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Our offices will be closed Monday, December 24th, through Wednesday, January 2nd, in observance of the Christmas and New Year holidays.

All OIPC and Center ICE staff, faculty, and students wish you a safe and wonderful holiday season. We look forward to sharing �鶹ԭ��F and �鶹ԭ��S innovations with you again in the New Year, and we are excited for what the New Year will bring.

Center ICE is pleased to announce that Nigel Sharp has joined the team to serve as the Startups and Innovation Manager.  Nigel will work as a mentor, advisor, guest lecturer, program developer and coordinator, and ecosystem builder.  He will engage �鶹ԭ��F, the Fairbanks community, Alaska companies, and Alaska innovators and entrepreneurs.

Nigel’s role at Center ICE will complement the position he is maintaining as the University of Alaska’s Global Entrepreneur in Residence, at which he has initiated a number of entrepreneurial community programs across Alaska including , , , , and the .

You are invited to come by and learn more about what Nigel will be doing at the upcoming Center ICE Holiday Brunch on December 4^th from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Center ICE. .

In recent years, Nigel co-founded software companies, working on technologies ranging from voice recognition and gesture control to IT Network security. He has spoken at TEDx, judged, mentored or organized 22 Hackathons/Startup Weekends, and started businesses in six countries. He has participated in four business acceleration programs and has developed skills in lean startups and customer validation methodologies, which have all aided in his prior raises of venture funding and startup success. Feel free to add him on and email him at nigel.sharp@alaska.edu. 

* Nigel joins the Center ICE team just as former Center ICE Director Nickole Conley is transitioning out.  Nickole has accepted a new position as �鶹ԭ��F’s Executive Office, a position in the Chancellor’s Cabinet.  Please join us in congratulating Nickole and wishing her great success.

Each month this column will highlight one or more recent disclosures of innovations developed at the �鶹ԭ�� and the �鶹ԭ�� Southeast.

John Monahan has developed a curriculum that is delivered through the use of high-interest technologies for solving community problems. Photo by Mark Billingsley.

Innovative tools are redefining education.  Most often, such tools are developed by educators like us.  Over the years �鶹ԭ��F has produced many innovative educational tools, including a recently-disclosed method for integrating technology into community problem-solving.  John Monahan, Director of �鶹ԭ��F's program, developed the curriculum and technology package with the assistance of �鶹ԭ��F's EPSCoR program and support from the .

Monahan has developed a curriculum based on various existing high-interest technologies for a unique take on community problem-solving.  Not only does the product help solve problems, but equally important it also develops in students a growth mindset and teaches Design Thinking skills.  The program incorporates , 3D printing, and autonomous vehicles.  Monahan's product has been delivered to hundreds of students in Alaska and around the country, with dozens more Upward Bound program directors around the country expressing interest.

Let us know what innovative educational tools you've developed.

A team in the 2018 Lean Launch Workshop makes its final pitch. Photo by JR Ancheta/�鶹ԭ��F.

Center ICE will hold its second annual Lean Launch Workshop during spring break on March 11^th to 13th.

The program begins with online materials in February, continues with the in-person workshop over spring break, and then wraps up in April in time for the and the .

The workshop is ideal for faculty, students and staff interested in learning about commercializing their innovations and preparing for investment, I-Corp National Team applications, and SBIR funding.

The workshop, while using Stanford’s Lean Launchpad model, will bring more focus on investabilty and the steps to be taken after customer discovery. For more information and registration, contact Ky Holland at hrholland@alaska.edu or call 907-727-2735.

Jerry Johnson receives a check from OIPC’s Gwen Holdmann for the startup’s first share of their revenue. �鶹ԭ��F photo by JR Ancheta.

Recently, Coupi, Inc., founded by former �鶹ԭ��F professors Jerry Johnson and Anton Kulchitsky, and based on a technology developed during their time at �鶹ԭ��F, has reached greater levels of success.

Coupi develops and sells physics simulation software as well as provides services related to the software.  Recently, Coupi secured a second round of funding and began generating income.  Additionally, the �鶹ԭ��F-based startup has returned licensing revenue to the University and in turn, pursuant to �鶹ԭ��F policy, back to the inventors.

We look forward to following Coupi as they continue their journey as a �鶹ԭ��F startup company.

Through your research at �鶹ԭ��F and �鶹ԭ��S, you may be sitting on some commercially valuable innovations.  These innovations can help both you and the university. In fact, your innovations could be world-changing.

After you disclose your innovation to OIPC, we’ll handle just about all the legwork including patenting and commercialization.  Just let us know what you are working on.  Disclose Now!

Who: �鶹ԭ��F and �鶹ԭ��S faculty, staff, and students from all departments

What: Anything that you’ve created.  If you aren’t sure, then don’t hesitate to ask us (uaf-oipc@alaska.edu or 474-2605).  The range of what can or should be disclosed is far broader than you think.  Also, you can err on the side of disclosing, and we’ll just follow up with you to talk about it.

How: So simple.  Just visit and fill out the form.

When: Now!  Err on the earlier side because waiting can undermine intellectual property rights.

Why: We can help make your research into reality!  And so many other reasons: it’s required by federal regulation, it might result in a publication under your name, you could earn financial royalties, it helps your college or department, it contributes to economic development, you can be entered at your discretion into an annual innovation competition with cash prizes, and more.

