Fondest Memories and Farewell and to Ambassador Eran Hood

June 6, 2022

This month we are saying farewell to OIPC’s Southeast Ambassador, Eran Hood. In 2018, Eran joined the OIPC and Center ICE teams as the first University of Alaska Southeast ambassador. In this role, Eran created a much-needed bridge between the innovation, entrepreneurship, and commercialization services offered in Fairbanks to the staff, faculty, and students at the University of Alaska Southeast in Juneau.

Eran’s role as professor of Environmental Science and deep network at UAS provided the perfect foundation for him to connect UAS innovators with OIPC and Center ICE programs. He has been especially helpful at UAS and in Southeast Alaska making connections to seaweed, kelp, and mariculture researchers and industry partners. He has also brought to light great research being conducted by UAS researchers in Alaska and elsewhere including using drones for glacier research, using underwater cameras for dolphin research, and kelp farming near Kodiak.

Eran always participated in our weekly meetings remotely, bringing enthusiasm, out-of-the-box thinking, and a contagious smile. Eran is taking a sabbatical with his family. He will return to Juneau to continue his research, and we wish him the very best on his adventures.