Tammy Tragis-McCook
907-474-7042
10/19/11

The University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Management will award $19,600 in cash prizes Friday, Oct. 21 after the final round of presentations in the 2011 Arctic Innovation Competition.

The competition, in its third year, drew 218 ideas from 163 competitors.  Entrants were asked to propose new, feasible and potentially profitable ideas for solving real-life problems and challenges.

The semifinal presentations begin in the UAF Wood Center Ballroom at 2 p.m. The top four competitors will be announced at the BP Award Ceremony between 5-7 p.m., followed by a reception.

A panel of judges will select 20 winners to receive cash prizes ranging from $100 to $10,000.

Semifinalists include mother-of-two Sabrina Yarsley; a UAF mechanical engineer, one of two competitors named Tom Johnson; and 1958 UAF alumnus Edward Ashby, 91, the oldest competitor so far. This year’s intriguing ideas include: heated trailer brakes, a bathtub assist device, a text message system for public transportation, an energy-saving exhaust vent cover and a temporary tattoo that help prevents sunburns.

“It is quite an honor to be in the top 20 of 218 ideas. I hope good things come out if it,” said Ashby. “The competition is the best way to get the help I need to let more people know about my bathtub assist device and get it on the market at an affordable price.”

The public is invited to attend; all attendees will be eligible to win an Alaska Airline ticket. More information is available online at www.arcticinno.com.

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Ping Lan, professor, at 907-474-7688 or [email protected].

ON THE WEB: www.arcticinno.com

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Tammy Tragis-McCook
907-474-7042
9/23/11

The University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Management will award more than $19,000 in cash prizes through its annual Arctic Innovation Competition.

The competition, now in its third year, asks entrants to propose new, feasible and potentially profitable ideas. The deadline to submit an entry is Sept. 30, 2011.

Last year, more than 200 ideas were submitted from around the world. Last year’s $10,000 winner was Chris Hunter, with an idea for an efficient electric vehicle that works in arctic environments. Runners up were Kevin Tubbs, who proposed an environmentally-friendly foil container for carbonated beverages; paramedic John Henrichs, who offered a concept for an emergency backboard that weighs patients; and William Manning, who had an idea for a super-efficient way to burn fuel at extreme temperatures.

“The AIC is entering its third year stronger than ever,” said AIC founder and UAF professor Ping Lan. “Our continued success is due, in large part, to the creativity and ingenuity of the competitors. I look forward to seeing them raise the bar yet again for the 2011 competition.”

AIC sponsors include several UAF departments and businesses such as BP, ConocoPhillips, Design Alaska, Northrim Bank, Kinross Ft. Knox, GVEA and Doyon, Limited.

The competition is open to the public and there is no entry fee. Individuals or groups with an idea for solving real-life problems are encouraged to enter. Entrants are eligible to win an Alaska Airlines ticket. After the initial screening process, finalists will present their ideas to judges Oct. 21 from 5-7 p.m. in the UAF Wood Center ballroom with a reception to follow. Twenty winners will be selected to receive cash prizes ranging from $100 to $10,000. The public is invited to attend. More information is available online at www.arcticinno.com.

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Ping Lan, professor, at 907-474-7688 or [email protected].

ON THE WEB: www.arcticinno.com

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Northern Leadership Center
907-474-5942
9/15/11

The Northern Leadership Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks will present a half-day seminar “Leadership in Four Dimensions” with Lee G. Bolman, Saturday, Sept. 17 at noon at the Westmark Hotel.

The workshop aims to help participants understand the challenges they face, how they approach leadership and expand their options to become a more versatile leader.

The cost to register for the seminar is $225.

For more information or to register please contact the Chamber Office at 907-452-1105 or email [email protected].

ON THE WEB: www.fairbankschamber.org

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Tammy Tragis-McCook
907-474-7042
4/28/11

The University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Management will host an innovation and change management workshop Monday, May 9 from noon to 5 p.m. in the Wood Center on the UAF campus.

The workshop is designed for managers and will be led by UAF professor Ping Lan. It will help managers learn to identify opportunities for innovation and change in themselves, their employees and their organizations.

Registration is $80 and there are only 20 seats available. For more information, contact Lan at 907-474-7688 or [email protected].

MEDIA CONTACT: Tammy Tragis-McCook, SOM information officer, 907-474-7042, [email protected].

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Tammy Tragis-McCook
907-474-7042
11/17/10

Students in Free Enterprise will host a celebration of Diwali, the festival of lights, Saturday, Nov. 20 from 7 -10:30 p.m. in the Wood Center Ballroom at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

The event is a fundraiser for Project Ummid, a microfinancing project that awards business loans to destitute women in India. Diwali is a Hindu holiday celebrating the triumph of good over evil.

Tickets are $12 for students and $15 for the public and are available at the Wood Center front desk. Purchase tickets early. The event sold out last year.

SIFE is a student group at UAF.

MEDIA CONTACT: Tammy Tragis-McCook, SOM information officer, 907-474-7042, [email protected]. Sherri Wall, SIFE advisor, at 907-474-6526 or [email protected].

