global glimpsesCenter for Global Change &

Arctic System Research

Volume 17 • No. 1 • December • 2010

The University of Alaska Fairbanks is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and educational institution.

Inside this Issue:❖ A generous gift will support future students - p. 2

❖ CGC welcomes new fiscal officer - p. 2

❖ 2010 Student Research Grant recipients and projects - p. 3

❖ Articles by past grant recipients Emily Lescak (p. 4), Sean Cahoon (p. 5)

❖ 2011 student competition overview - p. 7

❖ Where Are They Now? featuring past awardees: Jim Lawler (p. 8), Ross Coen (p. 9)

❖ Highlights of the student competition to date - p. 10

(Continued on p. 2)

UAF Undergraduates Design Axial-flux Wind Turbine for Rural AlaskaExploitation of the world’s fossil fuel reserves and current global warming trends have increased interest in moving away from burning hydrocarbons as our sole or primary source of heat energy. In addition, the production, trans-portation, and storage of hydrocarbon-based fuels often requires large amounts of hydrocarbon-based fuels with accompanying high economic as well as environmental impact. Fuel costs in rural Alaska have risen to unprec-edented heights; in some areas in western Alaska heat-ing oil is nearly twice the national average. Yet western coastal areas such as the Seward Peninsula often experience year-round winds rated by the U.S. Department of Energy as class 5 (excellent) to 7 (superb), which correspond to roughly 1000 watts per square meter of power. Around the lower Cook Inlet region near the small town of Nikiski, power densities are even higher and can exceed 1300 watts per square meter (National Renewable Energy Laboratory). Wind–diesel hybrid projects have already begun to contrib-ute to rural Alaska’s energy needs.

Ben Kellie and the UAF Wind Team (a small group of UAF undergraduate engineering students) used their CGC student research grant to develop a wind turbine that utilizes an axial-flux permanent magnet generator. The purpose of

The UAF Wind Team (left to right: Tristan Kitchin, Patrick O’Callaghan, Ben Kellie, Jet Tasker). Photo by Aurelia Korthauer.

building this turbine was to study the viability of axial-flux technology in rural Alaska. Wind turbines currently in use in Alaska utilize radial-flux technology. Radial-flux generators tend to operate at high revolutions per minute (RPM) and low torque (turning force), as opposed to an axial-flux design which operates on a low RPM and high torque. This makes axial-flux motors more suited for wind turbines because wind is a high torque, low RPM power source.

The team proposed an axial-flux turbine that would be simpler to construct and maintain in remote locations than a radial-flux turbine, because their turbine would be direct-drive with the rotation of the blades directly coupled to the motor rather than coupled to a gear box as is the case in radial-flux designs. This reduces the number of complex moving parts, which they hoped would decrease maintenance time and costs. Plus, their design would require relatively little wind to make the blades spin and produce energy.

Like the majority of axial-flux “home brew” wind turbines, the UAF Wind Team based their design on earlier work by Hugh Piggott (http://www.practicalaction.org/docs/energy/pmg_manual.pdf). However, to address issues relevant to rural operation they performed a complete mechanical rede-sign of the alternator, focusing on improved maintenance access, simple assembly, and component design modular-ity. Because the team wanted to develop a turbine suited to Alaska’s harsh weather conditions, they also considered environmental concerns such as temperature swings ranging

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Wind turbine: Continued from p. 1

between -50°F and +95° F, and snow and debris issues in their design, bench and field tests. Because winds in the Fairbanks area were not sufficient to field test their turbine, the UAF Wind Team took to Van Horn Road to conduct tests at 8–28 mph. Their truck testing yielded maximum RPMs (550 RPM) exceeding those achieved in bench testing, and indicated that the turbine has potential for approximately 700 watts per phase on their three-phase device, enough to be useful for the intended goal of battery charging. (Videos of the team’s truck testing and their

“how-to” manuscript documenting their design and manu-facturing process can be found at: http://www.cgc.uaf.edu/Newsletter/gg17_1/vol17_1_wind_team_links.html)

Although Ben Kellie is now in graduate school at Ohio State University, he plans to keep working with the wind turbine throughout graduate school. He cautions that their “how-to” manuscript is a very rough draft and says he’d love to get feedback on it. In continuing to develop the team’s wind turbine, Ben wrote, “My next plan is to build a unit that allows me to quickly and easily test different stator [the stationary part of a rotary device] configurations in order to optimize output. However, I have big plans for this first generation prototype. My dad [who lives in Nikiski, Alaska] actually became interested in it over the summer and we worked together to refine it. I am in talks with a professor at UAF to install it at his house and compare its performance to the commercial unit he already has installed. My other big project is to design blades optimized for that particular unit...I have started that now but it is very slow going.”

CGC is delighted to have played a part in developing this axial-flux wind turbine, and furthering Ben’s interest in the evolution of energy systems in Alaska. We join Ben in hoping that the UAF Wind Team’s project can continue to develop and make a real impact in the state. fThen-undergraduates Ben Kellie, Department of Mechanical Engineering, UAF, and co-PI Chase Rixie, Department of Electri-cal Engineering, UAF, received a Global Change Student Research Grant in 2009 for “Examining the effectiveness of axial flux perma-nent magnet generators for use in wind turbines.” To contact Ben, please e-mail the Center for Global Change, cgc@iarc.uaf.edu

Preparing to field test the axial-flux wind turbine. Photo by Ben Kellie.

