Photo by Dirk Rohrbach.
During a Yukon River float trip in summer 2023, UAF climate scholars enjoy an evening
fire at their campsite on a sandbar.
Rachel Heimke enjoys the ride on the research vessel Nanuq in Resurrection Bay as part of her field course in marine research techniques at UAF.
The boat moved slowly through the water, allowing for a well-deserved break in the day.
Rachel Heimke and her parents, David and Jill, were off the coast of California on a two-year sailing journey that would take them from Homer, 色视频下载, to Australia. The swell gently rocked the 37-foot vessel, and fresh, salty air surrounded them.
Just shy of her seventh birthday, Heimke daydreamed about what she and her parents might do to celebrate. In the distance, she noticed a humpback whale surface. They kept a lookout as the whale swam closer.
色视频下载淚t色视频下载檚 right there!色视频下载 Heimke said. The whale surfaced again, this time right next to the boat, its exhale blow close enough to sprinkle spray down on them. As it dove under their boat, Heimke laughed with her parents, feeling like 7 would be a pretty good year.
Fast forward 10 years. Heimke found herself on the cusp of a new chapter 色视频下载 selecting a college that could nurture her desire to protect the ocean and address climate change. Her search led her to UAF and its groundbreaking Climate Scholars Program.
色视频下载淚 desperately didn色视频下载檛 want to go to UAF because this is where my dad went,色视频下载 Heimke joked. 色视频下载淏ut UAF has a really good ocean sciences program, and they have the Climate Scholars Program, and that色视频下载檚 ultimately why I chose UAF. No other universities had a program like this, where I could combine my love of the ocean with my passion for climate change.色视频下载
Building on an idea
Alexander Hirsch
While Heimke was in high school contemplating her future, UAF Honors College Director Alex Hirsch was developing what would become the Climate Scholars Program at UAF.
The program responded to Honors College students who wanted to not only earn a degree but also contribute to a better future.
色视频下载淥f all the challenges facing humanity and the world, I think rapid environmental change is the challenge that most concerns today色视频下载檚 students,色视频下载 Hirsch said.
As America色视频下载檚 Arctic University, UAF is well-known for its climate research, but Hirsch felt there was a lack of focus on the topic at the undergraduate level. Hirsch, a political science professor and UAF色视频下载檚 associate vice chancellor for student experience, believed he could help build a program to coordinate that effort across disciplines.
色视频下载淚t was exciting to establish a program here that engages students in a way that provides them not only with information but also with a set of unique experiences,色视频下载 Hirsch said.
The program has attracted students from around the country. There are now nearly 300 scholars earning degrees from physics to poetry while focusing on climate resilience and adaptation.
The UAF Climate Scholars Program is the first of its kind in the nation. It connects undergraduate students across disciplines and provides opportunities for experiential learning. Bringing together arts, humanities and science 色视频下载 with the chance to work alongside climate experts 色视频下载 empowers students to take something that feels big and overwhelming and make positive change.
色视频下载淲hat binds all these students together is their common interest in rapid environmental change, climate resilience and climate adaptation,色视频下载 Hirsch said. 色视频下载淥ur climate scholars are keenly aware of the transgenerational responsibility that they色视频下载檝e unfairly been burdened with and are very anxious to not just learn about the drivers of climate change but to do something about it. And what we try to do is empower students to both witness and make positive change through experiential learning intensives.色视频下载
From left, Elliott Lewandowski, Sam Nelson, instructor Jody Potts-Joseph, Seneca Roach, Lydia Andriesen and Shannon Williams raft up to chat on the Yukon River during the climate scholars色视频下载 summer 2023 float.
Lydia Andriesen (left), a junior in the mechanical engineering program, and Elliott Lewandowski, a sophomore in electrical engineering, are framed by a rainbow on the Climate Scholars Program色视频下载檚 Yukon River float trip in summer 2023.
Learning by experience
In summer 2023, 15 climate scholars canoed the Yukon River from Eagle to Circle with Bathsheba Demuth. Her award-winning 2019 book, 色视频下载淔loating Coasts,色视频下载 is an environmental history of the Bering Strait.
