University of Alaska System
Encyclopedia
The University of Alaska is a land-grant university founded in 1917 in Fairbanks
in the State of Alaska. However, its largest campus by number of students was established in the much-more populous Anchorage area.
The University of Alaska System consists of three main universities, each with several satellite campuses in smaller communities. These are:
Nearly 33,000 students attend classes at these three campuses and their branches.
The University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) is home to the noted Geophysical Institute
, which operates the Poker Flat Research Range
presently the only collegiate rocket test range in the U.S. (The California Institute of Technology
and other colleges formerly had them. See Jet Propulsion Laboratory
-History.)
Also, there is the Arctic Region Supercomputing Center
, the location of the only Cray
supercomputer in the Arctic region, and the School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences
which has facilities and research projects all over Alaska and the Arctic Ocean.
Since the population of Alaska is small, the University of Alaska System is a relatively small one. However, it does have several notable academic departments. At UAF, these are the geology
department, the atmospheric sciences
department, and the wildlife
biology
department.
Reflecting the state's small population, the amount of Federal land granted to the University of Alaska under Morrill Act was the second-smallest grant in the country .
Fairbanks
Fairbanks may refer to:Places in the United States*Fairbanks, Alaska, city*Fairbanks, California, unincorporated community in El Dorado County*Fairbanks, Mendocino County, California, former settlement*Fairbanks, Indiana, unincorporated community...
in the State of Alaska. However, its largest campus by number of students was established in the much-more populous Anchorage area.
The University of Alaska System consists of three main universities, each with several satellite campuses in smaller communities. These are:
- University of Alaska FairbanksUniversity of Alaska FairbanksThe University of Alaska Fairbanks, located in Fairbanks, Alaska, USA, is the flagship campus of the University of Alaska System, and is abbreviated as Alaska or UAF....
, the first university - University of Alaska AnchorageUniversity of Alaska AnchorageThe University of Alaska Anchorage is the largest school of the University of Alaska System, with about 16,500 students, about 14,000 of whom attend classes at Goose Lake, its main campus in Anchorage....
, the largest university, and - University of Alaska SoutheastUniversity of Alaska SoutheastThe University of Alaska Southeast is a regional university in the University of Alaska System. Its main campus is located in Juneau and it has extended campuses in Sitka and Ketchikan....
, its third component, located in the capital cityCapital CityCapital City was a television show produced by Euston Films which focused on the lives of investment bankers in London living and working on the corporate trading floor for the fictional international bank Shane-Longman....
of Juneau.
Nearly 33,000 students attend classes at these three campuses and their branches.
The University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) is home to the noted Geophysical Institute
Geophysical Institute
The Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska Fairbanks conducts research into space physics and aeronomy; atmospheric sciences; snow, ice, and permafrost; seismology; volcanology; and tectonics and sedimentation. It was founded in 1946 by the United States Congress...
, which operates the Poker Flat Research Range
Poker Flat Research Range
The Poker Flat Research Range is a launch facility and rocket range for sounding rockets in the U.S. state of Alaska, owned and operated by the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute since 1968...
presently the only collegiate rocket test range in the U.S. (The California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
and other colleges formerly had them. See Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Jet Propulsion Laboratory is a federally funded research and development center and NASA field center located in the San Gabriel Valley area of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The facility is headquartered in the city of Pasadena on the border of La Cañada Flintridge and Pasadena...
-History.)
Also, there is the Arctic Region Supercomputing Center
Arctic Region Supercomputing Center
The Arctic Region Supercomputing Center is a research facility organized under the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Located on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus, the Arctic Region Supercomputing Center offers high-performance computing and mass storage to the UAF and State of Alaska...
, the location of the only Cray
Cray
Cray Inc. is an American supercomputer manufacturer based in Seattle, Washington. The company's predecessor, Cray Research, Inc. , was founded in 1972 by computer designer Seymour Cray. Seymour Cray went on to form the spin-off Cray Computer Corporation , in 1989, which went bankrupt in 1995,...
supercomputer in the Arctic region, and the School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences
School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences
School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences,or SFOS, is part of the University of Alaska Fairbanks. SFOS offers a bachelor of arts and a bachelor of science in fisheries, and master’s and doctoral degrees in oceanography, fisheries and marine biology....
which has facilities and research projects all over Alaska and the Arctic Ocean.
Since the population of Alaska is small, the University of Alaska System is a relatively small one. However, it does have several notable academic departments. At UAF, these are the geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
department, the atmospheric sciences
Atmospheric sciences
Atmospheric sciences is an umbrella term for the study of the atmosphere, its processes, the effects other systems have on the atmosphere, and the effects of the atmosphere on these other systems. Meteorology includes atmospheric chemistry and atmospheric physics with a major focus on weather...
department, and the wildlife
Wildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
department.
Reflecting the state's small population, the amount of Federal land granted to the University of Alaska under Morrill Act was the second-smallest grant in the country .
See also
- University of Alaska AnchorageUniversity of Alaska AnchorageThe University of Alaska Anchorage is the largest school of the University of Alaska System, with about 16,500 students, about 14,000 of whom attend classes at Goose Lake, its main campus in Anchorage....
- University of Alaska FairbanksUniversity of Alaska FairbanksThe University of Alaska Fairbanks, located in Fairbanks, Alaska, USA, is the flagship campus of the University of Alaska System, and is abbreviated as Alaska or UAF....
- University of Alaska SoutheastUniversity of Alaska SoutheastThe University of Alaska Southeast is a regional university in the University of Alaska System. Its main campus is located in Juneau and it has extended campuses in Sitka and Ketchikan....