|
|
|
| MATR Newsletter - Tue Sep 20, 2005 |
"The person who knows 'how' will always have a job. The person who knows 'why' will always be his boss." -- Diane Ravitch
City Club Missoula: Access To Justice Forum, 9/23, Missoula, MT http://www.matr.net/events.phtml?showdetail=1340
Come Home Montana
Education
- Couple feels fate led them back to hometown - Sydney, Montana
Though they had no intention of returning when they left for the city, after eight years away their perspectives changed when they considered starting a family.
Montana Business
- IBM begins program to encourage teachers Employees nearing retirement can take up math and science
A survey by Metropolitan Life found that 70 percent of employees above the age of 55 had some interest in starting a second career, Litow said. Other corporations are watching the pilot program with an eye toward offering similar programs for their employees, he added.
- Community-college challenges in Montana
Becky Sweat drives 200 miles roundtrip several days a week from her home southeast of Broadus to Miles City, where she is a sophomore nursing student at Miles Community College.
- Maine closing technology gap for students thanks to former Gov. Angus King
King said that as governor, he envisioned Maine gaining an economic edge by becoming the most digitally literate state in the nation. He said his new foundation will work to promote that goal and encourage the state Legislature to continue funding technology in schools.
- National Survey on Attitudes Towards Public Education Available
Americans strongly support public schools—69 percent of survey participants gave their local school an A or B rating.
- Digital Frontier - First computer causes 6th grader to say: "This is the best day of my life."
"When we talk about the digital age and preparing kids for 21st Century skills, there are all types of skills, but by and large it's the use of technology," Echols said. "Kids need that edge now. That doesn't mean we throw all books away; it means we begin integrating."
- Cosmogirl! Magazing Ranks the University of Montana Among 50 Best Colleges for Girls
The magazine notes that UM has one of the largest percentages of alumni who volunteer for the Peace Corps. It also spotlights "UM’s intriguing course" -- the Wilderness and Civilization Studies Program, saying "Dig the outdoors? You’ll love this class, where students go on a 10-day backpacking and canoeing trip along the Missouri River!"
Montana Economic Development
- D.A. Davidson to team with Seattle investment banking group, Capital Run LLC
"The combination of our two organizations positions Davidson perfectly to take advantage of the increasing activity in public offerings, private placements and middle-market mergers-and-acquisition transactions," said John C. Siegler, a managing partner in Capital Run.
- Private utility created by cities could give Montanans less say over their energy future.
Several aspects of this proposed deal spell trouble for Montanans. Let's focus on one today - the public utility that isn't.
- Big Sky Woodcrafters Grows with a Little Help from MMEC
“So much is out there to assist busi¬nesses; now, I utilize it. I talk with other businesses who still don’t. We tend to think we can do it ourselves here [in Montana]. I was one of those,” Kathy said.
Funding and Building your Business
- Libby Downtown Revitalization Strategic Plan Adopted
The economy of Libby is beginning to return, but there is much work to do, and technical and funding resources are needed to help achieve the strategic initiatives detailed in the Plan.
- Institute Plans Conference to Bring Medical Research to Montana
Over the past decade or so some very successful research endeavors have emerged in the state, including some profitable business ventures doing medical research. They are indicative of what's possible.
- Consolidated Eastern MT Economic Strategy
The report attempts to consolidate all of the area's current planning efforts in regard to their economic development efforts, goals and needs.
Regional Business
- The 8 Toughest Questions Before Starting a Business
If you're considering entrepreneurship, there really are some "right" and "wrong" answers. OK, maybe not "wrong" answers, but if you know you're work in an area that entrepreneurs need, you'll be prepared to either compensate or find a partner who is strong in that area.
- Companies instituting blogging policies
About 10 million Americans now write blogs, ranging from the confessional and edgy to the technical and mundane, estimates Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Internet & American Life Project. Thirty-five million read them.
- Why I Read Business Blogs - Some of the smartest people I've ever met, I've never met. A story of modern mentoring.
This morning, before I even got out of bed, a venture capitalist made me laugh.
Utah Business
- Qwest secures Microsoft VOIP deal
Microsoft Corp., the world's largest software maker, said Qwest Communications Inc. will use its Web- based phone software to offer a new set of services designed for small- and medium-sized businesses.
- Potlatch to convert to real estate investment trust
The change will allow Potlatch, which employs about 2,000 at a large plant in Lewiston, Idaho, to increase its annual dividend from about 60 cents per share to $2.60 per share.
Utah Economic Development
- U-Scan could be your new shopping pal - Klever device guides buyers through store
"In the long run, a grocer always wants the customer to be happy, no matter what. They'll become loyal and come back to the store over and over again, and a device like this helps them capture customer loyalty."
Government Technology
- State incentives are OK'd for 3 companies moving to Utah
"This is a big, big expansion in the state. . . . We're talking over a thousand jobs here, so this is a big deal. They're all good jobs,"
- Boost in funding is sought for Utah economic development - $8 million should be north of $16 (million) or $17 million
"And it's more important to us now than it was then, and it should have been going up all along," he said.
