News

Idaho Office of Science & Technology January 2007

In this issue:

# Tech Day Will Showcase Idaho Innovations to Legislature

# WGI Provides Training to Chinese Nuclear Power Company

# MobileDataforce Launches New Version of Mobile Software

# Micron Acquires Avago’s Image Sensor Business

# BSU Offers New Course in High-Tech Entrepreneurship

# Chelton Flight Systems Hires Business Development VP

# Telemetric Deploys Voltage Monitors for Buckeye Power

# AMIS To Organize Key International Workshop

# Crucial Introduces MicroSD Memory Cards

# Verizon Expands Wireless Broadband to Eastern Idaho Cities

# UI Research Studies Climate Change

# ISU Receives $500,000 NSF Grant

# ISU Students Win NASA Grant

# UI Increases Scholarships for Idaho Students

# Ideas Innovations Idaho License Plates For Sale

Tech Day Will Showcase Idaho Innovations to Legislature

(Statewide) Idaho legislators and the public will be treated to a high-tech showcase of home-grown innovations from a high-tech dinosaur to food safety sensors at "Ideas Innovations Idaho Day at the Legislature" on Jan. 30.
The public event on the fourth floor of the Capitol rotunda runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Companies from throughout the state are participating. Technology from universities and the Idaho National Laboratory will also be demonstrated.

"This is an opportunity to learn about the high-tech innovations that Idaho is becoming known for around the world," said Karl Tueller, executive director of the Idaho Office of Science & Technology, which is hosting the event. "I think people will be surprised at the diverse types of technology that will be at this showcase."

A featured guest at the event will be Pleo, the high-tech dinosaur toy built by an Eagle-based engineering team for Ugobe. Pleo was named by Time Magazine as one of the best inventions of 2006.

In addition, PakSense will demonstrate its food sensor technology, which was named one of the world’s top innovations for 2006 by the Wall Street Journal.

Idaho’s largest high-tech firms will also be on display from Micron Technology and Hewlett-Packard to AMI Semiconductor to Microsoft Boise.

A reception area will be set aside in the morning to meet Idaho’s top technology leaders.
For more information on the day’s program, contact Julie Howard at [email protected].

WGI Provides Training to Chinese Nuclear Power Company

(Boise) Washington Group International has been selected by Sanmen Nuclear Power Co. to provide project management training services in China and the United States.
The company is preparing to build its first two nuclear units at a seacoast site in the city of Sanmen in the Zhejiang province.
The contract calls for Washington Group to conduct a series of training workshops on program management using materials successfully employed on other projects around the world.
Washington Group conducted the first workshop in early December for more than 65 Sanmen employees. The training covered everything from pre-project planning and project controls to estimating and employee relations.
Washington Group has provided services to virtually every nuclear power plant in the United States and is the engineer or contractor of record for 49 nuclear units worldwide.
More information about the firm is at wgint.com.

MobileDataforce Launches New Version of Mobile Software

(Boise) MobileDataforce has released the latest version of its PointSync Mobility Platform for mobile devices.
This release includes more than 150 new features and enhancements to its suite of products, PointSync Developer, PointSync Manager, PointSync Server and PointSync Mobile.
"PointSync Mobility Platform 4.0 will change the way mobile solutions are developed and will reduce the time it takes for our customers to recognize a return on investment by reducing the time it takes to design, develop and deploy new business critical mobile solutions," Chief Executive Kevin Benedict said.
The new version features a visual debugger, data mapping wizard, support for hosted environments and 220 pre-built mobile application functions.
More is at mobiledataforce.com.

Micron Acquires Avago’s Image Sensor Business

(Boise) Micron Technology is paying $53 million plus contingency payments for the image sensor business of Avago Technologies, enhancing its position as the world’s leading supplier of CMOS image sensors.
The acquisition provides Micron with an experienced imaging team, select imaging products and intellectual property relating to Avago’s image sensor business. The Avago imaging team joining Micron consists of about 90 employees, mostly engineers, from Corvallis, Ore.; Fort Collins, Colo.; San Jose, Calif.; and Penang, Malaysia.
Contingency payments will be made to Avago if certain milestones are met.
"The Avago imaging team is one of the pioneering groups in CMOS imaging," said Bob Gove, vice president of Micron’s imaging group. "Micron image sensors are in one in three camera phones in the world today, and we’re advancing in other key imaging market segments including automotive, security, consumer electronics, medical applications and more."
Micron CMOS image sensors are also used in the mobile, commercial, industrial and high-speed markets. Additional information about Micron Imaging can be found at http://www.micron.com/products/imaging.

BSU Offers New Course in High-Tech Entrepreneurship

(Boise) Students will learn how to launch and then keep their startup ventures alive through their first five years in a new course being offered at Boise State University this spring.
High-tech Entrepreneurship being offered through the College of Engineering will help students learn the fundamentals of launching a startup along with ways to evaluate technologies, identify markets and assess options for funding.
Turning technologies into products will be explored along with pricing, positioning and marketing and sales strategies. The main course project will be the production of a brief business plan and presentation designed to convince prospective investors that the business warrants additional investment.
For information, contact instructors Casey Jones and Bruce Eastman at [email protected] or [email protected].

