UM Shell Eco-Marathon Vehicle Update

Shell Eco-Marathon vehicle on pace for a showing in the Missoula St Patrick's Day Parade.

University of Montana students Caleb Irwin (Energy Tech), Norland "Raphael" Hagen (Physics), Reeve Tinnell (Energy Tech) and Micah Nelson (Energy Tech) pose with "Mountain Magic" which they are preparing for the 2014 Shell Eco-Marathon. 

Seated are Washington Middle School students Luke O'Leary, Clayton Polancheck, and Blake Layton who are testing the ergonomics of the the seat and steering. 

Team members not pictured: Joe Mickels-Silva, Grant Myhre, Andrew Machain, Merrill Bradshaw, Taiga Gamell

Energy Technology Capstone Instructor Bradley Layton hopes to have the vehicle up an running for the 2014 St. Patrick's Day parade.

Missoula College Energy Technology Program seeking additional industry, academic and non-profit partners

Well, if you haven't heard by now Missoula College is part of a recently-formed consortium of two-year colleges in Montana, known as TAACCCT SWAMMI. (Trade Adjustment Act Community College Career Training, Strengthening Workforce Alignment in Montana's Manufacturing and Energy Industries. This was the result of a successful proposal to the Department of Labor.

As part of our commitment to our students, we are seeking additional input from potential industry, academic and non-profit partners. If you or your organization would like to contribute or partner, please contact Bradley Layton or Vida Wilkinson.

CyberSecurity - KPAX Feature

A security training seminar held at UM's Cyber Innovation Lab was recently highlighted in a feature story by KPAX News. Information security is like "a big puzzle and that's essentially what you do with forensics and security is you try and put the pieces together," forensics analyst Dianne Burke explained. Professor Burke is currently leading the course "Securing Desktop and Mobile Devices" a requirement for the professional certificate in Network and Information Security. More details on the feature can be found online from KPAX:
http://www.kpax.com/news/cyber-security-class-comes-to-missoula/

Montana Chapter HIMSS Student Members

The Montana Chapter of Health Information and Management Systems Society (HIMMS) is recruiting student members. The prime mission of HIMMS is "to promote networking and educational opportunities to future HIT professionals". HIMMS is currently offering scholarships for student membership. See http://www.montanahimss.org/services/services.html for details. February 21 is the deadline.  

Network and Information Security Certificate Approved

The Montana Board of Regents formally approved the Network and Information Security Certificate program at Missoula College. The program, developed by Professor(s) Penny Jakes, Dianne Burke, and Tom Gallagher, fills an important niche in educating individuals for a growing high-technology sector in the Missoula economy. A recent Kauffman Foundation report ranked Missoula fifth among cities with a population of less than 250,000 for its number of high-tech launches. It also provides a response to address the rapidly increasing number of cyber-crime attacks throughout the world most recently seen in Western Montana when electronic payment systems of supermarkets were accessed by hackers in November.

Courses for the program will ensue during Spring Term. Details of the program of study can be found at http://ace.mc.umt.edu/programs/NIS/

UM Provost Perry Brown states “This certificate program means that one of the foundational pieces of all this cyber and data science stuff we’re moving on is solidly in place. You put that together with the Cyber Innovation Lab and some other things people are working on, plus the big data courses we already teach, and you see the pieces coming together.”

Complete details of media coverage of the story can be found online at the Missoulian

Montana Community and Two-Year Colleges Partner with InsideTrack to Prepare Students for Careers in Advanced Manufacturing and Energy

Originally posted by InsideTrack on December 18, 2013

Partnership will provide students with executive coaches to support them in completing their degrees and provide colleges with valuable data on the student experience

InsideTrack announced today that it has partnered with the Strengthening Workforce Alignment in Montana’s Manufacturing and Energy Industries (SWAMMEI) consortium to expand and improve training and employment opportunities for students.

About InsideTrack

InsideTrack works with colleges and universities to improve student and institutional success. Our one-on-one student coaching, process expertise, analytics and technology have been proven to increase graduation rates by an average of 15 percent and enhance the student experience. Since 2001, we’ve partnered with a broad range of universities to drive continuous improvement, including Penn State University, University of Dayton, Arizona State University, and Columbia University. For additional information, please visit: www.insidetrack.com.

