Sharpton named acting chair of Arctic commission

ANCHORAGE - The University of Alaska Fairbanks vice chancellor for research has been appointed acting chairman of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission, according to U.S. Sen. Mark Begich.

Begich says President Obama has appointed Virgil "Buck" Sharpton to the commission, which coordinates and advocates national Arctic policy. Begich recommended Sharpton for the appointment.

Sharpton joined the faculty at UAF in 1998 and was named vice chancellor for research in May 2006.

Before joining UAF, Sharpton was a senior staff scientist at the Lunar Planetary Institute affiliated with the NASA Johnson Space Center.

He holds doctorate and master's degrees in geological sciences from Brown University.