News

Idaho Office of Science & Technology June 2007

In this issue:

# PakSense Monitoring Labels Partners With Albertson’s

# Study Shows West Has High Entrepreneurial Activity

# Boise Angel Fund Formed

# Shaw Announces Investment In Blue Water Technologies

# DocuTech Enhances Executive Team

# Stinson Opens New Division in Idaho

# Idaho TechConnect to Open Entrepreneur Groups Statewide

# UI Incorporates Blogs Into Curriculum

# Integra Telecom Offers Telephone, DSL Service in Boise

# Scientific Organizations Plan Regional Meetings in Boise

# Micron Foundation Awards $253,000 in Scholarships

# AMI Semiconductor Selected as Design, Technology Partner by Broadcom

# UI, Navy Share $1 Million Grant to Study Navy Vulnerability

# Collegiate Inventors Competition Deadlines Soon

# EPSCoR Program Calls for White Papers

# Two Idaho Universities Win Defense Department Research Awards

# Ideas Innovations Idaho License Plates For Sale

PakSense Monitoring Labels Partners With Albertsons

http://www.cl.idaho.gov

(Boise) Albertsons LLC will require temperature monitoring devices on all inbound produce, fresh meat and seafood shipments to its distribution centers. The preferred monitor is the PakSense TXi Smart Label provided by PakSense Inc. in Boise. PakSense labels track the temperature of a perishable product’s environment during distribution, allowing better quality and safety decisions.
"We found that traditional temperature monitoring devices were bulky and expensive," said Dave Dean, Albertsons group vice president of procurement. "A quick return-on-investment analysis on the PakSense Label convinced me that making the switch would save us a substantial amount of money – and provide better quality assurance for our customers."
A flat, 2" x 2" disk, PakSense labels are sealed in food-grade packaging. They cost a fraction of current monitoring systems, which promotes their use in more product shipments. Lights on the sensor alert quality assurance personal if temperature specifications have been breached, and all data collected by the label can be downloaded and graphed, enabling Albertsons to pinpoint if, when and for how long temperature excursions occurred. Albertsons in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Wyoming and Utah. The company has warehouses handling fresh product in Denver, Fort Worth, Phoenix and Plant City, Fla.
The PakSense TXi Smart Label was recently named runner up in the 2006 Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation Awards in the technology design category.

Study Shows West Has High Entrepreneurial Activity

(Statewide) The 2006 Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity ranks Idaho 11th nationally, just ahead of California.
The five states with the highest rates of entrepreneurial activity in the study were Montana, Mississippi, Georgia, Oklahoma and Maine. The five states with the lowest rates were Michigan, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Illinois and Delaware.
Data for the Kauffman index are derived from the monthly Current Population Survey, a national population survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The detailed demographic information allows researchers to estimate rates of entrepreneurial activity by race, education, region, age and immigrant status. Unlike other studies that capture young businesses that are more than a year old, the Kauffman index captures all adults 20 to 64 who initially start a business including those who own incorporated or unincorporated businesses and those who are employers and non-employers. Capturing new business owners in their first month of significant business activity serves as a leading indicator of new business creation in the United States.
The report showed the rate of entrepreneurial activity remaining consistent over the past decade with nearly 465,000 people creating new businesses on average each month.

Boise Angel Fund Formed

(Boise) A group of local angel investors and Minnesota-based RAIN Source Capital have formed the Boise Angel Fund LLC in Boise.
The new fund is currently capitalized at $800,000 and has 15 members including local angel investors, institutions and RAIN Source Capital. They have pooled their investment dollars to create the fund, which will invest primarily in companies located in Idaho and the Intermountain region.
In addition, RAIN Source Capital has contracted with Kevin Learned, local business leader and a member of the Boise Angel Fund, to serve as RAIN Source Capital’s Idaho field agent.
"This is our first fund in Idaho, and we see strong interest from area angel investors in supporting high-growth, early stage companies while also providing opportunities for investors seeking a return on their money," said Joan Wurzer, executive vice president of RAIN Source Capital.
The Boise Angel Fund is the 21st to be formed through RAIN Source Capital, which includes a multi-state network of angel funds. In addition to being an active investor in each of the funds, RAIN Source Capital also provides a process for due diligence, legal templates, management support and other resources.
Each fund determines what industries it will focus on and the type and level of financing to provide based on the interests and expertise of its members. Fund members play an active role in selecting and screening companies for potential investment and monitoring company performance. The funds can draw on the expertise, experience and deal flow from across the network.
Officers of the Boise Angel Fund are Mary Givens, fund chair and secretary, and Philip Bradley, treasurer.
Angel investors, typically defined as individuals with annual income exceeding $200,000 or having a net worth of more than $1 million, are often self-made, cashed-out entrepreneurs who have capital and business experience and are interested in helping other companies grow.
For more information on the Boise Angel Fund, contact Learned at [email protected].

