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 News

UW-Eau Claire Info. systems Graduates in Demand

UW-Eau Claire News Bureau

EAU CLAIRE - The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire is among the top producers of information systems graduates in the nation and is one of the few universities in the country that is seeing a steady increase in the number of IS majors, a review of IS programs shows.

In the last year, UW-Eau Claire has graduated nearly 70 IS majors, a number that exceeds the total number of students enrolled in many IS programs in Wisconsin and beyond, said Dr. Anthony Keys, an associate professor of IS who has researched IS enrollment trends.

"After the dot.com crash, there was a big decline in IS majors," said Keys. "With the negative messages out there and stereotypes about IS majors, enrollments bottomed out. For many institutions, numbers have stayed low but our numbers are going up. We now have more students than most IS programs in the nation, including those at large nationally known schools."

In April, UW-Eau Claire had 240 IS majors and 53 IS minors, Keys said. While still below the 434 peak in 1998, enrollment has steadily climbed since a low of 155 in 2004, he said.

"Our numbers are going in the right direction," Keys said. "As more students understand what's possible with an IS degree, I think those numbers will continue to increase."

UW-Eau Claire's IS graduates are highly sought after, with recruiters from many of the Midwest's largest businesses coming to campus specifically to interview IS majors, said Dr. Thomas Hilton, chair of the IS department. From 2004-09, 39 percent of the employers who came to campus specified that they wanted to talk to IS majors, he said.

"Career options within the IS field are broader than ever," Hilton said. "Salaries are going up, making them among the best starting salaries for people with a bachelor's degree. There are tremendous opportunities within the IS field."

Read full release: http://www.uwec.edu/newsreleases/09/may/0511ISmajors.htm

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New job pacts could boost Eau Claire as tech hotbed

Associated Press

Eau Claire - Agreements that were completed six weeks ago to bring as many as 200 jobs to Eau Claire in the next few years could help the city become an information technology hotbed, officials said.

Those agreements, with New York-based Genesis10 and RAI Stone Group, not only helped land the kind of white-collar, high-paying jobs city economic development officials have been looking to attract, but also could chart a new direction for the city's economy.

The deals with Genesis10, which will bring as many as 150 technology consulting jobs, and RAI Stone Group, a financial services firm creating 50 positions, followed the previous moves of technology-software firms JAMF Software and Entropy Multimedia to the city.

Read full article from Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/59189842.html

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UW-Stout gives small businesses a
springboard to success

UW-Stout is a place for students to get an education and come up with ideas but it's also helping companies with an idea get a step in the right direction. The goal is to get companies and students together to help each other succeed.

UW-Stout is a place for students to get an education and come up with ideas but it's also helping companies with an idea get a step in the right direction. The goal is to get companies and students together to help each other succeed.

Mike Helfman says, "Been making and building things my whole life."

Helfman says he got started making solar collectors after he tried to fix some broken ones on his farm.

Mike says, "At the time there were no other companies making collectors in the type and size that we were looking at making any where in the middle of the states."

Mike and his wife started making the collectors in their garage, he named his company Bubbling Springs and after about three years Helfman started using the Stout Technology Transfer Institute.

Mike says, "One thing led to another and we were kind of a perfect match for the program at Stout."

The director of STTI says companies like Helfman's, are a perfect fit.

Randy Hulke says, "The main thing they are going to gain is obviously the support to be successful but what we get in return is exposure to our students and facility on the commercialization and new product development."

Bubbling Springs Solar is a family owned and operated business located in rural, West-Central Wisconsin--about 60 miles from St. Paul, Minnesota. They are committed to helping their customers conserve valuable resources, both financial and environmental, by making solar thermal energy more available and affordable.

Read full article:  http://www.weau.com/home/headlines/51435382.html

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Area firm among fastest-growing in U.S.

Leader-Telegram

Economic downturns often spur increased competition in the marketplace, and the current slump has helped at least one local company enjoy triple-digit revenue growth.

"2009 has been another great year for us," said Jeff Noe, 31-year-old president and owner of My Receptionist, based in downtown Eau Claire. "It's a testament to the times we're going through. We serve a critical need for our clients."

My Receptionist is an answering and appointment service that handles more than 6,000 calls a day, or 2 million annually, from around the country. It has more than 150 clients in the Chippewa Valley. The firm serves small businesses with front-office help through a number of services.

