Coeur Alaska Inc. has donated $40,000 to the UAS Coeur Alaska-Kensington Gold Mine Environmental Science Award this academic year. This brings Coeur’s total donation of $126,500 to the University of Alaska Southeast since 2010 with $100,000 going to awards for students studying environmental science.
“Coeur Alaska–Kensington Mine values our partnership with the University of Alaska Southeast and our shared desire to train the next generation of Alaskans in the field of Environmental Science,” said Wayne Zigarlick, vice president and general manager. “We are pleased to make this contribution to the scholarship endowment fund to help students who share our dedication toward preserving and protecting the environment.”
Avery Stewart is just one of these students. A Coeur Alaska–Kensington Gold Mine Environmental Science Award recipient and a senior at UAS, Stewart is set to graduate this May with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science. He has made the Dean’s Honor List and enrolled in the UAS honors program and researched hydrology while participating in the UAS International Student Exchange program in Hungary in 2015. He plans to continue his education researching biotechnology and renewable energy and use his skills to help Alaska’s economy.
“Our state has relied heavily on our natural gas reserves, for which profits have dwindled over the last decade, but it has incredible potential for wind and hydro power that has been largely untouched.” Stewart said. “I think in the future we will have no choice but to invest in alternative energy. I’m actually really hopeful for the country and for the state.”