Shaw Announces Investment In Blue Water Technologies

(Coeur d’Alene) The Shaw Group Inc. has made an equity investment in Blue Water Technologies Inc., a privately held company based in Coeur d’ Alene.
Blue Water’s core business is the tertiary treatment of industrial and municipal wastewater to reduce phosphorus and other contaminants to extremely low levels. The company uses a proprietary process developed at the University of Idaho, which is licensed exclusively to Blue Water.
Extensive testing through pilot studies and full-scale deployment have consistently yielded over 99 percent removal rates and have been accomplished with dramatically lower capital costs than other traditional methods.
In addition to the equity investment, the two companies agreed to collaborate on future engineering, design and construction projects. The alliance between Shaw and Blue Water will offer entire plant retrofits for the municipal and industrial wastewater treatment markets.
The Shaw Group, based in Louisiana, is a global provider of engineering, procurement, construction, technology, maintenance, fabrication, manufacturing, consulting, remediation and facilities management services for government and private sector clients in the energy, chemical, environmental, infrastructure and emergency response markets.
For more information, go to http://www.shawgrp.com.

DocuTech Enhances Executive Team

(Idaho Falls) DocuTech Corp., a provider of document and compliance technology for the mortgage industry, has promoted Alethea Cox to chief operating officer, Monte Larsen to chief marketing officer and Doug Moss to executive vice president of sales.
Cox, who previously served as DocuTech’s executive vice president of sales and marketing, will oversee the daily operations and manage the company’s strategic and operational systems. Larsen will manage the company’s product management, Australian business unit and all marketing initiatives to increase awareness and drive sales of DocuTech’s products. Moss will direct DocuTech’s sales team and all daily sales activities nationwide.
Cox, Larsen and Moss join an experienced executive team that includes Chief Executive Ty Jenkins and President Kirk Reese. Jenkins, who founded DocuTech in 1991, brings more than 16 years of mortgage industry experience to the team. Reese drives the company’s research and development with more than 20 years of software and information technology architecture experience.
"As the mortgage industry creates new loan products to help borrowers finance a home, there is a responsibility to make sure the borrower is informed and receives all the appropriate disclosures," Cox said. "Additionally, lenders need services to help them navigate the maze of federal, state and local regulations. DocuTech’s products assume the responsibility of keeping up with regulation changes and managing disclosures, allowing lenders to focus on maximizing their efforts on originating more loans."
DocuTech has a library with thousands of customized investor documents, federally and state compliant in all 50 states.
More information is at http://www.docutechcorp.com.

Stinson Opens New Division in Idaho

(Boise) Stinson Brand Innovation, a health, science and technology brand consultancy based in Chicago, has launched StinsonGEM in Boise. The new division will focus on delivering brand experiences through groups, events and media.
"Our GEM division is bringing together an expert team of media and event planners to support our other brand innovation activities," says Mark Stinson, president of Stinson Brand Innovation.
Founded in 2004, Stinson works with global clients and collaborators on brands in research technology, diagnostics, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, integrated healthcare delivery and patient advocacy.
In opening the new office, Stinson has hired Michelle Travis as director of groups, events and media. She is responsible for managing the logistics of group meetings, researching and creating event ideas, developing experiential marketing ideas for clients and planning and placing media.
Travis brings five years of agency experience in media, account management and public relations to the company. She is an active board member in the Boise Metro Rotary Club and the Boise Advertising Federation. She received a bachelor’s degree in business from Boise State University.
For more information, contact [email protected] or go to http://www.StinsonBrandInnovation.com.

Idaho TechConnect to Open Entrepreneur Groups Statewide

(Statewide) Idaho TechConnect has signed a licensing agreement with Kickstand to replicate that Boise-based entrepreneurial network throughout the state.
In addition to an up-front licensing fee, Kickstand will receive a percentage of membership fees from licensees created in other Idaho cities.
"Kickstand’s success during the nearly seven years of its existence has sparked an interest in other parts of the state with growing entrepreneurial communities," said TechConnect President Rick Ritter. Moscow and eastern Idaho are the initial targets.
Since its establishment in 2001, Kickstand has created a network of hundreds of entrepreneurs, business innovators, professional services providers, investors and economic development experts.
Through monthly meetings and special events such as the recent Kickstart conference at Boise State University, the organization fulfills its mission to nurture a climate for successful business startups across a wide range of market segments.
More information is at http://www.kickstand.org.

