Idaho Office of Science & Technology February 2005

In this issue:

# Idaho launches new technology Web site

# Statewide entrepreneurial event features Guy Kawasaki, workshops

# Idaho companies top 2004 patent list

# State Science & Tech Council focuses on four areas of expertise

# Idaho technology license plate legislation drafted

# Battelle Energy Alliance takes on Idaho National Lab contract

# Governor looks to strengthen TechConnect offices

# Idaho industry groups will meet in March

# Northwind wins record contract

# Extended Systems software helps WeightWatchers.com subscribers

# Lifestream Technologies developing new cholesterol monitor

# BSU professor does cholera research

# Idaho ranks low in science/engineering doctorate awards

# Blue Water Technologies to present at Utah venture event

Idaho launches new technology Web site

(Statewide) Starting Monday, consumers will be able to read about Idaho’s technology industry and find resources for their own businesses at http://www.technology.idaho.gov. The new site launches Feb. 14.

The site, part of the overall Idaho government Web network, offers information about technology news, resources for entrepreneurs, federal grant programs and facts about the Idaho technology community.

A key segment of the site provides detailed reports on the state’s strategy for science and technology.
The site also features some of Idaho’s technology businesses.

Statewide entrepreneurial event features Guy Kawasaki, workshops

(Statewide and Boise) Macintosh evangelist Guy Kawasaki will be the featured speaker at "Kickstart – The Northwest’s Premiere Entrepreneurial Event" this spring in Boise.
Kawasaki, author of the new book "The Art of the Start," will open the event at 7 p.m. April 5. A series of workshops focusing on entrepreneurship and innovators will run on April 6 as part of a full week of events.
Workshops topics include: Assessing My Opportunity, Intellectual Property, University and Idaho National Lab Resources, Presenting To Investors and many others.
The event will also serve as a "bootcamp" training for Idaho businesses interested in competing in June’s second annual TechLaunch competition. TechLaunch 2.0 gives emerging companies training in doing business plan presentations and cash awards are provided to winners.
Kickstart will run in conjunction with Boise State University’s Northwest Venture Championships, an annual student business plan competition that draws international competitors.
Kickstart’s lead sponsor is Hewlett-Packard Co., and presented by Treasure Valley entrepreneurs’ group Kickstand, the Boise Angel Alliance, Blueline, Boise State University and the Idaho Office of Science & Technology.
Registration to the event is limited and begins March 1.
For sponsorship opportunities or information, contact Brian Critchfield at Blueline at (208) 426-6634 or Julie Howard at (208) 334-2470. Watch for more details and a link to a registration Web site in the March newsletter.

Idaho company in 2004 top patents list

(Statewide) Micron Technology was the fifth most prolific producer of U.S. patents in 2004, receiving 1,760 patents, according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
The Boise-based firm moved up one notch, from its sixth-place ranking in 2003.
Hewlett-Packard Co., with significant research and development operations in Boise, ranked fourth on the list, with 1,775 U.S. patents for 2004. HP ranked fifth in 2003.
The complete top 10 private sector recipients of U.S. patents for 2004, in order, are: International Business Machines Corp., Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd, Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, Hewlett-Packard, Micron Technology, Samsung Electronics Co., Intel Corporation, Hitachi Ltd, Toshiba Corp., and Sony Corp.
"American innovation and discoveries are the foundation of our technological strength worldwide," said Jon Dudas, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property. "Increasingly, patents have become an essential ingredient of our economic vitality, paving the way for investment in commerce and in research and development, and creating jobs for millions of Americans."

State Science & Tech Council focuses on four areas of expertise

(Statewide) Imaging, power and energy, agricultural biosciences and nanoscience are the four strengths identified by Idaho businesses, that the state should focus on to continue building its science and technology industry.
The four key areas were identified in a report released in January by the Idaho Office of Science and Technology.
The report will serve as part of the state’s overall strategic plan for further growth in Idaho’s science and technology industry.
The report was presented to the Governor’s Science & Technology Advisory Council in January by Karl Tueller, executive director of the Idaho Office of Science & Technology and deputy director of Idaho Commerce and Labor.
The Idaho Office of Science and Technology will focus its future efforts on building Idaho’s research and development base; fostering an entrepreneurial climate for new companies and marketing Idaho’s technology assets both within and outside Idaho.
Some of the Office of Science & Technology’s ongoing projects include:
– Working with the state’s public universities to endorse and fund a specific curriculum focused on science and technology;
– Providing more opportunities for collaboration and education among Idaho’s universities, research labs and industry;
– Marketing Idaho and raising the state’s profile as an emerging technology center;
– Developing more capital resources for small and growing tech companies;
– Creating a stronger internal technology community, and educating Idahoans about the importance of the technology industry to the state’s economy;
– Creating a Web site that will serve as a one-stop resource for learning more about Idaho’s industries and services.
Governor Dirk Kempthorne established The Idaho Office of Science and Technology in early 2004 as a division within the Idaho Department of Commerce & Labor that would focus solely on positioning Idaho as a leader in science and technology.

