What Juneau Icefield Research Program does

The Juneau Icefield Research Program (JIRP) is a 501(c)(3) educational and scientific research nonprofit operated by the Foundation for Glacier & Environmental Research (FGER). Founded in 1946 by Maynard Malcolm Miller and headquartered administratively in Seattle with field operations in Southeast Alaska and Northern British Columbia, JIRP delivers an eight-week undergraduate field course (32 students per cohort, $11,900 field fees) and a one-month graduate field course (~$4,800 total) that combine ski mountaineering, glacier travel training, and a Polar Earth Systems Science curriculum covering glaciology, glacier hydrology, polar geophysics, microbiology, atmospheric sciences, and remote sensing using LiDAR, ground-penetrating radar, terrestrial radar interferometry, seismics, and UAV surveys. The program is built on permanent field camp infrastructure (Camps 17, 10, 18, 26, and 30) and continuous mass-balance and meteorological monitoring networks that produce decades-long climate datasets supporting USGS Benchmark Glacier research.

JIRP's business model combines per-participant field fees and tuition pass-through (via academic partners University of Colorado Boulder, University of Maine, and University of Alaska Southeast) with substantial charitable contributions to FGER, gear rentals, and merchandise sales. The organization supplements paid staffing (1-10 employees) with more than 6,000 volunteer faculty and staff hours annually and relies on an active 2,000+ member alumni network for recruitment, mentorship, fundraising, and program advocacy. Additional revenue sources include named scholarships (Joan W. Miller Student Scholarship Fund, maximum $3,000 per student), grants (Battelle $29,740 in 2023), and external research team support services for investigators planning field campaigns on the Icefield.

Customer concentration is dispersed across individual student tuition payers, but the program depends materially on three core academic partners for credit-bearing curriculum delivery and on a concentrated donor base for operations. JIRP's competitive position rests on 75+ years of operational track record, an irreplaceable multi-decade glaciological dataset, a deeply embedded alumni network, and physical infrastructure that would be cost-prohibitive to replicate, while expansion signals point to product diversification through the graduate course, formalized research team services, and indigenous-community partnerships.

Name

Juneau Icefield Research Program

Legal name

Foundation for Glacier & Environmental Research

Website

https://juneauicefield.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Juneau Icefield Research Program is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating since 1946 that delivers an eight-week undergraduate ski traverse field course, a one-month graduate field course, and research logistics support on the Juneau Icefield, serving Earth science students, faculty, and external research teams.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Field-Based Earth Science Education

NAICS

All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (541360)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Earth Science & Geoscience Programs (EDAMABAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Subject-Specific Short Courses & Academies (e.g., STEM, Business, Arts) (EDAIAIAC)

Keywords

• Glaciology field education
• Earth science research
• Climate science training
• Field-based science programs
• Cryosphere academic courses

Headquarters

HQ city

Juneau

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Student Field Fees: Undergraduate students pay field fees of $11,900 covering six weeks on the Icefield and two weeks in Juneau/Atlin, including food, transportation, lodging, instruction, and logistics support
2. Graduate Field Course Fees: Graduate students pay approximately $4,800 total ($3,000 field fees + $1,800 tuition) for the one-month academic and research experience
3. Tuition Revenue: Students pay tuition ($500-$1,000) directly to university partners (CU Boulder, UAS) for academic credits. International students without US visas cannot receive credit but still participate
4. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, JIRP relies heavily on charitable donations through the Foundation for Glacier & Environmental Research, including the M³ General Operating Fund, Joan W. Miller Student Scholarship Fund, and Fund for the Future
5. Gear Rentals: JIRP rents equipment to participants including crampons ($20), ski skins ($10), ice axes ($40), ski boots ($50), skis and poles ($70), and soft goods ($30)
6. Merchandise Sales: JIRP sells merchandise through Zazzle store and partner Treetop Tees

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

JIRP offers an eight-week undergraduate scientific immersion structured as a ski traverse of the Juneau Icefield and a one-month graduate field course in Polar Earth Systems science, delivering hands-on glaciology training, alpine travel skills, and academic credit through university partners. The program also provides planning and logistical support services to external research teams conducting data collection campaigns on the Icefield.

Product overview

The Juneau Icefield Research Program (JIRP) operates as a unified educational research program offering two core field course products: the Undergraduate Field Course (an eight-week ski traverse of the Juneau Icefield for students learning glacier science and alpine skills) and the Graduate Field Course (a one-month research-intensive program for graduate students). The program also provides research team support services for external investigators. Supporting offerings include the Joan W. Miller Scholarship Fund for financial aid, the Student Alumni Knowledge Team (SAKT) mentorship program connecting prospective students with alumni, JIRPerList alumni newsletter, and annual AGU meeting participation for the alumni network. JIRP is a program of the Foundation for Glacier & Environmental Research, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• M³ General Operating Fund: Named for JIRP's founder Maynard Malcolm Miller, supports JIRP's general operations including staffing, facilities maintenance, and operational costs.
• Joan W. Miller Student Scholarship Fund

