Innovators Hall of Fame

2020

The Alaska Innovators Hall of Fame class of 2020 includes:

  • : Crafted for Kodiak鈥檚 notoriously rough waters, these historic, skin-covered, open boats were used in Alutiiq society for harvesting and traveling more than 400 years ago. The boat鈥檚 bulbous bow decreases the amount of force needed to propel the boat forward and ensures stability, a design that is now considered the standard in ship building worldwide. Although the construction of angyat was set aside after the Russian conquest of Kodiak, anthropologist Dr. Sven Haakanson Jr., in collaboration with the community of Akhiok and Burke Museum, is leading the effort to reawakening the art of angyaq building.  

  • : After a debilitating ATV accident left him bedridden for about a month, Dr. Coker started thinking about what could be done about to prevent physical decline in older adults. Now, his company, Essential Blends, LLC, is testing nutritional products that prevent muscle loss without gaining fat. The company received the first Small Business Innovations in Research grant from the National Institutes of Health, with a subaward to the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and has filed two patent applications for their products.

  • : Known as the father of Alaska television, Hiebert鈥檚 vision laid the foundation for the evolution of mass communication in the Last Frontier. His greatest and most lasting contribution to Alaska was his vision to use telecommunication and satellite communication technology to connect Alaskans throughout the state and to Outside. Hiebert led negotiations with U.S. Military and Alaska鈥檚 congressional delegation to bring live satellite feed of Neil Armstrong's walk on the moon July 20, 1969 to Alaskan television viewers. 

  • : A decade ago, Dr. Lan created the Arctic Innovation Competition to stimulate innovative ideas and bring a pipeline of creative solutions to Alaska, the Circumpolar North, and the Arctic. The competition has provided more than $240,000 to budding entrepreneurs of all ages, to build prototypes and encourage their business ventures. Dr. Lan is a professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Management, where he researches and teaches mass innovation.