Alumni Profile: Matthew Rogers, M.S. Biological Sciences '09

Matthew Rogers grew up in Michigan where he fell in with love the outdoors. "Northern Michigan is beautiful-a lot like Alaska, only on a much smaller scale," Matt said.

After graduating from high school, Matt earned his Bachelor of Science in cellular and molecular biology at the University of Michigan. Before graduating, he applied and was accepted to medical school. But Matt ultimately decided not to enter the medical field. "I wasn't sure if I wanted to go into medicine at a time when it seemed that the system had a huge number of growing problems," said Matt.

Shortly after his decision, a college friend asked if he'd be interested in driving the Alaska Highway. Matt's friend knew some people who needed a bartender and waiter for the summer at the Seaview Cafe in Hope. "I was able to spend the summer biking, fishing and hiking." At the end of the summer, he stayed in the state.

Matt spent the next few years skiing, learning to sea kayak and falling in love with Alaska. "I still had a deep passion for biology, and the wild of Alaska was a playground for learning about all of our ecosystems," said Matt. "I still have a profound respect for those who study medicine, but I felt that the natural world was being degraded quickly in many respects, and that we needed ecologists to study exactly how quickly we are changing our world and how we can mitigate or stop those changes," he said.

In 2006, Matt entered the Biological Sciences master's program at UAA. "I had a great opportunity to study the potential effects of climate change in the high arctic of Greenland. My advisor, Dr. Jeff Welker, had an experimental site in Thule, Greenland and was looking for a graduate student to work on part of the project, studying how changes in snow depth affect the environment." Matt spent two summers at the research site near the edge of Greenland's ice sheet, about 600 miles from the North Pole.

While Matt was completing his master's degree, he spent a lot of time in the UAA Stable Isotope Lab helping run analysis of his samples. "I like to understand the tools I work with, so I became fascinated by the instruments we were using," he said. In 2009, Matt earned his Master of Science in biological sciences and was hired to work as a part-time technician at UAA.

While at UAA, Matt was a co-coordinator of the UAA Graduate Student Association (GSA) and was the Graduate Student Association's representative to UAA's student government, USUAA. "At the time, GSA was a young organization trying to make UAA a better place for graduate students to learn and work. As part of GSA, I helped get graduate students insurance, a voting position on the student government's board and advocated for more competitive wages for research assistantships and teaching assistantships," he said. "I'm glad to have been part of GSA in its early years."

Now, Matt works as a full-time research technician for UAA's Environment and Natural Resources Institute (ENRI), where he is responsible for the day-to-day operations of several scientific instruments. He also helps with the experimental design of research projects, meaning he communicates with scientists on what to collect, how much and how to care for the samples. Matt works with many different researchers studying a wide array of topics, from the physiology of small mammals hibernating to the food Lake Clark national park's wolves eat. "I enjoy being a part of many different projects and seeing a great deal of the science being done by UAA researchers," Matt said.

It was his first ecology classes at UAA that really sparked Matt's interest in environmental research. "We did water quality sampling in Chester Creek, went to Glen Alps to take tree growth measurements and did many other experiments in great places. It was during those experiences when I first realized I could work in the places I love and do work that I felt was beneficial," said Matt.

Matt sees UAA as a vital part of the community at the local, state and national level. "UAA is educating some of the most important workers for the future of Alaska-doctors and nurses, engineers, construction professionals, biologists, teachers, musicians, artists and lots more. UAA is dedicated to helping its students to be better prepared in their careers," said Matt.

Matt and his wife, who is also a former UAA graduate, support the university through the annual giving program each year. "I hope UAA continues to grow. It's already doing great things for its students and the community, and the opportunities are only getting better."