Welcome, Sarah!In spring 2010, CGC had the good fortune to hire Sarah Garcia as their new fiscal officer. Sarah, originally from Corpus Christi, Texas, holds an MBA from UAF and comes

Sarah enjoys hiking, volunteering, hosting dinner parties, and spending time with her husband Jason and their new son, Jaxon. Sarah’s upbeat personality and friendly professional-ism make her a most welcome addition to the CGC team! f

“I strongly believe that the student grant program is very important. It allows students to pursue research that they are truly interested in rather than simply joining a proj-ect run by a professor. For the right kind of student, this leads to new worlds of education, confidence, leadership and a sense of accomplishing real work.”—Ben Kellie

Coming Full Circle: A Generous ContributionIn the June 2004 issue of this newsletter we reported briefly on “Hot Times in Alaska,” a new episode of the PBS series Scientific American Frontiers hosted by Alan Alda. We men-tioned the participation of several CGC-affiliated research-ers, including outgoing director Gunter Weller, incoming director John Walsh, and steering committee member Glenn Juday, along with many others from UAF. Now we are pleased to tell you about another chapter of the story!

After watching a recent rebroadcast of “Hot Times,” former Alaska resident Judy Belous, now of Spokane, Washington, was inspired to make a financial com-mitment to climate change research at UAF. Judy’s late husband Robert (Bob) spent 24 years working for the National Park Service and was instrumental in the pas-sage of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. He was a conservationist and wildlands advocate, and Judy has chosen to honor his

Robert Belous. Photo courtesy of Judy Belous.memory by establishing the Robert Belous Global Change Research Endowment. In time, it is anticipated that distribu-tions from this endowment will contribute funds toward the Global Change Student Research Grant Competition.

Judy’s generosity did not stop with the new endowment. She is also a new member of the UAF Legacy Society, and her estate gift will provide further support for students and faculty to continue cross-disciplinary research addressing global change and its impact on the Arctic and the world.

We thank Judy for her support! f

to CGC after many years' experi-ence in a variety of fiscal and grants management positions on campus. Two aspects of the new job particularly appeal to Sarah. She loves the direct interaction with students—something she’s missed since working at Financial Aid several years ago—and also the opportunity to support impor-tant research in an administrative capacity. When not at the office,

An unprecedented 71 proposals were submitted to the 2010 the Global Change Student Research Grant competition. The fol-lowing 18 projects were selected for support:

Undergraduate Awardees:

Samuel Herreid, Department of Geology and Geophysics, UAF: Effects of debris cover on glaciers in Alaska

Brady Salli, Department of Biological Sciences, UAA: Sex steroids as a modulator of circadian rhythms in an arctic migrant bird

Kyle Wendler, Department of Mechanical Engineering, UAF: Preservation of traditional ice cellars in permafrost

Graduate Awardees:

Andy Anderson-Smith, Department of Biological Sciences, UAA: What increasing NDVI values on the North Slope of Alaska really mean to understanding climate change on land: Experimental studies that mix shrub density manipulations, spectral and CO2 exchange measurements

Timothy Bartholomaus, Department of Geology and Geophysics, UAF: Physical oceanography and tidewater glacier dynamics at Yahtse Glacier, Alaska

Amber Churchill, Department of Biology and Wildlife, UAF: Nitrogen availability in boreal peatlands responding to climate change and its effect on vegetation community structure and primary productivity

Daniella Della-Giustina, Department of Physics, UAF: Regional modeling of Greenland outlet glaciers with the Parallel Ice Sheet Model

Michael Garvin, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, UAF: Whole mitochondrial genome analysis to uncover detailed genetic structure of chum salmon populations and possible historical refugia

Joshua Holbrook, Department of Mechanical Engineering, UAF: Determining anisotropic thermal conductivity of snow with needle probe measurements

Eunkyoung Hong, Institute of Northern Engineering, UAF: Estimating damages costs for Alaska infrastructure at risk from climate change

Santosh Panda, Department of Geology and Geophysics, UAF: Modeling permafrost dynamics along the Alaska Highway corridor, Interior Alaska

Emily Schwing, Department of Natural Resources Management, UAF: How will drought affect carbon storage in deciduous boreal forest soils?

Jill-Marie Seymour, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, UAF: Pacific Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) feeding ecology and possible links to Trichinellosis

Elizabeth Sharp, Department of Biological Sciences, UAA: Soil and plant N dynamics in the high Arctic: Long term multi-level warming and higher summer rainfall effects

Cory Stantorf, Department of Biological Sciences, UAA: To reproduce or not: Nutrition–hormonal influence on reproductive decisions in seasonally synchronous breeders

Tim Stevenson, Department of Biological Sciences, UAA: The effect of hibernation and active-season physiology on the gut microbial community of arctic ground squirrels

Michaela Swanson, Department of Biology and Wildlife, UAF: Coupling alder strategies for phosphorus assimilation with phosphorus biogeochemistry across a boreal forest successional sequence

James Willacker, Department of Biological Sciences, UAA: The role of temperature in tissue specific isotope fractionation and turnover in captive threespine stickleback

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2010 Student Research Grant Recipients

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Student Research Grant Project Articles—Past Recipients

Advantages and Disadvantages of Being Armored: Threespine Stickleback in Wallace Lake, Alaska by Emily Lescak, Department of Biological Sciences, UAA

What Are Stickleback and Why Are They Armored?

