By Jeremia Schrock
Sun Star Contributor

Department: Institute of Arctic Biology

Years at UAF: 7

Why did you come to Alaska?

My husband and I came together. If you’re an academic couple, especially an academic couple whose research areas overlap, you either go to a big center, or you go way out in the hinterland where they are inclined to hire couples because couples are more likely to stay.

When did you come up to Alaska?

August 2003.

What do you like best about Alaska?

I don’t know if it’s about Alaska, I mean, it’s about Fairbanks. What I really like about Fairbanks is that it’s got kind of a small town camaraderie to it, but it’s not so small of a town that you don’t have some of the amenities.

By Angela Milliron
Sun Star Contributor

Department: Journalism

Years teaching at UAF: 4

What brought you to UAF?

My wife and I were looking for a little adventure. I’d just finished my master’s degree and so we were open to almost anywhere. I was applying to jobs all over the place and it was between UAF and Ohio University. Fairbanks won out because Fairbanks is a little more exciting.

Where were you and what were you doing before you came to UAF?

I was in Michigan working full time making videos and doing documentary filmmaking on the side.

Have you completed any documentaries?

I’ve done a couple. The last one I did is called “Finding Their Own Dance.” It’s about Alutiiq natives in the Kodiak Region of Alaska who have started performing their traditional native dances again after centuries of Russian and American influence tried to strip their culture from them. The documentary talks about the challenges of how, in a way, they had to start from scratch in terms of what their tradition is.

By Jeremia Schrock
Sun Star Contributor

Department: Atmospheric Sciences
Years Teaching at UAF: 9

When did you first move to Alaska?

In 2001.

Why?

I was spending my sabbatical at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado. It’s kind of the place to go if you are an atmospheric scientist. I had the habit of going to the library over lunch, and looking through the magazines. There was this advertisement for the position here. I called my husband and said to him, ‘There’s a position that exactly fits my profile. The only thing that’s missing is my name on it!” And he said, “Well, then apply!’” ‘Well, it’s in Fairbanks.’ He said, “Apply!” “But, you know, Fairbanks is in Alaska.” And he said, “Apply!” So, that’s what brought us up here.

By Andrew Sheeler
Sun Star Reporter

How did you two meet?

Shiva: When we were pursuing our Ph.D’s, we were going to lunch and we thought why don’t we make this a relationship. It was a challenge, because both our mentors were rivals. So we never knew what each other was doing because of professional secrecy. We lead our own research activities, but we’ve learned how to keep our things separate.

By Jeremia Schrock
Sun Star Contributor

Name: Joseph C. Thompson
Department: Philosophy
Years teaching at UAF: 11

Where did you grow up?

I was born in Ithaca, New York, but I grew up in New York City. In Queens and Brooklyn.

When did you first come to Alaska?

January, 1999.

Why did you come to Alaska?

I was offered a position. I was offered four classes to teach that spring semester. And that happens never when you’re in graduate school. I hadn’t even written my dissertation yet!

By Kelsey Gobroski
Sun Star Contributor

Name: Alla Grikurova
Department: Foreign Languages
Classes: Russian 102 and 202

When did you first start working at UAF?

“It was the fall of 1990.”

Where were you before that?

“In Saint Petersburg, [Russia].”

Was this your first teaching job?

“No, I taught before, but it wasn’t Russian. I actually taught English there when I graduated. It was still Leningrad, by the way, at that time.”

Professor: Ross Coen
Department: College of Engineering and Mines (Alaska Center for Energy and Power)

What classes do you teach?

“I teach two sections of Sociology 100X, Individuals, Society and Culture.”

Would you encourage students to major in Sociology?

“I would encourage students to major in whatever they are interested in. I don’t encourage students to major in studies to get a good-paying job after college, but to major in something they love and believe in.”

What do you think makes a good student?

“A good student is someone who goes with the motion and does exactly what is expected of them, but the best student really tries to learn. You don’t come to college to get smart. Students should come to college to bring their smarts to use them to learn better.”

By Kelsey Gobroski
Sun Star Contributor

Name: Derek Sikes
Department: Biology & Wildlife
Teaches: Invertebrate Zoology

How long have you been working at the university?

“Since 2006. I was at the University of Calgary for three years before that.”

What do you like about teaching at UAF?

“I like the small class sizes and the great students who come from diverse backgrounds, but are usually very good and very enthusiastic. I have hired a number of students.”

By Jeremia Schrock
Sun Star Contributor

Name: John Heaton
Department: History
Years teaching at UAF: Nine

Why did you come to Alaska?

“I came up to take a job offer that was made to me by the university.”

When was that?

“August, 2001.”

What do you like about history?

“I like history because I like to see how it’s constructed and used; how narratives have been used to shape society.”

What do you think about your nickname “The Grim Reaper?”

“The nickname is undeserved.”

Stephan Golux poses in his office in the theatre department. Photo by Jesse Hoff/The Sun Star

By Jesse Hoff
Sun Star Contributor

Name: Stephan Golux
Department: Theatre

How many years have you been teaching at the University?

“ I’ve only been teaching here since August of this past year, so less than one year, one semester.”

How do you like the University so far?

“It’s hard for me to compare this to other working environments. I’m not used to the rather intensive bureaucratic and institutional framework; I’ve been a freelancer for the last 23 years, working for myself. I kind of like the womb of support that is here and sometimes I chafe a little bit at the paperwork.”

Tell me a little about the classes you’re teaching this semester?

“ I’m teaching two classes this semester. One is the intermediate acting class and the other class is the stage directing class.”

How long have you been teaching acting?

“I have taught scores if not hundreds of master classes in acting. I’ve taught at summer camps, I’ve taught at conservatories, but in every case in this freelance life I’ve had up to this point, I’ve been contracted for a very particular teaching job and it has never been curricular prior to this. So I’ve never given anyone a grade before.”

How was that experience for you, your first time giving out grades?

“A little bit stressful.”

What do you want your students to take away from your classes?

“I think the best thing for the arts in general is that there is an experiential appreciation both for the creation of the art, for the inspiration that leads to the art, and for the experience of consuming the art.”

With that said, what qualities do you feel make a good student?

“For me it has to do with inquisitiveness and persistence, a spirit of inquiry and a spirit of persistence. Discipline can be very helpful but there are some great students that are not so disciplined. I don’t think you can get very far without persistence and curiosity in this field.