University of Alaska Fairbanks - Denali Yearbook (Fairbanks, AK)

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Yousef NEED NO CAMEL Mohamed Yousef came to the University of Alaska from the University of Missouri where he received his Phd in environmental physiology, June, 1966. He drove the Alaskan Highway with his wife and daughter this summer. Yes, it was quite an experience, and he admitted frankly ' It scared me to death. In 1959, Yousef received his BS degree in biology from the Univer- sity of Eimshem in the United Arab Republic. He first heard of the U of A while in the U of M environmental physiology research department. The Arctic biology research depart- ment here at the University is well recognized in the field of en- vironmental physiology. While in Missouri, Yousefstudied the affects of heat and hot weather on animals. Here he will do the reverse, studying the affect of cold on reindeer and caribou as well as the affects of radiation. Questions he will face here are: How much cold can these animals really withstand. The temperature may drop to -50, but do these animals actually live in it, or do they migrate to warmer areas? The results of his research are then used to help man survive in cold climates. Can reindeer be raised as a meat animal sucessfully? A Russian scientist claims that reindeer can not subsist on hay as can a cow. Yousef explained that environ- mental physiology is a relatively new field, started by the army to help enable survival and comfort in extreme climates. The National Aeronautic and Space Admini- stration still supplies many of the funds for current studies. Environmental physiology is applied science, or gives the engine- ers the information to apply to human beings. Yousef pointed out that if Environmental physiologists can discover the secret that slows down the metabolism in hibernating animals, the process can hopefully apply to astronauts when making long space flights. He is looking forward to spending the winter here. He intends to wait and see how he, himself, can best stay warm. Each person he talks to gives him different hints on how to stay warm. While watching a film on U of A winter activities, he noticed that there is no stan- dard uniform for keeping warm. Each individual has his own method. Because he is here for research purposes only, he has little con- tact with the students. He enjoys the friendly people on campus very much. Before leaving Alaska he would very much like to visit the north slope and the Arctic. When asked if he thought a camel might be imported to Alaska for research purposes, he only laughed and said They hardly need a camel here. 15

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Brody ABSTRACT INSIDER This is William Brody ' s first year as a teacher as well as his first year in Alaska. He has always more or less been interested in art, and started paint- ing in oils when he was fifteen. I still can ' t handle a brush very well, he says. I work for pre- cision, and oils are good because they can be redone until perfect. He had intended to graduate from Harvey Mudd College in Clairmont California with a math degree. By working in this field until he was about thirty, he could make some money, retire at that age and turn all his efforts to painting. I felt I could wait that long because the great painters didn ' t paint their best works until they were older anyway. Brody realized he wasn ' t as inter- ested in math as he was in art and teaching, so he went to two years of graduate study at Clairmont Graduate School and University Center. You have to go to grad school to teach, so I went, he said. He received his Master of Fine Arts in June, 1967. Of 150 some places he applied for teaching positions, Brody was particularly interested in the Uni- versity of Alaska. A friend who had been stationed at Eielson AFB had first told him of the U. of A. He had wanted to be in a new place and was especial- ly interested in teaching University level students. The students are better, and once you teach at a state university level, it is pretty easy to continue at that level. As far as an artist is concerned, stressed Brody, if you aren ' t in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, or San Francisco, it doesn ' t matter where you are. He enjoys the Alaskan country side even though he is not an out- ' door man-- I ' ve only been fishing] twice in my life. Though he likes to look at them, The idea of painting glacier covered mountains bores me, he said. Some of the colors and shapes of the hillsides, the rounded ones, reminding me of the backgrounds I use for his paintings. Brody is a teacher because he likes to work with people and enjoys giving his knowledge for others to use. His style is one which he says is not popular now and may or may not be in five or ten years. Brody feels his paintings while not exactly didactic do teach. They will be a good experience for Alaskan students. He leaves the door between his office and class- room open so students may feel free to come in, look at his work, and talk if they wish. He instructs classes in painting, print making and drawing here at the Univer- sity. Brody does not know how long he will remain in Alaska. He is in- different towards the coming winter. My interests are inside, reading, music and of course painting, and if you ' re inside, once again it doesn ' t matter where you are. 14

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Brooks: JUST CURIOUS H en Hugh Brooks, who has re- placed Francis Pyne as Head of the Department of Health, Phy- sical Education and Recreation here at the University of Alaska said Why does anyone come up here? I guess I was just curious. Brooks first applied for the position in 1965, so he has been curious for a few years. Brooks is a Canadian who re- ceived both his Bachelers and Masters degrees in Physical Ed- ucation, Recreation and Athletics at Mount Royal Junior College in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, directly before coming to Alaska. Though interested in all forms of Physical Education from camping to basketball, he has excelled in track and field. In high school, he set the Canadian Juvenile Broad Jump Record in 1954, and was named outstanding District Athlete in 1951 through 1953. At Brigham Young University he was Skyline Broad Jump Champion in 1955, 56, and 58, set the Invitational Broad Jump Re- cord in 1958 and was awarded the Outstanding Track Athlete Award in 1958. Brooks and his family arrived in Fairbanks just a week before the flood. He was just taking over his responsibilities in the Patty Build- ing when he found himself house- father for several hundred refugees. He and his family had to evacuate their new hom e — a basement apart- ment in Fairbanks. The problem of a new place to live was solved when he and his wife were appointed the Resident Advisors of Skarland Hall. Brooks record at Mount Royal Junior College shows that he is a qualified man for the job he has taken. When he became Director of the Department of Physical Educa- tion and Athletics in 1963, it had only a $9000 budget. Whenhe left inl967, the department had expanded to 120 students with a budget of over $120,000 for 1967-68. 16