently attending, the Master of Science in Outdoor and Environmental Education program, so that we can gain a better understanding of the program and the students attending said program. Enjoy part one of three interviews with students graduating in A...

November was a great month for the Fisheries, Aquatic Science and Technology Laboratory!

The Fisheries, Aquatic Science and Technology (FAST) Lab had a major presence Alaska’s largest gathering of fisheries professionals, the Alaskan Chapter of the American Fisheries Society annual meeting. This year the meeting was held in Homer on November 3 - 6. Students and faculty did an outstanding job of representing Alaska Pacific University and the FAST Lab through four poster presentations...

Mind: blown – An Expedition Alaska Story

By Rob Anderson Having never guided a raft down a river before, I wasn't sure what to expect from a ten day trip in the Alaskan bush. I had no idea that I was going to have my mind blown by the Northern Lights, or that I would sleep out under the stars with only a sleeping bag and a rainfly on top of me. Expedition Alaska took me to places that many people only dream of; to a part of Alaska...

Maggie Schaffer wins scholarship for fisheries science excellence

Undergraduate Maggie Schaffer has won a statewide competitive scholarship for students pursuing a degree in fisheries or aquatic science. Schaffer, Class of 2017, is the second APU student in the past three years to win the Molly Ahlgren scholarship, awarded by the Alaska Chapter of the American Fisheries Association. Schaffer will use her $5,000 scholarship to attend the chapter’s annual...

Heritage, skills, friends: Ashana Armstrong’s internship was all that and more

By Ashana Armstrong, APU undergraduate Marine Biology and Environmental Science Class of 2016 Something I always tell people about APU is that our students are really good at finding opportunity and going where it leads. I know because I’m one of those students. In the past few years, since I arrived on campus from Puyallup, Wash., my passion for marine biology and environmental scie...

Amber Peterson wants you to make the world a better place

Undergraduate Amber Peterson, ’16, will lead APU’s efforts as students vie for the Hult Prize for young social entrepreneurs. Top prize is $1 million. “What means a lot to me is being able to spotlight our smart, quick-witted students,” Peterson said. She was named in August. An Environmental Science major from Pittsburg, New Hampshire, Peterson is a resident adviser and a past presi...

Take the long way around and welcome to APU!

By Kaili Martin, ’18 I’m a person who knows what I do and don’t like. I like science, traveling and anything to do with water – swimming, scuba, marine organisms….I even like drinking the stuff. I do not like hot weather. I do not like humidity. I’ve never been to the desert, but I don’t think I’d like it. So naturally I chose to travel 5,000 miles from home to study mar...

The Gemini Diaries

By Amber Peterson It has only been a few weeks since I started in the Aquarium Lab here at Alaska Pacific University, but I have learned quite a bit about the animals we care for in the various aquariums. It is no surprise that our star is our Giant Pacific Octopus, Gemini. She is a gorgeous animal, with a personality to boot. You may be thinking to yourself that she's only an octopus, and that...

Professor Leslie Cornick Takes Students on a Whale Watch

On Saturday, April 25th, Alaska Pacific University Marine Biology Professor, Dr. Leslie Cornick, took students in her Marine Mammals class on a whale watch in Seward with Kenai Fjords Tours. The annual gray whale migration was underway and so they were not disappointed. With a beautiful day for viewing – overcast, no glare, slight drizzle and calm waters – students had the opportunity t...

Tori Norrell

Why was Alaska a good fit for your project? Though my thesis work took place in California, my research was heavily focused on the Western stock of Steller sea lions. Alaska was the perfect place for me to understand more completely what the decline of the Western stock meant, not just to the ecosystem, but to people who rely on the stock in various ways for their livelihood. Nowhere else in the ...

Brie A. Xavier, Class of 2012

I’m grateful to the Atwood Foundation and for scholarships that helped me accomplish so much Environmental science student Brie Xavier is turning her study of the life cycle of plants into a passion for teaching people about climate change. A native of Fall River, Mass., Brie attends Alaska Pacific University with help from scholarships and the Anchorage-based Atwood Foundation, an education ...

Eric Klein, MSES Class of 2004

Currently pursuing a doctorate in the Earth and Environmental Science Department at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. What convinced me to attend APU was the chance to be involved in meaningful research Eric Klein knew what he wanted from an environmental science degree. Challenging coursework was a given. To realize his goals, Eric’s program had to be grounded in scientific research w...