Idaho Office of Science & Technology April 2006

In this issue:

# Microsoft Purchases ProClarity Corp
# Micron Technology to Acquire Lexar Media
# North Wind Teams on NASA Contract
# Idaho Indie Movie ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ A Ringtone Favorite
# Online Dental Hygiene Graduate Program First in Nation
# UI Engineering Student ‘Called Up’ to Cyber Boot Camp
# Crucial Technology Simplifies Search for Upgrades
# Positron Systems Hires CEO, Makes Board Changes
# Sen. Crapo Named BIO Legislator of the Year
# AMIS CEO Named Top Technology Industry Thought Leader
# Idaho Chips Launched into Earth’s Magnetosphere
# Szilard Named Nuclear Science and Engineering Director
# Aquaculture Research Highlighted
# University of Idaho Receives Boost in Bandwidth
# IdaTech Inks Agreement for Ready Hydrogen Supply
# Micron Founder Named Advance Nanotech Chairman
# MobileDataforce Technology Adopted by Idaho State Board of Pharmacy
Microsoft Purchases ProClarity Corp

(Boise, Idaho) Microsoft Corp. will buy ProClarity Corp., a software company based in Boise. ProClarity develops advanced analysis and visualization technologies that work in association with Microsoft’s business intelligence platform, which includes Microsoft® SQL Server™ 2005, Microsoft Office Business Scorecard Manager 2005, Microsoft Office Excel® and Microsoft Office SharePoint® Portal Server.
Microsoft wants to provide an easy and integrated method for accessing and working with business information.
ProClarity’s technology and people will accelerate Microsoft’s strategy, providing increased business intelligence functionality, increasing customer value and enhancing opportunities for industry partners to integrate business intelligence into business applications.
"ProClarity has been a valued Microsoft partner for many years, with a strong R&D organization, more than 1,200 mutual customers and a sales force that already works closely with ours," said Jeff Raikes, president of the Business Division at Microsoft.
The acquisition builds on Microsoft’s recent fall introductions of SQL Server 2005 and Office Business Scorecard Manager 2005. The company will soon make Excel and SharePoint releases within its 2007 Office system.
Founded in 1995, ProClarity is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and has been a leading provider of third-party analytics tools based on Microsoft’s business intelligence platform since 1999.

Micron Technology to Acquire Lexar Media

(Boise, Idaho) Micron Technology Inc. will acquire Lexar Media Inc. in a stock-for-stock merger.
The acquisition is expected to strengthen Micron’s position in the NAND flash business and enable the company to deliver innovative NAND flash solutions from design, development and manufacturing to marketing and sales of products to worldwide consumers and device manufacturers.
The merger is designed to combine Micron’s technology and manufacturing leadership in NAND flash memory with Lexar’s leadership in NAND controller and system design technology, brand recognition and retail channel strength to create a vertically integrated entity fully focused on the NAND business.
"With this acquisition, Micron will have a complete package of NAND memory solutions for our customers," said Steve Appleton, Micron chairman, CEO and president. "Together with our NAND designs, technology, manufacturing capability and distribution channels, Micron is in a strong position to serve the flash storage requirements of consumer electronics and enterprise customers."
The transaction is subject to regulatory review, Lexar stockholder approval and other customary closing conditions. Completion of the merger is expected by the end of the third calendar quarter. Upon closing, Lexar, as a continuing entity, will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Micron, and Lexar’s stock will cease trading on the NASDAQ stock market.
Micron Technology, Inc., is one of the world’s leading providers of advanced semiconductor solutions. Through its worldwide operations, Micron manufactures and markets DRAMs, NAND flash memory, CMOS image sensors, other semiconductor components, and memory modules for use in leading-edge computing, consumer, networking, and mobile products. Micron stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the MU symbol.
More information is at micron.com.

