I recently had the distinct pleasure of traveling to Katmai National Park in Alaska to view brown bears. Michael Saxton, PhD candidate in the Robbins and Kelley labs, spends his time as a graduate student and a ranger at Katmai National Park. We are studying the genetic structure and relatedness of bears that visit Brooks Falls each year. Michael is collecting samples this summer for the study. We are also studying how gene regulation changes during hibernation at the WSU Bear Center.