Chelton Flight Systems Hires Business Development VP

(Boise) Jim Shirey has joined the team at Chelton Flight Systems in Boise as vice president for business development. Shirey was formerly vice president of marketing for North America with SAGEM Avionics Inc. He brings over 30 years of experience in aircraft manufacturing, flight test operations, marketing and executive management. He holds a master’s degree in aeronautical science and commercial pilot ratings in both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.
Chelton Flight Systems, part of the Cobham Avionics and Surveillance Division, is the manufacturer of the world’s first FAA-certified synthetic vision electronic flight information system. Chelton Flight Systems’ parent company, Cobham plc, develops, delivers and supports advanced aerospace and defense systems for air, land, sea and space.

Telemetric Deploys Voltage Monitors for Buckeye Power

(Boise) Buckeye Power Inc. in Columbus, Ohio, has deployed Telemetric’s TVM3 voltage monitors to detect and report delivery point outages.
The monitors will report from more than 330 delivery points on the Buckeye Power system. In addition, the monitors will provide power quality and reliability measurement information.
The Telemetric technology was selected after a field test at 12 delivery points.
Buckeye Power is the wholesale power supplier for the 25 electric distribution cooperatives in Ohio. They serve more than 380,000 homes and businesses in 77 of Ohio’s 88 counties.
Telemetric TVM3 units include an internal multimode cellular radio providing true two-way communication. The multimode radios operate on the digital or analog cellular networks maximizing the area of cellular coverage. No license or local cellular account is required.
Custom alarms and notifications can be created to immediately notify operations personnel of outage or power quality events via Web, e-mail, phone or pager.
According to Herb Caldwell, director of load management at Buckeye Power, the Telemetric units gives Buckeye and member cooperatives near real-time notification of delivery point outage information anywhere. "The Telemetric solution will bring our outage notification to the next level," he said.
More information is at telemetric.net.

AMIS To Organize Key International Workshop

(Pocatello) AMI Semiconductor will be organizing the 16th annual Advances in Analogue Circuit Design Workshop in Belgium for 2007.
The event March 27-29 provides a forum for the latest analogue and radio frequency integrated circuits developments and techniques. The annual workshop began in 1992 and has become a major event for Europe’s analogue and radio frequency designers.
This three-day program will feature 18 speakers covering silicon research topics such as analogue technologies for automotive and industrial environments and very high-frequency front ends.
For further information on the workshop including event registration, visit amis.com/aacd2007.

Crucial Introduces MicroSD Memory Cards

(Meridian) Crucial Technology has introduced 512MB and 1GB microSD™ memory cards to round out its extensive line of flash memory products.
Crucial’s new microSD cards are designed for use in today’s mobile devices such as cellular phones with memory hungry multimedia features like built-in music players and digital cameras. Crucial’s microSD cards are removable and reusable, not only allowing more memory intensive files to be stored over and above the integrated memory capability but also enabling files to be transferred to other devices.
Crucial’s microSD cards are shipped with a Secure Digital™ adapter, enabling the microSD card to be inserted into a variety of larger, compatible devices including digital cameras, handheld computers and digital music players.
"The extra storage our microSD cards provide, and their versatile usability, when combined with the standard SD adapter, enables users to share their music files or video clips with friends and then display them on their computers," said Crucial Technology Product Manager Ben Thiel.
The microSD card is the smallest memory card with worldwide availability, measuring about 38 percent of the area size of miniSD and 21 percent of the area size of a standard SD card.
More information is at crucial.com.

Verizon Expands Wireless Broadband to Eastern Idaho Cities

(Regional) Wireless customers in Idaho Falls, Twin Falls, Pocatello and Rexburg now have access to the latest high-speed business and entertainment services on their wireless phones, laptop computers and other wireless devices through Verizon Wireless.
The new capabilities come with the expansion of the company’s Evolution-Data Optimized network into eastern Idaho, providing both its BroadbandAccess and V CAST services.
"The communities in eastern Idaho are important, expanding markets with dynamic, growing businesses and an increasing number of mobile data consumers," said Jeff Mango, regional president of Verizon Wireless. "The expansion of our broadband network will provide them access to the very latest wireless technology and services."
Verizon Wireless was the first national wireless provider to commercially launch a high-speed wireless broadband network in the United States. The network was launched earlier this year in Boise and Nampa. Verizon Wireless’ network coverage area spans more than half the nation’s population.
The company has invested more than $68 million in its Idaho network in the past four years — part of its $35 billion nationwide network investment over the last seven years — to ensure network reliability and expanded coverage, capacity and capabilities.