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Tammy Tragis-McCook
907-474-7042
11/16/10

Federal Alaska natural gas transportation coordinator Larry Persily will give two lectures Friday, Nov. 19 at 10:30 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. in Schaible Auditorium on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus.

Persily’s lecture, “Alaska Gas Pipeline: Facts and Fiction, Dollars and Sense,” is hosted by the Students Who Enjoy Economic Thinking, a student group at UAF.

The lectures are free and open to the public.

MEDIA CONTACT: Tammy Tragis-McCook, SOM information officer, 907-474-7042, [email protected]. Sherri Wall, SWEET advisor, at 907-474-6526 or [email protected].

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Tammy Tragis-McCook
907-474-7042
10/26/10

The University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Management will award $19,600 in cash prizes Friday, October 29 after the final round of presentations in its 2010 Arctic Innovation Competition.

The competition, in its second year, drew 235 ideas from 171 contenders worldwide, an increase of 18 percent over last year. It asked entrants to propose new, feasible and potentially profitable ideas for solving real-life problems and challenges.

The semifinalists’ presentations in the UAF Wood Center Ballroom start at 2 p.m., with the final four showdown and award ceremony from 5-7 p.m., followed by a reception. A panel of judges will select 20 winners to receive cash prizes ranging from $100 to $10,000.

Semi-finalists include a husband and wife competing against each other, 2009 AIC winner Chris Hunter and UAF School of Management student Zachary Jacobs. Topics range from consumer goods, energy and environment, construction and public policy. This year’s intriguing ideas include a temperature-controlled, automatic garage door; a permafrost foundation design; a green carbonated beverage container; and an automotive hobby shop for the public.

“It feels really great to be in the top 20 out of 235 ideas; it has given me a lot of faith that my idea is one I can really build interest in,” said Jacobs. “This competition gives me the outlet I need to start promoting my idea, and I would like to do as much as I can to get the word out so this auto hobby shop will become a reality in the Fairbanks community.”

The public is invited to attend; all attendees will be eligible to win an Alaska Airline ticket. More information is available online at www.arcticinno.com.

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Ping Lan, professor, at 907-474-7688 or [email protected].

ON THE WEB: www.arcticinno.com

Marmian Grimes
907-474-7902
10/25/10

Author and Colorado College professor Thomas Cronin will give a free public lecture Monday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. at Schaible Auditorium on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus.

Cronin’s lecture, “The Paradoxes of Leadership,” will explore the realities of leadership, including both the creative and darker sides of being a leader. Cronin is the author and editor of a dozen books on political science and is the McHugh Professor of American Institutions and Leadership at Colorado College.

Cronin’s lecture is the first in this year’s Northern Leadership Center Susan Herman Distinguished Speaker Series. A book signing and ice cream social will follow the lecture.

For more information, contact Sheri Layral at the UAF Northern Leadership Center at 907-474-5942.

Tammy Tragis-McCook
907-474-7042
9/13/10

The University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Management will award more than $19,000 in cash prizes through its annual Arctic Innovation Competition.

The competition, now in its second year, asks entrants to propose new, feasible and potentially profitable ideas. The deadline to submit an entry is Sept. 30, 2010.

Last year, more than 200 ideas were submitted from around the world. Last year’s $10,000 winner was Chris Hunter, with an idea that extends lead-acid battery life tenfold. Runners up were Bruce Kraft, exploring efficient refrigeration; Frank Eagle, offering a mobile restaurant-seating concept; and 12-year-old Jared Post, with an electrical cord safety-locking cap concept.

“The Arctic Innovation Competition aims to stimulate people’s creativity and develop new business,” said competition founder and UAF professor Ping Lan said. “Many people have an idea when frustrated by a problem and think there must be a better way. This competition is the perfect opportunity to turn ideas into reality.”

AIC sponsors include UAF departments, the Fairbanks North Star Borough, and local businesses such as Doyon Limited and Northrim Bank.

The competition is open to the public and there is no entry fee. Individuals or groups with an innovative idea for solving real-life problems and challenges are encouraged to enter. After the initial screening process, finalists will present their ideas to judges Oct. 29 from 5-7 p.m. in the UAF Wood Center ballroom with a reception to follow. Twenty winners will be selected to receive cash prizes ranging from $100 to $10,000. The public is invited to attend. More information is available online at www.arcticinno.com.

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Ping Lan, professor, at 907-474-7688 or [email protected].

ON THE WEB: www.arcticinno.com

Tammy Tragis-McCook
907-474-7042

Dartmouth College marketing professor and branding expert Kevin Lane Keller will give a lecture in Fairbanks Thursday, April 8 at 1 p.m. in Schaible Auditorium on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus.

Keller has consulted for major organizations such as Disney, Proctor & Gamble and Starbucks. His lecture focuses on six branding imperatives that world business leaders use to plan and build strong brands.

The lecture is sponsored by the UAF School of Management and is free and open to the public.

MEDIA CONTACT: Tammy Tragis-McCook, School of Management information officer, 907-474-7042, [email protected]

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