Bahareh Barati is one of eight recipients in the first round of the Center ICE Seed Fund. Photo by Amanda Byrd.

Eight ideas recently submitted to the first round Center ICE Seed Fund received funding ranging from $5,000 to $25,000. 

The Center ICE Seed Fund is designed to boost commercialization success, entrepreneurialism, and innovation at the �鶹ԭ�� and throughout Alaska. The Center ICE Seed Fund invests directly in people, technologies, and commercialization efforts.

Winning proposals came from Alaska startups such as Coupi, Inc. and Rhizofoam, LLC. as well as university researchers including Chris Sannito and Bahareh Barati – each developing technologies and business opportunities that will capitalize on funding to reach commercial success.

We will be following the eight recipients over the coming months and will keep you updated about their progress!

Hacking for Defense ™ (H4Di) will be the most unique, rewarding and challenging class you will ever take!  Offered through �鶹ԭ��F’s School of Management, this course is not about computer hacking! Instead, H4Di is uniquely designed for all students in all schools and programs as it takes an entrepreneurial, interdisciplinary, and fast approach to the challenges of national security.

The H4Di class is brand new and has been offered by top-ranked academic institutions like , , and Johns Hopkins University. While some relaxed this summer, we at OIPC and Center ICE are always on the move. So, we sent one of our Ambassadors – �鶹ԭ��F faculty member and biomedical entrepreneur Robert Coker – to Purdue University to obtain his H4Di certification to teach the course.

H4Di is a modern renaissance class – you will receive relentless feedback from your problem sponsors, mentors, military liaisons, corporate partners, investors and journalists that may be in the room while solving real problems for real customers, in real-time – and live-streaming every class on Facebook Live.

Keep your eyes wide open for upcoming announcements about how to submit your enrollment application. We want students interested in public policy, engineering, computers, biology, entrepreneurs, physics, psychology, and the list goes on!

The Armadillow (now Hoodillow) team presenting their final pitch. Photo by Amanda Byrd

In 54 hours, ideas can change, teams can split up, and successful entrepreneurial ventures can be created. That’s exactly what happened last week during Fairbanks Startup Weekend. The event drew over 40 budding entrepreneurs. Some pitched their ideas while others watched and calculated which teams they might join.

Initial ideas ranged from a cat café and a car windshield that warns drivers of upcoming hazards to virtual gamers who could replace someone out of internet range. The weekend’s winners spent their 54 hours interviewing anticipated customers, building prototypes, and developing business models – some of them pivoting from an initial idea to something very different.

The winning team, Armadillow, created a padded neck wrap that doubles as a hooded travel pillow. The team, made up of junior and senior engineering students, used customer validation at the Fairbanks International Airport to determine that weary travelers would like to have a padded hood when traveling to make their flights more comfortable.

Other winning teams included Icebreaker, which developed an app to help millennials overcome social anxiety through meeting for topical conversations in public places; and Alaska Adventure Tours, which developed a platform to market, book, and pay for authentic Alaskan tours. The winning team, Armadillow, earned free entry into the upcoming Arctic Innovation Competition, free business financial consulting, and other great prizes. The Alaska Adventure Tours team won free entry into the Alaska Travel Industry Association’s tourism startup pitch contest.

The �鶹ԭ�� has been designated as a (I-Corps) Site.  With this designation, �鶹ԭ��F will receive a three-year, $255,000 grant to accelerate the development of customer-driven research and transition it to the marketplace.

The I-Corps Site will be implemented by �鶹ԭ��F’s Office of Intellectual Property and Commercialization (OIPC) and �鶹ԭ��F’s Center for Innovation, Commercialization, and Entrepreneurship (Center ICE). The initiative at �鶹ԭ��F will now become an important part of a national innovation ecosystem that translates basic and applied research to the development of technologies, products, and processes that ultimately benefit society.

“We are thrilled to be selected as an NSF I-Corps Site.  This really recognizes the significant market potential of �鶹ԭ�� research.  Years of building OIPC and Center ICE programming, along with strong support from university administration – especially Larry Hinzman, Dan White, and Jim Johnsen, got us to this stage from which we could compete and now win this prestigious grant,” said Mark Billingsley, co-PI on the grant. He further mentioned that “Between the growing interest among faculty and students in innovation and entrepreneurialism and the increased resources to support them, this is an exciting time at the university.”

Each team that participates will receive around $2,500 to create a prototype, travel to consult with potential clients or obtain further training.  Successful teams will be eligible to apply for the NSF’s national I-Corps program to receive up to $50,000 of additional funding to continue with their commercialization efforts.

Billingsley explained that “the I-Corps curriculum is challenging, but that’s the point.  Products and businesses succeed because they’re meeting true customer needs.  The knowledge and skills required to assess customer needs are valuable beyond the commercialization context: they help everyone approach their work – whatever that may be – more entrepreneurially.”

As the program is launched in the coming months, look for more information in this newsletter.  Also, you can contact OIPC at uaf-oipc@alaska.edu.

54 hours of fun during which you’ll experience the challenges and thrills of developing your idea into a marketable product or launching your own business.  Come with your own idea, or join a team and coalesce around someone else’s idea.

Startup Weekend is an event for innovators, inventors, entrepreneurs, developers, designers, marketers, product managers, students, and people of all ages and levels of experience. All are welcome! Registration includes all meals for the weekend. Student & military discounts are available. A limited number of scholarships are available upon request.

