Last month brought hard news. First, one of my favorite authors died unexpectedly from a brain tumor. Sherry Simpson was funny, genuine and penned thoughtful and elegantly wrought works about Alaska. She was 60 years old. Sherry’s friend and colleague Frank Soos talks about her life and work.

Days after learning about her death, I heard about another passing. Although Will Harrison wasn’t a friend, I had the good fortune of talking with him three years ago. There aren’t many nuclear physicists who switch careers to study glaciers. We hear from Will and from a former graduate student who continues glacier research at UAF’s Geophysical Institute, Martin Truffer.