North Wind Teams on NASA Contract

(Idaho Falls, Idaho) Idaho Falls firm North Wind is part of a team that has won a three-year $182.6 million NASA contract for facilities operations and support at the White Sands Test Facility in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Two one-year extensions options could bring the contract’s total value to $305.2 million.
The team is led by Enterprise Advisory Services, Inc. and is composed of five other small businesses, including North Wind, Implemetrics, Wde Y, Epro, and Fiore Industries. North Wind’s primary role will be to manage and perform all environmental compliance and restoration activities that are necessary to support NASA’s test and evaluation mission.
For more, visit northwind-inc.com.

Idaho Indie Movie ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ A Ringtone Favorite

(Preston, Idaho) Idaho cult comedy "Napoleon Dynamite" joined "Star Wars" and "Scarface" on the list for favorite classic and current blockbuster films for mobile content, according to the results of the first Screentones Awards by InfoSpace, a mobile entertainment provider.
Mobile users voted for their favorite screentones and screenpix for their mobile devices.
"Napoleon Dynamite," released in 2004, beat out Oscar 2006 nominees King Kong, The Chronicles of Narnia and other large films to win the title for Best Overall Catalog thanks to its off-beat lead character and memorable one-liners about ligers and llamas.
In the Best of Screentones category, the film also nabbed the title for "Friggin’ Idiot," a favorite ringtone according to voters. Runners-up included "Imperial March" from Star Wars and "Whoop That Trick" from Hustle & Flow.
To hear and see more of the winners, visit fanscape.com.

ISU Dental Hygiene On-line Graduate Program First In Nation

(Boise, Idaho) Not many people realize that 40 percent of all first-year dental hygiene graduate students nationally are enrolled in Idaho State University.
One reason for this may be the fact that Idaho State has the nation’s first completely online master’s degree program in dental hygiene, with students logging in from as far away as California and New York.
The program, based at ISU’s Boise Center, not only enables hygienists to increase their knowledge, but addresses the critical shortage of dental-hygiene educators in the United States and Canada as well.
Experts predict the shortage will increase as current educators retire, and new practitioners select the more lucrative option of private practice over teaching. A recent survey published in the Journal of Dental Education reports that 68 percent of dental-hygiene programs across the country anticipate the need to replace full-time faculty in the next five years. Advertised faculty vacancies can remain unfilled for as long as two years.
"The worst shortage areas for dental hygiene faculty are rural areas," said Dr. Linda Boyd, associate professor and graduate-studies director for ISU’s dental hygiene program. "Three of our students, (Nevada, Texas, and Arkansas) have already been hired as full-time faculty in dental-hygiene programs contingent upon enrolling in and completing our program. ISU offers the only program they have access to without relocating."

UI Engineering Student ‘Called Up’ to Cyber Boot Camp

(Moscow, Idaho) University of Idaho computer science student Chris Abplanalp is joining the ranks of a new, elite fighting force. Abplanalp has been selected as one of the U.S. Navy’s two participants in the Cyber Security Boot Camp run by Syracuse University’s Advanced Course in Engineering and the U.S. Air Force.
Abplanalp, of La Grande, Ore., is a Naval ROTC officer candidate. This year about three-quarters of camp participants came from ROTC ranks.
"Chris has been writing computer code since he was 12, has a SAT score of 1380 and is an electronics technician in the Navy," says Colonel Bruce Barnes, of the university’s Naval Science Department.
The boot camp is a training ground for future technology-security leaders. Abplanalp is one of 36 students chosen from across the country to hone their already exceptional hacking and hacking-defense skills. The camp will be held May 31 – Aug. 13 at the Air Force Research Laboratory in Rome, N.Y.
The federal government sees talented geeks in cyberspace as the nation’s newest line of defense.
The geek-as-skinny-pale-guy stereotype may be one casualty of the Boot Camp: Brains are requisite but so is physical stamina. Students must have a 3.0 grade-point-average or better, the ability to run six miles in less than an hour and the strength to log a 70- to 80-hour workweek in order to participate.
The camp’s cybersecurity coursework includes accelerated classes in cryptography, steganography (embedding messages within other messages), digital forensics, network security and wireless security.
A "Hackfest" marks the end of the ten-week program. A hybrid of final exams and wargames, Hackfest requires students to hunker into a room equipped with $180,000 worth of state-of-the-art computer equipment and aggressively pursue the enemy. Points are earned when teams capture virtual flags imbedded in opponents’ computer systems while simultaneously protecting their own flags.

