|
|
|
| MATR Newsletter - Fri Dec 21, 2007 |
|
This MATR newsletter sponsored by: Add an event... Upcoming Events MATR supporter: New Events MATR supporter: MATR Web services provided by:  To subscribe or unsubscribe from the free weekly MATR newsletter, please visit our list info page |
"Something revolutionary is happening," said UC Berkeley professor Richard Muller, whose Physics for Future Presidents class airs on iTunes. "A large number of people around the world want more education. They thirst for understanding and knowledge." http://matr.net/articl ... .html
Come Home Montana
Idaho TechConnect
- Montana Career Opportunity - Director of Marketing - Chinook Wireless
Primary responsibilities include; Public Relations, Advertising, Promotions, Competitive Analysis, Market positioning, Market research, Company Graphics and trademarks, Ad agency management, Pricing, Marketing training, Product & Services development, and Sales Channel distribution services.
- Montana Career Opportunity - CEO - Montana Municipal Insurance
Position is for a CEO interested in leading a statewide, and nationally active, risk retention pool.
- Montana Career Opportunity - Human Resources Officer
In the corporate office for one of the largest propane companies in the US.
- Montana Selected for 5th Edition of Primal Quest! Ready for a little 400 mile run with a 100,000 foot altitude gain with a swim or two thrown in?
Our Montana course, in my opinion, is second to none. I can promise that you will love this course and will never forget it!
- The Bob Marshall Wilderness. If you can't get away from it all here, you aren't trying.
Big.
- A step closer to mental health in Missoula. Psychiatrists Needed.
For example, the feds can pitch in by repaying up to $25,000 of student loans for new primary care psychiatrists, which Schroeck says will help attract the doctors Missoula desperately needs.
PrintingForLess
- Kickstand Southern Idaho- Business Plan Development With Bryan Matsuoka, 1/3, Twin Falls, Idaho
Kickstand Southern Idaho seeks to create a thriving community of innovators and facilitate a culture of entrepreneurship. The monthly meeting provides a casual forum for members to meet, exchange, share, and showcase ideas.
Developing a more Entrepreneurial Montana
- Can you keep these 5 resolutions for 2008 small business success?
Andrew Field, President and CEO of America's first and “funnest” online printing company PrintingForLess.com, shares his expertise to help you grow your business in the New Year.
Funding and Building your Business
- New Montana program helps rural entrepreneurs. Bootstrap Montana
A new incentive program for small businesses in Montana is officially underway and one of the aims is to help rural entrepreneurs.
Education
- Some Global Web Efforts Lost in Translation
"Direct translations of a site are unlikely to include most commonly used search terms, resulting in a site that can be understood by a local audience but may receive little traffic if it fails to appear in search results."
- Business-Plan Contests Become 'American Idol Meets Trump'
Business-plan competitions, long an academic ritual to help business-school students develop ideas and pitch investors, are becoming an increasingly popular way for business owners and would-be entrepreneurs to raise extra cash while honing their business strategy.
- Founder-centric fund raises first professional money
Far and away the most common mistake venture capitalists cop to is keeping a portfolio company founder in the CEO slot too long.
- Employer Practices Locator a Resource to Problem of Aging Workforce
"The database answers the question: 'Who is doing what in the fast-growing world of the mature workforce.'"
- E-discovery case law trends beginning to emerge
The longer you wait to craft sound policies and processes, and effectively communicate them, the more you will eventually pay.
- Lead like an Entrepreneur: How an Integrator Created a New Business Line at IBM
One of the most difficult challenges in business is to innovate from within a large organization.
- Inside Entrepreneurship: Find small ways to develop revenue
Your work can be profitable if you choose work that is most likely to be profitable. You can do it!
- Starting up: To succeed, entrepreneurs need to think, act globally
The best technology entrepreneurs that our venture capital firm meets have an exceptional understanding of all their global competitors.
Montana Meth Project
- Baltimore's 'innovation schools' yield higher test scores
Innovation high schools basically operate like publicly funded private schools, freed from most restrictions on hiring, curriculum and spending.
- Indiana Adopts K-2 Formative Assessment System in Reading and Math
Indiana is reportedly the first state to select a comprehensive formative assessment system for every K-2 classroom because of positive impact on teaching and learning.
