MSU’s brain drain reversing: More grads finding work in Montana, especially booming Bozeman

Luke Mauritsen is graduating next Saturday from Montana State University, and he figures he’s one of the lucky ones.

Mauritsen doesn’t have to leave Montana, because he has landed a good job in Bozeman’s growing high-tech industry.
"Having a place I could raise a family, similar to where I grew up, is a big deal," said Mauritsen, 30, who grew up around Kalispell.

He had opportunities to go out of state. The mechanical engineering major had an internship in Anaheim, Calif., with Boeing last summer. His two kids got to be near Disneyland and live four blocks from Huntington Beach.

But Mauritsen would much rather be living in Montana. His wife is thrilled to have found a house in Belgrade just across the alley from her identical twin sister, and he likes working in the lab for Scientific Materials, a laser crystal company in Bozeman.

By GAIL SCHONTZLER Chronicle Staff Writer

Full Story: http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/articles/2005/05/01/news/econ.txt