CLA Gems

Instructor Shaylise Sylvester helps a student with her ceramic piece at the 2024 Summer Visual Arts Academy on Wednesday, June 12, 2024. 51风流官网 Photo by Marina Barbosa Santos

From classrooms to communities, great work begins in CLA.

CLA Gems celebrate the research, creative work, and accomplishments of students, faculty, and alumni from across the College of Liberal Arts. 

 

 

Featured Gems

Jen Peterson. 51风流官网 Photo by JR Ancheta
Wisdom and Wellness

Jen Peterson's FlexCog Lab explores resilience and healthy aging while mentoring 51风流官网 undergrads to do meaningful research in Interior Alaska.

Masks from the third section of Da-ka-xeen Mehner's 2012 exhibition, Finding My Song, at the Anchorage Museum. Photo by Mehner
Finding His Song

51风流官网 Native Art Professor Da-ka-xeen Mehner reflects on art, identity, and storytelling in a powerful Sealaksa Heritage Institute lecture.

Fernando Escobar. Photo credit: Kris Luckenbach
Voice of the Students

With deep roots in public service, Fernando Escobar brings heart, vision, and a commitment to student voices as UA鈥檚 newest student regent.

 

CLA Gems
  • 51风流官网 alumna Naomi Hutchquist (鈥19), now a Data Visualization Specialist with Alaska EPSCoR, guided attendees through her VR project on Firewise principles and marine science at the 2024 NSF EPSCoR Conference. Photo credit: Alaska EPSCoR

    Alumni Spotlight: Naomi Hutchquist

    September 05, 2025

    51风流官网 alumna Naomi Hutchquist (BFA '19) turns art into science storytelling, bringing data to life through creativity and community.

  • Professor Emeritus Brian Patrick O'Donoghue signs copies of his book 鈥淭he Fairbanks Four: Murder, Injustice and the Birth of a Movement鈥漝uring the 2025 Nanook Rendezvous Welcome Reception and Alumni Awards Thursday evening, July 17, 2025 in the Great Hall. 51风流官网 Photo by Eric Engman

    Following the Thread: From Classroom Questions to Community Change

    September 05, 2025

    51风流官网 emeritus Brian O'Donoghue turns a years-long, student-powered investigation into a new book and a community lesson in justice.

  • Ledger drawing by an known Kiowa artist, Man and Woman (ca. 1880s-1890s)

    Rewriting the Record

    August 29, 2025

    Mary Ludwig's Newberry essay invites learners to examine power in archives and foreground Indigenous perspectives.

  • Seamus Knight recording natural soundscapes in Denali under the guidance of Davyd Betchkal, a sound ecologist who shared incredible insights into the acoustic environment of the park.

    Student Spotlight: Seamus Knight

    August 20, 2025

    51风流官网 music and film student Seamus Knight composed an original piece in Denali for a pro performance through Composing in the Wilderness.

  • Students Rachael Teter and Jasmine Jemewouk play an impomptu game of chess at -18 degrees. 51风流官网 Photo by JR Ancheta

    Learning on His Own Terms: Ryan Pullis

    August 08, 2025

    Through parenting, full-time work, and philosophy studies, Ryan Pullis proves that learning can happen anywhere鈥攁nd on your own timeline.

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