Startup Weekend is a well-established program with events held every weekend at cities around the world.  This year’s Fairbanks Startup Weekend facilitator works on project in Seattle, and many of the coaches and mentors have extensive success in launching startup companies and developing products.

This event is being presented through a collaboration between the , the , the Office of Intellectual Property and Commercialization, and Center ICE.  Additional sponsors include the , , ., , , the College of Engineering and Mines, the �鶹ԭ��F School of Management, and .

Learn more at

Visit our event’s website and register at Startupweekend - Fairbanks

Students: Looking for a project topic for one of your classes?

Faculty: Looking for projects for your students?

Alaska community members: Have a real-world problem that that college students might be able to help with?

Submit your own challenge or check out the many great problems that already have been submitted.

Eric Swanson will present at the next I2 event. Photo courtesy of Eric Swanson.

The next Innovation Initiative event with guest speaker Eric Swanson will be on Thursday, September 27th at 4:30 pm in the ELIF Design Theater.

Eric Swanson was raised in Fairbanks and now serves in a variety of technical and managerial roles in academic, entrepreneurial, industrial, and nonprofit settings.

In 2018, Swanson was inducted into the Alaska Innovators Hall of Fame () for his innovations and the founding of numerous startup companies. These companies have evolved over time and have shipped several billions of dollars in products around the world.

Swanson will present his thoughts on “Innovation and Entrepreneurship."

For information about future I2 events, please contact the OIPC ambassadors Robert Coker, Peter Webley, and Eran Hood.

Birgit Hagedorn and Jacqueline Summers conduct market research during the 2018 Lean Launch Workshop. Photo by Amanda Byrd.

As we prepare for another great academic year, let’s take a moment to reflect on the year that has passed.  Over the past twelve months, OIPC staff members – along with a multitude of partners – have worked tirelessly to advance university research through industry partnerships and to build a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship.

• The year kicked off with big changes: Gwen Holdmann joined OIPC as the new director, and Dan White, OIPC’s founding director, was selected as the new �鶹ԭ��F Chancellor.
• OIPC also welcomed its first round of Ambassadors: Rajive Ganguli, Peter Webley, and Robert Coker. As the Ambassadors went about promoting technology commercialization, they saw a need for a regular gathering of like-minded people and thus launched the Innovation Initiative (I²) event series.
• OIPC also launched the Center for Innovation, Commercialization, and Entrepreneurship (Center ICE) Innovation Hub.
• Over Spring Break, OIPC hosted Alaska’s first as part of a new partnership with the .
• �鶹ԭ��F faculty, staff, and students pursued new startup companies, and �鶹ԭ��F licensed more technologies. OIPC also worked with inventors on new technologies, such as Brandt Lomen’s pseudo-sun instrument, which took first place in the Invent Alaska competition.
• The year wrapped up with OIPC hosting the and welcoming Ky Holland as OIPC’s Technology Commercialization Officer.

This year, the Alaska legislature and governor memorialized their commitment to innovation and entrepreneurialism when they declared 2019 the Year of Innovation.  We plan to leverage their support and keep up the momentum.  Among other things:

• OIPC is offering the Center ICE Seed Fund and will be offering the Alaska Seed Fund
• We’re welcoming the newest Ambassador from �鶹ԭ��S, Eran Hood
• We’re looking forward to another great year of I² events, the Invent Alaska Competition, and the Lean Launch Workshop
• We’re working with partners to develop a lean startup methodology semester-long course
• Center ICE will continue to ramp up its operations
• We’re opening new channels for industry partnership
• We’re working to send �鶹ԭ��’s first team to the National Science Foundation’s I-Corps Team program
• OIPC is working with partners to host another successful year of the Fairbanks Startup Weekend event this September

Thank you for all your help over the past year and for your contributions to innovation and entrepreneurialism in Alaska.  Now, let’s roll up our sleeves and make the next year our best yet!

Anchorage’s 49^th State Angel Fund recently announced it will partner with , , and OIPC to support another year of the Alaska Seed Fund.  First offered in 2017, the Alaska Seed Fund supports entrepreneurs in prototyping, conducting studies, validating customers, and gaining market traction.  .

Stay tuned for more information on how to apply and deadlines.

What is Fairbanks Startup Weekend? In just 54 hours, you will experience the highs, lows, fun, and pressure that makeup life at a startup. As you learn how to create a real company, you'll meet the very best mentors, investors, co-founders, and sponsors who are ready to help you get started.  Mark your calendar for September 28-30, and get ready to be immersed in the ideal environment for startup magic to happen.

Governor Walker spoke to the attendees of the SBIR Road Tour. Photo by Peter Webley.

On July 21^st, members of Alaska’s small business community came together with University innovators to learn more about federal grant opportunities.  Attendees networked and had the unique opportunity to meet individually with federal program managers to learn how to best align their companies and innovations with federal priorities.

The federal SBIR/STTR program has been called the U.S.’s largest seed fund and a national treasure, with winners getting no-strings-attached funding to develop their ideas into marketable products.

During the morning sessions, attendees heard from federal employees about the application process and how to maximize chances for success.  In the afternoon, various Alaskans talked about how SBIR’s fit into our burgeoning startup innovation ecosystem and about their experiences winning and operating under SBIR awards.

After lunch, Governor Walker spoke of the long-demonstrated ingenuity of Alaskans.  Following Walker, �鶹ԭ�� President Johnsen talked about how “it takes a great university to make a great state.”