University TechTransfer
- Montana Contractors´ Association Members Raise Nearly $250,000 for Montana Meth Project
"We thank the Montana Contractors´ Association for their generosity and for uniting to help us address Montana´s methamphetamine problem," said Mike Gulledge, chairman of the Montana Meth Project. "The leadership and commitment of organizations like this will make it possible for the Montana Meth Project to continue its fight against this dangerous drug."
Connectivity & Communications
- Montana State University - Technologies Available for Licensing
MSU Makes Website's Top 10 Technology Transfer List
- University of Utah research spins off new firm. LineaGen to develop biomarker tests to target genetic disease
LineaGen is a company spun off research at the University of Utah, which has discovered more genes related to diseases than any other university.
Cool Stuff That's Coming
- Wireless Innovation Alliance Launches Campaign to Bring Broadband Access to All Americans
A coalition of technology innovators, public interest advocates, think tanks, and higher education organizations today launched a campaign to make wireless broadband in the United States a reality.
- Study: Teens' online lives keep expanding
The survey also suggested that there's room for growth, since many teens have yet to fully embrace the Internet. Pew found that while 93 percent of teens say they use the Internet, only 64 percent of online teens have "participated in one or more among a wide range of content-creating activities."
- Second Life Used To Solve Real World Engineering Challenges
A UC Irvine professor and a transportation firm are teaming up to use the online virtual world Second Life to test real world public transit ideas.
Incubators and R&D
- Anti-Aging Drugs Could Change the Nature of Death
A new class of drugs aimed at age-related physical and mental deterioration could change not only the nature of life, but of death.
Developing Funding Opportunities in Montana
- Economic Impact of University Research Continues to Rise
The latest figures indicate that public and private sources spent more than $45 billion for R&D on university campuses in Fiscal Year 2006.
- Washington State University Research Breakthroughs Named to List of the Year’s Top 100 Science Stories
Two ground-breaking studies by Washington State University research teams are among the top 100 science stories of the year, according to Discover magazine.
Montana Business
- Montana Fund-of-Fund Launches after Two-year Delay
Board members are now ready to move forward with the program and are currently investigating fund-of-fund programs in other states to find a suitable model.
Montana Economic Development
- Online business filings saving Montana big money
Johnson adds that reports filed online cost the state 60% less than filing a hard copy and this year's filings have saved the state over $70,000.
- Montana may escape worst of economic slowdown
“There are a lot of reasons to believe the mountain states will outperform other parts of the country, even though we see a slower economic environment ahead.”
- Future uncertain for Big Sky Airlines routes in Montana
“We could be out of business in 60 days,” he said. “This is a very sad day for Big Sky Airlines.”
- Court: Qwest must give profit info to Montana PSC
A group of Qwest consumers also has filed a complaint with the Public Service Commission, alleging the company has been earning far beyond its authorized profit levels in Montana.
- Big Sky Biodiesel will begin testing for biodiesel potential
Big Sky Biodiesel, a limited liability company formed by local fuel distributors, has acquired the equipment for a batch processing plant to convert canola, safflower, soybean and other oils to biodiesel.
- MAIR Holdings shutting down, transferring Big Sky Airlines routes
"Even with the higher subsidies Big Sky cannot achieve sustained profitability,"
- Montana Blue Cross/Blue Shield reports much higher ($22 Million) net income over last year
The big bulge in earnings comes on the heels of a year when Blue Cross increased health-insurance premiums for customers by an average of 13 percent.
Regional Economic Development
- Montana wind projects building momentum
A top executive with the owner of the state's largest wind farm — in the area to meet with landowners about leasing land — said Tuesday that the company is planning to build four to six additional wind farms in Montana.
- Rural communities conference set for Jan. 15-16 in Billings, MT
The Rural Community Conference is for service providers, educators, researchers, policymakers, business and civic leaders, faith leaders and anyone looking for community-focused strategies to build thriving communities in rural Montana.
- Spending bill preserves 'Last Best' slogan for Montana
The provision, written by Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., will stop the federal government from spending any money in fiscal year 2008 to process trademark applications using the phrase.