The threespine stickleback is a small fish (Figure 1) that is widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere. It is often used as a model organism for studies of evolution,

Oceanic stickleback began colonizing freshwater bodies about 10–15 thousand years ago at the glacial recession. The freshwater populations evolved in different environments, resulting in great variation among populations in behavior and morphology. One such source of variation is in the degree of pelvic armor that is expressed. The pelvic girdle is an external bony structure that protects the soft tissues of the fish from compression by a predator. The pelvic spines increase the fish’s size, making it difficult for a predator to swallow it. Pelvic armor reduction has evolved in many isolated freshwater lakes (Bell, 2001). Typically, these lakes contain insect predators, lack predatory fish, and have low calcium ion availability (Giles, 1983; Bell, 2001). Fully formed pelvic armor may be a disadvantage to individuals co-existing with insect predators because the insects may grasp onto the structure to aid capture and manipulation

population has also maintained a high proportion of individu-als with robust pelvic armor (Figure 3; Bell and Ortí, 1994). The Wallace Lake population lends itself to the study of selection pressures acting on the pelvic girdle because three factors known to affect this trait are present in the environ-ment: vertebrate predators, insect predators, and low dis-solved ion availability. Marine waters contain many more ions, which makes active uptake by the fish much easier. The ecology of Wallace Lake favors armor reduction because it has a low availability of dissolved ions, such as calcium,

development, and genetics because it is widespread, known to adapt rapidly to new environments, easy to catch and transport to the lab, and has a short generation time.

Figure 1. Adult male freshwater stickleback. Photo by M.S. Christy.

Figure 2. A dragonfly naiad with a captured stickleback, taken from a predation trial.

tions of sportfish beginning in the 1960s. Currently, there are northern pike in the lake, but the population has not flourished.

Effects of Ion Availability, Predatory Fish, and Predatory Insects

This study focused on the relationship between degree of pelvic armor (reduced or robust) and predation by two com-mon types of stickleback predators: rainbow trout and drag-onfly naiads (the water-dwelling larval stage of dragonflies), in a laboratory setting. By analyzing the morphology of eight years of seasonal samples of fish taken from Wallace Lake (Figure 4), I investigated two possible ways in which low ion availability may select for certain traits. I hypothesized that heightened physiological stress during winter months may result in increased mortality of individuals with robust pelvic girdles since they need to use more energy than individuals with pelvic reduction to actively take in ions for develop-ment and maintenance of their bony armor. Also, if individu-als with robust armor tended to have smaller body size, that would suggest that using energy for the active uptake of ions for development and maintenance of bony armor results in the reduction of energy to devote to body growth.

Even though Wallace Lake does not have a lot of dis-solved calcium and other ions necessary for bone develop-ment available in large quantities, stickleback with robust armor do not seem to be at a disadvantage when compared to those with armor reduction when it comes to body size and overwinter survivability. My experiments showed that

(Figure 2; Reimchen, 1980). Armor reduc-tion is likely favor-able in environments with low ion avail-ability as a means of energy savings (Giles, 1983; Bell et al., 1993)—it is energetically expensive to actively take in ions from the environment to develop and maintain bone (Dacke, 1979; Durham, 1991).

Wallace Lake Stickleback

Wallace Lake, located in southcentral Alaska, contains a pelvic-reduced stickleback population. Interestingly, this

Figure 3. The pelvic girdle. The individual on the left has evolved pelvic reduction, whereas the individual on the right has a complete pelvic girdle. Images by J. Willacker.

needed for form-ing armor, and abundant preda-tory macroinver-tebrates. There are no native or officially planted predatory fish in the lake, but residents have reported at least two introduc-

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trout successfully preyed more often upon individuals with pelvic reduction than on those with robust pelvic girdles. In contrast, I found that dragonfly naiads seem to selectively prey upon small individuals (juveniles) with robust pelvic girdles and large individuals (adults) with pelvic reduction. This can have profound implications for robustly armored stickleback. Juveniles with robust armor may develop at a faster rate, or if they are not surviving to reproductive age, the proportion of individuals in this population with this trait may decline.

Significance

Results from this study of the Wallace Lake population of threespine stickleback can be used to predict how other stickleback populations may respond to changes to their environments due to climate change, anthropogenic effects, or introduction of invasive species. Stickleback populations in the Cook Inlet region are of conservation concern because the wide variation seen in morphology and behavior among freshwater populations provides a rare opportunity to study evolution and adaptation using natural populations (von Hippel, 2008). Results from my trout experiments support my hypothesis that pelvic-reduced stickleback populations are at a higher risk of local extinction from introductions of predatory fish than populations that have not evolved pelvic reduction. This result, coupled with previous research on dif-ferential susceptibility to predation by predatory fish, makes a compelling case for disallowing stocking of sport fish in lakes containing pelvic-reduced stickleback populations in Cook Inlet and elsewhere. Lastly, stickleback populations with armor reduction provide naturally occurring systems in which to study bone loss. By studying an organism with a genetic architecture similar to our own in its ecological context, both the genetic and environmental factors that lead to bone density variation and loss can be considered.

ReferencesBell, M.A. 2001. Lateral plate evolution in the threespine stickle-

back: Getting nowhere fast. Genetica 112–113:445–461.Bell, M.A. and G. Ortí. 1994. Pelvic reduction in threespine

stickleback from Cook Inlet lakes: Geographical distribution and intrapopulation variation. Copeia 2:314–325.