Idaho technology license plate legislation drafted

(Statewide) Idaho drivers might soon be able to put a "technology" specialty license plate on their vehicles, thanks to legislation drafted by Sen. Hal Bunderson, R-Meridian.
The legislation would enable the Idaho Department of Transportation to create a specialty plate with a technology image and logo. Revenue generated by the new plates would go to a fund established by the Idaho Office of Science & Technology for "attracting science and technology companies to locate or to expand their operations in Idaho."
"Idaho’s technology industry is a significant and growing part of the economy," said Sen. Bunderson. "This license plate will promote awareness of one of Idaho’s top industries, and the revenue generated by the specialty plates will go directly back toward supporting the state’s technology industry."
The legislation was introduced the first week of February and has received letters of support from technology firms such as AMI Semiconductor and Treetop Technologies and organizations such as the Idaho Economic Development Association and Boise Angel Alliance.
Once approved, the legislation would allow a technology-themed Idaho license plate to be sold Jan. 1, 2006.
A statewide contest in the schools has been proposed if the legislation is approved.

Battelle Energy Alliance takes on Idaho National Lab contract

(Idaho Falls) Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC assumed the management and operational responsibility for the new Idaho National Laboratory on Feb. 1.
BEA was awarded a $4.8 billion, 10 year contract by the U.S. Department of Energy to transform the Idaho facility into the "pre-eminent" national nuclear energy laboratory.
BEA is owned by the Battelle Memorial Institute. Team members include BWXT Services Inc. of Lynchburg, VA; Washington Group International of Boise; the Electric Power Research Institute and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The Idaho National Laboratory will combine existing research and development components of the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory-West.
"The Idaho National Laboratory will play a very important role in our nation’s energy future and I look forward to the exciting, ground-breaking technology that will emerge from this new focus," said U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham.
Leading the Battelle team as Laboratory Director is John J. Grossenbacher.
The Idaho National Laboratory will conduct science and technology programs in a wide range of disciplines. As a multi-program laboratory, the INL will establish strong programs in areas such as materials science, chemistry, environmental science, computation and simulation. The laboratory will also play a key role by applying its technical expertise to helping protect the country’s critical infrastructure and preventing the proliferation of nuclear material.
One of the laboratory’s major tasks will be to lead an international research and development effort to create advanced nuclear energy technology.
The laboratory will also lead the establishment of the Center for Advanced Energy Studies, a collaborative effort between the State of Idaho, the laboratory and universities in Idaho and across the country.

Governor looks to strengthen TechConnect offices

(Statewide) Gov. Dirk Kempthorne has called for a number of economic development incentives in Idaho, with one directly benefiting entrepreneurs.
Gov. Kempthorne has recommended that the State Legislature appropriate $300,000 toward the Idaho TechConnect offices.
The funding would include $50,000 to each of three existing offices – in Idaho Falls, Nampa and Post Falls – and $50,000 toward the establishment of a new fourth office in the Magic Valley.
An additional $100,000 would go toward hiring a "CEO" to oversee the offices and drive private and public grants that would help emerging businesses.
TechConnect helps entrepreneurs in high-tech start-up companies get off the ground. The three current offices, operating with minimal dedicated funding, have cumulatively assisted more than 300 emerging firms over the past two years.
That assistance has helped companies increase their workforce and revenues, and receive capital investment.

Idaho industry groups will meet in March

(Statewide and Boise) The Idaho Office of Science & Technology will host day-long meetings of industry groups March 1-4 at the Idaho Department of Commerce and Labor in Boise.
Professionals from these six industry groups will meet with others in their fields to discuss networking, collaboration and ways to develop and expand their industry in Idaho: Bioscience, Geoscience, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, and Electrical Engineering.
An afternoon session will bring two groups together to network, cross-collaborate ideas, and explore synergies.
Those interested in participating or seeking more information can contact Rachel Hall at the Idaho Office of Science & Technology, (208) 334-2650, ext. 2110, or [email protected].

