Learn about the UAA Justice Center and criminology research from Professor Marny Rivera, Monday at 9am or Thursday at 5pm, on the KRUA (88.1) radio show, Informania.

Deb the Librarian interviewed Associate Proefessor Marny Rivera on Monday, February 17, 2013 on KRUA, 88.1, The Edge.  This program will be replayed on Thursday, February 21, 2013 at 5pm.  You can also listen to the interview conversation with Dr. Rivera by clicking here:  http://www.kruaradio.org/informania-with-dr-marny-rivera/

Dr. Marny Rivera received her PhD in Criminology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2002.  This week on Informania she talks about the immense amount of research conducted by faculty in the Justice Center.  Where can you search for research published by Justice Center faculty?  A list of publications, presentations and research products by the Justice Center and Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center products can be accessed by publication title or subject search through the Justice Center’s Research Database.

Dr. Rivera also shared information about the academic programs offered through the Justice Center.  Academic programs are offered in two areas:  1) Justice and 2) Legal Studies/Paralegal.  The programs under Justice include a Bachelor of Arts in Justice, a Minor in Justice, and a Master of Public Administration with a Criminal Justice emphasis.  Under Legal Studies/Paralegal the programs include a Bachelor of Arts in Legal Studies, a Minor in Legal Studies, an Associate of Applied Science in Paralegal Studies, a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Paralegal Studies, and a Legal Nurse Consultant (LNC) Paralegal Certificate.  Justice Center faculty also provide pre-law advising for UAA students.

Are you interested in extra-curricular activities related to justice?  Good news!  There is a Justice Club at UAA!  For more information, go to  http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/justice/studentclubs/justiceclub.cfm

Songs played on Informania this week included “Information”, by Dredg; and “Who are you?” by The Who.

Philosophy Professor Terry Kelly talks about his research concerning “what is a promise” on Informania, Monday at 9:00am on KRUA, 88.1 FM, and repeated Thursday at 5:00pm.

Professor Kelly received his doctoral degree from St. Louis University in 1998.  His dissertation, Rationality, reflexivity, and agency in the critique of everyday life, can be accessed through Dissertations and Theses Online, which the Consortium Library subscribes to.  To find his dissertation, copy the title into the QuickSearch search box at www.consortiumlibrary.org, click search and his dissertation will be the first record that comes up.

See a list of other research conducted by Terry Kelly at http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/philosophy/faculty/terry_kelly.cfm.

Pew Research Center Report, “Library Services in the Digital Age” discussed on Informania radio show (KRUA, 88.1)

As part of the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project, Pew conducted a national survey of 2,252 Americans, ages 16 and older, about their perceptions and expectations of America’s libraries.  The survey interviews were conducted through calls to people’s cell phones and landlines between October 15 and November 10, 2012, and done in English and Spanish.  Read the the Library Services in the Digital Age report at http://libraries.pewinternet.org/2013/01/22/library-services/.

 

Learn about the UAA Experimental Economics Laboratory from Professor Lance Howe on the Informania radio show, Thursday at 5pm on KRUA 88.1.

Hear a replay of the interview with Assistant Professor of Economics, Lance Howe, December 24 at 9am and December 27 at 5pm on KRUA, 88.1, The Edge.

On Thursday, December 6, at 5pm, Assistant Professor of Economics, Lance Howe, spoke on Informania about the Experimental Economics Laboratory at the University of Alaska Anchorage.

Professor Howe shared information about the history of economics, starting with Adam Smith, “the father of economics.”

Professor Howe also shared information about the influence of experimental economics by Dr. Vernon Smith, Nobel Prize winner in Economics in 2002.  Vernon Smith (http://economics.gmu.edu/people/vsmithemeritus) has been a great asset in the development of Experimental Economics at the University of Alaska Anchorage.  Dr. Smith was the first Rasmuson Chair of Economics at UAA in 2003.  What a first-rate way to begin a successful experimental economics program!

Lance Howe also shared information about the International Foundation for Research in Experimental Economics (IFREE), inspired by Dr. Vernon Smith and Mary Caslin Ross.  IFREE supports research and education in experimental economics.  IFREE has sponsored experimental economics workshops at UAA.  For more information, go to:  http://www.ifreeweb.org/about/index.php.

Read about Exploring Frontier Economics in Alaska, by IFREE Alumni Kyle Hampton at http://www.ifreeweb.org/WhatWeDo/FrontierEconAlaska.php

For information about the Experimental Economics Lab in the College of Business and Public Policy at the University of Alaska Anchorage, go to:  http://econlab.uaa.alaska.edu/

On December 17, Jodee Kuden, Head of Collection Development at the Consortium Library, shared how the Library decides what resources to order, cut and keep on KRUA, 88.1

On December 17, 2012, Jodee Kuden, Head of Collection Development at the Consortium Library, talked with Deb the Librarian about the cost of books and journal subscriptions, and the process for prioritizing and selecting items for the collection.

