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

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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

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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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Rase he: FINE STUDENTS Dr. Herbert Rasche has been living in Alaska three years, but has just joined the staff this fall. He came to Alaska as a geogra- pher with the Army Research and Development Program for the Arc- tic Test Center. Rasche has known about the Uni- versity of Alaska ' throughout its history. He has always been inter- ested in Alaska from a profes- sional as well as personal point of view. His first knowledge of the University ' s scientific aspects came to him through Army projects con- cucted in the late 1940 ' s. Rasche received his Master ' s de- gree in Geography from the Uni- versity of Wisconsin. During his military career the Army sent him to Harvard where he completed his Doctorate ' s in Geography and climatology. When Rashe came to Alaska in 1964 he was a retired officer work- ing for the Army project as a civilian. Rasche became acquainted with the University ' s faculty during research programs which enabled a close relationship between the army research staff and the Uni- versity faculty. Rasche was a teacher for ten years before beginning his mili- tary career, in the Milwaukee Public School System as well as at the University of Wisconsin. He taught at the state college in Cutztown , Penn. which is three times larger than the U of A, immediately before coming to Alaska. The students here are fine, says Rasche, They have a greater seriousness of purpose here than elsewhere. His wife, Gertrude Rasche, has been teaching in the English Dept. on campus for two years, and when a chance to join the staff present- ed itself, Dr. Rasche didn ' t hesitate. I ' m very happy and pleased to be associated with the University of Alaska, he said. 17