Rural Health Education Scholarships Available

The Montana Rural Health Information Technology Workforce Network Grant project is providing scholarships for tuition, fees, and books for incumbent workers at rural health care facilities. Scholarships can be used to complete a Health Information Technology Certificate from Missoula College, Montana Tech, Great Falls College, or Flathead Community College. Further information on this scholarship is available through Cindra Stahl (cindra.stahl@montana.edu) at the Montana Office of Rural Health/AHEC. Further information on the Health IT Certificate at Missoula College can be found online at http://ace.mc.umt.edu/programs/HIT/Cert/default.html. Applications can be downloaded here:http://ace.mc.umt.edu/forms/RHITapp.docx.

CIA Chief Technology Officer Speaks on Cybersecurity

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Chief Technology Officer Gus Hunt is slated to present on the future of Cybersecurity Tuesday, December 17 from 10-11am at the University Center room 330. Students and faculty are encouraged to attend. Mr. Hunt joined the CIA in 1985. He has served as Director of Architecture and Systems Engineering (ASE), Chair of the CIA Architecture Review Board and the Architecture and Systems Engineers Occupational Panel, and Chief of the CIO's Advanced Technology Group within the Directorate of Intelligence (DI). He also served as Chief of Research and Development for the Director of Central Intelligence's (DCI) Crime and Narcotics Center and Deputy Chief of the Operations Support Group in the DCI’s Non‐Proliferation Center.

C++ Programming - Spring Term 2014

CSCI 113 C++ Programming has been added to the Spring 2014 schedule. Topics covered in the course will include the control structures used in C programming along with the object-oriented features found in the C++ programming language. M 090 Basic Algebra is the recommended pre-requisite for this introductory programming experience. We're hopeful to include some discussion in programming embedded control systems for students studying Electronics Engineering Technology.

More course name and numbering changes

Many of the courses offered by the Department of Applied Computing and Electronics took on new names and/or numbers this fall semester as a result of a common course numbering initiative.  The initiative is designed to allow students to more easily transfer courses from one Montana University System school to another.

We have been alerted to another wave of changes that will affect the Spring 2014 courses.  The new changes are as follows:

Electronics Technology

• EET 105 is now ETEC 105 DC Circuit Analysis
• EET 106 is now ETEC 106 AC Circuit Analysis
• EET 113 is now ETEC 113 Circuits Lab
• EET 205 is now ETEC 250 Solid State Electronics I
• EET 206 is now ETEC 251 Solid State Electronics II
• EET 227 is now ETEC 245 Digital Electronics
• EET 234 is now ETEC 234 Automatic Controls
• EET 237 is now ELCT 237 Intro to Prog Logic Controller
• EET 240 is now ETEC 240 Robotics
• EET 241 is now ETEC 241 Instrumentation
• EET 242 is now ETEC 242 Electronics Lab II
• EET 260 is now ETEC 260 Data Communications
• EET 270 is now ETEC 270 Wireless Communications
• EET 280 is now ETEC 299 Electronics Capstone

 

Energy Technology

• NRG 213 is now ETEC 213 Power Systems
• NRG 214 is now ETEC 214 Energy Storage & Distribution

When you are searching for courses, the ETEC  rubric can be found under Electronics Technology.  The ELCT rubric can be found under Electrical Technology.  Complete changes for the academic year can be found at http://ace.mc.umt.edu/Advising/CCN%20FY14%20changes.pdf

As always, please consult your advisor if you have any questions about your specific courses or graduation requirements. 

UM Named a Top-50 College for Advancing Women in STEM Careers

UM Named a Top-50 College for Advancing Women in STEM Careers

Sep. 26, 2013

MISSOULA – The Online College Database recently ranked the University of Montana 43rd on its “50 Colleges Advancing Women in STEM” list. UM offers 66 science, technology and math programs, and the 450 women enrolled in them make up 56 percent of STEM students.

The list identifies public, fully accredited higher education institutions that graduate a high number of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields and successfully encourage female students’ participation in a variety of STEM programs. UM is the only Montana university on the list.

“This listing in the top 50 colleges nationwide is a testament to the high quality of our science, mathematics and technology programs at UM, and it is extra special since we do not have undergraduate engineering programs, which are a major factor for many of the other universities on the list,” said UM Provost Perry Brown. “We are proud of the many female students who have chosen to pursue degrees in the STEM fields, and to do it in the challenging programs we have at UM.”

View the full list online at http://www.onlinecollegesdatabase.org/50-colleges-advancing-women-in-stem/. The Online College Database uses demographic information from the Integrated Post-Secondary Education Data System when compiling its rankings. Data includes college majors, enrollment status, financial aid awarded, race, ethnicity, gender and more.