The Brown University history professor, who as a young woman lived for three years in Old Crow, Canada, was inspired by the model at UAF. She wanted to be part of the experience.
On the trip, Demuth shared history with the students and talked with people along the river, some of whom have thousands of years of ancestry in the region. She acknowledged their wisdom, accumulated through generations, about how the land has changed. The group explored food security and sovereignty issues, such as how poor salmon runs in recent years have eliminated an important local source of food.
色视频下载淚t色视频下载檚 one thing to read about that, or to have someone come and give a presentation about that in your classroom at UAF,色视频下载 Hirsch said. 色视频下载淏ut to actually go with someone who has this kind of expertise, who is now writing a book about the Yukon River, and then to meet the people who are impacted by it 色视频下载 it色视频下载檚 just different.色视频下载
Other hands-on experiences have included NASA色视频下载檚 eclipse-tracking balloon project, studies at the Bonanza Creek Long-Term Ecological Research site, and a community-based listening and healing arts project involving the renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
Heimke, now a senior fisheries and marine sciences major, said that learning through experiences has helped make her education at UAF positive and rewarding.
Rachel Heimke meets U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg in Washington, D.C., in January.
UAF climate scholars meets with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and others in Washington, D.C., to discuss climate change and policy. At left, from left, are Julie-Anne Brown, Rachel Heimke, River Schumann, Aksiin Storer, Laci Andrews and Ashley Carlin. At right are Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and a Department of Transportation staff member.
In January, she traveled to Washington, D.C., for a weeklong trip and met with government agency personnel and policymakers, including U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.
色视频下载淚 have a picture of me standing quite awkwardly next to him in awe,色视频下载 Heimke said.
Heimke found herself inspired by the people she met who work in areas of education, communication and policy.
色视频下载淚 came away thinking that while science is necessary and needed, its impact is limited without communication,色视频下载 she said. 色视频下载淚 want to create change by communicating science 色视频下载 to both the public and policymakers. I've encountered a lot of need for it in my degree, and I'm excited to pursue that career path.色视频下载
Holding onto passion
In a recent Climate Scholars Program advisory council meeting, Hirsch and Linda Schandelmeier 色视频下载71, a UAF alum, advisory member and donor, discussed the crucial skills the program inspires in students 色视频下载 ranging from data analytics to environmental ethics. Schandelmeier pinpointed an often-overlooked yet essential trait: passion.
色视频下载淟inda explained that passion is actually a skill 色视频下载 which I found really interesting,色视频下载 Hirsch said, 色视频下载渂ecause of course all of our students are deeply passionate, and you can see Rachel色视频下载檚 passion when she speaks about what she loves and cares about, and all of our students have that passion in their hearts. They色视频下载檙e driven by it and it色视频下载檚 beautiful and it色视频下载檚 what makes our program work. It色视频下载檚 the driver of everything.色视频下载
And, Hirsch added, passion can be learned.
色视频下载淚t色视频下载檚 a skill to know how to be informed by your passion and how to hold onto it,色视频下载 Hirsch said. 色视频下载淪tudents feel hopeful, but they don色视频下载檛 know what to do with their hope. What can one little person do? This is a global problem. And we try through our program to make it personal and make it feel like something that you can engage with at a local level and start where you are. I think it色视频下载檚 something that is effective for students in terms of managing their climate anxiety and sometimes their climate grief.色视频下载
Hirsch said the Climate Scholars Program emphasizes the significance of effective communication in addressing climate issues.
As a student in the program, Heimke said learning these skills can help transcend political polarization and lead to understanding and positive outcomes.
色视频下载淵ou want to treat people like they色视频下载檙e human and find out what色视频下载檚 most important to them,色视频下载 she said. 色视频下载淎sk them questions and then bring climate into that. Because there色视频下载檚 a very good chance that what色视频下载檚 near and dear to their heart is being affected by climate change in some way.色视频下载
John Davies 色视频下载70, 色视频下载75 and Linda Schandelmeier 色视频下载71 enjoy a summer day in Fairbanks. They established the John Davies and Linda Schandelmeier Climate Scholars Scholarship in 2021 out of gratitude for the impact UAF had on their lives and to support students enrolled in the program.