The Center ICE Seed Fund invests directly in people, technologies, and commercialization efforts.  It is designed to boost commercialization success, entrepreneurialism, and innovation at the �鶹ԭ�� and throughout Alaska.

Proposals are welcome in three Center ICE Seed Fund categories: 1) Innovation at an Inflection Point, 2) Fostering the Entrepreneurial Mindset, and 3) Accelerating Commercialization.

Category 1 is open to anyone from the �鶹ԭ�� community as well as any Alaska-based entity. Categories 2 and 3 are available to support �鶹ԭ�� faculty, staff, and students, �鶹ԭ��-owned IP, and members of Center ICE.

Depending on the category, Seed Funds are available up to $25,000 and $7,000.

Proposals may be submitted at any time. Please visit Center ICE for more information.

is now open for the Fairbanks stop of the on July 20, 2018!

Through collaborative discussions and networking, the Road Tour is designed to teach you about SBIR opportunities and maximize your chance of being awarded one.  Additionally, the day’s events will bring together researchers, entrepreneurs, and business leaders from around Alaska for strategizing and partnership.

The SBIR program is often called “America’s Largest Seed Fund,” as it’s a premier source of non-dilutive early stage funding.  Federal agencies are eager to increase SBIR success in Alaska; come take advantage of this great opportunity.  Program managers from the following agencies will be present: DARPA, USDA, DOD Missile Defense Agency, Navy, NIH, DHS, NASA, and NSF.

We are pleased to welcome Ky Holland to the OIPC team.  Ky is active in the Alaska startup community as a startup founder, investor, and event organizer.

Prior to joining OIPC, Ky was contributing to �鶹ԭ�� technology commercialization efforts as an active member of the Intellectual Property Advisory Committee.  Ky brings a depth of academic and business experience. He has been a �鶹ԭ��A and APU faculty member, a founding board member of the Launch Alaska business accelerator, co-founder of the Alaska Accelerator Fund, executive director of the Alaska Process Industry Careers Consortium, and has worked over 30 years in industrial product design, operations, sales, and management. 

A career in business, education, workforce development and investing has developed Ky’s focus on growing Alaska's future value-added economy and opportunities for Alaskans around the state. 

Ky is starting with OIPC following a two-month Entrepreneur in Residence position in Serbia working with startup companies and organizations supporting Serbia's goal to be admitted into the European Union in 2025. 

We welcome Ky to the OIPC team, and encourage you to introduce yourself to Ky when you see him or shoot him an email!

On May 24, Eric Solie was the guest speaker at the Innovation Initiative event. Students, faculty and community members attended to hear Solie’s budding growth as an entrepreneur.

In 2016, Solie, CEO and co-founder Vincent Castro created a winning prototype during the Fairbanks .  Their winning idea, Attently, earned them a ticket to the , which they won and they went on to win seed funding from business accelerator.

According to Solie during an interview with Innovation Resource Consulting Group, “Attently is an analytics platform for determining the engagement of live audiences.” Read more of that .

Solie spoke during I2 of the importance of starting with a vision but embracing change. He stressed the importance of doing market research and being careful about ensuring it is not wrongly optimistic.  He discussed the challenges that start-ups face in Alaska. The challenges include a small labor pool, limited funding opportunities, high travel costs and less opportunity for connection than outside states. He also talked about the benefits of being in Alaska - easy access to decision makers, less hiring competition, and more community support.

The monthly I2 events are taking a break for the summer and will return in September.  For more information on I2 events, please contact the OIPC ambassadors, Robert “Trey” Coker rcoker@alaska.edu, Peter Webley pwwebley@alaska.edu, Rajive Ganguli rganguli@alaska.edu, and Eran Hood ewhood@alaska.edu.  

When you think of cryogenics, thoughts might go to sci-fi movies. However, the term ‘cryogenics’ simply refers to the long-term storage of biological material at ultra-low temperatures, whether in ultra-cold freezers or the gold standard of cryopreservation, liquid nitrogen.

Natural history museums, biomedical labs, and a wide range of research facilities all employ cryopreservation, and samples are typically stored in small, screw-top tubes (cryovials) that can withstand extreme temperatures. For years, the industry standard has been a 2-milliliter cryovial, but advances in biotechnology now allow scientists to use much smaller amounts of frozen samples, and traditional 2-ml cryovials have become excessive and take up valuable, expensive-to-maintain space in cryogenic facilities.

�鶹ԭ��F researchers Link Olson, Kyndall Hildebrandt, and Aren Gunderson have designed a new model half the volume of traditional cryovials that allows two to be stored as a single interlocking unit in the same space taken up by a single older model. This has the added benefit of not requiring new (and expensive) boxes and racks used to organize cryovials within larger spaces. The immediate goal was to maximize the amount of frozen tissues archived in the �鶹ԭ�� Museum of the North’s world-class Genomic Resources facility.

The broader goal is to bring this benefit to research facilities around the world.  A patent, U.S. Design Patent D820467, for this technology was issued on June 12, 2018.

�鶹ԭ��F’s nematode sieve is moving closer to market release through a collaboration with an industry partner.  The simple device solves a common problem in labs that use nematodes as a model organism.  The solution would reduce the time and resources spent on lab experiments, thereby speeding up the pace of science in those labs.