Crucial Technology Simplifies Search for Upgrades

(Boise, Idaho) Looking to upgrade computer memory or graphics card? Crucial Technology’s System Scanner tool gives consumers a one-click solution.
The free downloadable tool automatically scans a computer’s hardware to detect the system configuration. The scanner then matches the system with the correct memory module, down to the component level, and analyzes graphics card compatibility.
The scanner tool leaves no footprint on the user’s computer, but each report is assigned a code so it can be recalled and referenced in the future.
Crucial provides high-quality memory upgrades, graphics cards, flash memory as well as other upgrade products for more than 20,000 desktops, notebooks, servers and other electronic devices.
More information is at crucial.com.

Positron Systems Hires CEO, Makes Board Changes

(Boise, Idaho) Positron Systems, Inc., has hired a chief executive officer, appointed a chairman of the board, added a board member and moved headquarters back to Boise.
T. Erik Oaas, currently a partner at Oaas-Laney, LLC, has been appointed chairman of the board and is actively setting up a management structure to develop the company’s technology for a broad market over the next five years. Steve Bolen, the former chairman remains on the board and is taking the management role of senior vice president – corporate development. Bolen is an original co-founder of the company.
Admiral Archie Clemins, owner and President of Caribou Technologies, Inc and member of Idaho Governor Dirk Kempthorne’s Science and Technology Advisory Council has joined the board. Clemins provides significant insight into potential uses of the product in government and commercial markets.
The new board has hired Martin Hedley, formerly of Sharp Resources, Citibank and American Airlines to the position of Chief Executive Officer.
The company will move corporate headquarters from Pocatello to Boise to gain better access to the financial market. The current testing center in Pocatello will remain in place to become the focus of the product development and servicing organization.
Positron has patented technology used to detect a wide variety of damage types in materials such as metals, polymers, ceramics and composites. Because it examines materials at the atomic level, it can detect damage at its earliest stage, from initial manufacture through failure. The technology can detect damage in second layer materials, in some cases removing the need to disassemble components.
More information is at positronsystems.com.

Sen. Crapo Named BIO Legislator of the Year

(Washington D.C.) The Biotechnology Industry Organization has named Republican Senator Mike Crapo of Idaho "Legislator of the Year" for 2005-2006.
"BIO honors Senator Crapo for his leadership as a dedicated champion of agricultural biotechnology, particularly on critical trade issues," BIO President and CEO Jim Greenwood said.
More than 200 biotechnology industry representatives from 35 states, including Idaho, participated in nearly 300 meetings with key members of the House and Senate last month as part of the BIO Legislative Day event. Participants discussed issues critical to the biotechnology industry, including patent rights, the risk of drug importation, the SBIR grant program, and science-based standards for adventitious presence.
BIO represents more than 1,100 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and in 31 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of health-care, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products.

AMIS CEO Named Top Technology Industry Thought Leader
(Pocatello, Idaho) Christine King, president and chief executive officer of AMI Semiconductor, has been selected by the "Inside the Minds" editorial board as top executive thought leader in the technology industry. She also was selected as an author for the recently released book, "Leadership Plans for CEOs," published by Aspatore Books.
AMI Semiconductor designs and manufactures state-of-the-art integrated mixed-signal and structured digital products for the automotive, medical and industrial markets. Aspatore’s "Inside the Minds" series provides business books authored by executives providing introspective looks into the leading minds of the business and legal worlds.
"Leadership Plans for CEOs" features 13 chairmen, presidents and CEOs, the book serves as a guide for company executives seeking to be more effective leaders. Topics include developing executive leadership through vision, anticipating changes in the market, the global view, trusting instinct, daring to be different and leading by example.
King’s chapter in the book is titled, "Achieving Goals and Maintaining Your Edge." She was named president and CEO of AMIS in September 2001 and consistently has brought leadership and vision to the company, strengthening its strategy and corporate objectives to become a recognized industry leader with a strong market position.
She also has led AMIS through four successful acquisitions, including the mixed-signal business of Alcatel Microelectronics, the micro power products division of MicroSemi Corp., Dspfactory and the semiconductor business unit of Flextronics Semiconductor. Building upon the company’s financial results and successful acquisitions, King, within the first two years of her tenure, led AMIS through a $600 million initial public offering on NASDAQ.