Bell, M.A., G. Ortí, J.A. Walker and J.P. Koenings. 1993. Evolu-tion of pelvic reduction in threespine stickleback fish: a test of competing hypotheses. Evolution 47:906–914.

Dacke, C.G. 1979. Calcium Regulation in Sub-mammalian Verte-brates. Academic Press, New York.

Durham, W.H. 1991. Coevolution: Genes, Culture, and Human Diversity. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California.

Giles, N. 1983. The possible role of environmental calcium levels during the evolution of phenotypic diversity in Outer Hebridean populations of the three-spined stickleback. Journal of Zoology, London 199:535–544.

Reimchen, T.E. 1980. Spine deficiency and polymorphism in a population of Gasterosteus aculeatus: an adaptation to predators. Canadian Journal of Zoology 58:1232–1244.

von Hippel, F.A. 2008. Conservation of threespine and ninespine stickleback radiations in the Cook Inlet Basin, Alaska. Behaviour 145:693–724. f

Figure 4. The author trapping stickleback at Wallace Lake. Unbaited mesh minnow traps set nearshore and left overnight are used to capture fish. Photo by C. Stantorf.

Caribou and Muskoxen Mediate Carbon Cycle Responses to Climate Change in West Greenlandby Sean Cahoon, Department of Biological Sciences and the Environmental and Natural Resources Institute, UAA (M.S. 2010; currently pursuing a Ph.D. at Pennsylvania State University)

Background

Arctic terrestrial ecosystems are undergoing widespread and rapid transformations due to changes in climate. The feedbacks associated with changes in Arctic vegetation have global implications, as altered energy and carbon budgets can accelerate or dampen future warming. Previous efforts to understand the mechanisms responsible for ecosystem–atmosphere feedbacks have primarily focused on ecosystem responses to manipulating environmental factors such as temperature and/or precipitation. Rarely, however, have her-bivores been considered a significant factor in determining how the carbon cycle responds to warming. Large herbivores interact with their environment by consuming preferred for-age species, which can result in an altered vegetation com-munity, in turn affecting carbon cycle processes. This study explicitly incorporated the browsing behavior of caribou and muskoxen with experimental warming to investigate how animals and increases in temperature can interact to affect the carbon cycle in a common tundra ecosystem.

Study Site and Research Goals

This study was conducted inland from the western coast of Greenland near the town of Kangerlussuaq (67.11°N,

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50.37°W). Vegetation is a mosaic of shrub and grass tun-dra, dominated by dwarf birch (Betula nana), gray willow (Salix glauca) and common meadow grasses (Poa pratensis, Kobresia myosuroides and Eriophorum sheuchzeri). The region is home to a resident population of muskoxen and is used as a calving area and summer range for a migra-tory population of caribou. Our team from UAA (led by my major professor Jeffrey Welker, PI on a larger NSF project that also partially supported this effort, and Patrick Sullivan) collaborated with Penn State University professor Eric Post (UAF alumni) at his ongoing long-term research site which consists of large exclosure fences that were erected in 2002 to prevent caribou and muskoxen foraging. To simulate realistic increases in air temperature, a passive warming technique was deployed in 2003 with the use of open-top chambers (OTC)—circular, fiberglass cones (1.5 m basal diameter) that increase air temperatures by 1–3°C, within the range of current warming projections. OTCs were randomly assigned to plots within and adjacent to the exclosures, and paired with ambient plots that did not receive the warming treatment.

Since 2002, Post and his colleagues have documented dramatic changes in community composition in response to experimental warming and exclusion of caribou and muskoxen. One of the primary findings is the divergence in shrub biomass in response to warming with and without herbivores present (Post and Pedersen, 2008). After just five years, there was a dramatic shift from a grass-dominated community in the presence of herbivores to a shrub-dominated system upon their exclusion.

With these well-documented changes in community com-position in mind, our goal was to quantify the carbon cycle in response to the same herbivore exclusion and experimen-tal warming treatment. We hypothesized that (1) warming would lead to increases in both ecosystem photosynthesis (a measure of carbon uptake) and respiratory carbon loss from plants and soil microbes, (2) the dominance of shrubs within the exclosures would result in the highest rates of leaf area index (LAI) and thus, ecosystem photosynthesis, and (3) that large herbivores play a key role in determining net ecosystem carbon dioxide (CO2) exchange (the net dif-ference between respiratory and photosynthetic processes) and thereby mediate the carbon cycle feedback to climate warming.

Methods and Primary Findings

In May of 2009 we traveled to Kangerlussuaq on board specially equipped C-130 Hercules cargo planes operated by the 109th Air National Guard based in Scotia, NY. Shortly after organizing ourselves and our gear at the field site, we set out quantifying the carbon cycle on a weekly basis from early June to mid-August. We used a portable photosyn-thesis system to measure CO2 flux which was plumbed to a custom-built clear chamber (70 x 70 x 70 cm) (see photo). The chamber was moved from plot to plot and the exchange of CO2 between the ecosystem and the atmosphere was mea-

sured and recorded over a period of 60 seconds. Thanks to a separate Center for Global Change Student Research Grant awarded to UAA undergraduate student Ty Spaulding and a generous donation from Decagon Devices, we also quanti-fied weekly leaf area index (LAI) with concurrent CO2 flux measurements during the 2009 growing season to identify functional similarities between canopy structure and photo-synthesis. Additional field support came from the National Science Foundation’s Research Experience for Undergradu-ates (REU) program awardee Eian Prohl (University of New Hampshire) who gained hands-on experience using the gas analyzer and LAI probe, and was an immeasurable source of assistance throughout the 2009 season.