Lab tests related to human diseases and drugs require clinical trials performed on a model organism before testing on humans.  A popular model organism is the Caenorhabditis elegans, a nematode that shares certain genes and molecular pathways with humans; that can model the effects on an entire organism including active digestive, reproductive, endocrine, sensory and neuromuscular systems; and, with a mere two-week lifespan, can model an entire life cycle in a short period of time.

A major hurdle to research on nematodes, which are 1mm when fully grown, is separating them based on life stage.

Currently, labs sort nematodes (a) manually with a pick or pipette, which is very time consuming and does not lend itself to large scale sorting; (b) using a chemical, but that can alter the development of the embryo, or (c) with a machine that is prohibitively expensive.

Barbara Taylor and members of her lab needed a more workable solution.  Necessity being the mother of invention, they developed their "nematode sieve," which is the subject of a pending patent application.

The Taylor lab's elegant solution to a common problem caught the eye of industry.  Currently, the technology is licensed to NemaMetrix Inc., which is further developing and testing the device with plans to launch a product soon.

"We're keen to see our simple and effective solution adopted by C. elegans labs and benefitting research far beyond Alaska," said Taylor.

The (SBIR) and (STTR) program awards have helped U.S. innovators advance new technologies and have contributed to the creation of thousands of jobs.

The offers more information on the different SBIR programs, how to win an SBIR award, and there'll be tales of SBIR experience from veteran researchers and business owners. Program managers from many federal agencies will be available for one-on-one meetings.

Mark your calendar, stay tuned for more details, and contact us with any questions.

We’re happy to announce OIPC’s newest ambassador: Eran Hood, a Professor of Environmental Science at the �鶹ԭ�� Southeast (�鶹ԭ��S).

Eran’s research interests are centered around hydrology and biogeochemistry. His recent projects include an interdisciplinary effort to understand the downstream effects of glacier change and developing novel techniques to study carbon cycling in aquatic ecosystems. 

Eran says he looks forward to extending OIPC resources to �鶹ԭ��S faculty and students and spurring participation through initiatives such as the Invent Alaska competition.

One of Eran’s goals as an ambassador is to recruit �鶹ԭ��S faculty in the Humanities and Social Sciences to engage with OIPC as well as �鶹ԭ��F student and faculty so they can collaborate on developing products and technologies.

Scott Bell has been a key player of entrepreneurialism and innovation at �鶹ԭ��F.

Bell is the President of Nanook Tech Ventures, a for-profit company created in 2013 to facilitate the startup of local companies. Instead of requiring an upfront licensing fee, NTV licenses �鶹ԭ��F technologies in exchange for equity in the new company.

Bell is also a member of �鶹ԭ��F's Intellectual Property Advisory Committee and serves as Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities Services. 

In March 2018, Bell was recognized by Chancellor White with an award for Innovation and Entrepreneurialism at �鶹ԭ��F.  

This spring, OIPC's Mark Billingsley graduated from the Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce's . 

This nine-month course brings together emerging and established leaders to develop skills through exposure to challenging ideas, insights from local leaders, lively discussion, and personal reflection. As OIPC supports local commerce through licensing and startup companies, an important ally is the Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce, a longtime partner of �鶹ԭ��F. From this course, Mark gained valuable relationships and new ideas to advance OIPC's mission.

�鶹ԭ��F’s Geophysical Institute. Photo by JR Ancheta.

�鶹ԭ��F's recently updated its unit criteria to include additional criteria that focused around intellectual property and its development, disclosures, and revenue generation thus further making innovation and commercialization an integral part of its success moving forward. 

The GI recently included further measures under research performance as well as recognition of revenue generated from IP to provide those faculty pursuing IP commercialization with an avenue to include this work alongside their other academic pursuits. 

Notably, GI faculty formed �鶹ԭ��F's first spin-off company - ., developed from �鶹ԭ��F GI IP while GI researchers have also produced many of �鶹ԭ��F’s patented technologies. The GI is the second organization at �鶹ԭ��F to include additional criteria and language in its unit criteria to recognize the importance of innovation to the University's success following on from �鶹ԭ��F's

Center ICE is pleased to announce it is now accepting application for private office, cubicle and lab space leases in the new Engineering Learning Innovation Facility. Center ICE offers a tiered lease structure to help meet the needs of �鶹ԭ�� start-up companies and entrepreneurs. Leases included access to many services and programming such as the opportunity to apply for seed funds and intern support. We are excited to offer this opportunity to developers of �鶹ԭ�� owned IP.

.  Or contact us at CenterICE@alaska.edu.

The Center for Innovation, Commercialization, and Entrepreneurship provides a pathway for university researchers to turn their ideas into business success. Offering services, space, and programming, Center ICE helps faculty and students commercialize their intellectual property, create spin-off companies, and get their products into the right hands, where they can change the world.

Stop by Center ICE on May 10^th from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. to check out the space, meet the staff, and learn more about available services and programming.  This Open House event is part of Economic Development Week in Alaska, as proclaimed by Governor Walker.  Other scheduled events include an Informative Session on the China Trade Mission and the Visitor Industry Walk for Charity.  The goal of Economic Development Week is to increase awareness for local initiatives that create jobs, advance career development opportunities and increase the quality of life.

The (SBIR) and (STTR) program awards have helped U.S. innovators advance new technologies and have contributed to the creation of thousands of jobs.

