Research design optimization for determining hibernation and spring emergence of Little Brown Bats (Myotis lucifugus)

Mentor: Dr. Todd Brinkman; Little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) are the only species of bat that has been reported in Interior Alaska and are typically located by ultrasonic monitoring. M. lucifugus emit social calls that are characterized as high intensity frequency modulated (FM) sweeps ranging from 80 kHz down to 40 kHz. This poster aims to focus on study design using ultrasonic monitoring to locate M. lucifugus for future studies by the Wildlife Society

Standardizing Wind Energy Project Bid Process

A Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE in Project ManagementThe SWEPP initiative addressed critical inefficiencies in STG Inc.'s wind energy project bidding. Previously, fragmented practices led to unpredictable outcomes and ineffective knowledge utilization. The project developed two key deliverables through stakeholder analysis: a Comprehensive Bidding Guide and a Lessons-Learned Integration System. The Bidding Guide establishes standardized templates and processes while maintaining flexibility for customization. The Lessons Learned System captures and applies insights from past projects, transforming individual experience into organizational knowledge. Despite initial resistance from experienced professionals, an inclusive approach incorporating their expertise helped overcome implementation challenges—the modular design balanced standardization with flexibility to address diverse requirements. Early results show significant time savings, improved team coordination, enhanced quality control, and more effective risk management. Long-term benefits are expected to include better bid success rates, improved alignment between commitments and execution, and the development of a distinctive competitive advantage. By standardizing bidding processes and systematically incorporating lessons learned, STG Inc. has established a foundation for continuous improvement and positioned itself for sustained success in the wind energy sector.List of Exhibits / List of Appendices / Abstract / Background / Research Method/Approach / Analysis / Comprehensive Bidding Guide / Lessons Learned Integration Systems Plan / Conclusio

Using Correlative Science, Open Access Big Data and Ensemble Machine Learning to Track Contamination Signals in the Wild: A first landscape-scale prediction for the Himalayan Vulture (Gyps himalayensis) associated with Diclofenac in Asia

Data package for the named studyThis is the data package for the named study (abstract): The Himalayan vulture (Gyps himalayensis) is the largest vulture in central Asia with a wide reach across the tropical mountain parts of the Old World. While they co-evolved with humans for millennia, they are now on a decline in most parts of their range, e.g. due to contaminants in the food chain with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like Diclofenac. Summarized with a workflow, here we present the first correlational Big Data mining approach using Open Access Data for vultures and associated GIS layers in the Old World. We used latest machine learning algorithms to obtain the best possible prediction for inference. Due to the established role of Diclofenac as a local extinction factor for vultures we are correlating the best available vulture prediction with the digitally best-available global diclofenac layer. We find that vultures are fully exposed to essentially one of three levels of diclofenac: unknown, lower units and very high amounts. Many remaining vulture presences now correlate with low Diclofenac units whereas high Diclofenac shows little vultures predicted, if at all. We find most of the high risk zones to be located in China (by area), Mongolia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Bangladesh, whereas Nepal for instance seems to be rather low risk. In the absence of mechanistic studies on a larger scale we propose that our pioneering work still represents an underestimate due to several confounding actors not resolved, e.g. farming and high altitude refugia, but can be used to prioritize, pursue and fine-tune these results, inform conservation and pre-cautionary management, and use our workflow to further study, quantify and safeguard raptors and this species that exemplify such a food chain in the Anthropocene, e.g. through large diclofenac-free zones.NoneNAYe

Alaska Misdemeanor Assault Arrest Rates, by Place: 1985-2022

This fact sheet presents Alaska misdemeanor assault arrest rates per 100,000 Anchorage residents and 100,000 residents outside of Anchorage, from 1985-2022