In both 2008 and 2009, the exclusion of herbivores led to significant increases in net carbon uptake (i.e., a greater CO2 sink), greater leaf area, and higher rates of ecosystem photo-synthesis (see figure below). Warming within the exclosures enhanced this response, leading to increases of 30%, 10% and 22% in leaf area, ecosystem photosynthesis and net CO2 exchange, respectively, when compared to ambient plots within the exclosures. In contrast, warming did not lead to detectable differences in CO2 flux or leaf area when com-pared to plots that were exposed to caribou and muskoxen.

Sean Cahoon (right) and Brett Frazer (left) conduct CO2 flux mea-surements inside an animal exclosure fence near Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. Passive warming chambers (OTCs) are visible in the background. Photo courtesy of Henning Thing.

Net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE) averaged across all dates in 2008 and 2009. Negative fluxes represent ecosystem CO2 uptake and positive fluxes indicate release of CO2 to the atmosphere. Bars are ± 1.0 S.E.

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Contrary to our first hypothesis, warming did not increase ecosystem respiration, indicating that the observed differ-ences in net CO2 exchange were primarily driven by ecosys-tem photosynthesis. Our second hypothesis was verified, as we found a strong linear relationship between shrub cover and leaf area. After eight years of excluding herbivores, the dramatic increase in shrubs has led to greater leaf area, resulting in a stronger carbon sink. The observation that the positive response to warming was negated when herbivores were present supported our third hypothesis that herbivores play a primary role in determining the magnitude and pattern of the carbon cycle at our site in west Greenland. Together, these results indicate that herbivore populations in the Arctic can suppress CO2 uptake and mediate carbon cycle responses to warming.

Broader Implications

The support provided by the Center for Global Change has significantly improved our understanding of the key role herbivores play in determining the strength and pattern of the arctic carbon cycle—a major goal of this research. We have shown that when large herbivores are experimen-tally removed, deciduous shrubs rise to dominance and the system becomes a much stronger sink for atmospheric CO2. Additionally, our results provide an important caveat to the observed expansion of woody shrubs throughout the Arctic (Tape et al., 2006), with broad implications for the carbon cycle and feedbacks to the climate system. The presence of caribou and muskoxen may depress the climate-driven expansion of woody shrubs and, in turn, weaken the poten-tial for carbon uptake. For example, recent observations from Fennoscandia indicate that shrub expansion (mainly Betula nana) correlated strongly with annual warming when reindeer were excluded, however, the presence of reindeer drastically inhibited shrub expansion thus preserving open heathlands (Olofsson et al., 2009). Furthermore, shrubs are darker than the grass communities they replace and therefore decrease surface albedo and dissipate incoming solar radia-tion as sensible heat, providing a strong positive feedback to near-surface warming. Our findings provide plot-level experimental evidence to support regional observations in Fennoscandia. Indeed, these results clearly demonstrate that biological factors (e.g., large herbivores) play a major role in land surface changes by reducing shrub cover and decreasing carbon uptake, an overlooked but potentially important factor in determining future changes in climate.

ReferencesOlofsson, J., L. Oksanen, T. Callaghan, P.E. Hulme, T. Oksanen

and O. Suominen. 2009. Herbivores inhibit climate-driven shrub expansion on the tundra. Global Change Biology 15:2681–2693.

Post, E. and C. Pedersen. 2008. Opposing plant community respons-es to warming with and without herbivores. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the U.S.A. 105:12353–12358.

Tape, K., M. Sturm and C. Racine. 2006. The evidence for shrub expansion in Northern Alaska and the Pan-Arctic. Global Change Biology 12:686–702. f

Overview of the 2011 Global Change Student Research Grant Competition

Synopsis of Program:The Global Change Student Research Grant Competi-tion provides support to students for research related to global change with a focus on arctic and subarctic boreal regions (to include but not limited to North America). This competition is designed to give students experience with proposal writing and the peer review system as practiced by natural and social science funding agencies. We seek proposals involving the environmental, social or engi-neering components of global change (to include but not limited to climate change) and its effect upon arctic or subarctic processes, ecosystems, and/or societies. Stu-dents must place the proposed work in an interdisciplin-ary context by explaining its relevance to other academic disciplines and endeavors.

Award Information: • Anticipated funding: $150,000 pending availability of

funds. • Estimated number of awards: 10 to 20—the number of

awards depends on the average award size and dura-tion of the most competitive proposals.

Eligibility Information:• Applicants must have graduate or undergraduate

status in a degree-granting program at UAF or UAA at the time the research will be conducted. Graduate and undergraduate proposals will be evaluated separately.

• Applicants may submit only one proposal each year.• Proposal must be written entirely by the student PI(s).• Applicants should request a start date of no earlier

than 1 July 2011 and no later than 1 January 2012. Funds for a 1-year project or the first year of a 2-year project must be spent by 30 June 2012, and for the second year of a 2-year project by 30 June 2013, regardless of the start date.

• Graduate proposals will be accepted for 1 or 2 year durations with budgets up to $10,000 per year. Year 2 funding will be contingent on submission of a satisfac-tory progress report and availability of funds.