My Receptionist had $824,691 in sales in 2005 and $2.1 million last year, a growth rate of 150.4 percent. That performance gave the business the No. 2,109 ranking on Inc. magazine's list of the fastest-growing U.S. companies.

Read full article: http://www.leadertelegram.com/story-business.asp?id=BKUI62200IE

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To update your profile, click here!

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The Princeton Review Names UW-River Falls ‘A Best in the Midwest' University

The University of Wisconsin-River Falls is one of the best colleges and universities in the Midwest, according to The Princeton Review. The education services company selected the school as one of 158 institutions profiled in its "Best in the Midwest" section of its July 27th Web site feature entitled, 2010 Best Colleges: Region by Region. 

"We are pleased to be selected among this distinct group of colleges and universities selected for recognition by The Princeton Review," said UWRF Chancellor Dean Van Galen. "It speaks well of the dedication of our faculty and staff, the quality of our courses and programs, and our strong commitment to being a leader in higher education in the region." 

"We chose UW-River Falls and the other terrific schools we recommend as our ‘regional best' colleges primarily for their excellent academic programs, explained Robert Franek, the vice president of publishing at The Princeton Review. "We also work to have our roster of ‘regional best' colleges feature a range of institutions by size, selectivity, character and locale.

We choose the schools based on institutional data we collect from several hundred schools in each region, our visits to schools over the years, and the opinions of independent and high school-based college advisors whose recommendations we invite. We also take into account what each school's customers their students report to us about their campus experiences at them on our 80-question student survey." 

The 158 colleges that The Princeton Review chose for this year's "Best in the Midwest" designations are located in 12 states: Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. The Princeton Review also designated 218 colleges in the Northeast, 123 in the West, and 141 in the Southeast in the Region by Region list. The 640 colleges named "regional best(s)" represent about 25 percent of the nation's 2,500 four-year colleges.

UW-River Falls was previously ranked by U.S. News and World Report as one of America's Best Colleges (Midwestern University, Master's category). UW-River Falls has more than 6,000 undergraduate students and nearly 500 graduate students.

UW-River Falls employs some 800 people and has an annual operating budget of approximately $90 million. 

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Eau Claire 3rd fastest growing city in Wisconsin

Eau Claire - According to the Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) Population and Housing estimates released in August 2009, the city of Eau Claire has the 3rd largest population gain in Wisconsin.

With 588 new residents gained during 2008, Eau Claire is only behind the cities of Madison (1,050 new residents) and Waukesha (770 new residents). This represents a 0.9% growth which is significantly higher than the state's average of 0.2%.

Rank	Municipality	Census 2000 - 2009 Numeric Change	Census 2000 - 2009 Percent Change	1 Year (2008-2009) Numeric Change	1 Year (2008-2009) Percent Change
1	MADISON	19,646	9.4%	1,050	0.5
2	WAUKESHA	3,975	6.1%	770	1.1
3	EAU CLAIRE	4,246	6.9%	588	0.9
4	WAUSAU	2,274	5.9%	340	0.8
5	SUN PRAIRIE	5,731	28.1%	290	1.1
6	SHAWANO	710	8.6%	254	2.9
7	NEENAH	1,293	5.3%	240	0.9
8	WEST ALLIS	-654	-1.1%	230	0.4
9	HARTFORD	2,995	27.5%	200	1.5
10	WHITEWATER	862	6.4%	189	1.3
	WISCONSIN	32,203	6.0%	12,844	0.2

With estimated 65,950 residents in 2009, Eau Claire has moved up one rank to being the 8th largest community in Wisconsin. Since the 2000 Census, Eau Claire city population grew by 4,246 residents. This is a 6.9% gain and ranks Eau Claire number four among the cities with the largest numeric change. It also represents a 1.3% share of the overall Wisconsin increase in population.

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SMARTT Network connects with Over 30,000 Area Alumni in September

This month, the SMARTT Network will be contacting over 30,000 alumni from four of the region's higher education institutions to let them know about opportunities in western Wisconsin. The campaign is part of the overall marketing strategy of the SMARTT Network, a program to connect people to opportunities in the western Wisconsin region, whether it's for employment, business ventures, or advancing early-stage technologies.

"We have developed partnerships with four of our region's higher education institutions to manage relationships with talented individuals who have connections to western Wisconsin," says Brian Doudna, executive director of the Eau Claire Area Economic Development Corporation, which developed the SMARTT Network.

