College of Liberal Arts
Explore how partnerships between students, faculty, and departments fuel new ideas and impactful scholarship.
Collaboration comes naturally in the College of Liberal Arts. With so many areas of study overlapping—and with students often blending majors, minors, and interests—working across disciplines isn’t the exception; it’s the norm. That’s part of what makes CLA such a dynamic place to learn and create. The projects featured here reflect that energy: students and faculty coming together to ask good questions, share ideas, and build things that matter. Whether it’s a student-faculty partnership, a cross-departmental effort, or a wider UAF initiative, these collaborations highlight what’s possible when people from different perspectives work side by side.
From faculty-student partnerships to cross-disciplinary teams, these recent projects show how collaboration fuels creative and scholarly work across the liberal arts. Whether sparked by mentorship, shared curiosity, or the blending of distinct fields, each one highlights the power of working together to explore complex ideas and create something new.
Arctic Leadership Lecture Series
This ongoing series hosts conversations with leaders from across the Arctic, from diplomats to researchers to Indigenous leaders. The series models collaborative inquiry and highlights the value of shared learning around northern issues, leadership, and policy.
Clay, Code, and Creativity
MFA ceramics student Nick Dwyer and digital art professor Miho Aoki explored how artificial intelligence intersects with handmade design. Their joint research led to an award-winning coauthored paper presented internationally.
Opera Workshop in Costa Rica
In a recent international collaboration, UAF music students partnered with musicians and educators in Costa Rica for performance and outreach. Faculty and students worked side-by-side to navigate cultural and musical exchange.
Journalism, the First Amendment, and Covering Trump
This public panel brought together faculty from the UAF journalism and political science departments and reporters in the community for an open discussion about the complexities of reporting in the current political landscape.
Kodiak Ideation Studio Session
Faculty and staff from across UAF joined forces to address challenges facing Kodiak. CLA participants found their interdisciplinary backgrounds provided them the skills necessary to present creative, out-of-the-box solutions.
Cognitive Cryogenics
Assistant professor Sasha Bitzer and student Ayona‑Reily Dixon explored how ice can act as a visual language. Together, they created immersive artworks that reflect glacial textures, landscapes, and the shifting human‑environment relationship.
Explore how research and creative activity thrive across CLA at the undergraduate, graduate, and faculty levels.