UI Incorporates Blogs Into Curriculum

(Boise) Internet blog tracker Technorati currently tracks more than 75 million blogs. Recognizing the emerging potential of this new technology, University of Idaho Professors Carolyn Keeler and Michael Kroth in Boise decided to make blogs essential elements in university coursework.
Faculty members at many higher education institutions author blogs – online journals where people can post journal entries and commentaries – to share viewpoints on a variety of issues. Keeler, professor of educational leadership, and Kroth, assistant professor of adult and organizational learning and leadership, took it one step further. This spring, they incorporated blogging into their College of Education course expectations. According to feedback from the students, this "took the content to a higher level and added real life experiences."
Students were asked to express themselves on the blogs clearly and succinctly, providing additional thoughtful content to what others may have already expressed. Larry Lindner, a doctoral student at University of Idaho in Boise and small business owner in Meridian, said it was not easy for all students to participate in this new manner.
"With the blog, we had no real assignment. Students had to add to the body of knowledge," he said. "Doctor Keeler didn’t ask questions. She wanted people to contribute, which required research to bring something new to the group. This enhanced the learning experience by pushing the student to critically think about the topic and add to the discussion."
Kroth used a blog for his course in fundamentals of human resource development to allow students to have deeper discussions about what they found most relevant in the class.
Keeler created the blog for her course on advanced quantitative research methods to increase the exposure of both the students and the public to quantitative research methods and statistical designs. Students could add information and URLs, ask questions to clarify issues and add content to the course.
To visit Kroth’s blog, contact him at [email protected]. Visit Keeler’s at http://www.carolynkeeler.blogspot.com.

Integra Telecom Offers Telephone, DSL Service In Boise

(Boise) Integra Telecom, a facilities-based, integrated business communications carrier, will offer local telephone service and DSL in Boise and four other western cities in June.
The new service offerings broaden Integra’s product set to better serve small business customers and the smaller offices of larger businesses. For several years Integra has provided these services in the major metropolitan areas of Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, North Dakota and Utah.
Integra’s DSL services will operate at speeds from 512 Kbps or 1.5 Mbps up to 10 Mbps, depending on the service area. Prior to the new services, the company’s Internet and telephone products in these markets were limited to T1 access, a technology favoring larger business customers.
More information is at http://www.integratelecom.com.

Scientific Organizations Plan Regional Meetings in Boise

(Boise) More than 800 scientists, faculty and students from eight western states and several foreign countries will be in Boise June 17-21 for regional meetings of two major national scientific organizations. The five-day event includes guest lectures on a variety of topics that are open to the public.
The Northwest Region of the American Chemical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Pacific Division will meet at Boise State University and the Boise Centre on the Grove for workshops, technical sessions and research presentations on topics ranging from sensor technology and advanced nuclear systems to animal behavior, wilderness issues, cancer treatments and infectious diseases.
Boise State is hosting the association’s division meeting, "Science for a Green Future," and is a contributing sponsor of the society’s regional meeting.
Undergraduate and graduate students from many universities will present research papers and posters that will be evaluated by judges as part of a competition. Micron Technology Inc., the major sponsor of the society’s regional meeting, will sponsor technical sessions on semiconducting materials.
The society’s Snake River Section will be officially welcomed into the national organization.
While pre-registration and fee payment is required to attend most conference events, the public is invited to attend a number of free lectures given by nationally recognized scientists.
— 7:15 p.m. Sunday, June 17, Summit Room, Boise Centre on the Grove: PBS "Now" correspondent and Stanford University researcher Jon Christensen will discuss "How Green is Idaho?"
— 7:30 p.m. Monday, June 18, Summit Room, Boise Centre on the Grove: Shirley Malcom, head of the association’s Directorate for Education and Human Resource Programs in Washington, D.C., will discuss "Science: The Public’s Need (and Right) to Know."

