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| MATR Newsletter - Fri Oct 24, 2014 |
Did you know? There is no state in the U.S. where a 40-hour minimum wage work week is enough to afford a two-bedroom apartment. Source: National Low Income Housing Coalition
"MEDA Fall Conference 2014: Harvesting Partnerships Across Montana", 10/27-28, Helena, Montana http://www.matr.net/ev ... =5146
Early Edge Montana
Northwestern Energy
- Using Infographics to Advocate for Third Grade Reading Proficiency
"The consequences of reading failure at this age are significant. Struggling readers are four times less likely to graduate high school on time than proficient readers, jeopardizing their prospects for participating in our global knowledge-based economy."
- Montana applies for $40 million pre-K grant
In a statement, Bullock called the grant "an incredible opportunity" to expand access to pre-K in those areas.
- Houston Coalition Tackles Barriers to Pre-K Quality and Access
"Currently, Texas only pays for half day pre-kindergarten for at-risk 4 year-olds. There are no limits on those class sizes. And child-care providers don't have to have a college degree,"
Great Falls Development Authority
- NorthWestern Energy Issues New Alert about Collection Scams; Missoula, Billings are Latest Targets
Lodging establishments are the most recent targets of the ongoing scam activity reported in Missoula, Billings and likely other communities.
TechLink
- Great Falls Development Authority Quarterly Index 3rd Quarter 2014
GFDA: Economic Growth, Diversification and High Wage Jobs - Montana's only Accredited Economic Development Organization.
Come Home Montana
- Montana State University's TechLink plays key role in helping to fight the spread of Ebola
A Montana State University center specializing in transferring U.S. military technology to the private sector played a key role in getting into production a portable and potent disinfectant system that kills the Ebola virus on surfaces.
Montana Business
- Casting call out for Native actors for Lewis and Clark series
A casting call has been issued for Native American actors and language speakers for a dramatic miniseries about the Lewis and Clark expedition that will air on HBO.
Montana Economic Development
- Quadrocopter Takes Off in the Flathead Valley of Montana
"Our company really took off when we started selling ready-to-fly copters. That's what turned us into a multi-million dollar company."
- Montana's largest landowners keep expanding
In Montana alone, the Wilkses own 341,845 acres
Careers
- Downtown Great Falls 'ascending' like a jet taking off
"With all the different downtown and civic groups working together, with one common goal, we can develop a better, even more vibrant downtown."
Come Home Oregon
- Don't Fall for the Hype About Leadership Programs for Women
I'm also not confident that a gender-targeted program can fix all the issues that have made it hard for women to advance in the workplace. Here's why:
- 6 Tips for Starting Your Career From Mario Schulzke
If you don't have much room to move up, you won't have anywhere to go, and you don't want to do the same thing forever, right?
- Bosses Seek 'Critical Thinking,' but What Is That?
Employers complain that colleges are not producing graduates who can solve problems and connect the dots on complex issues, but bosses stumble when pressed to describe exactly what skills make critical thinkers.
Next Generation Broadband in Missoula
- Want a high-skill job? Move to the Pacific Northwest
According to USA TODAY analysis, 1.8 million new high skill jobs are expected to be created by 2017.
Idaho Business
- Next Century Cities: 32 Cities Form Broadband Collective
"This demonstrates the increasing grassroots consumer recognition, the vital importance, of broadband for our daily lives and well-being," FCC chairman Tom Wheeler said. "As we all know, broadband is the essential infrastructure for the 21st century. ... Competition drives broadband. It's that simple."
Incubators and R&D
- Meet Faisal Shah, Boise's godfather of startups
"He will probably be starting companies until the day he dies," Stanton says. "But Faisal is the godfather of startups. If you layer in companies that simply won't exist if he didn't exist, then he's got an infinite supply in him."
- Transition and expansion at Boise's Balihoo
"The Chicago office is a natural progression, but we're focused on Boise," Oliveira says. "The majority of our employees live in Boise, and that will continue to be the case. We have five or six positions open in Boise. Boise is still really important."
21st Century Education Initiative - "You Should Care..."
- Procedure on Paralyzed Man Stirs Hope and Caution
A Polish man who was paralyzed from the chest down after a knife attack several years ago is now able to get around using a walker and has recovered some sensation in his legs after receiving a novel nerve-regeneration treatment, according to a new report that has generated both hope and controversy.
- Cause of ALS is found, Northwestern team says
The Northwestern team identified the breakdown of cellular recycling systems in the neurons of the spinal cord and brain of ALS patients that results in the nervous system slowly losing its ability to carry brain signals to the body's muscular system.
Education
- Read and Ride - Schoolkids ride stationary bikes while reading
Improved scores and kids who are fitter.
MAPS : Media Arts in the Public Schools
- MISSOULIAN EDITORIAL: Legislature should listen to student's loan repayment idea
To learn more about the People's Bill, a student loan repayment option proposed by University of Montana student Mitch Everts, visit http://www.thepeoplesbill.com.
