Workforce Development
In partnership with , the , and the , Interface of Change incorporates workforce development efforts in three sets of activities: ideation events, connections and capacity-building events, and early-career faculty and student development. These activities provide researchers and students opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship training, and academic professional development.
Ideation
Alaska Startup Weekend is an annual ideation event held in Anchorage in which teams of community members and students of all levels conceptualize, build, test, and market a new business over a 54-hour period. The event is organized in collaboration with Techstars.
The Interface of Change Workforce Development team stimulates Alaskan innovation through Alaska Startup Weekend events by:
- Supporting 3 Alaskans each year to attend the annual Startup Weekend in Anchorage. There, they familiarize themselves with the program, and obtain status of Techstars Startup Weekend Facilitator.
- Developing local “Mini Startup Sprint” events in Gulf of Alaska communities. At these events, mentors and coaches introduce the Startup Weekend process to community stakeholders.
We partner with the Cordova Chamber of Commerce to organize a community accelerator program called the . RISE is pan-Pacific effort that supports community-driven economic development for regenerative impact experiences that embrace the culture and desires of people and placeInterface of Change partners with to establish an Innovation Hub in the Prince William Sound region. The hub provides educational engagement activities and supportive resources surrounding innovation and entrepreneurship tailored to regional economies, like mariculture and regenerative tourism.
The goal of the Innovation Hub is to inspire a new generation of creative and ambitious Alaskan youth who will be equipped to grow new initiatives for economic growth around sustainable industries in the Prince William Sound region. Growth in innovation and new markets in this region would uplift and diversify the entire Alaskan economy.
The IoC Innovation Hub is based at the Valdez and Cordova T3 sites. The Innovation Hub team works with the Valdez City School District and Cordova City School District and partner with teachers to help sustain the program, assist in coordinating design thinking events, and recruit students for T3 activities. Additionally, the Innovation Hub will offer a center for Alaskan communities to engage in dialogue to collaboratively identify and solve local challenges.
We offer Economic Development Seed Awards of $10,000 each annually to support Interface of Change researchers in advancing their research for real-world applications.
Connections & Capacity-building
Interface of Change hosts an “entrepreneur in residence” to facilitate connections between researchers, entrepreneurs, businesses, and communities. Pete Warden is our current Entrepreneur-in-Residence. Read more about Pete here.
Workshops for at least 30 participants will be held annually and topics will be determined by a contracted “Entrepreneur in Residence” (EIR) working with the IoC researchers.
Student interns learn about design thinking, startup funding, intellectual property, customer discovery, path to market strategies, and pitching. Students transition this knowledge into their startup’s work project while growing their own capacity and capabilities for their future opportunities. Through guest lectures, students get to meet other Alaskan entrepreneurs and program leads that assist them growing their network.
In 2025, we paired three students with Alaska mariculture startup companies:
- Audrey Lonheim with
- Jessica Killeen with
- Shelby Thompson with
Professional Development
Skills-based workshops for IoC researchers and partners to help build their skills to support their research.
External funding workshops to help build 㽶Ƶresearchers’ capacity to pursue follow-on NSF funding.
In partnership with Alaska INBRE, IoC hosts an annual professional development workshop, Individual Growth & New Ideas Through EPSCoR/INBRE (IGNITE). The workshop includes tracks for research professionals, staff, and students. The location for this event rotates among the three main 㽶Ƶcampuses each year.
Interface of Change partners with the Sitka Sound Science Center to place project participants in their Scientist in Residency Fellowship (SIRF) and Scientists in the Schools (SIS) programs. In these programs, participants receive science communication training and opportunities to develop their community engagement skills. One SIRF and one SIS are placed each year.
In the Alaska EPSCoR Student Ambassador program, students work with the Interface of Change Leadership Team to develop the structure and content for annual student-centered networking and professional development meetings. One Student Ambassador represents each of the main 㽶Ƶcampuses (UAF, UAA, UAS). Student Ambassadors hold this position for one year, and meet with the Interface of Change Leadership Team twice over the year.
To support professional development activities, Interface of Change offers annual travel awards to fund domestic travel to attend conferences, interact with colleagues, or to engage in other activities to advance an individual’s career and sustain project outcomes. At least three travel awards are distributed each year.