Micron Foundation Awards $253,000 in Scholarships

(Boise) The Micron Foundation Inc. will distribute $253,000 in scholarships to 13 high school students in five states including three from Idaho.
Idaho winners are Kyle Antonini of Boise High School, Marie Herring of Skyline High School in Idaho Falls and Keegan Poppen of Riverstone International School in Boise.
Each receives a $16,500 scholarship and each of their high schools receives $1,000 for science and technology programs.
The other students are in Colorado, Texas, Utah and Virginia. A complete list of recipients and biographies is at micron.com/media/2007/mediakit/micron_scholars.aspx.
Since its inception in 2001, the annual Micron Science and Technology Scholars program has provided 86 students with more than $1.5 million in scholarships and industry experience through mentorship and other opportunities.
Recipients also are invited to Technology Adventures and Leadership Learning Week in mid-June in Idaho, which involves leadership and team-building activities and interaction with Micron’s senior scientists, engineers and company officers while they participate in an on-site job-shadow program with their Micron mentors.
Applications for the program are available to high school students beginning in the fall of their senior year through high school counselors or the Internet at http://www.micron.com/scholars. The 2008 deadline for applications is Jan. 20, 2008.

AMI Semiconductor Selected as Design, Technology Partner by Broadcom

(Pocatello) AMI Semiconductor, a designer and manufacturer of state-of-the-art mixed-signal and digital products, has been selected by Broadcom as a design and technology partner for two new highly-integrated power sourcing equipment controllers for use in Broadcom’s Power over Ethernet products.
AMI was selected to work with Broadcom because of its recognized leadership and expertise in providing high-quality, robust silicon products for use in complex, high-voltage applications.
The four-port controllers are designed to provide power to networked devices in enterprise, small-to-medium business and residential environments, using the Ethernet cable infrastructure already in place for transferring voice, video and data. The products are used with video phones, enterprise access points, residential gateways/routers, surveillance cameras, retail point-of-sale readers and security card scanners.

UI, Navy Share $1 Million Grant to Study Navy Vulnerability
(Moscow) University of Idaho engineers, in partnership with engineers at the Navy’s Carderock Division Acoustic Research Detachment at Bayview, have been awarded $1 million to support research on extremely low frequency signals associated with mine warfare.
The team will create computer models and specialized software that the Navy can use to understand a ship’s vulnerability to mines and torpedoes associated with these kinds of emissions.
Unlike microwave signals that oscillate several billion times a second and decay rapidly in water, extremely low frequency waves oscillate as slowly as 10 times a second and can be detected several kilometers away from the emission point. Smart subsurface mines use these signals to detect the presence of a ship and to incapacitate it.
Engineers at the Navy’s Carderock Division at Bayview will design, build and deploy an experimental platform at the Panhandle’s Lake Pend Oreille.
The current Navy fleet largely is comprised of steam- and diesel-powered ships. The new electric ship design is powered by electricity generated by onboard power plants. Incorporating micro- and nanotechnologies, the new design will significantly reduce the size of the ships’ power components and increase their ability to handle high current-density and high-power levels in harsh environments.
Shrinking the size of the ships’ power components also frees onboard space for other functions, and increased power availability facilitates computerization of most of the electric warship’s operations, significantly reducing the need for manpower. The Navy plans to launch the electric ship in 2012.
Navy and University of Idaho researchers have worked collaboratively for more than a decade addressing submarine hull design, specifically to reduce electronic signatures. This collaboration is the first to focus on reducing the electronic signatures of surface ships. The resulting design changes will be incorporated into the Navy’s new experimental electric destroyer design, known as DD(X).

Two Idaho Universities Win Defense Department Research Awards
(Boise, Moscow) The Department of Defense has awarded $7 million to 13 academic institutions nationwide, including awards to Boise State University and University of Idaho.
Both schools are recipients of the awards to perform research in science and engineering under the fiscal 2007 Defense Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research.
Boise State’s Kristy Campbell was named principal investigator for "reconfigurable electronics and non-volatile memory research." Idaho’s Brian Johnson was named as principal investigator for research on "power management of small naval vessels."
The Army Research Office, the Office of Naval Research and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research solicited proposals using a defense-wide agency announcement.
The list of projects selected for fiscal 2007 can be found on the Web at http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Apr2007/d20070425awards.pdf .

Collegiate Inventors Competition Deadlines Soon
(Nationwide) College students can win more than $120,000 in prizes for top inventions in the annual Collegiate Inventors Competition.
Deadline for entering is June 15. The contest is considered one of the most prestigious for college and university innovators.
Prizes go to students and their advisers in graduate and undergraduate categories.
The Collegiate Inventors Competition receives inventions of all types from all fields.
Whatever the invention, it must be a reduced-to-practice idea or workable model. If it is a machine, it must be operable. If it is a chemical, it must be complete with evidence of successful application. If a new or original ornamental design for an article of manufacture, the entire design must be included in the application. In addition, the invention must be capable of being reproduced and established as novel, useful and not obvious. The entry must be the original idea and work product of the student/adviser team and must not have been made available to the public as a commercial product or process or patented or published more than a year prior to the date of submission to the competition.
For details, go to invent.org/collegiate or email organizers at [email protected].