For more information call Brown at 406-243-4689 or email perry.brown@mso.umt.edu.

UM Boasts Efforts in Cybersecurity and Big Data

Several new Information Technology related initiatives were announced during the recent Montana Economic Summit. The Summit, organized by Montana Senator Max Baucus featured an impressive line-up of speaker CEO/COO/CIOs from the technical industry including: Google, Facebook, Tesla, Conoco-Phillips, Boeing, Oracle, Ford, and HP. These industry leaders spoke on topics covering economic growth, job creation, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

In a related development, the University of Montana announced a new facility that will allow students to learn about cybersecurity and use “big data” to solve real-world problems. The Cyber Innovation Laboratory is a collaboration with state technology companies. The lab is an outgrowth of UM’s programs, research and technology, and it will be funded initially through donations from private tech companies. “The Cyber Innovation Laboratory at UM will be a place where students are given real-world experience and learn the technical skills that employees require in this dynamic and growing industry,” stated UM president Royce Engstrom. Cybersecurity is a proposed new plan of study offered at Missoula College.

Missoula Economic Partnership (MEP) President James Grunke’s focus at the summit was spreading the word and making connections to help boost the organization’s Big Data Alliance, focused on creating educational and business opportunities in the big data and cybersecurity industries in Missoula.


Complete details are available from the Missoula and Summit Websites: Gruenke | Cyber Innovation Lab | Montana Economic Summit

Energy Technology grad, Brandon Heuscher quoted at the 2013 Clean Energy Fair in Butte.

Jay Moore and Mark Hansen cited in a recent install

Energy Technology students Jay Moore and Mark Hansen were both mentioned in a Billings Outpost article for their role in a recent photovoltaic installation.

New online course as part of professional certificate in Cybersecurity

The ACE Department is pleased to offer a new course on Securing Desktop & Mobile Devices as part of our new Network and Information Security (NIS) Professional Certificate.  ITS 291.50 (CRN 75630) will be offered online this fall as the first of four courses required for the credential. 

PV under the Big Sky

Energy Technology Alum, Mark Hansen '13 and current student, "Jay" Moore recently had the opportunity to assist Orion Thornton on several PV installations. Here's a shot Jay took of Mark sporting his Griz cap as he aligns a panel near Georgetown Lake.

2013 Wind Farm Visit

During the 2013 Energy Technology Practicum, we had the opportunity to suit up and spend a day with Energy Technology alumnus, Robert Potts '12.

It was a great day for making wind energy, and we all gained new-found respect for these modern-day Don Quixotes! Thanks to Professor Bowe for the great photo!

Energy Technology Practicum Videos Now Available

The 2013 Energy Technology Summer Practicum was another resounding success this year. Students completed three projects which included building a mobile wind turbine, a solar forge, and an e-waste recovery strategy.

Jesse, Tim and Kadin pose with their 1 kW mobile wind turbine. Major innovations include the ability to erect the tower by hand, charge their battery bank, and produce 110 V AC with an integrated charger/inverter.

Grant poses with the solar forge. Major innovations included the ability to adjust the intensity of the solar energy, and to make metallic casts.

Nick shows the before and after of a few CPUs. Major achievements included the recovery of over $1000 worth of precious metals and the diversion of all computer parts from the landfill stream.

Msla College Professor Presents on Health IT

Applied Computing & Electronics Professor, Tom Gallagher, delivered the presentation Building an Education Program to Develop Qualified IT Professionals for the Clinical Health Environment to students and faculty at the School of Engineering and Advanced Technology (SEAT) at Massey University in New Zealand. The seminar provided a brief overview of Health IT developments taking place in the United States and the successes and challenges at UM in developing a new program of study for educating individuals for careers in Health IT. The presentation was delivered from the Palmerston North campus and simulcast to the Auckland and Wellington campuses. Professor Gallagher has been working from Massey's Palmerston North campus throughout Spring Term.

Missoula College Professor Bradley Layton Discusses Energy Technology on Talk Back

Layton gives interview on KGVO's Talk Back. 

Energy Technology Program Director, Bradley Layton was recently interviewed by Bob Seidenschwarz of the Montana World Affairs Council, Jon King and Peter Christian on Talk Back. During the interview, Layton had the opportunity to discuss peak oil, energy returned on energy invested, and some of the issues surrounding energy security. He also had the opportunity to tout many of the unique features of Missoula College's unique Energy Technology Program.