Products and services

• Undergraduate Field Course An eight-week academic summer program structured around a ski traverse of the Juneau Icefield, where 32 students learn alpine travel skills, glacier science, and research techniques while traveling from Juneau, AK to Atlin, BC. Students earn 6 upper-division Earth science credits through CU Boulder or University of Alaska Southeast.
• Graduate Field Course A one-month academic and research experience for graduate-level Earth science students covering Polar Earth Systems science with mountain and glacier safety training, embedded with research teams on the Juneau Icefield. Students earn 3 graduate credits from the University of Maine.
• Research Team Support Planning and logistic support services for external research teams collecting data on the Juneau Icefield, including facilities use and research faculty opportunities.
• Joan W. Miller Scholarship Fund Financial scholarship program supporting incoming students attending JIRP field courses, funded by alumni and donors in honor of Joan Walsh Miller. Maximum award of $3,000 per student; awarded regardless of national origin or citizenship status under need-blind admissions.
• Gear Rental Service Equipment rental service for field course participants, including crampons, ski skins, ice axes, ski boots, skis and poles, and soft goods.
• JIRP Merchandise JIRP-branded apparel and merchandise sold through Zazzle store and partner Treetop Tees (Juneau-based).

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of Colorado Boulder - Department of Geological SciencescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary academic partner running JIRP through the Department of Geological Sciences. Provides faculty, academic oversight, and enrollment for undergraduate students. Dr. Brad Markle serves as Director of Academics.
• University of Maine School of Earth and Climate SciencescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner providing graduate credits for the Graduate Field Course (3 graduate credits). Also houses the Climate Change Institute collaborating on research.
• University of Alaska Southeast Department of Natural SciencescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner offering in-state tuition options for Alaska residents and collaborating on Earth science education.
• University of Vermont Medical CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting JIRP Medical Faculty team with wilderness medicine expertise and training protocols.
• Children Of The Taku Society (COTTS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJIRP provided logistical support for Tlingit language immersion camp at Camp 18 in 2024, supporting indigenous language revitalization efforts.
• US Geological Survey (USGS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Shad O'Neel oversees USGS Benchmark Glacier Project and serves as academic liaison between FGER board and JIRP. USGS provides long-term research collaboration on mass balance measurements.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Students on Ice: Students on Ice runs youth expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic focused on polar education and climate awareness. SoI targets a younger audience than JIRP but shares the polar/ice field education niche and similar global recruitment of students interested in polar science careers.
• Outward Bound USA: Outward Bound operates wilderness education expeditions for youth and adults. It shares JIRP's emphasis on character development through wilderness experiences and extended field courses, though Outward Bound is broader in scope and less focused on scientific research and academic credit.
• School for Field Studies (SFS): SFS offers undergraduate semester and summer field programs in environmental science worldwide with academic credit. SFS and JIRP both deliver credit-bearing, immersive environmental science field experiences for undergraduates, though SFS spans multiple ecosystems while JIRP focuses exclusively on cryosphere science.
• National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS): NOLS is the leading wilderness education organization in the U.S., offering semester-long and summer field courses combining outdoor skills with academic credit. JIRP shares NOLS's model of extended field-based education, but JIRP specializes in Earth science and glaciology while NOLS is a general wilderness leadership program.
• Earthwatch Institute: Earthwatch runs citizen science expeditions where paying participants contribute to ongoing field research. Like JIRP, Earthwatch combines field-based research with participant-funded expeditions, but operates globally across many ecosystems rather than focusing on a single icefield.
• National Geographic Student Expeditions: Nat Geo Student Expeditions offers high school and college students summer field expeditions in subjects like wildlife, archaeology, and photography. Like JIRP, it sells immersive, branded field experiences with subject-matter depth, but with a broader portfolio of topics rather than cryosphere specialization.
• Sea Education Association (SEA): SEA runs credit-bearing oceanographic and maritime field semesters for undergraduates, combining research skills with sailing and field methodology. SEA is closely comparable to JIRP in its semester-style immersive field science education model, with the only major difference being marine versus cryosphere subject matter.

Others

• Center for Oldest Ice Exploration (COLDEX): COLDEX is an NSF-funded Science and Technology Center focused on finding and analyzing the oldest ice on Earth. JIRP is a current COLDEX scholarship funder, and COLDEX is a peer in cold-regions cryosphere science research—an adjacent rather than directly competitive organization.

Regional players

• Quark Expeditions: Quark is a major polar expedition operator running Antarctic and Arctic cruises with onboard educational programming. Quark operates in the same polar geography as JIRP but is tourism-focused rather than research- or academic-credit-focused, making it an adjacent rather than directly competing peer.

Broad incumbents

• National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC): NSIDC is a federally funded research center at CU Boulder that supports cryosphere research and data distribution. NSIDC shares JIRP's CU Boulder affiliation and cryosphere focus, but operates as a research/data infrastructure institution rather than a field education program.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/JuneauIcefield
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/juneau-icefield-research-program
• Instagraminstagram.com/juneauicefieldresearchprogram
• Xx.com/JuneauIcefield

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Juneau Icefield Research Program