Idaho Chips Launched into Earth’s Magnetosphere

(Post Falls, Idaho) Three New Millennium Program ST5 micro-satellites were successfully launched into space during March.
Incorporated in those satellites are University of Idaho Center for Advanced Microelectronics and Bimolecular Research’s (CAMBR) radiation-tolerant computer chips. Radiation-hardened using unique design techniques that allows them to be produced cheaply in existing facilities, it is hoped that the chips will see action in future near-earth and deep-space missions, as well as in applications closer to home.
The ST5 constellation’s mission objective is to demonstrate and flight qualify several innovative technologies in the harsh environment of space, while also examining the effect of solar activity on the Earth’s inner magnetosphere. The major innovative technologies launched include: a Cold Gas Micro Thruster; X-Band Transponder; Variable Emittance Coatings for Thermal Control, and the UI CAMBR CULPRiT microchip technology.
A team of UI engineers lead by Professor Gary Maki at the CAMBR research institute, housed at the UI Research Park in Post Falls, developed the microchips as part of a program funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Reconnaissance Office. The program goal is to create low-power technologies for spacecraft electronics.
All three of the 55-pound, when fully fueled, ST5 satellites deployed from a Pegasus rocket are circling the Earth every 136 minutes. Other technologies to be tested on this trip include a miniature magnetometer, miniature spinning sun sensor, spacecraft deployment mechanism, and magnetometer deployment boom Nutation Damper.

Szilard Named Nuclear Science & Engineering Director
(Idaho Falls, Idaho) Ronaldo Szilard has been named director of nuclear science and engineering under Nuclear Programs at Idaho National Laboratory.
The Nuclear Science and Engineering Program at INL is responsible for developing tools and codes necessary for simulating performance and development of future reactors. Szilard, who reports to James Lake, associate laboratory director for Nuclear Programs, has 15 years of private nuclear industry experience working for General Electric Nuclear Energy. His expertise includes program management in nuclear reload licensing, reactor core design and monitoring, and nuclear methods development.
The Nuclear Science and Engineering Program at INL combines more than 100 scientists and staff. The three main areas of emphasis in the program are the Reactor and Nuclear Physics Department, the Thermal Fluids and Heat Transfer Department and the Nuclear Fuels and Materials Department. These departments focus on coupling scientific research with test and simulation of engineering principles to help develop new reactor designs, such as the Generation IV reactors and more recently, the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership program.

Aquaculture Research Highlighted
(Moscow, Idaho) Innovative research on aquaculture underway at University of Idaho was the focus of a presentation in March to the National Coalition for Food & Agriculture Research.
Wendy Sealey, a nutrition research scientist at the University of Idaho’s Hagerman Fish Culture Experiment Station, updated congressional representatives on the development of alternative food sources for farm-raised fish.
Idaho is the trout capital of the U.S. Of the 60 million pounds of farm-reared trout produced in the nation each year, 40 million pounds come from Idaho’s aquaculture enterprises.
The global aquaculture industry has been growing at about 10 percent a year since 1990 and the industry has identified renewable and sustainable feeds as a key element to support aquaculture. Fish oil and meal currently are the mainstays for aquaculture feed, but there is wide consensus that supply will not meet expected global demand.
Sealey and other researchers are looking at plant-based ingredients, such as soybean meal, wheat and barley, for use as aquaculture feed.
"You are what you eat, and the same goes for fish," said Sealey.
Using renewable agricultural crops grown in Idaho to feed fish grown in Idaho seems like a win-win proposition, but there are obstacles to overcome.
UI scientists are collaborating with researchers from the USDA Agriculture Research Services’ Trout Grain Project, also housed at the Hagerman Experiment Station, to address the obstacles.
The options researchers are pursuing include developing strains of plants that can be utilized by the fish, and developing strains of fish that can utilize the plant. Simultaneously, the group also is developing plant ingredient processing methods, designing complimentary proteins and examining the necessity of supplemental amino acids, micronutrients and other non-nutrient supplements to increase plant inclusion levels.
The focus of Sealey’s research addresses how these various manipulations of fish and plants interact at the level of the fish intestine to alter fish health. By increasing understanding at this level, Sealey hopes to develop strategies, such as probiotics, to further increase plant-based ingredients in commercial diets for fish.