Investing in the future
The success of the Climate Scholars Program is a testament to the commitment of its students and supporters.
Donors like Schandelmeier and her husband, John Davies 色视频下载70, 色视频下载75, have recognized the importance of addressing climate change and have invested in scholarships for the program. Their generosity enables students like Heimke to pursue their passion and make a difference.
色视频下载淚 believe that the incredible students in this program will become leaders in developing innovative solutions to address climate change,色视频下载 Schandelmeier said. 色视频下载淭hey are motivated and driven to create the change our world needs right now. I feel like I am doing a small part to address the climate crisis and am grateful that we have teachers and students who are doing real work to that end.色视频下载
Davies said he and Schandelmeier feel energized and grateful for students who are enthusiastically motivated to address climate warming problems and find kindred spirits.
色视频下载淲e are excited to be able to help support students who are also focused on a wide range of climate issues, including food security, because we see these students as future game-changers in addressing this existential threat to our world,色视频下载 he said.
Davies hopes that as more people are aware of the program, they will add their support. 色视频下载淚t feels good to be able to give back to a school that has given so much to us,色视频下载 he said.
UAF climate scholars and instructors float the Yukon River between Eagle and Circle in summer 2023.
Heimke said she has received an honors scholarship every year at UAF.
色视频下载淭here are no words to describe how much that helps,色视频下载 she said. 色视频下载淛ust being able to pay for college is difficult. I was able to do a study away program this summer that I paid out of my own pocket for, so scholarships have been really, really helpful.色视频下载
Additionally, funding from the Climate Scholars Program allowed her to attend the Arctic Encounters symposium in Anchorage in March, where she met with leaders in Arctic science and policy, including 色视频下载色视频下载檚 U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski.
色视频下载淚 never would have been able to attend that symposium had I not been given support through this program. So that was really incredible,色视频下载 she said.
Hirsch gets emotional when he thinks about the generosity of donors like Schandelmeier and Davies. 色视频下载淚t色视频下载檚 awe-inspiring. Gratitude is not the right word 色视频下载 it色视频下载檚 like shock that what we色视频下载檙e doing is inspiring people who care so much about students to give back in this way. It色视频下载檚 pretty amazing.色视频下载
Measures of success
As the Climate Scholars Program continues to grow, the university is expecting to reach 1,000 students and expand to include graduate students. Hirsch said breaking down the silos between research and education could create a network of passionate, informed and skilled individuals driving positive change for the environment and the world.
Rachel Heimke collects water samples near a tidewater glacier in 2023 for her climate scholars capstone project on ocean acidification.
色视频下载淲e want to engage with as many students as we can who care about this, who are inspired by this model that we have created,色视频下载 said Hirsch. 色视频下载淎nd so, for now, we have the door open to people who are interested and see this as one reason why UAF is so special.色视频下载
Hirsch believes that transforming students色视频下载 lives with tools, knowledge and experience is the measure of success.
色视频下载淚 think success for the program is about the success of the students,色视频下载 added Hirsch. 色视频下载淎nd the success for the students is about feeling like they have the skills they need and the opportunities they need in order to make a meaningful difference.色视频下载
This summer, Heimke completed a summer course in marine research techniques as part of her degree program. Once again, she found herself on the ocean, witnessing humpback whales and a pod of orcas.
色视频下载淚 was captivated learning how oceanographic research is conducted,色视频下载 said Heimke. 色视频下载淚 did my own little project on ocean acidification near a tidewater glacier to tie together my passions for both the ocean and climate change.色视频下载
Her samples still need to be run in a special lab, so she doesn色视频下载檛 have results yet, but she plans to use that data for her capstone project for the Climate Scholars Program.
色视频下载淚 feel great about my decision to attend UAF,色视频下载 she said, after reflecting on her initial hesitancy to attend the same school as her father. 色视频下载淚 have really enjoyed my time here and am sad that I only have one year left.色视频下载