SFOS Newsletter
Spring 2009
Tim Sands manages fisheries for ADF&G in Bristol Bay, Alaska.
Featured Alumnus: Tim Sands
B.S. Fisheries Science, 1991
by Sharice Walker, CMI Technical Editor
Where do you work now and what do you do?
I work for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Dillingham Alaska. I am the commercial fisheries manager for the west side of Bristol Bay (Nushagak and Togiak Districts) and I manage the Togiak herring fishery.
How did your time at SFOS prepare you for your current position?
My time at SFOS was great. I learned a lot about Alaska fish and fisheries as well as ecology. Obviously to be a biologist with ADF&G one must have a degree (at least a bunch of credits) in fisheries or biology so in that respect I would not be where I am today without having spent time at SFOS.
What brought you to Alaska for school?
When I was a kid in Arizona my best friend was from Alaska and the stories of the fishing and outdoors just seemed great. I decided in third grade that I would live in Alaska.
What did you like about studying at UAF?
I really liked the community of it. My brother went to a school with 25,000 students and I just can't imagine that. UAF was small and friendly and still a very good school. It was also relatively cheap and had a good fisheries program.
What piece of advice do you have for current SFOS students?
College isn't all about classes. Of course you have to pass the classes but be involved in other things and have fun. Get off campus and see Alaska, it is a beautiful place. If you want to work for ADF&G when you are done try and get summer jobs there.
Read more about SFOS alumni at www.sfos.uaf.edu/alumni.
Click on the image to download the Spring 2009 newsletter (3 MB PDF).
Greetings from the Dean
During the last year, our faculty and staff considered future directions for our school by establishing a new SFOS strategic plan. This plan will allow us to build on our existing strengths and chart a new course for the next decade.
Princess Tours gives $100,000
to UAF Marine Advisory Program
Princess Cruises & Tours has donated $100,000 to the University of Alaska Fairbanks for the support of the Marine Advisory Program.
SFOS scientists make headlines with Census of Marine Life findings
According to a Census of Marine Life press release in February, the waters of the Arctic and Antarctic share 235 marine species. CoML also documented the existence of 5,500 marine species in the Arctic and 7,500 in the Antarctic.
SFOS scientists key to Bering Sea studies
One of the richest and most productive marine ecosystems in the world, the Bering Sea region
provides more than half of the U.S. seafood catch and is home to dozens of marine mammal
species. It is also the source of ...
Juneau high school students do it again
For the third year in a row, high school students from Juneau have won first and second place in the Tsunami Bowl, Alaska's regional version of the National Ocean Sciences Bowl...
COSEE Alaska established; Sigman hired
Marilyn Sigman, a respected marine science educator from Homer, has been named education specialist for the new Alaska Center for Ocean Science Education Excellence in Anchorage.
SFOS dedicates Lena Point Fisheries Building
SFOS dedicated the new Lena Point Fisheries Building in Juneau on April 28. Governor Sarah Palin spoke at the ceremony and congratulated UAF on its contributions to fisheries science.
Other speakers included UA President Mark Hamilton, Representative Beth Kerttula and UAF Chancellor Brian Rogers.
Optimism during an economic recession
History shows that during tough economic times, more people decide to go to college. That's good news for SFOS, and good news for our state.
Standouts - Faculty and Staff News
Featured Faculty: Brenda Konar
Brenda Konar is an associate professor of marine biology who specializes in marine invertebrates and plants. She was raised in California, but she loves the chill and darkness of Fairbanks winters.
Spotlight on the Coastal Marine Institute
by Sharice Walker, CMI Technical Editor
The University of Alaska Coastal Marine Institute was created in June 1993 by a cooperative agreement between the University of Alaska and the U. S. Department of the Interior Minerals Management Service Alaska Region.
Featured Student: Megan Murphy
Megan Murphy already knows she wants to live and work in Homer,
Alaska, and is pursuing a graduate degree in biological oceanography at
UAF to help her achieve this goal. She is studying the oceanographic effects
on crab larval transport in Kachemak Bay.
Standouts - Student News
Other Student News
Featured photo
Mayumi Arimitsu, a master's degree student in fisheries, conducting her thesis research in Kenai
Fjords National Park.