University of Idaho Receives Boost in Bandwidth
(Moscow, Idaho) The University of Idaho now has a direct on-ramp to the world’s information highway with a new high-speed, fiber-optic, 2.4 gigabits-per-second network connection. The university previously had only 45 megabits-per-second of bandwidth.
The new bandwidth and network connection is provided by the Pacific Northwest Gigapop. That entity is a not-for-profit organization that provides robust, highest-speed access to current national and international state-of-the-art Internet, next-generation Internet services and technology and exclusive research and development testbeds.
The partnership will enable University of Idaho faculty to share instantly their own research with others around the globe, collaborate interactively on projects or use supercomputers remotely for specialized research.
The power of this expanded Internet link, and the campus network that backs it up, is one of the largest and best in the Northwest. Great care was taken when designing the network to ensure it can be scalable upwards to accommodate even more advanced computing needs as they develop in the future, said Harvey Hughett, executive director of UI’s information technology services.
One of six grant beneficiaries to receive network upgrades, UI’s new network connection was made possible by a five-year, $10 million grant from the National Center for Research Resources, a component of the National Institutes of Health. The grant supports enhanced network access for biomedical researchers throughout the western U.S.; collectively these network connections are referred to as the Lariat Network.
As a beneficiary of the NIH grant, UI can now expand its biomedical research conducted by students and faculty. With the new bandwidth, program faculty and students can work with other researchers and instructors around the world in real time, watching medical procedures with impeccable high-definition capabilities and capturing minute details.

IdaTech Inks Agreement for Ready Hydrogen Supply
(Boise, Idaho) IdaTech LLC, a subsidiary of Boise-based IdaCorp, took its hydrogen fuel cells into the commercial market through an agreement with Boise industrial goods supplier Norco to supply future customers with hydrogen.
IdaTech’s commercial fuel cells, currently awaiting certification in the United States, use hydrogen to generate power. IdaTech markets its fuel cells as backup power sources for telecommunications devices like cell phone transmission towers in remote areas.
Most of its current customers are in Europe.
The agreement ensures that companies purchasing IdaTech’s fuel cells will have a ready supply of hydrogen.
Fuel cells use chemical reactions to produce electricity from hydrogen.

Micron Founder Named Advance Nanotech Chairman
(Boise, Idaho) Joe Parkinson, co-founder of Boise-based Micron Technology, has been named chairman of the board for Advance Nanotech, Inc., a firm that provides financing and support services for the commercialization of nanotechnology discoveries.
Parkinson has served in past leadership positions at a number of technology companies, including as CEO of 8×8, Inc. (NASDAQ:EGHT). He served as president and then as chairman and CEO of Micron for many years, beginning with the company’s inception in the basement of a dental center until his retirement in 1994 when the company’s products and services included semiconductor memories, personal computers and custom manufacturing of a variety of high tech products. During his tenure at Micron, he also served as a board member of the Semiconductor Industry Association (including a year as chairman) and was a co-founding board member of the private-governmental research consortium, Sematech, expending over $200 million per year on research for the semiconductor industry. Parkinson continues to be employed part-time by 8×8, and he currently serves as chairman of the private companies Yew Technology, Inc. and Jarbridge, Inc., and he serves on the board of First American Title Holding Company.
Advance Nanotech is dedicated to the successful commercialization of disruptive nanotechnologies to produce nano-enabled products. Advance provides financing and support services including commercialization guidance, project and infrastructure management, leadership assets, and counsel on intellectual property, licensing and regulatory issues to ensure maximum market potential. Advance Nanotech’s diversified portfolio of 26 nanotechnologies, of which the company holds a majority stake in 21, impacts a range of applications including, but not limited to, sensors, medical therapeutics and composites.
More information is at advancenanotech.com.