FAA EAGLE Avgas Transition: Considerations for Impacts on Alaskan Supply Chains

Federal bodies have called for a directed transition away from 100 octane low lead aviation gas (100LL avgas) due to public health concerns. Leaded avgas currently powers piston engine aircraft in general aviation and air taxi fleets, serving both recreational and commercial purposes. In considering the unleaded avgas transition, we must acknowledge that public policy frequently generates unintended consequences that reduce anticipated net benefits for subgroups of the population. Particular attention should be placed on regions which are heavily reliant on piston aircraft for core commercial services to remote environments, and where infrastructure adjustments are highly complex and costly. Alaska is one such key context. This brief outlines considerations for potential core supply chain impacts in this remote, aviation-dependent environment and which communities are particularly exposed. While Alaska is 48th in total population, the state is 1st in total volume of intra-state air cargo delivery. Over 80% of the state's communities lie off the road system, and piston engine aircraft are an important component of that commercial fleet. Leveraging granularity in the Bureau of Transport Statistics (BTS) T-100 database, we find that over 50% of carriers reporting intra-Alaska flights had at least one piston engine aircraft in their fleet. In 2023, T-100 data recorded 130,850 commercial piston aircraft flights transporting 201,729 passengers and 30.6M lbs of cargo between Alaskan communities. For non-hub ‘bush’ communities, almost 50% of all commercial flights, 30% of passengers, and 20% of recorded cargo were delivered by piston aircraft. We map community reliance across the state, with particular importance found for off-road destinations in the Southeast, Southwest, and Kodiak. A complete tabular breakdown of piston-engine market shares is generated for all Alaskan destination communities. We conclude by providing key economic questions for Alaska to address ahead of a fuel transition. Assuring the technical performance of unleaded fuel alternatives in Alaskan environments is foundational. Then, to most efficiently utilize the preparation window, policymakers and sector leadership should understand the impact of increased fuel expenses on overall linehaul cost per ton-mile, the share of cost increases borne by service communities, impacts on route viability, and the potentially complex process of staging any necessary support infrastructure such as fuel storage to off-road communities in Alaska's narrow barge season.This report was prepared by the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER), University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) through broader funding support from the State of Alaska via G00014956 "UAA Drone Program"

How does a neural network's topology affect its accuracy and resource utilization for semantic segmentation of an image?

Master's Project (M.S.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 202

Development of scalable coastal and offshore kelp farming for marine biomass production

The US DOE/ARPA-E MARINER program funded a 4-year project to determine an optimal way to grow kelps in large, nearshore and offshore arrays for the eventual purpose of biofuel production with the goal of keeping the cost below $80 USD per dry metric ton of kelp. This project specifically looked at how Saccharina latissima can be grown in the Gulf of Alaska to reach that goal. There were three major aspects of the research: (1) optimize nursery production and seeding lines for outplanting; (2) design an economical, modular outplanting structure; and (3) develop methods to efficiently harvest the product. Farm designs were based on catenary structures and the use of spreader bars with variable spacing of grow-lines and line types. The spacing of the grow-lines makes a difference in the yield. Grow-line spacing of ≥1.5 m showed about a 50$80 USD per dry metric ton of kelp.GreenWave. C. A. Goudey & Associates. UAF Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center. U. S. Department of Energy.Abstract -- Keywords -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Methods -- 3. Results -- 4. Discussion -- 5. Conclusion -- Acknowledgements -- Conflict of interest statement -- Data availability statement -- ORCID -- References -- Supporting informationYe

Decoding the Heath Impacts of Particulate Matter in Outdoor Air During Winter Using Gas Chromatography

Mentors: Jenno J.L.H. & Dr. Srijan Aggarwal; This study quantifying the health impacts on wintertime particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution by analyzing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). GC-MS and ICP-MS are used to analyze potential health impacts associated with exposure to PM2.5 and associated toxins

Powering and Unifying Long-ranged Sensor Ecosystems (PULSE)

Mentor: Dayne Broderson, Our project is called Powering and Unifying Long-range Sensor Ecosystems (or PULSE). The project focuses on evaluating technology for remote sensing applications; namely, non-cellular communication and solar power. The goal is to work with high school students and evaluate the technology's effectiveness as a tool for learning, while also looking at the viability of the data collected for citizen science applications

Emergency Rescue UAV Payload Development

Mentor: Dr. Michael Hatfield; Search and Rescue (SAR) is a large issue in Alaska due to the harsh environment and vast uninhabited wilderness. For our senior design project, we decided to address this issue by developing an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) payload we call Field Integrated Navigation and Detection for Emergency Rescue (FINDER)