• Undergraduate proposals are limited to 1 year for a total of up to $10,000.

Deadline: [NOTE: EARLIER THAN LAST YEAR!]• Proposals containing all required elements are due

(electronic only to: susan.sugai@alaska.edu and cgc@iarc.uaf.edu) Friday, 11 February at 5 p.m.

Program Contact: Susan Sugai, 305 Akasofu Building (IARC); 907-474-5415; susan.sugai@alaska.edu

Complete guidelines are at http://www.cgc.uaf.edu. READ AND FOLLOW THEM CAREFULLY. Lack of adherence to guidelines may result in a proposal being returned without review.

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Jim Lawler: Reflecting on Change

Things have definitely changed over the past 15 years. Back in 1995 when Jim Lawler, then a UAF doctoral

student working on muskoxen, applied for a Global Change Student Research Grant, climate change was still a fairly low-profile issue in many quarters. Now it is a critical con-cern for natural resource agencies such as the National Park Service (NPS), where Jim now works, as they strive to fulfill their mission in the face of increasing ecological and physical changes in the environment.

Jim began his employment with the NPS about 14 years ago, while still working on his Ph.D. His first position was as a wildlife biologist with Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve and Yukon–Charley Rivers National Preserve, where he contributing to a variety of wildlife projects focused mainly on large mammals. These ranged from basic monitoring work, such as moose population surveys, to looking at the response of caribou to military jet overflights in the Yukon–Charley Rivers National Preserve. About four years ago, Jim became the program manager for a long-term ecological monitoring program for the five

caribou. Information on nutritional condition of these arctic ungulates will be useful to the NPS and other resource man-agers to help evaluate population fluctuations and changes in distribution. Not surprisingly, there is a lot of interest in what will happen to Arctic ungulates under various climate change scenarios.” Dave now works at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Alaska Science Center in Anchorage, and Jim looks forward to continuing their collaboration in the near future.

Jim’s reflections on his own experience with the student grant competition back in 1995 are still relevant for today’s prospective applicants: “Competing for a CGC grant is a great opportunity to develop grant writing skills that you will use throughout your career as a scientist. It will also give you the opportunity to get feedback from some smart interdisciplinary folks who are outside the sphere of your graduate committee. And, of course, if you are successful in securing an award, it is a great thing to be able to put on a CV. However, I found that one of the most valuable aspects

Right: Jim Lawler in 1995 (CGC archives). Below: Jim preparing to radiocollar a caribou in fall 2007. Photo courtesy of Jim Lawler.

Where Are They Now?On these two pages we are pleased to offer a double feature with the fifth and...

northernmost parks. This network, called the Arctic Network (http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/units/arcn/), encompasses approximately 19 million acres or slightly less than 25% of all the land that the NPS manages. Jim notes that ecologists and monitoring efforts associated with this program are quite diverse and range from monitoring coastal erosion and permafrost to yellow-billed loons and Dall’s sheep.

Recently, Jim has had the oppor-tunity to work closely with other for-mer student grant recipients, such as Kumi Rattenbury, whose project “Implications of observed climate change for reindeer herding on the Seward Penin-sula, Alaska” was funded in 2004. Kumi graduated from UAF with an M.S. in 2007, and she is now an ecologist with the Arctic Network, working primarily on monitoring popu-lation levels and distribution of Dall’s sheep, one of many species that may be adversely affected by climate change in the northern parks.

Another close connection is with Dave Gustine, a 2010 UAF graduate who was funded in 2007. Jim says “I had the great pleasure to be one of Dave’s committee members while he was working on his PhD. Dave completed much of his fieldwork in the Arctic Network of Parks using isotopes to look at late winter nutritional condition of muskoxen and

of competing for the CGC grant was the opportunity to spend some time think-ing about and reading material on cli-mate change in order to put together a competitive grant proposal. I think that as a graduate student it is very easy to get focused on details, and competing for a CGC grant forces one to look at the big climate change picture.”

This big-picture perspective has served Jim well in his professional career. “The interdisciplinary nature of global change research is perfectly reflected in my current position. The NPS, as a land management agency, requires a broad range of information that can only be obtained through inter-disciplinary work. The NPS is in the same boat as other natural resources

agencies, in that the resources we are mandated to protect and sustain are at substantial risk due to climate change. In some instances the principal reasons these areas were set aside as conservation areas may be at risk. Take for example the risks to coastal archaeological and cultural resources in Cape Krusenstern National Monument due to the combined effects of melting permafrost, sea level rise, decreased sea ice and the associated changes in coastal erosion.” Jim goes on to say “the urgency associated with climate change has become increasingly apparent in the years since I received my CGC award, to the point that now all natural resources agencies in Alaska are thinking and planning for future cli-mate scenarios and are expecting their staffs to be fluent in the expected changes associated with climate change.” f

global glimpses Page 9

Ross Coen: Telling Your Story

2003 awardee Ross Coen benefited from his experience with the Global Change Student Research Grant Competition in a great many ways, not the least of which was the actual fund-ing he received, which paid for two trips to examine primary source documents related to his project. But perhaps equally important was the realization that good proposal writing amounts to telling a story. “So often in academia we focus only on the delivery of facts and figures. We forget that nar-ratives are important. Tell a good story and you bring people along and help them discover what’s important about your work.” In the case of his Masters program in Northern Stud-ies, where he researched an icebreaking oil tanker called the

ronment—for which my UAF academic experience, which similarly focused on both the physical and social sciences, prepared me well.” Proposal writing is an important part of his position. “In the past 18 months, I along with my col-leagues at ACEP and TCC have submitted numerous propos-als to federal, state, and private funding agencies, bringing in just over $2 million in research and project funding.”