MobileDataforce Technology Adopted by Idaho State Board of Pharmacy
(Boise, Idaho) The Idaho State Board of Pharmacy has selected MobileDataforce’s PointSync Suite and professional services to automate their Pharmacy Inspection processes. The handheld PDA-based solutions will synchronize both wirelessly and through cradles with the Board of Pharmacy’s existing database systems.
The Board of Pharmacy’s solution takes advantage of MobileDataforce’s PointSync Suite software to convert their existing paper-based system into an automated handheld PDA solution. In total, 6 different inspection processes are being converted, including: Pharmacy Inspection Reports, Inspections for Institutional Facilities, Inspections for Manufacturers, Inspections for Wholesalers, Non-Pharmacy Drug Outlet Surveys, and Inspections for Parenteral Admixture Pharmacies.
"We expect to save over 10 man hours per day by using the new PointSync software with our inspection processes," said Jan Atkinson, senior compliance officer for the Idaho Board of Pharmacy. "In addition, our mobile applications now enable our inspectors to have immediate access to information never before available to them in the field."

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]

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2006 Events Calendar
April 9-12
BIO 2006
Chicago, Illinois
The Idaho pavilion returns to the international Biotechnology Industry Organization show in Chicago. Idaho partners in this year’s pavilion are: BioIdaho, Idaho Commerce & Labor, Idaho State Department of Agriculture, Idaho Economic Development Association, Idaho National Laboratory, University of Idaho, Idaho State University, Boise State University, JR Simplot Co., Monsanto, and Washington Group Intl. More information about the international tradeshow is also at bio.org.

April 10-May 2
Leadership Training
Various Idaho Locations
Idaho Rural Partnership rolls out its one-day leadership training for business and community leaders. Sessions run 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.; cost is $15 and includes lunch and materials. Dates are set through April. Go online to register and to view the full list of locations: http://irp.idaho.gov or call (208) 334-3131.

April 13
Kickstand
Boise, Idaho
Kickstand’s monthly networking event will feature speaker Jeff Moeser, a founder and executive vice president of successful Boise start-up Dedicated Devices Inc. Event starts at 5:30 p.m. at the Funny Bone comedy club in Boise. To register, go to kickstand.org.

April 17
Nanotechnology Lecture
Moscow, Idaho
"Nanotechnology: The Next Big Thing, or Much Ado About Nothing?" will be presented by Andrew D. Maynard at 3:30 p.m. in the Commons Horizon Room at University of Idaho. Maynard is chief science adviser for the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars at the Smithsonian Institution.

April 18
E-Commerce Seminar
Boise, Idaho
"E-Commerce: How to Put Your Business on the Internet" will be presented by the Boise State University Center for Professional Development. For more, go online to cpd.boisestate.edu/

April 28-29
Engineering Design Expo
Moscow, Idaho
Annual expo showcases student achievements and research at University of Idaho. Interdisciplinary event features student projects from engineering, computer science, environmental science and related technical disciplines. Demonstrations, posters and technical presentations will occur in the Student Union Ballroom.
The annual Mars Rover Challenge takes place in the Memorial Gym on April 29, featuring more than 60 teams from across the Pacific Northwest.
More information is at http://www.engr.uidaho.edu/expo

May 14-19
Professional Development Program
Sun Valley, Idaho
The 21st Annual Program for Management Development will cover the power of teams, leading in times of change, becoming a more effective manager and more. Deadline is approaching to register for this one-week course. Go online to cpd.boisestate.edu/

May 15-18
National SBIR Spring 2006 Conference
Louisville, Ky
More information is at sbirworld.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

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

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