North Wind wins record contract
(Idaho Falls) Idaho Falls firm North Wind, Inc. won a $300 million contract in its joint-venture partnership with Weston Solutions, Inc. of Pennsylvannia.
That partnership, called North Wind Paducah Cleanup Company, will serve as the remediation contractor for the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Facility in Paducah, Kentucky.
The five-year contract, valued at about $300 million, involves cleanup of a groundwater contamination plume, remediation of contaminated soil, shipment of low-level radioactive waste stored in scrap metal and material storage yards and several other missions.
North Wind, headquartered in Idaho Falls, has locations throughout the country and its customers include federal agencies within the departments of Energy, Defense, Interior and Agriculture, as well as state/city governments and private businesses.
More information about North Wind is at http://www.nwindenv.com.

Extended Systems software helps WeightWatchers.com subscribers
(Boise) Dieters are using an Idaho technology in the industry’s first mobile weight-loss software.
Extended Systems, a Boise company, has teamed with WeightWatchers.com to allow those maintaining their diet to use a mobile device to access their WeightWatchers.com account.
WeightWatchers.com subscribers can log on to their personal account using a handheld device to get information about making wise food and exercise choices while traveling. Extended Systems’ OneBridge Mobile Solutions Platform is the underlying technology that allows subscribers’ mobile devices to synchronize with their WeightWatchers.com account to keep plan information up to date.
"The OneBridge-powered mobile solution will provide consumers with exciting new capabilities while generating new revenues for WeightWatchers.com," said Charles Jepson, president and CEO at Extended Systems.
More information about Extended Systems is at http://www.extendedsystems.com.

BSU professor does cholera research
(Boise) New Boise State University biology professor Juliette Tinker is conducting research that could someday combat infectious diseases such as cholera.
Tinker, who joined the university’s faculty this semester, is studying a toxin produced by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, which is the agent of the disease cholera.
The unique properties of this toxin, as well as those of a toxin produced by the bacterium E. coli, make these proteins potential components in vaccines, since they stimulate specific immune responses.
Tinker’s research is part of the university’s fast-growing biomedical research programs. BSU researchers are currently conducting studies involving Alzheimer’s disease, breast cancer, cartilage, side effects of chemotherapeutic drugs, and other areas.

Lifestream Technologies developing new cholesterol monitor
(Post Falls) Lifestream Technologies, Inc., has filed a patent application for a new cholesterol monitoring device that reduces the cost for pharmacies and home testing.
The technology under development looks like a computer mouse and embodies Lifestream’s optic module and strip holder, but uses a PC for the balance of the functionality.
The new product would allow a user to plug a "cholesterol mouse" into their PC with all functions actually performed by the computer hardware.
"Since the mouse is connected to the computer for its functionality, i.e., the data tracking software, the Health Risk Assessment, and data storage, information transfer to healthcare providers is quick, easy, transparent and simple," said Christopher Maus, Lifestream’s President and CEO.
Lifestream, based in Post Falls, develops and markets a line of cholesterol monitors to consumers and healthcare professionals that provide test results in three minutes.
More information on Lifestream is at http://www.lifestreamtech.com.

Idaho ranks low in science/engineering doctorate awards
(Statewide) Idaho ranks among the lowest of all states for its science and engineering doctorate awards, according to a recently released National Science Foundation report.
Idaho ranks 42nd in the nation for its per capita awards of science and engineering doctorates.
The report, which looks at 2003 data, shows that 70 doctorates were awarded in Idaho that year in science and engineering fields. That included 17 in engineering, 11 in agriculture, 13 in biology, 9 in physical sciences, 8 in social sciences, 5 in computer sciences, 3 in earth atmosphere and oceans, 3 in psychology and 1 in mathematics.
Washington D.C. ranked first in the study, followed by Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Delaware. Idaho was ahead of states such as Nevada, Maine, Mississippi, Florida, Vermont, Kentucky and South Carolina.
See the full list at http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Tables/011005t.htm

Blue Water Technologies to present at Utah venture event
(Coeur d’Alene) Blue Water Technologies of Coeur d’Alene will be one of 22 companies presenting at the Wayne Brown Institute’s 21st annual Investors Choice Venture Capital Conference in Salt Lake City this week.
Blue Water is the only Idaho company making a presentation at this conference.
"The 22 companies making presentations in 2005 are high-quality institutions that have shown us they have what it takes to succeed over the long term," said Brad Bertoch, president of the Wayne Brown Institute.
For more information about Blue Water Technologies, go to http://www.blueh2o.net. More information about the Wayne Brown Institute is at http://www.venturecapital.org.