UI Research Studies Climate Change

(Moscow) A University of Idaho research project is collecting detailed data about the movement of air, carbon and water that are then analyzed by an interdisciplinary team of university faculty. Their goal is to gain a better understanding of the basic processes of carbon and water movement to improve the computer models critical to studying climate change.
Idaho received funding in 2005 through the National Science Foundation’s Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research. The project gained notoriety at an international conference earlier this year.
The project’s 130-foot tower in the Mica Creek watershed in northern Idaho is one of only two in the world where detailed measurements of air movement, carbon and water flux are being made in such complex mountainous terrain. Along with two other smaller versions over sagebrush in southeastern Idaho, the tower will allow an interdisciplinary team of scientists to address questions about how vegetation and disturbance such as fire or forest diseases affect the movement of carbon and water into and out of the atmosphere.
The complex terrain combined with sensitive instruments that collect one set of data every tenth of a second makes it a truly unique research tool that is yielding important findings from the 2.5 billion bits of information gathered so far.

ISU Receives $500,000 NSF Grant

(Pocatello) The WeLEAD program at Idaho State University has received a $500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation.
The WeLEAD program develops and implements interventions to increase the number and improve the progression of science, technology, engineering and mathematics faculty to full professor and into leadership positions. The program sponsors career development workshops and an annual research symposium for new associate professors, facilitates internal and external grant applications and provides opportunities for targeted faculty to attend leadership workshops.
Seed grants and travel funds are awarded for developing new research programs and to facilitate collaborative research projects, manuscripts and grant proposals.

ISU Students Win NASA Grant

(Pocatello) Five students in Idaho State University’s College of Technology won a grant of $8,730 including $1,000 scholarships for each student from the NASA Idaho Space Grant Consortium for a project under the Robotic Lunar Exploration Program.
Of two possible projects, the Idaho State students focused their design on trenching, laying and covering wire. Teams proposed projects that will design, fabricate and test hardware to assist NASA with the development of working technologies for future lunar missions.
The Idaho State team will design and build a robot that can lay cable and cover it on the moon or on Mars.

UI Increases Scholarships for Idaho Students
(Moscow) University of Idaho has increased scholarship funds for National Merit Scholars and Presidential Scholars in an attempt to keep Idaho’s top high school students in the state.
In Idaho this year, officials said the lack of competitive financial aid led approximately 84 of the state’s top 100 high school students to pursue higher education elsewhere.
This year, a record 42 National Merit Scholars enrolled at the University of Idaho. To continue attracting these top scholars, the university now guarantees a $24,000 scholarship for National Merit Scholars who enroll. Many of these students also receive additional scholarships from the state of Idaho and University of Idaho endowments.
Starting in fall 2007, the University of Idaho will provide Presidential Scholars a $12,000 scholarship – up from $10,000 – to attend the university.

Ideas Innovations Idaho License Plates For Sale
(Statewide) Specialty license plates that support Idaho’s science and technology industry are for sale through the Idaho Transportation Department.
A portion of the proceeds from each plate sold goes to a fund that is used to develop programs and market the state’s technology sector.
A picture of the license plate, and information on how to purchase one, can be viewed at technology.idaho.gov/license.

Have an Idea/Submission for this Newsletter?
Contact Julie Howard at the Idaho Commerce & Labor’s Office of Science & Technology at (208) 334-2650, ext. 2147, or at [email protected]

Read More Idaho Technology News
Miss last month’s Science & Technology newsletter? Find the complete newsletter archives at technology.idaho.gov and click on "news."

2007 Events Calendar

January 8
Idaho Legislature Opening Day
Boise
State Legislature convenes for 2007 session.

January 11
2007 Legislative Forum
Boise
Annual Legislative luncheon sponsored by the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce and The Idaho Statesman, with speaker focus on technology. Information at boisechamber.org.

January 17
Governor’s Science & Technology Advisory Council
Boise
Governor’s advisory group on science and technology will hold its quarterly meeting. Agenda TBA. Contact Karen Lewis, at the Office of Science & Technology, for information – (208) 334-2650 ext. 2101.

January 18
Keiretsu Forum
Boise
One of North America’s largest private investor group’s opens a new chapter in Boise/Sun Valley. For information on this inaugural meeting, go to k4seattle.com/boise.htm.

January 29-30
Harvesting Clean Energy
Boise
The Northwest’s premiere event bringing agriculture and clean energy production together to advance opportunities for rural economic development. Topics to cover wind power, ethanol and biodiesel, biopower, geothermal, solar and more. More information is at harvestcleanenergy.org/conference.

January 30
Ideas Innovations Idaho Day at the Legislature
Boise
Idaho innovations showcased at a special day at the State Capitol. For information, contact [email protected].

February 5
BioIdaho Legislative Luncheon
Boise
Registration information will be announced at bioidaho.org.

For more calendar information, visit Conferences and Events at cl.idaho.gov

"We Create Jobs, Strengthen Communities and Market Idaho."

IDAHO COMMERCE & LABOR
PO Box 83720, Boise, Idaho 83720-0093
Tel: 208-334-2470; Fax: 208-334-2631
Web: cl.idaho.gov
06-62000-250

C.L. "BUTCH" OTTER, GOVERNOR
ROGER B. MADSEN, DIRECTOR
KARL TUELLER, DEPUTY DIRECTOR & OST EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Idaho Commerce & Labor is an equal opportunity employer.
This document is available upon request in alternative formats for individuals with disabilities.
[email protected] • Idaho Commerce & Labor

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