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Risk Management Planning for Arctic Infrastructure Construction Projects
Full text linkA Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree of
MASTER OF SCIENCE
in
Project ManagementArctic construction projects face unique challenges such as ice-rich aggregates, severe weather, and limited
resources. This project creates an Arctic-specific risk management system for Alaska Arctic Constructors
(AAC), featuring a tailored Risk Register, Lessons Learned Archives, Past Performance Register with
historical costs and production rates, and ongoing management of these tools. These scalable tools mitigate
risk and enhance planning capabilities. Estimating and management teams gain sharper awareness of threats
and opportunities for optimization. Leveraging expertise from knowledgeable key stakeholders via surveys
and interviews (designers, government professionals, contractors) plays a critical role in developing these
tools while addressing threats inherent to Arctic construction projects (e.g. weather, logistics, resources
limitations) and will create the early stages of a risk program. This system boosts AAC’s effectiveness and
profitability in this competitive market and challenging environment by enabling precise evaluation of
exposure, vulnerabilities, and impacts on cost, schedule, and quality. Successfully planning and executing
large construction projects in this region requires calibrated risk management planning tools, and integrating
stakeholder knowledge with methodology from Hillson, Barkley, and Lam provides the toolbox.Acknowledgements / Abstract / Keywords & Definitions / Project Background / Project Objectives / Literature Review Results / Research Method, Approach, Analysis / Key Aspects of Application of Project Management Approaches / Conclusions / Recommendations /. Continuous Improvement Beyond this Project / References / Appendice
The (N)ice Cream Shop Business Plan Project: Applying Project Management Tools and Principles to a Business Plan
Full text linkA Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree of
MASTER OF SCIENCE
in
Project ManagementThe (N)ice Cream Shop Business Plan Project explores the feasibility of launching a nitrogen-infused ice cream shop in Eagle River, Alaska. With no direct competition, this venture offers a unique opportunity, though it must address financial feasibility, regulatory requirements, and market competition. The project follows a structured two-phase approach:
1. Research and Planning: Conducting market analysis, financial forecasting, and risk assessment to determine demand, pricing strategy, and potential challenges.
2. Business Plan Development: Using findings to create an investor-ready business plan, including operations, funding, and a project management framework for implementation.
A key component involves assessing consumer interest. Among respondents who were unfamiliar with nitrogen ice cream, 46.5% expressed a willingness to try it after learning about its benefits. Additionally, 49.6% were drawn to its freshness, 38.8% appreciated its smooth texture, and 43.2% were intrigued by the fog effect it produces. These findings indicate a demand for premium, customized desserts.
Project management principles such as risk, scope, and change management are integrated to guide implementation. Next steps include refining financial projections, securing investment, and finalizing operations. With an innovative offering and structured execution, The (N)ice Cream Shop aims to deliver a novel dessert experience blending quality, entertainment, and customization.Table of Contents / List of Exhibits / List of Appendices / Abstract / The (N)ice Cream Shop Business PLan Project / Literature Review Results / Research Method/Approach / Analysis / Results - Products of Project / Key aspects of Application of Project Management Approaches / Conclusions / Recommendations for Further Research ./ Reference
Healthcare Providers' Perspective on Breastfeeding in Alaska
Full text linkMentor: Dr. Julie Avery; A qualitative analysis of strengths and barriers to breastfeeding in Alaska using semi-structured open-ended questions in focus groups of healthcare providers involved with breastfeeding/lactation and/or perinatal nutrition practicing in Alask
Stratigraphic revision of Coahuilaceratops magnacuera as the first dinosaur from the Lower Maastrichtian Cerro Huerta Formation
Full text linkMentor: Dr. Patrick Druckenmiller; On the basis of a new measured section, the long-frilled horned dinosaur Coahuilaceratops magnacuerna (previously reported from the Campanian Cerro del Pueblo Formation, in Northeastern Mexico) is herein reassigned to the Maastricthian Cerro Huerta Formation. These are the first dinosaur remains reported from this geological unit. As a consequence, this reassignment makes Coahuilaceratops up to ~2 million years younger than previously thought. This is more consistent with the relatively derived phylogenetic position of Coahuilaceratops, with implications for the southern Laramidia hypothesis concerning the origin of the Triceratopsini
Russia's historical fate: mapping space, time, and salvation in Patriarch Kirill's sermons
