MATR Newsletter – November 20, 2019
The state with the best education wins!

“An open Internet is essential to the American economy, and increasingly to our very way of life. By lowering the cost of launching a new idea, igniting new political movements, and bringing communities closer together, it has been one of the most significant democratizing influences the world has ever known.”  Barrack Obama

Come Home Montana

• Montana Career Opportunities – 10 new nonprofit jobs

  Montana’s vitality and livability depend on a thriving nonprofit sector. We are creating a future where nonprofits are recognized and celebrated, have the resources needed to fulfill their missions, and are strategically connected with one another and with partners in business and government.

• Montana coach Bobby Hauck says in-state rivalry has gotten ‘out of hand’

  “The hatred between the two teams and the fans, it’s pretty ruthless.” UM linebacker Dante Olson

Great Falls Development Authority

• Great Falls Economic Development Top 10 for 11-18-19

  Join us this Wednesday November 20th at 4:00PM or 7:00PM in the Missouri Room at the Great Falls Civic Center for the unveiling of development visions for attracting more great businesses and developers to invest in downtown Great Falls.

MEDA -Montana Economic Developers Association

• Stevensville, Montana Main Street Association Closing Nov. 30

  “To be successful, any Main Street Association or similar organization needs the business owners in the driver’s seat.”

• 5 tons of plastic out of landfills for every mile of fence – Full Circle Plastics and Cat’s Claw Fasteners – Your fence will last longer using recycled plastic posts and Cat’s Claws for your fences – Win-win-win

  Full Circle Plastics uses locally sourced 100% post-consumer and post-industrial plastic to create a variety of recycled plastic products that are used in industrial, commercial, agricultural and residential applications.

• Childcare in Gallatin Valley: Bozeman Health Deaconess partners with MyVillage

  MyVillage’s business partnerships is offering their employees child care, or for parents seeking options in Gallatin County.

• Elected Officials Love When Their Economic Developers Do This

  Whether true or not, there is a common perception among a portion of local businesses that economic development is a benefit for companies outside of the community and that economic development efforts are primarily focused on recruiting these out-of-town corporations.

Next Generation Broadband in Montana

• Should the internet be a public utility? Hundreds of cities are saying yes

  Local governments can push back against the corporate power of ISPs by building their own broadband networks.

• Helena business threatens to sue city for delaying fiber-optic project

  “For more than two years, the City refused to provide any standards to TSI&T and interfered with TSI&T’s ability to conduct its business causing significant financial damages,” the complaint states.

Montana Business

• The Insight Studio – Outsourced Digital Marketing for HubSpot users.

  We do all things digital marketing on the HubSpot platform.

Developing a more Entrepreneurial Montana

• Come Join the Innovation – UM Innovation Factory – 30 Days of Innovation Starting 11/8 – Missoula

  During the 30 Days of Innovation we want to introduce IF to the community and coalesce a network of innovation in Missoula.

Idaho News & Events

• Scrappy Episode 4: Solar Roadways

  …helping to save the planet from the impending climate crisis.

21st Century Education Initiative – “You Should Care…”

• The fastest click in the West: In race for new grants, 11 Montana districts get $2.6 million

  Funding for applicants on the grants is determined by the amount of full-time equivalent teachers a district has participating in the “transformational learning plan.”

• Making the grade: Why aren’t Montana students improving on standardized testing?

  A closer look at test results and questions for state education officials on how to improve

Education News

• Please help send University of Montana Student Lily Clarke to attend the UN Climate Change Summit

  Attending the Summit is an incredible opportunity to shine a spotlight on the University of Montana and Montana’s efforts to support environmental sustainability.

2020 Montana Politics

• Missoula council members seek sales tax option

  Of all those conversations, I’d say only two to three did not include property taxes. So I think that’s a pretty good survey that Missoulians are worried about it.”

• Montana Lowdown Podcast Episode 45 — Redistricting researcher Peter Miller on Montana’s chances for a second congressional seat

  Billings native Dr. Peter Miller says chances are good that Montana will gain a second U.S. congressional seat following the 2020 Census.

Non-Profit News

• The Washington Foundation donates more than $200k to Montana food banks statewide

  Donating more than $200,000 statewide the Washington Foundation is giving to organizations that give the most just in time for thanksgiving holiday.

• Welcome to the New Philanthropy Northwest

  Today we’re announcing an exciting change to our brand.

MAPS : Media Arts in the Public Schools

• You’ve hopefully seen the trailer for “In This Together, We Are One: The Buffalo Unity Project.” Now here is the film. MAPS Media Institute.

  The Buffalo Unity Project is a program at Poplar Middle School on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. The goal is to connect students to the importance of the buffalo to the Dakota and Nakoda People, and to teach them that communities thrive when they are united in common purpose.

Careers

• What jobs are affected by AI? Better-paid, better-educated workers face the most exposure

  “Unlike robotics (associated with the factory floor) and computers (associated with routine office activities), AI has a distinctly white-collar bent.”

• Today’s TED Talk – How to change your behavior for the better

  In this funny, information-packed talk, psychologist Dan Ariely explores why we make bad decisions even when we know we shouldn’t

South Dakota News & Events

• ‘Meth. We’re on it,’ South Dakota says in ridiculed ad campaign that cost $449,000

  South Dakota is on meth — at least, that’s the message behind a new anti-drug ad campaign so widely mocked that one marketing expert could only laugh before calling it “a colossal blunder.”

Transportation

• MIT wants self-driving cars to traffic in human emotion

  This would, clearly, mean more safety in a world where cars piloted by AI are mixed in with vehicles still operated by humans.

Energy and Climate Change

• Company backed by Bill Gates claims solar breakthrough, looks to replace fossil fuels in industrial plants

  It uses a large mirror array to create concentrated solar energy at temperatures hot enough to replace fossil fuels in industrial processes that contribute significantly to global carbon emissions.

• Energy Storage Summit 2019 – 12/2-4 – Denver, CO

  Join us for a deep dive into the budding energy storage market

Privacy, Hacking and Virus Alerts

• Be careful where you charge: Warnings are out about ‘juice jacking’

  USB outlets, common at airports, hotels, and shopping malls, could be turned against the person trying to charge.

• What’s My Surveillance Capitalism Score? Great Hack Star Says You Should Know

  I think they will be good for business as privacy startups emerge to help people take advantage of these new rights, collect scores, and deal with the red tape that’s required to do so, which can be optimized and made more efficient.

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