EPSCoR Program Calls for White Papers
(Statewide) Idaho EPSCoR invites faculty members of Idaho’s public universities to submit brief white papers that identify imaginative and high quality hypothesis-driven research for possible funding.
White papers are due by e-mail at Idaho EPSCoR at [email protected] on June 15.
They should focus on big ideas and the reasons that they fit National Science Foundation EPSCoR criteria. No budgets will be accepted, but the necessary infrastructure investments should be described. The submissions are limited to three pages of text,one page of references and a two-page biographical sketches that includes a five-year history of grant funding or current and pending support for the principal investigator and all co-investigators.
The proposed activities can be carried out by single researchers or teams of researchers. The number of single researchers will eventually be limited to ensure movement toward at least one center of excellence that is of sufficient breadth and depth that it will be sustained. Papers must lend themselves to becoming a component of Idaho’s National Science Foundation RII proposal due in October.
The eventual selection of components for the proposal will be based on external merit review as well as broader impacts.
The RII grant supports lasting infrastructure improvements in research areas selected as most likely to improve Idaho’s future research and development competitiveness.
More information is at http://www.uidaho.edu/epscor.

Ideas Innovations Idaho License Plates For Sale
(Statewide) Specialty license plates that support Idaho’s science and technology industry are for sale through the Idaho Transportation Department.
A portion of the proceeds from each plate sold goes to a fund that is used to develop programs and market the state’s technology sector.
A picture of the license plate, and information on how to purchase one, can be viewed at technology.idaho.gov/license.

Have an Idea/Submission for this Newsletter?
Contact Julie Howard at the Idaho Commerce & Labor’s Office of Science & Technology at (208) 334-2650, ext. 2147, or at [email protected]

Read More Idaho Technology News
Miss last month’s Science & Technology newsletter? Find the complete newsletter archives at technology.idaho.gov and click on "news."

2007 Events Calendar

June
Second Annual Idaho Innovation Awards Nominations Period
Statewide
Annual innovations awards program begins taking online nominations. Finalists and winners to be named at a special awards event in the fall.
To learn more, go to http://www.stoel.com/innovation.

June 5-7
Intermountain Systems Biology Symposium
Logan, Utah
Symposium will focus on recent developments in animal, plant, and microbial systems biology. Presentations will be on utilization of functional genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and bioinformatics data and will discuss applications of data in industrial processes and products. Program is presented by the Center for Integrated BioSystems and the Inland Northwest Research Alliance.
For information, go to http://www.biosystems.usu.edu or institute.inra.org/isbs/.

June 21
Small Business Awards
Boise
Annual Small Business of the Year Awards luncheon sponsored by the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce. To register, go to boisechamber.org or call 472-5236.

June 18-22, June 25-29
Summer Science Camp
Idaho Falls
Two week-long sessions available for youth grades 4-9. Field trips will provide participants an opportunity to investigate forests, streams and desert habitats. Cost is $110. Deadline is June 8.
For information, go to http://www.stoller-eser.com/RMA.htm or email [email protected].

June 25-30
Natural Resources Workshop
Ketchum
12-14 year-olds who would like to learn about their natural environment and how to protect it and use it wisely will find opportunities at the 48th Natural Resources Workshop. Program is held at Central Idaho 4-H camp and sponsored by University of Idaho Extension and the Idaho Association of Soil Conservation Districts.
Participating teachers can earn graduate credits.
Cost is $175 and limited to first 90 students who register. Call Steve Hines at (208) 886-2406 or [email protected].

July 10
Governor’s Science & Technology Advisory Council Meets
Idaho Falls
Quarterly meeting of the Council will be held at the Shilo Inn in Idaho Falls. For information, contact Karen Lewis at (208) 334-2470. Meeting will be webcast live at http://www.technology.idaho.gov.

July 11-12
TechLaunch
Boise
Annual TechLaunch competition educates start-up companies on how to seek seed and venture capital. Information and registration is at http://www.idahotechconnect.com.

For more calendar information, visit Conferences and Events at 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: cl.idaho.gov
06-62000-250

C.L. "BUTCH" OTTER, GOVERNOR
ROGER B. MADSEN, DIRECTOR
KARL TUELLER, DEPUTY DIRECTOR & OST EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Idaho Commerce & Labor is an equal opportunity employer.
This document is available upon request in alternative formats for individuals with disabilities.
[email protected] • Idaho Commerce & Labor

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