Full text linkThesis (M.A.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2025The relationship between the Russian State and Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) during Putin’s regime has been characterized as mutually beneficial. The most influential figure in the contemporary ROC is Kirill, the Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus’, who has worked with Putin to give Russia’s current nation-building project, Russkiĭ Mir ‘Russian World,’ a religious foundation. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine exists within this project, which Kirill has sought to sacralize in his sermons. In this thesis, Barton utilizes discourse analysis to examine how Kirill’s sermons justify Russian imperialism while also projecting a vision of the ROC within the national project. Specifically, Barton identifies how Kirill employs grammatical and prosodic resources to invoke an Orthodox cosmological space-time, or “chronotope,” i.e. a linguistically encoded rendering of space and time that endows figures with moral characteristics. In his sermons Kirill invokes what Barton terms the Salvation chronotope, a space-time modeled after St. John Climacus’ The Ladder of Divine Ascent. Through close analysis of one sermon, she demonstrates how Kirill constructs the Salvation chronotope in the image of the Ladder and depicts the movement of congregants, the nation, and Russian military within its metaphysical landscape. She argues that in doing so Kirill frames Russia's full-scale invasion as the nation's “historical fate," necessary to keep it oriented on the path to salvation. Alongside this Barton analyzes a speech register she dubs “God-speak,” a performance style marked by liturgical tonality and paeonic meter. She demonstrates that Kirill employs God-speak to connect historical Russian conflicts with the Russo-Ukrainian War and prophesize the divine intervention of an Orthodox figure on Russia’s behalf. She concludes that the Salvation chronotope is one method by which Kirill aligns himself with Putin while stepping beyond State rhetoric, asserting the importance of Orthodoxy in ensuring Russia’s existential fate after the Russo-Ukrainian War.Chapter 1: Introduction -- 1.1 Discourse analysis & language as social actions -- 1.2 Field site -- 1.3 Transcription. Chapter 2: Russo-Ukrainian warring national projects and the myth of Kyivan Rus' -- 2.1 The Russian Empire: Kyivan Rus' myth & the All-Russian Project -- 2.2 The Soviet Union: Old Rus' as Kyivan Rus' -- 2.3 Post-Soviet Russia: the Russian world & Patriarch Kirill. Chapter 3: Depicting Russia's divine ascent through the Salvation chronotope -- 3.1 A theory of chronotype in spoken discourse -- 3.1.1 Stancetaking, shifters, and participant frameworks in the chronotope -- 3.1.2 Deixis in the chronotope -- 3.1.3 The Salvation chronotope in Kirill's Lenten Sermon -- 3.3 Conclusion. Chapter 4: Navigating the Salvation chronotope with God-speak -- 4.1 Prosody as a tool for navigating discursive space-time -- 4.2 God-speak: definition & function in the Salvation chronotope -- 4.2.1 Exhorting in God-speak -- 4.2.2 Creating memory in God-speak -- 4.3 Conclusion. Chapter 5: Conclusion
Microplastics in Bearded Seal Tissues Harvested in the Early 2000s and Recent Years
No full textMentor: Dr. Lara Horstmann; Plastic pollution, especially microplastics (MP), contaminates marine environments, including the Arctic. This study examined MP in tissues of bearded seals from Alaska. All tissues contained MP, with muscle showing the highest concentration. MP levels were stable between 2010-2011 and 2021-2023, indicating persistent exposure over time
DNA sequencing of Hoary Marmot (M. caligata) stomach contents through metabarcoding
No full textMentor: Dr. Diana Wolf; This poster presents our results from using metabarcoding DNA to examine diets of alpine and coastal Hoary marmots. Hoary marmots (Marmota caligata) are herbivores distributed widely throughout alpine habitats from southern Washington, Idaho, and Montana north to the Yukon River in Central Alaska. In Southeast Alaska, however, they are also found at sea level. As the tree line rises in elevation in response to climate change, alpine habitats are expected to shrink. Most hoary marmots occupy alpine tundra and rocky talus. There is an ecological knowledge gap on the diet of M. caligata, including comparing diet at sea level with alpine forage. Determining diet is key to understanding hoary marmots’ ability to thrive on a changing landscape. Alpine-dwelling marmots are thought to feed on grasses, flowering plants, mosses, roots, and lichen. As of yet, we know nothing about the diet of beach-dwelling marmots. We used DNA sequencing (metabarcoding) of M. caligata stomach contents to identify and compare their diets in alpine and sea-level habitats. Our results will help to fill in critical knowledge gaps in hoary marmot ecology and address hoary marmots’ potential resilience to changing climate
How does a neural network's topology affect its accuracy and resource utilization for semantic segmentation of an image?
Full text linkMaster's Project (M.S.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 202
Alaska Changes as Seen from Space: Leaf Miners, Beavers and Rusting Rivers, SFA 2025 by Emily Graham
No full textHow has Alaska’s K-12 education spending changed? Trends from 2017-2023
Full text linkEducation funding in Alaska, as in most states, is one of the largest allocations in the state operating budget. In 2022, K-12 schools in Alaska spent 15,633. However, many things are more expensive in Alaska than they are in other parts of the nation, and this is also true for operating schools. After adjusting Alaska’s spending for its higher relative costs, we find that Alaska’s per-pupil current expenditures fall below the national average by 15%. In the five years between 2017 and 2022 (the first year we conducted this analysis and the most recent year with full data available, respectively), per pupil current spending in other US states increased by 26%, whereas Alaska’s spending increased by only 13