Center ICE is proud to introduce our Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fellows
October 11, 2023
Through RISE-UP funding the Center ICE team offers graduate fellowships to graduate students and postdocs working on innovative projects with the potential to create impact in communities. The team is excited to introduce this semester’s innovation fellows:
Noah - is a graduate student working on an improved standard procedure to test the concentration of active ingredients present in Rhodiola rosea grown by Alaskan farmers. A relatively new agricultural crop for Alaska, the plant is used notably to produce antidepressants and other pharmaceutically active substances. Demand is high and the plant has been over harvested in the wild, to the point of being recently added to the endangered species list, spurring efforts to grow it commercially. This new crop, which requires Arctic conditions to grow well, represents tremendous potential for the state and Noah is at the forefront of creating the resources for this budding industry to successfully access the global pharmaceutical-grade ingredient market.
Michael - is developing a microbial process to extract and separate rare minerals (lanthanides including Thorium and Uranium) from United States sourced coal. He is focused on building partnerships with mines and other key players to pilot his microbial-based technology beyond the laboratory. If successful, his technology would allow mines to extract key minerals without the need to use the industry standard high-potency acids, which can be hazardous to the mine’s surrounding environment and can leach into the water supplies. This cleaner mining technology may also contribute to a higher domestic production of key rare minerals that are in high demand.
Vy - is developing a drug to treat strokes from Arctic ground squirrel cells. We all know that ground squirrels hibernate in the winter, and that to do so they slow down their metabolism so much that their heart stops beating. As it turns out, this unique ability to slow down one’s metabolism comes with a cellular immunity to strokes. She is focused on isolating the unique biological mechanisms that explain this stroke resistance so as to create a small molecule humans could absorb to regrow the brain tissues that are killed by strokes and are currently irrecoverable.
By supporting these projects, Center ICE’s RISE-UP program is helping grow the next generation of innovators who will solve tomorrow’s most complex problems. RISE-UP is a partnership between Center ICE and the Office of Naval Research. Learn more by clicking here!