The Consortium Library’s faculty librarians are liaisons to the different colleges and departments at the University of Alaska Anchorage and Alaska Pacific University.  In this role, the librarians not only teach students about conducting Library research for classes in their subject areas, but also order books and journals for the Library’s collection.  This activity in the Library world is called Collection Development.  As the Head of Collection Development, Jodee has been successful in successfully negotiating and obtaining useful academic  electronic book and journal packages for UAA and APU students to access on- and off-campus.

The most recent subscription purchased is Congressional Publications.  This amazing historical resource includes House and Senate Hearings and Congressional Committee Reports as far back as 1789, and numerous other  Congressional documents back into the 1800s.  If you are doing historical research relevant to decisions made by the United States government (for example, Alaska statehood), this is the source for you!

When deciding what sources to purchase, it is essential to know what the strategic priorities are for degrees offered at UAA and APU.  Also, in order to build a useful collection, each subject librarian must also know what courses the colleges and departments in their subject areas are offering, so they can predict the research resource needs of their students and faculty.

 

Learn about UAA’s Office of Sustainability from Paula Williams, Director, on Informania, Monday, 9am and Thursday, 5pm on 88.1 KRUA, The Edge

Paula Williams, Director of the Office of Sustainability at the University of Alaska Anchorage, shared information about the history of environmental sustainability at UAA; efforts by UAA Facilitites, Planning and Construction in creating a Master Plan that includes sustainability; actions that UAA students, staff and faculty can take to help the environment; and opportunities for students to get involved in sustainability efforts on campus.

OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY

The Office of Sustainability was introduced in 2009 thanks to the efforts of a faculty-driven council on sustainability.  According to their web site, an ad hoc committe on sustainability was first established in 2003, the year that Faculty Senate and USUAA approved the Talloires Declaration University Leaders for a Sustainable Future.  For more information about the Talloires Declaration, go to http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/sustainability/talloires.cfm.  Read more about the history of the Office of Sustainability at: http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/sustainability/About/history.cfm

Information, in general, about the Office of Sustainability can be found at http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/sustainability/

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN TAKING A COURSE ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY?

Students interested in taking sustainability-minded courses can find a list at:  http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/sustainability/upload/Sustainability-Courses.pdf

GREEN FEE Grants

A three dollar Green Fee per student was voted on and approved by the Union of Students (see referenda #12-01 at  http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/unionofstudents/structure/upload/Referandum-12-1.pdf )

The Green Fee money will be used to fund projects that are sustainability-focused.  More information to come…

WHAT ARE UAA DEPARTMENTS DOING TO HELP THE ENVIRONMENT?

Learn about what different UAA Departments are doing to improve sustainability: http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/sustainability/What-is-UAA-Doing/index.cfm

 

 

 

Informania’s guest Anna Bjartmarsdottir talks about Nordic education, Icelandic libraries, literature and music, and the SWIM Information Literacy role-playing modules from Denmark. To be replayed Thursday, 5pm, on KRUA, 88.1

Interview to be replayed Thursday at 5:00pm, November 29, 2012.

Anna Bjartmarsdottir, Asst. Professor of Library Science, shared information about education in Sweden, and universities and libraries in Iceland and the Faeroe Islands.  The following map was found at http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Map_of_faroe_islands_in_europe_-_english_caption.png

The CIA World Factbook includes overview information about countries (like an online Encyclopedia only with more detail like economy, energy, and communications).  For information about Sweden, go to:  https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sw.html

For information about Iceland, go to:  https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ic.html

For information about the Faroe Islands, go to:  https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/fo.html

Sources to help you learn Nordic languages, and More…

Resources discussed this week include Mango Languages, a language learning database (that includes Icelandic!) that all Alaskans have free access to thanks to the Alaska State Library and an Interlibrary Cooperation Grant.  To access Mango Languages, go to www.sled.alaska.edu/databases.  You can find Mango Languages under A to Z, or Middle School, High School, and Education categories.  To request a user name and password in Alaska,
call 1-800-440-2919.

Anna talked about the combined national/university library of Iceland in Reykjavik.  When you go to the National and University Library of Iceland’s web page, http://landsbokasafn.is/index.php?page=english, you will see the phrase Access to Knowledge for Everyone.  This idea is reinforced with links on the page for Researchers, Students, and International.

Anna also mentioned The Nordic House in Iceland.  Their library web page is http://www.nordichouse.is/library .  The link under Nordic Cooperation on this page will explain the idea behind these houses throughout the Nordic countries.

In my pursuit for more information about the Nordic Council, which was mentioned, I discovered the Scandinavian Library Quarterly!  View the current issue, Volume 45, No. 3, 2012, titled Education for Librarianship, at http://slq.nu/.  The Nordic Council has an informative web site also.  Following is a link to the Nordic Council Resources web page:  http://www.norden.org/en/resources.

