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Tyler Cushman headshot
Tyler Cushman, B.S. ‘19

Space Grant awarded to study corrosion

In June 2021, mechanical engineering alumnus Tyler Cushman, B.S. ’19, was awarded funding from the Alaska Space Grant Program. The award will fund his graduate fellowship to work on the project titled, Measuring Aerosol Chlorides for Atmospheric Corrosion Studies in Cold Arctic Climate.

In Alaska, accounting for corrosion is of particular interest to some of the state’s largest industries and the structures they maintain, such as the pipelines that snake through the freezing tundras and the docks that withstand the crashing ocean waves.

Working under project principal investigator and UAA mechanical engineering Assistant Professor Raghu Srinivasan, Ph.D., Cushman has designed and fabricated four test racks — tripods that hold different metal samples at zero-, 30- and 45-degree angles to control how fast water and snow run off of the metals. Over an eight-month period in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Kodiak, these test racks will study how the differing propagation of moisture on the samples affects corrosion rates.

Lessie Kincaid headshot
Lessie Kincaid, B.S. ’13

Four members join UAAAA board of directors

Connecting over Zoom during the annual Alumni Assembly on June 16, 2021, outgoing UAA Alumni Association board members Lea Bouton, M.A.T. ’10; Stacey Lucason, B.A. ’18; Megan Moore, B.A. ’08; and Jonathon Taylor, B.A. ’16 were bid farewell at the end of their terms. Four new board members were voted in to take their place: Daniel Hart, B.S. 10; Leila Kimbrell, B.A. ’02, C.T.2. ’02; Lessie Kincaid, B.S. ’13; and Tana Skye Nevada, B.B.A. ’16.
Save Seawolf Hockey founder Kathie Bethard, UAA Director of Athletics Greg Myford, UAA Chancellor Sean Parnell and Seawolf hockey alumnus Jim Mayes, B.Ed. ’94
From left: Save Seawolf Hockey founder Kathie Bethard, the late UAA Director of Athletics Greg Myford, UAA Chancellor Sean Parnell and Seawolf hockey alumnus Jim Mayes, B.Ed. ’94.

UAA hockey team reinstated

On Aug. 31, 2021, Chancellor Parnell announced the Seawolf hockey program had surpassed its fundraising mark of $3 million, resulting in the D-I team’s reinstatement and paving the way for the team to resume play in the 2022-23 season.

Fundraising goals, established in September 2020 by the University of Alaska Board of Regents, provided an opportunity for the hockey program to earn reinstatement by securing private funding equivalent to two years of team operating expenses by Aug. 30, 2021. The current total raised behind the Save Seawolf Hockey effort is more than $3.1 million, assuring hockey’s future in Seawolf Nation.

Moving forward, UAA Athletics will partner with the Seawolf 5th Line, a newly named organization of community supporters and fans, to plan and execute multiple aspects of the team’s operations, including continued fundraising support and outreach to grow the UAA hockey fan base. Additionally, the program anticipates active outreach on campus so that students can benefit from hands-on experience in the team’s growth and success.

UAA 2021 Top Forty under Forty

Nine UAA alumni named Top Forty Under 40 in 2021

The Alaska Journal of Commerce released its annual list of the top young professionals in the state. Selected from a field of 114 nominations, the 2021 Top Forty Under 40 recipients exemplify excellence in professional and community service. Congratulations to all awardees, including the following nine Seawolf alumni who made this year’s list: Zachary Aregood, B.B.A ’16; Jenny Di Grappa, C.T.1. ’14, B.S. ’14; Nyabony Gat, B.S. ’19; Matt Holta, B.B.A. ’07; K.C. Hostetler, B.A. ’12; Lessie Kincaid, B.S. ’13; Sharity Sommer, B.A. ’09; Miranda Strong, B.A. ’08; and Tosha Swan, B.A. ’07;
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