Academic Curriculum
Building the next generation of innovators
The following courses support students to work towards impactful solutions, focus on in-depth research of innovation case studies, and hands-on experience in portfolio management.
Courses
The following courses are supported by Center ICE and offered through the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
BA/HSEM F476
Innovation for Alaska and the Arctic
Offered: Fall and Spring
Instructor: Professor Peter Webley
Credits: 3
Overview
Student teams engage directly with complex, real-world problems from policy, economics, technology, national security, and innovation. Students work on an end-user problem. The teams discover and validate customer needs and continually evaluate and assess the problem and the need. Teams take a hands-on approach that requires engagement with end-users including military, other government agencies, community members, and researchers to validate their challenges.
Past Problem Sets
Wouldn't it be great if pilots who have to eject from their planes in the arctic had a well insulated flight suit that did not completely prevent them from moving or fitting inside the aircraft? A team of students chose to tackle this challenge to help Eielson pilots.
Leveraging an Aerogels based fabric manufactured by OROS the students experimented with various ways to design a flight suit that would be both compact, and extremely insulating.
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Parachuting platforms are a necessary tool to deliver much needed equipment to soldiers in the field. Unfortunately, those have an unusually high rate of failure, with the consequence that the equipment arrives destroyed at its destination, sometimes with no other delivery possible for a long time.
A team of students inquired into the reasons for this high rate of failure in order to propose a possible avenue to fix the issue.
MBA F691
Advanced Topics in Business
Offered: As Demands Warrants
Instructor: Huckleberry Hopper
Credits: 3
Overview
Developing managers' ability to excel in specialized areas of business such as entrepreneurship and risk management.
MBA F693
Case Studies in (AK) Innovation
Offered: Spring
Instructor: ASRC Energy Services CEO, Christine Resler
Credits: 3
Overview
In this course, students take an in-depth look at case studies in innovation and learn
from top industry executives. Students will complete the course with an understanding
of how to encourage and implement innovation in existing and emerging Alaskan industries.
MBA/HSEM F676
Case Studies in (AK) Innovation
Offered: Fall and Spring
Instructor: Professor Peter Webley
Credits: 3
Overview
Student teams engage directly with complex, real-world problems from policy, economics,
technology, national security, and innovation. Students work on an end-user problem.
The teams discover and validate customer needs and continually evaluate and assess
the problem and the need. Teams take a hands-on approach that requires engagement
with end-users including military, other government agencies, community members, and
researchers to validate their challenges.
Additional courses of relevance
The following courses are offered through UAF and are of relevance to the mission and vision of Center ICE to support and nurture the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs.
ABUS F189
Entrepreneurship Content Creation
Offered: Fall
Instructor: Christina Posma
Credits: 3
Overview
This course offers an introductory overview of digital content creation and management
for online businesses. It includes technical aspects, equipment, community management,
marketing, branding and essential business skills for content monetization and growth.
It also explores the history and current trends in the streaming and online business
landscape.
ABUS F273
Entrepreneurship
Offered: Spring
Instructor: Dr. Debra Steed
Credits: 3
Overview
This course instructs students in the procedures involved in initiating a new venture,
acquiring an established business or investing in a franchise. Covered topics encompass
management, marketing, staffing, financing, budgeting, pricing, operational evaluation
and control mechanisms.
RD F430
Indigenous Economic Development and Entrepreneurship
Offered: Spring Odd-numbered Years
Instructor: Dr. Jennifer Adams
Credits: 3
Overview
An understanding of the principles, strategies and practices of economic development
and entrepreneurship with a focus on indigenous Alaska communities. Focus is on those
sustainable economics, through culturally appropriate practices.
BA F435
Entrepreneurship
Offered: Fall
Instructor: Dr. Richard Wolk
Credits: 3
Overview
This course will provide students with the steps toward starting and growing their
own business and entrepreneurial ventures for other businesses. They will learn methods,
mindset and approaches necessary to form a business. Upon completion, students will
have the resources, behaviors and confidence to develop a new venture.
BA F454
Student Investment Fund
Offered: Fall and Spring
Instructor: Dr. Kimberly McGinnis
Credits: 3
Overview
Students gain hands-on experience in portfolio management. Students will be making
investment and diversification decisions affecting the $1.6 million Student Investment
Fund.
RD F630
Indigenous Economic Development and Entrepreneurship in Rural Alaska: Challenges and Opportunities
Offered: Spring Odd-numbered Years
Instructor: Dr. Jennifer Adams
Credits: 3
Overview
This course explores the questions - what does/should economic development and entrepreneurship
look like in rural and Native Alaska? What national, state and tribal policies and
laws are desirable, given the history and experience of existing ANCSA corporations
(and transnational corporations), tribal enterprises and ANCSA corporations?
MBA F674
New Venture Development
Offered: Spring
Instructor: Dr. Ping Lan
Credits: 3
Overview
Students will take a hands-on approach to commercializing their own or selected innovative
ideas through focused study in several key areas of entrepreneurship, as well as learn
how to assess and understand the industry, customers and competitors for a new venture.
Additional community-based business programming
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Alaska Interior Business Accelerator ()
The Alaska Interior Business Accelerator gives aspiring entrepreneurs and existing small businesses the tools and mentorship to set their companies on the path to success and growth. The first three weeks of the program have proven invaluable to the participants. During the accelerator, the small business owners have developed a mission and vision statement, one page flier, a business model canvas, and conducted market research.
This is a collaboration between °Ä²Êͼ¿â Center ICE, °Ä²Êͼ¿â Community and Technical College, Fairbanks Economic Development Corporation, and the Alaska Small Business Center. With Spring and Fall cohorts, AIBA provides those early-stage entrepreneurs with training in starting and growing their businesses, understanding their customer segments, building effective marketing strategies, working with employees, and how to pitch.