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Councils Tackle Transportation Tangle
by Liza Porteus
The Technology Council of Maryland and the Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC) on Tuesday announced a partnership to help solve the transportation crisis in the greater Washington area. The two groups will focus on the lack of transportation alternatives connecting Maryland's Interstate 270 and Northern Virginia's Route 7 technology communities.
The tech councils, accompanied by the Washington-area high-tech lobbying group CapNet, support a strategy that includes new parkways and bridges, upgrades to transit connections between activity centers, teleworking initiatives, ridesharing and focused land use around existing and future Metro public-transit stations.
One issue of contention is the call for a Techway across the Potomac River between the technology communities in Maryland and Northern Virginia. Based on surveys, more than 70 percent of the general public on both sides of the river support the idea of a Techway farther outside the Capital Beltway, according to the councils. Officials in both states also favor the idea but vehemently disagree on the best location for it.
Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., successfully added $2 million to the fiscal 2001 transportation spending bill to fund a federal study for the feasibility of a Techway, and the tech groups are urging policymakers to move that study forward.
"Our technology councils now jointly call on all to end the rhetoric" and take the next step toward building a bridge, said Capers McDonald, chairman of Maryland's council. "Serious information is required to appropriately address this serious productivity and quality-of-life program."
Janklow Awards Tech Grants To Professors
South Dakota Republican Gov. William Janklow, R, on Tuesday awarded $1.2 million to 61 faculty members in the state's six public universities to take classroom technology to the next level.
The recipients previously received a Teaching with Technology grant that allows the faculty to stay on the leading edge of technology use in college classrooms and allows them to receive compensation and funds for equipment, software and training.
"The pace of change in technology is phenomenal. These advanced awards will allow them to learn more applications," Janklow said.
Janklow's faculty awards program began in 1998. More than 220 university professors have been awarded more than $4 million to enhance their courses with technology. Earlier this year, Janklow awarded more than $1.1 million in grants to 51 university teachers for curriculum technology projects.
Janklow also announced Tuesday that two South Dakota students, Ben Williams and Heather Anderson, will participate this summer as delegates to the 38th session of the National Youth Science Camp. The camp, which runs from June 23 to July 28, provides students the opportunity to exchange ideas with leading scientists and other professionals from academic and corporate worlds. Two top students are selected from each of the 50 states.
Ventura Goes Virtual
Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura on Friday unveiled the redesign of his official state Web site. Titled "Virtual Ventura," the site was designed and constructed by the governor's communications staff.
A virtual representation of the governor guides visitors through the site, which contains audio clips on main pages and a new e-mail-based feedback page that makes it easier for constituents to communicate with the governor and his staff. "Virtual Ventura" also has a new page designed to make scheduling the governor for an event easier.
Among other things, visitors will find direct links to: state departments; the governor's policies and initiatives, biography, press releases, speeches, executive orders and appointments; internship opportunities; proclamation and certificate guidelines; a daily public schedule; a bill-tracking feature; and information on this year's budget proposal.
Minnesota Techies Say State Must Lead
Minnesota High Tech Association (MHTA) Chairman Leon Kline told the Pioneer Press in an interview that the state government needs to show high-tech leadership to boost its name in the field on a national scale.
One of his priorities as chairman is to strengthen the state's focus on high-tech innovation and make people aware of emerging technologies, such as mobile computing and distance learning. Kline says there is still a "disconnect" between the state's colleges and universities and industry when it comes to producing skilled workers.
He said industry officials need to communicate better with the educational system "so the schools can try to react quicker to our needs."
Kline is the CEO of the business technology consulting and e-commerce development firm Shared Resource Management. MHTA has about 450 small to large companies as members.
The association's lobbying efforts have included calls for capital-gains tax relief and credits for research and development, and opposition to sales taxes on services. Kline also said he would like to move the state up in the ranks of reputable tech centers. "We need some real high-tech leadership displayed by the state government," he said. "And we have to get more national press so that we're not perceived as a fly-over state."
As part of its campaign to lure high-tech companies to Minnesota, MHTA is planning another billboard campaign in California by highlighting the current energy crisis there. "White Outs -- Occasional. Black Outs -- Never. UpgradeToMinnesota.com," say the signs. The site provides a link to the state's trade department, where viewers can find information on Minnesota's workforce, business climate, business assistance programs and quality of life.
2002 Winter Olympics Loses Web Backer
Logictier, the San Mateo, Calif., company that had agreed to sponsor the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City has told the Salt Lake Organizing Committee (SLOC) to find someone else to host the Olympics Web site, reports The Deseret News.
SLOC President Mitt Romney said the company would continue to host the site until a new partner can be found. Logictier provided the bandwidth, routers, switches and servers to run the Web site. "We are very dependent on the Web site and will have to find a solution quickly," Romney said.
Logictier's announcement follows a bankruptcy filing by Quokka Sports, an Internet company that had provided content for SLOC's Web site. Both companies had provided similar services to NBC's Olympic site. SLOC is more dependent on the Internet than any previous organizing committee, using the Web site for everything from selling tickets to registering volunteers. Romney said Logictier had been a valuable partner.
"This latest development unfortunately is a sign of the times in this industry," he said.
All Hail The Windy City
Chicago won the bragging rights for being called home by the greatest number of Inc. magazine's "Inner City 100" companies, the fastest-growing urban businesses, according to The State Science and Technology Institute.
The list of 100 firms, selected based on five-year sales growth, was narrowed from more than 2,300 nominations. Six of the top 50 companies were from the Windy City, and five each were from Buffalo and New York City. Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Oakland, Calif., each had four companies on the list.
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