UAA Alumni Spirit Fall/Winter 2025

UAA Alumni Spirit Fall/Winter 2025 Cover
AI GRADUATE DEGREES | LANGUAGE COMPUTER GAME | AMAZON ALUMNUS
UAA Alumni Spirit
fall/winter 2025 • Issue 24
A banner-style composite image showing five people in different professional environments.<br /> From left to right:<br /> A smiling woman wearing glasses gestures while speaking in a group discussion.<br /> A person in outdoor safety gear writes notes while looking through surveying equipment.<br /> Two women standing side by side smile, posed outside near buildings.<br /> A man in a coat and tie smiles with an outdoor city backdrop behind him.<br /> A woman seated indoors with a blue-toned background smiles toward the camera.

Index

UAA Alumni Spirit • Fall/Winter 2025 • ISSUE 24

FEATURES

  1. New AI graduate programs prepare students for the future
    Complementary graduate programs at the College of Engineering and the College of Business and Public Policy teach students how to develop and implement AI.
  2. Powered by purpose
    Inspired by the potential AI has to aid nonprofits, business analytics and AI alumna Terri Coker manages UAA’s Alaska Data Science and AI Lab where she connects visitors to solutions.
  3. Gaming gets serious
    Developed by researchers across disciplines and continents, which include interdisciplinary alumna Donita Slawson, the video game Dnigi teaches Dena’ina language and heritage.
  4. Intern to architect
    As a solutions architect at Amazon Web Services, computer science alumnus John Boren helps businesses integrate AI, enabling them to focus on the big picture.
  5. Locating abandoned oil and gas wells with drones and AI
    Using cutting-edge technology, geomatics graduate student Hoyt Thomas aims to locate uncapped and improperly sealed oil and gas wells that can pose risks to the public.
  6. Building Our Community
    UAA’s largest alumni tradition, over 230 graduates and partners returned to Cuddy Hall to reconnect with their Hometown U while raising funds for the UAA Alumni Scholarship.
  7. Sister act: Building community together
    Homecoming Luncheon keynote speakers, civil engineering alumni and sisters Melissa Branch and Stephanie Mormilo talk about their foundations as engineers to the future of the community.

DEPARTMENTS

  1. From the editor
  2. From an alumnus
  3. from the chancellor
  4. news briefs
  5. Class notes
  6. Lens on campus

ON THE COVER

Morning clouds over UAA’s Consortium Library.

From the Editor

The future, by definition, is uncertain. Yet this moment — both socially and professionally — feels like one of profound transformation. To prepare for that change successfully, being equipped with the right tools has never been more essential.

In this issue of Spirit, we explore how UAA and its alumni are navigating the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence (AI). On campus, new programs in the College of Engineering and the College of Business and Public Policy are preparing students to thrive in this technological era, ensuring Alaska remains at the forefront of innovation.

From an Alumnus

Artificial intelligence is transforming how we work, learn and connect, opening up new ways to solve problems, spark creativity and bring people together. At UAA, we believe preparing for the future means more than mastering the latest tools; it means using them thoughtfully, with care for people, communities and the world around us.

That responsibility is already at the heart of the Seawolf experience. In classrooms and labs, our students are turning curiosity into action. They’re building the skills to balance innovation with ethics, and creativity with accountability. These aren’t just academic exercises, they’re lessons in how to meet the future with both wisdom and skill.

From the Chancellor

At UAA, we believe your future should be as bold and unique as you are. And as someone who’s spent a lifetime in education and community service, I can tell you that there’s no better place to begin, continue or return to your educational journey than right here at UAA.

New AI Graduate Programs Prepare Students for the Future

Complementary graduate programs at the College of Engineering and the College of Business and Public Policy teach students how to develop and implement AI.
By Keenan Britt and Matt Jardin
Computer Science and Computer Systems Engineering Assistant Professor Masoumeh Heidari, Ph.D. (left), and College of Engineering Dean Kenrick Mock, Ph.D. (right), lead the first meeting of the AI Club in UAA’s AI and Robotics Lab.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping industries worldwide, and UAA is ensuring Alaska is not left behind. By launching new graduate programs in the College of Engineering (CoEng) and the College of Business and Public Policy (CBPP), UAA is preparing students to create and apply the technology in ways that address the state’s most pressing challenges — such as energy infrastructure, wildfire risk and health care — while also placing the university among the nation’s early leaders in integrating AI into higher education.