- 13,000 homes to be built in Utah to get fiber-optic connections
"Technology infrastructure is one thing where if you build it they will come," McMahon said. "Just ask the people in Bangalore, India, which is now the largest software development center in the world. They put in all of that infrastructure before they had any of those jobs."
- Utah advised to lure tourists from West
"You want to focus your communications to the West, particularly California and Nevada, and don't forget the residents and day-trip markets," McWilliams told the group. "Focus on gaining back share of travel from (Los Angeles), Vegas, Denver and Idaho Falls."
Idaho Business
- Technology Upgrades Could Save Vermont State Government $20-$30 Million, Says Report
"Every unnecessary dollar spent by state government is a dollar that Vermonters can keep in their wallets and pocketbooks,"
Incubators and R&D
- Idaho summit tackles taxes
The annual confab between chamber members from the five northern counties, legislators and representatives from education drew about 50 to share their goals for the 2006 session of the Idaho Legislature.
- Best-laid growth plans often just gather dust
An Idaho Statesman review of Treasure Valley plans from recent decades reveals that five common pitfalls often keep plans from succeeding: a lack of money to make them work; no mechanism for enforcement of recommendations; changes in leadership and visions; incorrect or bad data; and vague or unrealistic goals.
University TechTransfer
- TenXsys wins DOA research funding to develop devices that generate electrical power from animals' motion
TenXsys http://www.tenxsys.com/ will team with Boise State University http://www.boisestate.edu/ to develop devices that generate electrical power from animals' motion to extend the operation of battery-powered devices used on wildlife.
- University of Wyoming gets $7 million grant to study effects of climate change
The grant also will enable the university to hire five new faculty members and support staff, as well as buying some new equipment.
The Creative and Cultural Economy
- A winning equation. Colorado universities are making major strides in successfully transferring technological innovations to the private sector.
CU's tech-transfer efforts are the most aggressive among the state's public institutions. In addition to its spinout companies, it had 177 invention disclosures during the 2005 fiscal year and 139 patent applications for those disclosures.
- Entrepreneurial transfer - Labs tap former business owners to identify tech transfer opportunities
At each lab, the tech transfer goal is the same: Generate new startups founded by lab personnel, produce licensing royalty income for the laboratory and create more working agreements with outside companies.
Connectivity & Communications
- Director offers tips to Corvallis students - MAPS™ : Media Arts in the Public Schools
Rosten, a retired movie and television producer, started Media Arts in the Public Schools, or MAPS, at Corvallis, plus the foundation (named after his mother, Florence Prever Rosten) to fund it. In the two years since, the program has grown to include a class for middle-school students, plus Media Arts 1 and 2 classes in the high school.
Transportation
- Mesh networks create lasting connections
Rather than degrading performance, putting more users on a mesh network makes it more robust.
- Getting wired: Rural towns offer own high-speed connection - Bill aims to shield municipal service
Leery of competing with such publicly owned systems, private telephone and cable companies have successfully lobbied legislatures in 14 states to outlaw or limit municipally-owned systems. But draft federal telecom legislation released Thursday defied industry pressure by protecting the towns' ability to offer their own broadband and cable TV services, which account for a growing number of service providers in rural areas.
- CNN Hacks New TV Technology
"It's like bringing viewers inside our control room and allowing them to move through all of that raw, incoming information with us," Blitzer told Wired News.
- Blogging for the Soul, Not the Bottom Line
"The vast majority of us are blogging about what's going on in our lives."
- eRepublic Launches Digital Communities Web Site to help communities use wireless technology and applications to expand and improve services for municipal and regional governments, businesses and citizens.
In addition to the Web site, Government Technology unveiled a monthly Digital Communities newsletter, and a series of seminars and conferences.
- Utah conference shows broadband's future
"The U.S. really lags behind in this technology,"
Community
- Big Sky Airlines opens links from Glacier Park International Airport in Kalispell, Montana to Boise and Calgary
"This service to Calgary and Boise allows us to connect to two fairly large metropolitan areas," said Mike Daigle, Glacier Park International Airport director. "We believe that GPI is strategically located between these two cities and makes a perfect connection or stopping point."
Cool Stuff That's Coming
- Pay day for three bright, young minds - win contest to encourage student teams to identify local community problems, and then solve them, or make the community more aware.
One requirement of the contest was that the students inform people in the community of how best to deal with the problem. Fusselman and Kelley together composed the following essay, directed at all their tree-loving neighbors in West Yellowstone:
- Demonstrating the Economic Benefits of Integrated, Green Infrastructure
The intent of this report is to illustrate the economic, social, fiscal and environmental benefits of cooperative planning and development and to provide guidance to municipalities as they forge ahead.
- Cambridge firm wants to transcend the print medium
''With our display, you could have multiple updates a day or maybe real-time information."
To subscribe or unsubscribe from the free weekly MATR newsletter, please visit our list info page