Government Technology
- U.S. Chamber of Commerce Promotes Key Public-Private Partnerships as a Catalyst for Innovation
"What state policies can lead to world-class educational systems? How do states create a high skill labor force and good jobs? How do governors promote growth in their local and regional economies?"
- 2007 Metro Public Schools Quotient: Building Tomorrow's Work Force. How are the school districts in your state doing?
The future quality of a metro area’s work force is being shaped today by its public schools. Just how good are they?
Oregon Economic Development
- How to Remove Social Security Numbers and Personal Information from Public Records
With the advent of open records laws and the Internet, lapses in privacy can mean lawsuits for unintended disclosure.
- State Government Data Centers Go Green in Oregon
Paramount among the new technologies used for this data center is a storage area network (SAN) installed to centralize data storage, rather than using hard disk drives on individual servers, which are major power drains.
Washington State Business
- Oregon Solutions - Solving community problems in a new way..
“I believe that to meet the challenges we face today it is essential to engage businesses, government, non-profit organizations and citizens in collective action. Oregon Solutions creates the place to come together and provides the means to reach community agreements that connect Oregonians in solving these challenges, in communities across the state.” - Theodore R. Kulongoski Governor, State of Oregon Chair, Oregon Solutions Network
Government
- Lacey Jean Enterprises - A Wheelchair and an Ice Cream Cart are a Winning Combination in the State of Washington
Lacey Jean Davis’ mother “totally freaked out” when she learned the state wanted her daughter to develop a plan to enter the workforce. “She shows me every day that she is a lot more capable than I thought,” said Dee Dee Garman, Lacey’s mom.
- Build a startup in a weekend coming to Seattle Jan. 25-27
The event, which brings together technologists, designers, lawyers and others with the goal of building a startup company in 54 hours, will be held January 25 to 27 at the Adobe campus in Fremont.
- Traffic Keeps Companies Away From Atlanta; Is Seattle Next?
The Atlanta metro area's traffic congestion has now reached "the point of no return"
Other Economies
- Multiple impediments conspire against innovation in government. It's time to fix the problem.
Many impediments conspire against innovation, such as government's defensiveness and risk-averse organizational and political leaders. Not understanding citizens' expectations and the shortage of courageous leaders willing to bear the burden and responsibilities of innovation are other issues.
Montana Education/Business Partnerships
- OCAST fuels $3 billion for economy
Investment in Oklahoma research and development by the state's technology-based economic development agency fueled a $3 billion boon to the state's economy in fiscal 2006, officials said Friday.
Careers
- Spots available in Billings, Montana computer camp. What a great Christmas present!
The kids will work with staff and volunteers to learn to assemble a computer, install software and connect printers and CD drives. They will also learn identification and correction of basic hardware problems, basic word processing and basic electrical safety.
Non-Profit News
- Online Services Move to Level The Playing Field for Recruiters
BountyJobs.com, an online service that lets recruiters compete for search assignments from big employers and others.
- Workplace Coach: Finding a 'right fit' job can improve happiness
We all have unique experience and talents and it can often be challenging finding a job that fits our capabilities, potential and strengths.
Energy
- The Montana Nonprofit Association Releases Montana Advocacy and Communications Nonprofit Toolkit
This comprehensive new handbook, created specifically for Montana nonprofit organizations by the Gallatin Group, will help you expand your understanding of lobbying, advocacy and media communications.
Montana Education Excellence
- Nanosolar Ships First Panels. 99 cents a watt.
The world’s lowest-cost solar panel – which we believe will make us the first solar manufacturer capable of profitably selling solar panels at as little as $.99/Watt
- Wind Power Goes Small Scale
"An Urbana, Illinois, couple spent $13,000 and installed a 56-foot wind turbine in their yard to draw electrical power from the wind, which can reach 40 miles per hour. This November, their electricity bill was $10, compared to $90 in November, 2006."
- A primer on biodegradable plastics
'Bioplastic' may become third option to paper or plastic
- Two University of Montana Scientists Win Siginificant Grants and Early-Career Awards from the National Science Foundation
CAREER grants generally range from $500,000 to $1 million. Breuner will receive $800,000, and Ezenwa will get $715,000.
To subscribe or unsubscribe from the free weekly MATR newsletter, please visit our list info page