Powered by Purpose

Inspired by the potential AI has to aid nonprofits, business analytics and AI alumna Terri Coker coordinates UAA’s Alaska Data Science and AI Lab where she connects visitors to solutions.
By Matt Jardin

Demography — the study of populations and how they change over time — is more than just numbers on a spreadsheet. For Terri Coker, B.A. ’13, G.Cert. ’25, it represents a way to make the world better through understanding. Coker has long been fascinated by how data can guide the decisions that shape communities. Whether she’s managing a coffee shop, operating a nonprofit or co-founding a tech startup, the question of how information can drive change continues to guide her work.

Gaming Gets Serious

Screenshot from the edutainment video game ‘Dnigi,’ developed by researchers from the College of Engineering and Alaska Native Studies to teach Dena’ina language and culture.
Developed by UAA researchers across disciplines and continents, the video game ‘Dnigi’ teaches Dena’ina language and heritage.
By Matt Jardin

While video games are often associated with escapism — from military battlefields to fantasy kingdoms and futuristic galaxies — they have also long served as tools for learning. The 1985 game Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? taught geography to a generation, while 1971’s The Oregon Trail instilled a fear of dysentery in those same players. More recently, Never Alone, developed with Alaska Native storytellers, introduced gamers to Iñupiaq traditions. Continuing this legacy, interdisciplinary researchers at UAA have created Dnigi, a “serious game” designed to teach Dena’ina language and culture.

Intern to Architect

As a solutions architect at Amazon Web Services, computer science alumnus John Boren helps businesses integrate AI, enabling them to focus on the big picture.
By Matt Jardin

Amazon is considered one of the “Big Four” tech companies, not just for how it has revolutionized shopping and commerce, but for its role in web services and artificial intelligence (AI). The company’s vast ecosystem powers much of the modern internet, and its AI tools are now being adopted by industries of all kinds. Working within this environment is computer science alumnus John Boren, B.S. ’20, who serves as a solutions architect for Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Two people in orange vests working on a drone outdoors.

Locating abandoned oil and gas wells with drones and AI

Hoyt Thomas (right) and postdoctoral fellow of geomatics Ibrahim Adeniran (left) use a drone to conduct post-remediation flights inspecting abandoned oil and gas wells in the Susitna Valley.
Using cutting-edge technology, geomatics graduate student Hoyt Thomas aims to locate uncapped and improperly sealed oil and gas wells that can pose risks to the public.
By Keenan Britt

Uncapped and improperly sealed oil and gas wells pose serious health risks to the public. To identify these hazards and gather the necessary data for future mitigation efforts, Hoyt Thomas, a graduate student in geomatics through UAA’s Master of Science in interdisciplinary studies, used cutting-edge technology, including drones and artificial intelligence (AI), as part of his master’s thesis, “Integrating Anomaly Detection and Deep Learning for Locating Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells Using Drone Mapping,” which was supported through a grant from the National Science Foundation.

Building our community

UAA Alumni Association board members Pearl-Grace Pantaleone, B.A. ’14 (left), and Tuan Graziano, B.B.A. ’23 (right).
Making Connections at the Alumni Homecoming Luncheon
On Friday, Oct. 17, UAA’s largest alumni tradition saw over 230 UAA graduates and partners return to Cuddy Hall for the UAA Alumni Association Homecoming Luncheon to reconnect with their Hometown U while raising donations to benefit UAA programs and scholarships.

Sister Act: Building Community Together

Civil engineering alumni and sisters Melissa Branch, B.S. ’00 (left), and Stephanie Mormilo, B.S. ’04 (right).
Homecoming Luncheon keynote speakers, civil engineering alumni and sisters Melissa Branch and Stephanie Mormilo talk about their foundations as engineers to the future of the community.

news briefs

UA President Pitney extends UAA Interim Chancellor Siemers’ appointment

University of Alaska (UA) President Pat Pitney announced that she had concluded the UAA Chancellor search process and would extend Interim Chancellor Cheryl Siemers’ appointment through the following summer. Interim Chancellor Siemers had led UAA since May 2025, when President Pitney appointed her after former Chancellor Sean Parnell’s retirement. In September, four finalist candidates visited UAA as part of the final stage of the search. After the visits, President Pitney reviewed stakeholder and community feedback and consulted with the UAA Chancellor Search Committee and the Board of Regents before deciding to extend Interim Chancellor Siemers’ appointment. While all four finalists were qualified and received generally positive feedback, the overwhelming consensus was that Interim Chancellor Siemers had done an excellent job leading UAA over the past five months and that extending her appointment would provide important institutional stability.

