Achievement

In 2010 RAP redesigned its orientation by including a stronger emphasis on issues of sustainability (vs. only focusing on topics related to being a new PhD student, as presented in the past). The duration of the orientation was extended to three days and took place at Denali National Park. There the group heard from park managers, met with a subsistence harvester who lives in the park, and participated in a field trip with the park ecologist. The redesign helped to jump-start students' understanding of Alaskan sustainability issues and strengthen the formation of social ties in the incoming cohort.