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  • Introduction

    Hello, my name is Ryan Ackles I am 28 years old and a medically retired military veteran. I currently live in Wasilla with my wife, 3 dogs, and 4 cats, so to say I have a busy house hold is an understatement. I am currently a senior at UAA working on a history degree. I am originally from Southern California where I lived for 19 years before I joined the military. I then lived in Washington for 4 years before I came to Alaska where I fell in love and I never want to leave here. I like to say I am a professional student, but I am also a tennis instructor and coach, it’s my joy to teach tennis to any age group because it is a fun sport especially when you can enjoy the sun. I am really looking forward to this lab class, because now I can say I have to go hiking for school to find plants for class. I look forward to class with everyone and learning about all the plant life around me.

    This is my first born Leonidas

  • Laura Emerson, intro

    Hi, Class!  I am so pleased to participate in this course.  I have wanted this sort of content delivered on-line in a community setting for several years.  My husband and I live a 20 minute flight from the nearest road (N of Anchorage, S of Denali).  My science background is weak and I really want to improve my botanical knowledge to support my interest in foraging for food and making home remedies with local plants.  Classes in Master Gardening , Permaculture, and Herbalism have taught me a great deal, but I want a firmer academic grounding.  Thanks, Steffi!

     

    Regards, Laura

  • Introduction

    Hi Everyone! My name is Katie, but I go by Kat. I grew up in California and moved to Fairbanks about three years ago in pursuit of adventure and a college degree. I am now a senior in the accounting program at UAF and am taking this course because, while I do need a lab for my degree, I am also really interested in the plants around me. I love to hike and be outside in nature, but my knowledge of plants is very limited. I figure, since I love the outdoors so much, its about time I became a bit more familiar with the life around me. Looking forward to learning!

  • Hello Everyone!

    Hello! My name is Katie Roseberry. I live all the way at the top of Alaska, in Barrow. I have taken a few plant classes through my Ethnobotany certificate program, which I will be finishing up this summer with the help of this class. It’s been a while since I’ve taken ecology, so I look forward to re-familiarizing myself with biological plant terms. I completed a bachelors degree in biological sciences last year, with a focus on the human body, as I hope to make my way into the medical field someday. As for now, I am working at the local community college, Ilisagvik, and have recently been accepted into UAA’s bachelors of Dietetics program. I’ve had a special interest with the local plants around my community and am working to learn more about them to help revive their traditional uses as food and medicine. It’ll take a lot of patience and work, but I’m pretty set on this goal. I’ve also been trying to plan out a way to start a traditional medicine program at Ilisagvik College to make that knowledge more accessible to others. Below are my pups and I, Luna (black/white) and Phoenix (brown/white).

    Nice to meet you all!

  • Introduction

    Hi,

    My name is Stefanie, I’m originally from Germany and moved to Alaska full-time in 2012. Before I moved here I spent 3 summers in Denali, working as a hiking guide and yoga instructor, and got to know the plants in the park very well. I now live in Anchorage and occasionally guide hikes into the Chugach State Park – an ecosystem very similar to that in Denali, so I think I have pretty good working knowledge of the plants here as well. I love to go hiking in the summer and am always excited to see flowers, lichen and berries in the tundra. My academic background is in Religious Studies and Philosophies. I’m currently enrolled in the Ethnobotany certificate through UAF and have just starting my more formal science education. I really look forward to this class – and to find out if my plant identifications over the last 10 years have been accurate! I also look forward to learning more about plants in other ecosystems, and to learn keys to identify plant families, even if I have not seen a particular species before.

     

     

    As far as my microscope solution, I received the IPhone macro lens and have been playing with it a little. I find it a little hard to use, as it is a pretty large magnification. I also ordered a USB microscope and will take a picture of it as soon as I receive it (hopefully by Thursday this week).

  • Hello!

    Hello Fellow Classmates! My name is Ann Biddle and I live in beautiful Gakona in the Copper River Valley. I am currently enrolled in the M.A. program in Cross-Cultural Studies, and I have a background in Anthropology and Ethnobotany. I’m excited to blow the dust of the brain cells that try to do plant identifications in the hopes that it will become an easier task. I enjoy foraging for goodies along the trail, in addition to berry picking and mushroom hunting.

    Looking forward to this class!

  • Hello

    Hello everyone! I am a poet, musician, and nature enthusiast from Fairbanks.  Learning to identify things in nature is immensely satisfying. It’s been a few years since I took a plant biology class and I’d like to freshen up my vocabulary and learn new skills.

             

  • I’m Excited to Meet Everyone

    Hi, My name is Christen. I live in Fairbanks and work as an an instructional designer at UAF eCampus. I’m not a student in this class, but I am a resource. If you have questions about any of the technical tools you will be using in this class, please feel free to email me. I’ll help!