Highlights: MHTBA and MSU College of Engineering Celebrate Engineers Week in Bozeman Feb. 23, 2022
Gov. Greg Gianforte spoke to tech leaders and students gathered for a networking reception at the Montana State University Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering in Bozeman on Feb. 23 as part of the Montana High Tech Business Alliance’s Engineer’s Week events sponsored by Dean Brett Gunnink and the MSU College of Engineering. All photos courtesy 40 Watt Photo.
In honor of Engineer’s Week 2022, the Montana High Tech Business Alliance held a technology education roundtable, employer panel and student networking reception hosted by the MSU Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering in Bozeman on Feb. 23.
The events focused on the many opportunities for students and graduates to help fill workforce needs in Montana’s high-paying tech sector. More than 100 guests from around the state attended, including Governor Greg Gianforte.
CONNECT: Employers Highlight Montana Tech Jobs and Internships Available for Students
Lindsey Hanna, Senior Software Engineer at Workiva, visits with MSU students during the networking reception hosted at Inspiration Hall in the College of Engineering. Hanna spoke on an employer panel with leaders from Applied Materials, Bridger Aerospace, and onX.
Leaders from four companies spoke on “How to Get Tech Jobs and Internships in Montana” during the employer panel, including Keith Ypma, Process Engineering Manager for Applied Materials in Kalispell, Sam Davis, Vice President of Finance for Bridger Aerospace in Belgrade, Owen Samuels, VP of Engineering for onX in Bozeman and Missoula, and Lindsey Hanna, Senior Software Engineer for Workiva in Bozeman, Missoula, and remote.
The companies hire for positions in software engineering, electrical and mechanical engineering, business, marketing, GIS, avionics, data science and more.
Students from a variety of programs had a chance to ask questions during the panel and connect with the employers at a networking reception afterwards in Inspiration Hall, including additional tech companies like Zoot Enterprises and Figure.
Watch for more articles with key takeaways from the employer panel and technology education roundtable in a future newsletter.
PROMOTE: Leaders Discuss the Future of Technology Education in Montana
Brett Gunnink, dean of the MSU Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering, speaks on the college’s enrollment trends and goals. Gunnink was joined by John Paxton, chair of the MSU Gianforte School of Computing and Stephanie Gray, dean of Gallatin College MSU for a panel during the MHTBA Executive Roundtable on Technology Education.
Three Montana State University educational leaders spoke on “A Vision for the Future of Technology Education in Montana” during a roundtable at the MSU College of Engineering on Feb. 23.
Brett Gunnink, dean of the MSU Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering, highlighted the career opportunities existing for students from rural America today.
The College of Engineering, which aims to engage students with industries throughout the state, has recently expanded on partnerships with companies like Hyundai and Boeing.
Stephanie Gray, dean of Gallatin College MSU, broke down the demographics of students attending the two-year college into 73% from Montana, with 52% from Bozeman.
Gallatin College offers popular workforce programs such as an IT networking track and CNC machining program, as well as dual enrollment courses for high school students. Students who graduate from the programs fill needs in the workforce, such as avionics technician and service engineering operator positions for a variety of companies.
John Paxton, chair of the Gianforte School of Computing at MSU, spoke about opportunities for students to use high-tech for real-world applications like gathering data from farming fields to support agriculture.
“There's so much that if you've got the data, and if you have it from enough different areas around the state, you can make more informed decisions to maybe use less chemicals, have better produce, and so on,” Paxton said.
The School of Computing also offers a master’s in cybersecurity, as well as a master’s degree and a minor in data science for its students.
ACCELERATE: FIRST Robotics Demonstrates Tech Opportunities for K-12 Students
Jack Rumple, a volunteer from FIRST Robotics, demonstrates a robot built by students in the program.
During the Technology Education roundtable in Bozeman, Jack Rumple, a recently-retired engineer from Lockheed Martin who now volunteers with the FIRST Robotics program, spoke on work students in the program have done in creating robots for sports-like competitions. FIRST, a national program that has been around for 30 years for K-12 students, introduces them to coding and engineering and allows high school students to mentor younger students.
FIRST holds robotics competitions for elementary, middle school, and high school students around the country. Montana State University hosts the FIRST LEGO League and FIRST Technology Challenge competitions for Montana teams. Currently, Montana students must travel out of state to compete in the FIRST Robotics Challenge (FRC), the highest level of the program.
Rumple’s hope is to bring a FRC regional competition to Montana and that the state will create a grant to offset costs of registration and create more high-tech, high school internships.
About the Publisher: Launched in 2014, the Montana High Tech Business Alliance is a nonpartisan nonprofit association of highly-engaged high tech and manufacturing companies and affiliates creating high-paying jobs in Montana. For more information, visit MTHighTech.org or subscribe to our biweekly newsletter.
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