Another aspect of the student competition that Ross found particularly valuable was the reviews. “For many graduate students, myself included, such a student grant competition was likely one of the first in which they ever participated and thus represented an initial foray beyond the often insular nature of one’s own department and advisory committee. The feedback on my proposal, including its strengths and

sixth installments of our ongoing series featuring past student awardees.

Ross Coen speaking about renewable energy at a com-munity meeting in Galena in April 2010. Photo courtesy of Ross Coen.

SS Manhattan and its relation-ship to the Arctic environment, Ross says “the CGC review process helped me understand that I could use the narrative structure of the tanker’s North-west Passage voyage to intro-duce the broader themes of my work, including climate change and international environmental policy.”

Since graduating from UAF in 2005, Ross has continued to ben-efit professionally from his stu-dent competition experience, his ability to combine the social and physical sciences, and an appre-ciation for the value of effective communication. Immedi-ately following graduation, he spent a year teaching English in Hiroshima, Japan. After returning to the U.S., he worked for the Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S. on writing, editing, and administration of federally funded research in the circumpolar North. He then lived briefly in Washington, D.C., where he was Senator Ted Stevens’ Climate Change Policy Analyst on the Senate Commerce, Science and Trans-portation Committee, a position which brought him into contact with climate researchers from around the country while at the same time putting to use his writing, editing, and policy skills.

Ross currently works for the UAF Alaska Center for Energy and Power (ACEP) on a program of rural energy development that is jointly sponsored by Tanana Chiefs Con-ference (TCC). The program is designed to match the engi-neering and technical expertise of ACEP with the community service capacity of TCC to facilitate long-term energy solu-tions for rural residents. “I often say the position is at the very intersection of technology, policy, and the human envi-

weaknesses, helped to shape my thoughts about what aspects of my research were important and perhaps more valuable than others. Even, or perhaps especially, when the review came from faculty out-side of my academic discipline, it included insightful comments for which I was grateful.”

Ross has some practical advice for social science students think-ing about submitting their own proposal to the CGC competition. “Spend time in other departments just talking to students and profes-sors. Attend a lecture or seminar on

the ‘other’ side of campus. That’s how ideas are triggered.” Referring to his own experience with UAF researchers as an example, he says “I can talk with Larry Hinzman about per-mafrost or John Walsh about sea ice or Matt Nolan about gla-ciers and probably not understand half of what they say. But just the act of talking gets me thinking about how changing permafrost conditions will impact the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, which in turn will affect federal environmental policy, which has its own historical context that must be understood—and just like that we’re back on my home turf.”

And for any student applying to the competition, he has a couple of recommendations. “Become familiar with the focus and guidelines of the competition and keep them fore-most in mind as you proceed. Then consider how a CGC grant would contribute to both your own degree program AND the field in which you are working. CGC is making an investment in its awardees that must pay a two-fold return. Personal professional development is certainly a worthy goal, but don’t lose sight of the fact that you, award in hand, will be in a position to contribute to the literature of your field. That’s the story you tell in your proposal.” f

Page 10 global glimpses

"With the career goal of becoming a research professor, opportunities to develop skills in grant writing, budgeting, and synthesis that are gained through programs such as the Global Change Grant competition were critical to my development as a young scientist.”—Katey Walter Anthony, 2001 recipient; Research Assistant Professor, University of Alaska Fairbanks

“The aspect I most appreciated about the program is that I was entrusted with a fair amount of responsibility and had full ownership of my project. This gave me a unique perspective on the entire process of doing research. In particular, it opened my eyes to the complex range of decisions necessary when managing and funding a research effort.” —Anthony Arendt, 2004 recipient; Research Assistant Professor, University of Alaska Fairbanks

“The grant from CGC made my ambitious fieldwork plan possible. It was a somewhat expensive plan (for a one-person social science project), but mainly it was also more dangerous and logistically complicated than most, meaning that some funding agencies were unwilling to take a risk on it. Having the support of CGC gave credibility to my project and doubtlessly aided me in securing other critical grants.”—Stacey Fritz, 2008 recipient; Anthropologist/Subsistence Specialist, Bureau of Land Management

The Center for Global Change has been administering the Global Change Student Research Grant Competition since 1993. Here we share some highlights....

Awards totaling approximately $1.3 million have been made to graduate and • undergraduate students at UAF and, in 2009 and 2010, also at UAA.

Funding from this competition has contributed to the completion of 9 Bachelor, 64 • Masters, and 62 Ph.D. degrees, with many more still in progress.

Our student awardees have been highly successful in their careers after graduation. • Of the approximately 110 awardees who are no longer students or post-doctoral fellows, twenty-five have academic faculty positions; 13 in Alaska. Twenty have positions in state and federal agencies, 15 in Alaska.

