Engineering Professional Programs

Why You Should Attend

Satisfy the arctic engineering course requirement for a professional license to practice architecture or engineering in the State of Alaska.

Complete your arctic engineering course requirement in just four and a half days.

Receive expert guidance and instruction from a faculty team with extensive experience teaching the Cold Regions Engineering Short Course.

Work through problems independently and receive in-class feedback from the instructors.

Your registration includes instructor authored materials as well as three texts which may later serve as useful reference tools. These texts, if purchased separately, would cost $150.

Benefit from a low student to teacher ratio due to limited enrollment.

Course Topics

Descriptive and Geotechnical Aspects

Arctic Hydrology

Basics of Heat Transfer

Snow Control around Structures

Ice Growth on Water Surfaces

Physical and Thermal Properties of Frozen Ground

Ice Mechanics

Water Supply, Treatment, and Storage

Air Infiltration and Water Vapor Concerns

Building Design Considerations

Foundation Design

Depth of Freeze and Thaw in Soils

Water Storage and Distribution

Snow Control

Low Temperature Effects on Materials and Personnel

Wastewater Treatment and Disposal

Air Pollution and Solid Waste Management

Faculty

William G. Nelson, Ph.D., P.E., Professor Emeritus, School of Engineering, University of Alaska Anchorage

Dr. Nelson earned his B.S. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Oregon State University. He worked for EXXON as a production engineer and taught and conducted research at the University of Alaska Anchorage from 1972 until 1998. He presently consults and conducts research in areas related to arctic and mechanical engineering. He has conducted extensive research in the areas of ice and snow engineering and recovery of spilled oil from ice infested waters. Dr. Nelson taught the semester version of Arctic Engineering to more than 4,000 students during his tenure at UAA.

John P. Zarling, Ph.D., P.E., Professor Emeritus, Mechanical Engineering, University of Alaska Fairbanks

Dr. Zarling earned his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and M.S. and Ph.D. in Engineering Mechanics at Michigan Technological University. His special fields of interest are arctic engineering and heat transfer. He has taught and conducted research at the University of Alaska Fairbanks for over 25 years. He has also consulted for numerous companies and agencies such as Alyeska, ARCO, and CRREL. Prior to joining the faculty at UAF he was a professor at the University of Wisconsin. Dr. Zarling has been teaching the Cold Regions Engineering short courses since 1978 and the semester course, CE603 Arctic Engineering, at UAF. In addition to his part-time teaching, he presently consults in the area of arctic engineering.

Bob Tsigonis, P.E., Large Project Coordinator, Alaska Dept. of Natural Resources & President, Lifewater Engineering Company, Fairbanks, Alaska

Bob earned a BA in General Engineering and Geology from Dartmouth College, a BE in General Engineering from Thayer School of Engineering, and an MS in Engineering Management from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. His special interest is design and manufacture of on-site sewage systems for extremely cold climates. He holds patents on the ExtremeSTP™ sewage treatment plants and a self-leveling distribution box for use with on-site sewage systems. Bob recently took a position with the Department of Natural Resources as a Large Project Coordinator for the State of Alaska. He enjoys volunteering with Lifewater International and International Friends of Compassion, organizations dedicated to providing potable water to people in developing areas throughout the world and bringing peace and hope to displaced people in Indonesia. He began teaching the environmental sections of this short course in April 2005.

Continuing Educations Units

Course participants will earn 3 Continuing Education Units for their participation in this course. The CEU is a nationally recognized measure of participation in a noncredit continuing education program that meets established criteria for increasing knowledge and competency.

Registration Fee

The early registration fee is $1,295 and includes textbooks, reference materials, a certificate of completion from the University of Washington granting 3 CEUs, and refreshment breaks.