Idaho tech fact
Did you know?
The Scott Ski Pole, an invention which helped revolutionize skiing, was invented by Ketchum’s Edward Scott in 1958.

Have an idea/submission for this newsletter?
Contact Julie Howard at the Idaho Office of Science & Technology at (208) 334-2650, ext. 2147, or at [email protected]

2004 – 2005 Events Calendar
February 6-10
ProClarity’s Sixth Annual Understanding Conference
Sun Valley, Idaho
ProClarity customers, partners and prospects network and share information on trends, best practices and innovations within the business intelligence industry.
For more information, click here

February 9-11
Venture Capital in the Rockies
Beaver Creek, Colo.
For more information, click here

February 10
Kickstand meets in Boise
The Treasure Valley’s networking organization for innovators hosts its monthly meeting. To register free, or for details, click here

February 20-26
Engineers Week
Numerous activities at universities and colleges throughout Idaho.

February 24
Engineering Week Banquet
The Boise Section of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers will hold its Engineering Week Banquet at 6 p.m. Feb. 24 at the Owyhee Plaza Hotel Ballroom in Boise. Speakers will include Boise Mayor Dave Bieter, BSU College of Engineering Dean Dr. Cheryl Schrader and Idaho Science & Technology Director Karl Tueller. The panel will address questions such as: What are the key challenges we face in the Treasure Valley, what is being done to retain and attract new engineers to the community, and how is the business environment here being improved. For information, click here

February 28
BioIdaho hosts legislative dinner
Idaho’s Bioscience Future: A Legislative Dinner will be 5:30-9 p.m. at The Grove Hotel Ballroom in Boise. Keynote speakers are Carl Feldbaum, founding president of the national Biotechnology Industry Organization, and G. Steven Burrill, CEO of Burrill & Co. of San Francisco.
Tickets are $75 each. Call BioIdaho at (208) 336-8431 or to register, click here

March 1-4
Idaho Industry Groups Meet
Professionals from Bioscience, Geoscience, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, and Electrical Engineering meet in Boise.
Those interested in participating or seeking more information can contact Rachel Hall at the Idaho Office of Science & Technology, (208) 334-2650, ext. 2110, or [email protected].

March 1
6th Annual Sacramento Venture Capital Conference
Sacramento, Calif.
For more information, click here

March 9-10
AURP 2005 Winter Workshop
Washington D.C.
Doing business with the federal government
For more information, click here

March 28-30
World’s Best Technologies
Arlington, Texas
Showcase of new technologies before venture firms
For more information, click here

April 5-6
Kickstart — The Northwest’s Premiere Entrepreneurial Event
Event features Garage Ventures/former Apple Fellow Guy Kawasaki and a full day of workshops at Boise State University geared to help entrepreneurs and innovators.
Registration will start March 1 and more details will follow.

April 7-9
Annual Meeting/Symposium of the Idaho Academy of Science
At Northwest Nazarene University, Nampa, Idaho
Program information will be posted at IAS Web site as it becomes available – click here. For more information, contact IAS President Dr. Tom Mangum at [email protected].

May 8-12
Nanotech Conference and Trade Show
Anaheim, Calif.
For more information, click here

June 7-9
SCP Global Technologies hosts international Symposium
Boise firm SCP Global Technologies once again hosts its international symposium at the Boise Centre on the Grove. Event features presentations, panel discussions, the annual Werner Kern Award, a poster session and more.
For more information on this event, click here

For more calendar information, visit Conferences and Events at http://www.cl.idaho.gov

"We Create Jobs, Strengthen Communities and Market Idaho."

IDAHO COMMERCE & LABOR
PO Box 83720, Boise, Idaho 83720-0093
Tel: 208-334-2470; Fax: 208-334-2631
Web: http://www.cl.idaho.gov
05-62000-250

DIRK KEMPTHORNE, GOVERNOR
ROGER MADSEN, DIRECTOR
KARL TUELLER, DEPUTY DIRECTOR & OST EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Idaho Commerce & Labor is an equal opportunity employer.
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[email protected] • Idaho Commerce & Labor