Class Notes

Headshot photograph of Deborah Hansen grinning in a red blouse top with pink floral pattern leggings
deborah hansen
Headshot photograph of Tlisa Northcutt smiling in University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) blue/black/white tribal cultural style design jacket with white pearl earrings equipped
tlisa northcutt
Headshot photograph of Shannon Bischoff speaking at a podium stand in a dark grey business blazer suit with a dark navy blue sweatshirt underneath with a white button-up dress up shirt equipped alongside a black and white tie as well as a dark navy blue lanyard and black prescription eyeglasses
shannon bischoff
Headshot photograph of Bristol Vaudrin grinning in a black blouse top
bristol vaudrin

1994

In September 2025, Deborah Hansen, B.A. ’94, debuted her show “Conversations” at the International Gallery of Contemporary Art in Anchorage. Her show presents 11 large ceramic sculptures that weave together saints, mythology and symbolic elements, inviting reflection on power, dreams, justice and the human experience. (Photo courtesy of Anchorage Daily News)

1995

In May 2025, the UA Foundation Board of Directors and UA President Pat Pitney announced the appointment of Tlisa Northcutt, B.A. ’95, in the dual role of UA Foundation president and UA system chief development officer, officially stepping into a position she has been shaping since July 2024 in an interim capacity.
A tuba player, who happens to be a male UAA (University of Alaska Anchorage) person, is seen from the back seated on the bleachers with other members of the UAA Pep Band or orchestra inside UAA's Alaska Airlines Center; The tuba player is wearing a green and black jersey that says the word or last name SONG and the numeral 33; A black sign music stand nearby reads UAA MUSIC ARTS BLDG; A conductor is visible, out of focus, in the background

Lens on Campus

The UAA Pep Band performs at the Pack the House Seawolves Volleyball game in UAA’s Alaska Airlines Center.
UAA Alumni Association logo

Once a Seawolf Always a Seawolf

College-Alumni Nights with Seawolf Athletics

UAA alumni are invited to the Alaska Airlines Center to Howl for the Home Team at College-Alumni Nights with Seawolf Athletics, co-hosted by the UAA Alumni Association, Seawolf Athletics and the five UAA academic colleges.

Each College-Alumni Night offers something new and special — swag, half-time activities, drawings for prizes — during select Seawolf volleyball, basketball or gymnastics competitions.

magazine staff

EDITOR
Matt Jardin, B.B.A. ’10

WRITERS
Keenan Britt
Matt Jardin, B.B.A. ’10
Catalina Myers
Michelle Saport

GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Brett Rawalt

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
James Evans, B.A. ’16

UAA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Clare Baldwin, B.A. ’20, M.P.A. ’23,
Board Vice President
Jacob Chambers, B.B.A. ’14, M.B.A. ’19
Shareen Crosby, B.A. ’00,
Jenny Di Grappa, B.S. ’14, C.T.1. ’14
Ada Ejike-Maduakor, M.S. ’10
Tuan Graziano, B.B.A. ’23
Daniel Hart, B.S. 10
Victor Jimenez, B.A. ’14
Leila Kimbrell, B.A. ’02, C.T.2. ’02
Lessie Kincaid, B.S. ’13
Tana Skye Nevada, B.B.A. ’16,
Board President
Pearl-Grace Pantaleone, B.A. ’14
Megan Piper, B.S. ’12
Jason Richards, B.S. ’11
Sarah Warrington, M.B.A. ’15
Zac Clark, B.A. ‘05, M.P.A. ‘23,
Ex-Officio, Director of Alumni
and Community Engagement

UAA OFFICE OF ALUMNI AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

907-786-1942
seawolf.forever@alaska.edu
uaa.alaska.edu/alumni
alumniUAA
UAAalumni
alumniUAA

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