The offers more information on the different SBIR programs, how to win an SBIR award, and there'll be tales of SBIR experience from veteran researchers and business owners. Program managers from many federal agencies will be available for one-on-one meetings.

Mark your calendar, stay tuned for more details, and contact us with any questions.

URSA Day in the Wood Center. Photo by Peter Webley.

OIPC Ambassadors visit URSA day and present to �鶹ԭ��F Student Group “AIM”

OIPC Ambassador Peter Webley recently attended �鶹ԭ��F’s  day to learn more about current undergraduate research at �鶹ԭ��F and to offer assistance to students with ideas that have commercial potential.

Dr. Webley discovered several the projects with commercial potential.  He helped direct them toward resources within the University – such as the Invent Alaska competition and OIPC’s services – as well as outside – such as the Small Business Development Center and Launch Alaska. 

Webley also recently presented to �鶹ԭ��F’s Active and Innovative Minds student group and their Faculty Mentor, Dr. Ping Lan. Webley discussed the upcoming events in the Entrepreneurial calendar.

These are some examples of how OIPC Ambassadors are reaching out to �鶹ԭ��F students and connecting them to the innovation and entrepreneurial pipeline.

The U.S. Small Business Administration's Emerging Leaders class is being offered for the first time in Fairbanks. 

This is a nationally recognized Executive Leadership program for small business owners interested in growing their businesses. 

The 13 week course offers a curriculum that includes in-depth training in finances, marketing, procurement, human resources and organizational management as related to small business.

This SBA sponsored program is free to the participants and they walk away with a three year growth plan that helps them take their businesses to the next level.  It has been compared to MBA programs offered through educational institutions and is highly regarded throughout the US.  To register or find out more, visit .

Ben Kellie works at the Boardroom in downtown Anchorage, January 5, 2018. Kellie returned to Alaska from work launching rockets for SpaceX to begin a company serving rural Alaska with drones. (Charles Wohlforth / ADN)

The next I2 event will be held on Thursday, April 26th, at 4:30 p.m. on the 4th floor of ELIF (the new engineering building) in the Design Theater.  Ben Kellie will describe his journey from �鶹ԭ��F mechanical engineering graduate to SpaceX rocket designer, to CEO and Chief Pilot of K2 Dronotics.

K2D was founded by Ben and Nick Kellie, both born-and-raised Alaskans who grew up flying across the state delivering groceries, building supplies, and fuel to rural villages. They understand that working in remote Alaska takes more than just showing up - it takes careful planning to do the job right the first time when you have limited tool access, no cell service, and a million other changing variables. Kellie's short presentation will be followed by a social mixer and informal question-and-answer session. For more details on I2 events, contact OIPC Ambassadors Peter Webley (pwwebley@alaska.edu), Rajive Ganguli (rganguli@alaska.edu), and Robert Coker (rcoker@alaska.edu).

The Invent Alaska Competition, hosted by the Office of Intellectual Property and Commercialization, is open to all �鶹ԭ��F and �鶹ԭ��S students, staff and faculty.

Submit your invention disclosures NOW through April 27, 2018.

Do you have a technology that you would like to commercialize? Enter the Invent Alaska Competition for your chance to win!

The grand prize winner will receive $7,500 and assistance with protecting and commercializing their innovation. 

For more details, visit Invent Alaska or contact OIPC at 474-2605.

A screenshot of the simulator

It takes anywhere from 10 to 50+ years for a promising mineral deposit to become an operating mine in the United States. It takes a lot of capital, hard work and highly trained professionals to make it all happen. In this very long process, the only step where revenue is generated is a few hours long, in the mineral processing plant "mill". Therefore, it is important to design and operate the mill efficiently to extract the most value in a short duration. Yet, it is in this critical step of the process where formal training opportunities are lacking.

When the US Department of Labor announced a competitive opportunity for training grants in 2014, the   engaged mining companies to determine their training needs. It is not surprising that the industry deemed mill operator training a critical area of need. Among other things, the MIRL-industry grant partnership proposed developing a training program for mining mill operators. The training will be a 16-credit mining mill operator occupational endorsement to be offered through �鶹ԭ��F Community and Technical College. 

No formal training program currently exists anywhere in the United States for mill operators.

It was also proposed that a dynamic mill simulator be developed to accompany the academic training. The purpose of the simulator is to help operators understand the complex relationships between different parts of the processing plant.  No such simulator exists anywhere in the world.

Both training products are now a reality thanks to an $8M grant from industry partners , , , and , who played a key role in both products.  recently joined the grant efforts. Some of these mines were the first test beds for the training mill simulator.

Simulator being tested at Pogo mine. Photo by Aibyek Khamkhash.

The simulator can be customized to any processing scenario. Operators can adjust different parameters to see impact on the overall process. In real life, they cannot adjust parameters without real consequences. Therefore, the simulator will help them test their understanding of the process they operate. This is the major reason why mining companies hope to incorporate the simulator into their in-house training program.

The simulator, developed in partnership with �鶹ԭ��F Office of Information Technology, was tested at Pogo, Fort Knox and Red Dog mines in the last few months.

The purpose of the testing was to get feedback from mill operators before completing development. The simulator, now complete under the grant, can be downloaded for free (a condition of federal funding) from .

Development of the simulator will, however, continue with non-federal funding. The enhanced version can be commercialized by �鶹ԭ��F. The goal of the continued development is to make it very attractive to the industry.

