MATR Newsletter – November 25, 2020
The state with the best education wins!

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” — John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Montana Department of Commerce

• Montana leads all 50 states in decline of self-response rates for 2020 Census

  Montana currently holds the greatest decrease in the percentage of self-response rates in the latest Census, which could cost the state federal funding and a potential second seat in Congress.

MEDA -Montana Economic Developers Association

• ‘Trust in Walking’ by Whitefish, Montana author Antonia Malchik

  The crux of the book is the relationship between walkability and communities. Malchik argues that walkability correlates with trust within communities, resulting in lower crime and better health and resiliency.

• Vertical farm in Whitefish, Montana close to first harvest – The Farm at River’s Bend

  The Moyers are encouraging chefs, local restaurants and community members interested in visiting the farm, volunteering or purchasing fresh leafy greens to contact them at 406-400-1956 or visit their website.

• Montana’s Public Lands: promises and peril

  Campaign pledges to champion Montana’s public lands will be put to the test in 2021. Here’s where you can expect to see the rhetoric hit the road.

• Business for Montana’s Outdoors – Add your voice to ours

  Creating partnerships, protecting Montana’s public lands

• Congress must pass Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act: Here’s why

  Aldo Leopold, heralded as the father of modern wildlife biology, wrote “The first step in intelligent tinkering is to save all the parts.” The sciences of conservation biology and landscape ecology provide insights vital to the viability of species and protection of habitats essential to native fish and wildlife.

• Next Frontier Capital, 2020 Update

  Especially in such a globally tumultuous year, we are incredibly grateful to all of our LPs for their continued support. Their unwavering confidence in our firm’s mission and the early stage entrepreneurs of the Intermountain West have allowed us to continue supporting great companies and contributing to the positive impact that a rapidly growing startup ecosystem has on our local communities.

• Marketing the Future: How Data Analytics Is Changing

  A third of Amazon’s sales come from its recommendation algorithm, for example, while YouTube’s algorithm drives 70% of the content watched on its platform.

• TED – How reverse mentorship can help create better leaders

  Try a “reverse mentorship” program, which sets up junior team members to guide senior staff.

Montana Business

• Historic brand sells for $36K in Montana

  The shape is a single heart-shaped brand, and it’s part of Montana history, dating back to 1873.

Visit Montana

• Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park have record October

  Glacier National Park in the north also recorded a substantial spike in guests in October despite closing its east entrances.

Incubators and R&D

• Human ageing reversed in ‘Holy Grail’ study, scientists say

  ‘Ageing can, indeed, be targeted and reversed at the basic cellular-biological level,’ lead researcher says

The Creative and Cultural Economy

• ‘Big Sky’ TV show is too exploitative to be any fun

  With the quality on display in “Big Sky,” I doubt the show will stick around long enough for it to matter.

Wyoming Business

• Proposed budget cuts in Wyoming pound public services

  Given the scale of the savings budget writers must find, cushioning the public from harm is no longer possible: “It is a harsh reality that at this point every cut will hurt,” Gordon said in a press release.

2020 Montana Politics

• U.S. Transportation Department Key to Biden’s Plan to Meet Paris Agreement Targets

  Transportation is the biggest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S, making President-elect Biden’s choice for Transportation Secretary—and the department’s policies on emissions, electric vehicles, and autonomous vehicles—critical.

Government Technology

• The InnovateOhio Platform Gains Momentum, Looks Beyond 2020 – Data- “What’s in it for me?”

  The InnovateOhio Platform is posed to forever change how agencies handle services and data in Ohio. Although a lot of work still needs to be done, agency CIOs share how the platform has been critical in 2020.

Careers

• Brain Coach Jim Kwik on How to Learn Any Skill or Subject Quickly

  You can learn to supercharge your brain to remember and master new information–fast.

Transportation

• Now An Amazon Company, Zoox Is Ready To Dial-Up Its Autonomous Robotaxi Push

  You will see it driving in autonomy, performing maneuvers. We’re unveiling the curtain as to what Zoox is up to and how we’re doing things.”

• Startup airline proposes flight from Missoula to Calgary

  “We really haven’t heard much from them in a while,” said Jensen. “Part of the challenge they’re trying to deal with is the pandemic and the fact the Canadian border is still shut down.”

Cool Stuff That’s Coming

• This 2-Acre Vertical Farm Out-Produces 720 Acre ‘Flat Farms’

  According to Nate Storey, the future of farms is vertical. It’s also indoors, can be placed anywhere on the planet, is heavily integrated with robots and AI, and produces better fruits and vegetables while using 95% less water and 99% less land.

Energy and Climate Change

• New on TED.com – How to decarbonize the grid and electrify everything -John Doerr and Hal Harvey

  The two sustainability leaders discuss why humanity has to act globally, at speed and at scale, to meet the staggering challenge of decarbonizing the global economy (which has only ever increased emissions throughout history) — and share helpful examples of promising energy solutions from around the world.

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