The overwhelming majority of our past awardees point to the pivotal role the • competition and award played in their professional training and future career. A few examples follow...

global glimpses Page 11

“The global context of the grant competition helps to reorient the student to considering the application of their project to industry, management, and/or academia.”—Kalei Shotwell, 2002 recipient; Fisheries Biologist, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

“I think the CGC sets a great example for the university by funding diverse and interesting research, but also through its detailed and instructive feedback processes. I learned more about funding proposals through my first, failed CGC submission, than I did writing other proposals. The thoughtful and constructive critiques and the level of honesty and transpar-ency in the review process is very helpful for students who have not written many proposals before.” –Grant Shimer, 2008 recipient; Ph.D. student in Geology, University of Alaska Fairbanks

“Writing for a CGC award was an important part of my graduate education in that it required that I come up with testable hypotheses and draw up a research design that could stand up to rigorous peer review. . . . I believe that the interdisciplinary emphasis is a strength of the program and development of this type of thinking is beneficial to anyone working in science today.”—Loren Buck, 1994 recipient; Associate Professor, University of Alaska Anchorage

“Experiencing a project from the design phase through to publication is a rewarding process, and one that not all graduate students get to experience. Reality dictates that this process repeats itself almost continuously if one stays in science and the global change grant is great because it's not as extensive but follows the same process. I also gained a wonderful sense of ownership with the project that really motivated me to do good work.” —Shad O’Neel, 1998 recipient; Research Geophysicist, U.S. Geological Survey

“Traveling to Nome and surrounding villages for interviews and to main-tain my weather stations and run snow transects would not have been possible without this (CGC award). I am also glad for the opportunity to have shared what I have learned with (reindeer) herders, their families, and with children in the region who share the herding heritage.” –Kumi Rattenbury, 2004 recipient; Ecologist, National Park Service

“This grant provides motivation to see the project through to the end—to transform a col-lection of ideas into a workable plan that produces results.” —Jim McNamara, 1993 recipient; Professor, Boise State University

Page 12 global glimpses

A campus-wide framework for linking knowledge and people

P.O. Box 757740Fairbanks, AK 99775-7740907-474-5818cgc@iarc.uaf.eduhttp://www.cgc.uaf.edu

global glimpsesis published by the Center for Global Change and Arctic System Research, University of Alaska Fairbanks.

This and previous issues are available for download at http://www.cgc.uaf.edu/ Newsletter/index.html. Requests for a free sub- scription or additional copies should be sent to Barb Hameister, newsletter editor, at cgc@iarc.uaf.edu.

REMINDER! Proposal Writing Course Available at UAF for Graduate StudentsMSL F601, Proposal Writing, aims to familiarize students with the proposal writing process, covering some common rules about good proposal writing, the different parts of a typical proposal, good practices and common mistakes. Instructor Katrin Iken, a member of the Center for Global Change steering committee, notes that several successful applicants to the Global Change Student Research Grant competition in recent years have been graduates of the course. Typically offered during Fall semester, the course is one credit, and graduate status is recommended. Students interested in learning more about the course should contact Katrin Iken at 474-5192 or iken@ims.uaf.edu. f

Center for Global ChangeScience Steering CommitteeOur steering committee consists primarily of faculty drawn from diverse departments and units from across campus. For links to information about each member, see http://www.cgc.uaf.edu/steer.html.

Committee Members:Uma Bhatt, Atmospheric Sciences/Geophysical Institute*Nancy Bigelow, Alaska Quaternary CenterCraig Gerlach, Cross-Cultural StudiesRolf Gradinger, Institute of Marine ScienceLarry Hinzman, International Arctic Research CenterKatrin Iken, Institute of Marine ScienceJay Jones, Institute of Arctic BiologyGlenn Juday, Forest ScienceGary Kofinas, RAP/Institute of Arctic BiologyPia Kohler, Political ScienceNicole Mölders, Atmospheric Sciences/Geophysical Institute*Maribeth Murray, AnthropologyDiane O'Brien, Institute of Arctic BiologyBill Schnabel, Water and Environmental Research CenterPeter Schweitzer, AnthropologyBill Simpson, Chemistry & BiochemistryElena Sparrow, International Arctic Research Center *Susan Sugai, Assoc. Director, Center for Global ChangeRick Thoman, National Weather ServiceMartin Truffer, Geophysical InstituteDavid Valentine, Forest ScienceDave Verbyla, Forest Science*John Walsh, Director, Center for Global Change*Becky Warren, Student LiaisonDan White, Institute of Northern EngineeringMat Wooller, Water and Environmental Research Center* Denotes ex officio member

UAF Weekly Science Calendar

The UAF Weekly Science Calendar, a service of the Center for Global Change in support of the UAF community, has undergone some changes and is now available on Google Calendar. We invite you to visit http://www.cgc.uaf.edu/calendar.html to learn more!

Ten Simple Rules...Students and faculty alike will find useful resources athttp://www.ploscollections.org/article/browseIssue.action?issue=info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fissue.pcol.v03.i01#top (or just search for "10 simple rules bourne"). Choose from "Ten Simple Rules for...

...getting a grant" ...getting published" ...a successful collaboration" ...selecting a postdoctoral position" ...making good oral presentations" ...a good poster presentation"

and many other relevant topics, written by PLoS (Public Library of Science) Computational Biology Editor-in-Chief Philip E. Bourne and collaborators. Give it a try! f

See page 7 for a brief overview of the 2011 Global Change Student Research Grant Competition. Full guidelines are available online at http://www.cgc.uaf.edu or in hardcopy from the Center for Global Change, 306 Akasofu (IARC), or the Graduate School, 202 Eielson. READ AND FOLLOW THEM CAREFULLY. Lack of adherence to guidelines may result in a proposal being returned without review.