The �鶹ԭ�� is pleased to announce the formation of the Center for Innovation, Commercialization, and Entrepreneurship (Center ICE) - an innovation hub designed to accelerate innovation, promote economic diversification, and encourage entrepreneurialism in the �鶹ԭ�� system.

Center ICE will provide the services, space, and programming needed to increase the university’s output by commercializing intellectual property, creating spinoff companies, and helping entrepreneurs feed into Alaska’s startup ecosystem. Stay tuned for more details, or contact us anytime at uaf-oipc@alaska.edu.

On February 13, the Alaska Senate unanimously approved a proclaiming 2019 as the Alaska Year of Innovation.

A report produced by the National Bureau of Research states that net job creation is driven by startups. The number is as high as three million jobs annually.

In response to Alaska’s current fiscal climate, the State legislature has created the Alaska Innovation Caucus. The caucus will research and discuss policy options including:

• Encourage growth of globally competitive startups and greater access to venture capital
• Simplify, and help startups navigate, regulatory frameworks within the state
• Support development of startup mentorship networks
• Support entrepreneurship in schools and universities, including encouraging technology transfer and commercialization

Collaboration between universities, regional and statewide economic development groups, investors, businesses and entrepreneurs has helped build an active innovation community in Alaska.

SCR10, sponsored by senators Mia Costello, Shelly Hughes, and Tom Begich, will be considered by the Alaska House of Representatives.

The intense three-day workshop designed to teach participants how to take university research and other great ideas from concept to commercialization starts on March 12.

This workshop, based on the Lean Startup methodology for developing products and companies, is led by Steve Weinstein who teaches a similar course at the University of California Berkeley and Stanford.  To learn more, visit leanlaunch18.com.

This course is sponsored through the Office of Naval Research and co-hosted by BMNT.

The next I² event will be held on Monday, March 22^nd, at 4:30 p.m. on the 4^th floor of ELIF (the new engineering building) in the BP Design Theater.  Dr. Jerry Johnson will describe his experience developing a technology through his university research and then starting his own company to commercialize the technology.

Dr. Johnson is the president of Coupi Inc. as well as a Research Professor and the Senior Research Advisor to the Alaska Hydrokinetic Energy Research Center.

Coupi, Inc. is a consulting and software company that specializes in developing physics based discrete element method models of granular materials, and their interaction with fluids, solids, and engineered equipment and infrastructure on Earth and in space for CAE applications.

Johnson’s short presentation will be followed by a social mixer and informal question-and-answer session.

For more details on I² events, contact OIPC Ambassadors Peter Webley (pwwebley@alaska.edu), Rajive Ganguli (rganguli@alaska.edu), and Robert Coker (rcoker@alaska.edu).

The Invent Alaska Competition, hosted by the Office of Intellectual Property and Commercialization, is open to all �鶹ԭ��F and �鶹ԭ��S students, staff and faculty.

Submit your invention disclosures NOW through April 27, 2018.

Do you have a technology that you would like to commercialize? Enter the Invent Alaska Competition for your chance to win!

The grand prize winner will receive $7,500 and assistance with protecting and commercializing their innovation.  Separate categories exist for (1) innovations with the greatest commercial potential, (2) best early-stage ideas, (3) student submissions, and (4) �鶹ԭ��S submissions.

For more details, visit Invent Alaska or contact OIPC at 474-2605.

Kelly Drew and a student work with a hibernating arctic ground squirrel. Photo by Todd Paris/�鶹ԭ��F.

Kelly Drew is a neuropharamacologist. That is someone who develops and studies the effects of drugs on the brain - more specifically in the case of Dr. Drew, the effects of drugs on consciousness.

Drew was also one of three Fairbanksans recently inducted into the .

Drew was inducted for her work on developing drugs to simulate the natural hibernation state of arctic ground squirrels, which use their body’s natural chemistry to slow down the brain and body functions so much that they exist in a state of lowered awareness. Their body temperatures drop to near freezing yet they incur no damage to brain tissue.

!

Drew discovered receptors that regulate the onset of hibernation and now she’s building on that knowledge to pursue a medical solution for human victims of stroke, cardiac arrest, and spinal-cord injury. She is developing compositions and methods to induce these people into a hibernation-like state to ward off negative effects of the injury and minimize permanent damage until proper and complete medical service is available. This innovation will be highly valuable among, for example, rural and remote communities.

Drew’s breakthrough findings are the basis for a she started small business - Be Cool Pharmaceuticals LLC. The small business allowed her access to more funding sources including the grants.  Through these grants, Drew was able to extend her work with the drugs to include the use in humans to reduce body temperature and induce hibernation without shivering.

In addition to working on minimizing brain injury, Drew is working with a space exploration company. Space Works is interested in learning how to send astronauts into space for extended periods of time keeping the astronauts in a hibernation state to assist in the length of travel.

Drew is using a similar drug technology to reduce opioid-related constipation. An agonist drug would reduce the pain, and the antagonist drug would reduce the side effects associated with the drug.

Drew says her experience with commercializing her technologies has been made easier by working with OIPC, however her biggest hurdle has been the patenting process. Drew says her extensive experience writing manuscripts for journals came into play when she realized that writing a technology description for a patent application is more like writing a paper, rather than writing in an intimidating legal language. 