Montana Education Excellence
- Former MAPS Student Wins 3 Emmys
Congratulations to MAPS graduate, former teacher and now On-Air Promotions Editor for BYU Broadcasting, Luke McLean. He just won 3 (THREE) Emmy's!!!
- Montana after-school programs gain new support network thanks to 3 year grant from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
On Oct. 1 the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation committed to granting $75,000 each year for the next three years to fund the Montana Afterschool Alliance.
Community
- THEIRS: Montana needs new ideas for affordable college education
In Montana, the student debt load is increasing because the state is picking up a smaller portion of the tab, according to the study out this month from the Alliance for a Just Society. Montana covered more than $5,100 per student in 2008; that shrank to less than $4,300 in 2013, according to the report.
- MSU students teach coding lesson to third-graders
"Woo hoo! I figured it out!" the 8-year-old said Wednesday. "It's kind of like a game."
- Montana University System fears losing federal funding over Krakauer case
An ongoing legal battle over the release of University Court documents regarding Montana quarterback Jordan Johnson could have major financial consequences for students.
- Hamilton High School awarded Graduation Matters grant
"This strategic investment of funding is expected to bring in millions of dollars in federal grant funding for Montana students and families for college," said Juneau. "It is exciting to see Graduation Matters communities setting high goals to reach out to and engage students and families as they prepare for life after high school."
Funding and Building your Business
- Pat Williams: Long political career
Pat Williams grew up in Butte, often romping around with his cousin Bobby Knievel in their grandmother's homes long before Knievel became the world-famous daredevil and Williams got elected to the first of nine terms as a Montana Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
- One day in Missoula - A 24-hour tour of the place we call home
What you see on the following pages--and in a slideshow at missoulanews.com, with additional images--are our editors' choices for the best shots from Saturday, Oct. 11.
Energy and Climate Change
- Firm Culture and Attorney Turnover
Take the time to do it right. Otherwise you may find that you are in the market for new attorneys more than you would like to be, not to mention also on the radar screen of an underwriter.
- The top 20 US cities for tech startup funding
The figures include tech startups for software, business services, networking and telecom, but exclude some categories such as biotech, energy, medical devices and retail.
- Special Kneads Bakery
What a sweet idea for people with special kneads.
Connectivity & Communications
- Oak Ridge Lab to Help Chattanooga Utility Use Grid Data to Improve Power
Since the Electric Power Board of Chattanooga (EPB) installed fiber-optic links to all 174,000 of its customers two years ago, the city-owned utility estimates it has cut power outages by 60 percent, saving local businesses more than $50 million in lost production costs.
- Large-Scale Batteries Are Integral in Shift to Renewable Energy
Finding a cheap, reliable way to store electricity generated by renewables -- energy resources that are abundantly available and environmentally friendly -- is the hope of many researchers, government officials and power producers.
- Bridger Bowl receives grant to install biomass burner
Bridger Bowl was of three successful applicants in this year's grant process.
Non-Profit News
- How Twitter and Google want to move beyond the password
Now Google and Twitter have both unveiled new tools for moving beyond the much maligned password, or at least for making them more secure.
The Creative and Cultural Economy
- TED Video: Joy Sun: Should you donate differently?
Technology allows us to give cash directly to the poorest people on the planet. Should we do it? In this thought-provoking talk, veteran aid worker Joy Sun explores two ways to help the poor.
Cool Stuff That's Coming
- Review: 'Badluck Way: A Year on The Ragged Edge of the West'
The 25,000-acre Sun Ranch sat at the edge of the Lee Metcalf Wilderness in southwestern Montana and was owned by a Silicon Valley millionaire. Wildlife was plentiful there, and conservation was important, as was managing livestock so that cattle could graze and thrive alongside native elk and wolves that came over from Yellowstone.
- Great Scott! A Los Gatos company built a hoverboard
A hoverboard being the holy grail of personal transportation since the device made its debut in the 1989 sci-fi classic "Back to the Future Part II," where Michael J. Fox's character, Marty McFly, travels from 1985 to 2015 in a flying DeLorean.
- Startup Makes Smart-Home Lighting as Easy as Screwing in a Lightbulb
Installing connected-home lighting is often costly and complicated. A new startup called Avi-On is trying to change this, starting with the seemingly mundane light switch.
- Google tries to rethink e-mail with 'Inbox'
Google made it pretty clear, however, that this is not part of some nefarious plot to kill Gmail, which boasts over 500 million users.
- Smart conference badge aims to replace business cards and brochures
Although designing with conferences in mind, the team behind Loopd say that the system could be adapted for use at any event where location data could be useful.
- Small device charges smartphones through daily activity - Kickstarter campaign
AMPY is a device that stores kinetic energy from walking, running and cycling, and uses it to charge devices.
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