Higher education institutions involved with the SMARTT Network include Chippewa Valley Technical College, UW-Eau Claire, UW-Stout, and Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College. UW-River Falls and UW-Barron will be approached in 2009 to participate.

"This program provides a terrific opportunity for our alumni who are looking for employment opportunities in the Chippewa Valley," says John Bachmeier, director of alumni relations at UW-Eau Claire.

"[Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College] is extremely excited to be a SMARTT Network partner," says Bob Meyer, president of WITC. "SMARTT is a vital link between our graduates and the many exciting business and technology-based career opportunities that are emerging in the region."

 Read full news release: http://www.smarttnetwork.com/Smartt/a/about/tab3

The SMARTT Network On-Air

In addition to these alumni campaigns, the SMARTT Network will be airing a TV commercial on WEAU TV-13 this fall, encouraging people who are looking for the 'next step' in their careers to check it out. The commercial will be posted on the SMARTT Network Web site when completed.

 

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 Health co-op starts in western Wisconsin

WQOW

Eau Claire - As much of the national health care debate focuses on co-ops right now, lawmakers might look to western Wsconsin for ideas.

Cooperative Health Choices of Western Wisconsin is a newer option for coverage. The goal is to pool small businesses together as one to increase their bargaining power to help lower rates.

This co-op, known as CHC, covers 17 counties in western Wisconsin and as of Tuesday, almost 300 employers have expressed interest. That includes everything from some local governments to those who are self-employed. If you add up employees and dependents, the co-op says it has a potential pool of 4,700.

Its goal is to begin coverage in October. Businesses that didn't sign up the first time around, but are interested, could have another chance in the next six months or so.

Read full story: http://www.wqow.com/Global/story.asp?S=10951286

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Community Supported Agriculture thrives around Osceola, Wis.

Osceola, Wis., is just close enough to the Twin Cities to make it the hub of a new Community Supported Agriculture hotbed.

St. Paul Pioneer Press

As hunger for Community Supported Agriculture grows in the Twin Cities, the small-farm community in western Wisconsin is reaping the rewards.

The area is a hotbed for the CSA food movement, in which farmers provide customers a weekly delivery of fresh vegetables, fruits, meats and dairy products. The number of CSAs serving the Twin Cities rose by nearly 50 percent over last year, according to the Minneapolis-based Land Stewardship Project.

It's a sense of community that makes the area so special, said Christine Elmquist, co-founder of Community Homestead, a live-and-work farm for several families and people with special needs.

"People are very community-minded," she said of the Osceola area, which Community Homestead has called home for the past 15 years. "We really feel like we belong to our local town."

Community Supported Agriculture farms sprouted up steadily around the metro area in the past two decades as people learned about the programs and demand grew.
This past year, however, numbers have skyrocketed.

"It's huge growth," said Brian DeVore, communications coordinator for the Land Stewardship Project, which advocates for sustainable farming in the Upper Midwest. Last year, DeVore's organization counted 33 CSAs serving Minneapolis and St. Paul; this year, there are 48.

"We were really interested in watching what would happen this year because of the slow economy," DeVore said.

"There's a real desire of going back to basics - people are cooking at home more," he added. "It turns out to be, especially if you eat a lot of vegetables, a pretty affordable way to get your food."

Many CSAs serving the Twin Cities are 30 to 90 miles away in western Wisconsin, where the food movement is said to have gotten its start 20 years ago. One of the first such farms was Common Harvest in Osceola, Wis., a village that now serves a hub for several CSAs.

The village's proximity to the Twin Cities, along with a culture of small-scale farming in western Wisconsin, makes it a prime location for CSAs, said Dan Guenthner, owner of Common Harvest.

"The scale of agriculture in Wisconsin has always been a bit smaller and a bit more family-farm-oriented than Minnesota in many regards," said Guenthner. West and south of the Twin Cities, farms grow in size, but traveling east, "that isn't the case so much," he added.

Read full article

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  Featured Technology

 

Nucleic Acid Fragments for the Identification of Bacteria in Industrial Wastewater Bioreactors

Category: Bio-Agriculture

Description: This invention relates to the field of molecular biology and microbiology. More specifically, 16S rRNA regions have been identified and isolated from several previously unrecognized bacteria from an industrial wastewater bioreactor. Probes and primers corresponding to the unique regions have been constructed to enable the rapid identification of these bacteria in wastewater bioreactors. The metabolic characteristics of the newly defined species have been proposed.

For more about this and over 150 other technologies, visit the SMARTT Technologies page.

 

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