For now, while the human hibernation research is still in the design phase, the drug combinations that the Drew lab have found may be used in stroke patient transportation in the future. Be Cool Pharmaceuticals LLC will continue to work with ground squirrels to fully understand the mechanisms they use to stay cool without shivering.

In 2018 Drew was inducted to the Innovators Hall of Fame alongside former Fairbanksan , Fairbanks Peony pioneer , and the .

Sam Enoka's (�鶹ԭ��F '95) career winds through alternative assets and technology, an MBA from UC Berkeley, to venture capital and technology, hedge funds and commodity trading, electricity markets and most recently, blockchain and ICO markets. Sam has helped raise over $350M in investment and capital in his various start-ups over his career. Sam is on campus to discuss and their recent entry into the ICO (initial coin offering) market, CirrusCoin.

Enoka is visiting Fairbanks in February and will be presenting his insights into technology and entrepreneurship at 2pm on Monday, Feb. 5 in the BP Design Theater. 

This event is open to all interested �鶹ԭ��F students, staff, and faculty. Members of the Fairbanks entrepreneur community are also welcome to attend.

Apply now for an intense three-day workshop designed to teach participants how to take university research and other great ideas from concept to commercialization.

This workshop, on Mar. 12-14, is based on the Lean Startup methodology for developing products and companies and is led by Steve Weinstein who teaches a similar course at the University of California Berkeley and Stanford.

Through this workshop, participants will:

• Learn what it really takes to develop a viable product or be part of a startup company
• Team up with multidisciplinary talent from across the �鶹ԭ�� system
• Leave knowing the next steps you need to take on your road to success
• Take giant leaps forward with your innovation or technology
• Get connected with the right people and resources
• Applications are open to interested members from the �鶹ԭ�� community, including faculty, staff, and students. The course is limited to 25 participants with priority enrollment offered to individuals who are actively working on commercializing an idea.
   

Visit Lean Launch 18 to learn more and apply now for the Mar. 12-14 workshop.

Full day participation is required for this workshop. Registration closes February 9th.  Contact �鶹ԭ��F's Office of Intellectual Property and Commercialization with questions: uaf-oipc@alaska.edu
 or 474-2605. 

This course is sponsored by the Office of Naval Research and co-hosted by .

Peter Webley co-founded the first start-up company from �鶹ԭ��F intellectual property. V-ADAPT, Inc.

Learn how the volcanic remote sensing group at the Geophysical Institute created this start-up and now provides their tools to the worldwide transportation community.

Webley is an OIPC ambassador and Research Associate Professor of Remote Sensing at the Geophysical Institute.

I2 will be held on Monday, February 22nd, at 4:30 p.m. on the 4th floor of ELIF (the new engineering building) in the BP Design Theater.  Webley's short presentation will be followed by a social mixer and informal question-and-answer session.

For more details on I2 events, contact OIPC Ambassadors Peter Webley (pwwebley@alaska.edu), Rajive Ganguili (rganguli@alaska.edu), and Robert Coker (rcoker@alaska.edu).

Photo: Ben Kellie works at the Boardroom in downtown Anchorage, January 5, 2018. Kellie returned to Alaska from work launching rockets for SpaceX to begin a company serving rural Alaska with drones. (Charles Wohlforth / ADN)

This story is reprinted with permission from Anchorage Daily News.

Ben Kellie took a short path from helping his bush pilot father in Nikiski to launching SpaceX rockets in California. Now he's back working in rural Alaska aviation, but with skills for technology innovation he learned in the commercial space industry.

Kellie rose rapidly at SpaceX, overseeing the launch of a new generation of rocket from a brand-new pad that he helped build. He also led the field team building the barge where the company famously landed its first rocket for reuse.

Steve Weinstein presented the Lean Startup Method. Photo by Amanda Byrd/OIPC.

During a brown bag lunch in December, Fairbanksans were hooked by the incisive approach to developing a technology and starting a company laid out by guest speaker Steve Weinstein.  His super-efficient approach focused the path forward for local entrepreneurs and innovators.

Weinstein teaches the Lean Startup and Business Model Canvas methods at Stanford and UC Berkeley.  He’s in a good position to do so; Weinstein has vast experience as an entrepreneur and consultant to startup companies. 

The presentation’s large audience learned Weinstein’s step-by-step plan for navigating from concept to startup company and knowing when to pivot the original concept into a marketable reality.

Find a link to the presentation here (PDF).

Rajive Ganguli addresses attendees of the first I2 event in the BP Design Theater on the 4th floor of ELIF. Photo by Amanda Byrd/OIPC.

OIPC is pleased to announce that the second I² event will feature guest speaker Dr. Daniel Schwartz, a Boeing-Sutter Professor of Chemical Engineering and Director of the at the University of Washington.

The first I² event, held in December 2017, drew around 50 entrepreneurs, innovators, business professionals, and �鶹ԭ��F faculty, staff, and students to the short presentation and social mixer.

Dr. Schwartz, having built a network at UW for achieving commercialization and assisted startup companies, highlights the benefits to university departments and employees of commercialization and describes the array of partnerships needed.

I² will be held on Monday, January 22^nd, at 4:30 p.m. on the 4^th floor of ELIF (the new engineering building) in the BP Design Theater.  Schwartz’s short presentation will be followed by a social mixer and informal question-and-answer session.

For more details on I² events, contact OIPC Ambassadors Peter Webley (pwwebley@alaska.edu) and Rajive Ganguili (rganguli@alaska.edu).