Innovation in information literacy education in Denmark:

When a question about best practices from Nordic universities / libraries was asked, Anna shared information about an innovative, interactive, role-playing game that places you as a member of a study group researching a topic.  Your success with this group project depends on good information retrieval.  Developed at Aalborg University in Denmark, this tutorial is called SWIM (Streaming Web-based Information Modules).  You can check out SWIM at http://content.aub.aau.dk/swim/ .  Learn more about the SWIM project at http://www.swiminfo.dk/english.html.

Speaking of universities,  I mentioned that Governor Brownback of Kansas initiated a program to offers free tuition for training in select state-needed technical professions.  For more detail on this, go to:  http://www.kansasregents.org/governors_cte_initiative

Nordic Literature and Music Sources shared by Anna:                        Following is a good article from the Guardian on the “unstoppable rise of Scandinavian Crime Fiction”:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/jan/23/scandinavian-crime-fiction

A blog about Scandinavian Crime Fiction
http://scandinaviancrimefiction.wordpress.com/

This link provides a great list of authors in the genre
http://www.eurocrime.co.uk/books/books_bib_Scandinavia.html

Icelandic Music scene

http://www.icelandmusic.is/

Icelandic music label and store
http://www.12tonar.is/index.php

Faroe Islands – Music label and store
ttp://www.tutl.com/

Music played during Informania, the week of Nov. 26, 2012:                         Information by Dredg, Take a Chance on Me, by ABBA, It’s Oh So Quiet, by Bjork

Interview with Kenrick Mock, UAA Computer Science Professor about Eye Tracking Software and More

Hear interview with Kenrick Mock on Thursday, Nov. 22, 5:00pm on KRUA, 88.1, The Edge in Anchorage, Alaska!  Also available online.

November 19, 9:00-10:00am Alaska time, Deb the Librarian interviewed Kenrick Mock about his patented eye tracking technology and other technological research, the patent application process at UAA and the Computer Science Program.                                                                                                         

Read Kenrick Mock’s vita:  http://www.math.uaa.alaska.edu/~afkjm/vita.html

Professor Mock explained that having a patent on the specific eye tracking software allows UAA to have the ownership rights to that technology for 20 years.  He has developed this technology with Bogdan Hoanca.  Watch videos about their eye tracking technology:

Watch a video demo of eye tracking technology:  http://www.math.uaa.alaska.edu/~afkjm/ContinuousAuthenticationIris/ContinuousAuthenticationIris.html

Watch a video of Kenrick Mock talking about eye tracking software  development:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32121BU6q6U  (3:34)

UAA funding for this project initially came from the INNOVATE Award, established by the Vice Provost for Research and Graduate Studies. This year “the INNOVATE grant is providing up to $200,000.00 to UAA faculty members and researchers in its’ program.  Awards will be announced in December 2012 with funding to begin January 2013.”  http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/research/INNOVATE/innovateawards.cfm

Kenrick Mock and Bogdan Hoanca, as co-principal investigators, also received a $126,183 grant from the National Science Foundation to support the “acquisition of high-end eye trackers for research in information management, computer security, learning mathematics, and interdisciplinary research at UAA.” (see Professor Mock’s vita) Congratulations Professor Mock and Professor Hoanca!

Information Resources talked about included:  IEEE and ACM Proceedings that can be searched under www.consortiumlibrary.org, selecting Subjects (in QuickSearch box, and then selecting either Computer Science or Engineering to see the Computer Science and Engineering databases.

I, Deb, mentioned that Poland was adding coding to their elementary school curriculum based on an article I read recently.  Well folks, I was wrong!  The country is Estonia!  Thanks to George Eberhart, Editor of American Libraries Direct for finding this for me.  Even librarians need help finding information!  Read more about Estonia’s implementation of coding into their education curriculum below:

Guess who is winning the brains race?
Jolie O’Dell writes: “It’s Estonia! We’re reading that Estonia is implementing a new education program that will have 100% of publicly educated students learning to write code. Called ProgeTiiger, the new initiative aims to turn children from avid consumers of technology (which they naturally are; try giving a 5-year-old an iPad sometime) into developers of technology (which they are not).”…
VentureBeat, Sept. 4; Tiigrihüpe              The relevant link is:  http://venturebeat.com/2012/09/04/estonia-code-academy/

I also mentioned an article in Oprah Winfrey’s December issue of O Magazine that talks about the development of a comedian robot that adjusts the jokes it tells according to how the audience responds; and the development of robots with different personalities for different functions.  For example, a robot working in a parking garage would have a different personality than a robot working in a preschool.  For more information about the company discussed in this article, go to  http://www.marilynmonrobot.com/.

Music played today on Informania included: Information, by Dredg;  Somebody’s Watching Me, by Rockwell, Code Monkey by Jonathon Coulton, and A Laptop Like You by Jonathon Coulton