2013 Issue

21 W ith impressive rankings from Forbes Magazine, Gallup, the Milken Institute, Pew Research, and other thought leaders, the state of Utah is gaining a national reputation for its growing economy, business-friendly environment, fiscal management, quality of life and more. Among other initiatives in a broad strategy of economic develop- ment, Utah is focused on increasing our state’s engineering capacity. This is not an easy task. It takes years of planning, patience, and a willingness to lay the groundwork. Two significant aspects of this effort are represented by the Governor’s Engineering Initiative and the Utah Science Technology and Research (USTAR) initiative. The initial planning and development of this long-term transforma- tion began back in 2000, when then Gov. Michael Leavitt became concerned about a forecasted gap in the job market. The average wage in Utah was eroding in comparison to other states. It was not that Utah lacked jobs, but rather it lacked high paying jobs. The governor identified high-tech jobs as the solution to this problem. Leavitt began an effort to court high-tech firms to bring their op- erations to Utah. However, this was a slow process that led to a new awareness: in order to support a high-tech economy the state needed to develop a well-educated, high-tech work force. The Governor’s Engineering Initiative was born from this need. It was Leavitt’s plan to double the number of engineering and computer science students at Utah colleges and universities in just five years. Nine of Utah’s colleges and universities participate in the program. In the most recent legislative session, the initiative received $2.5 million in ongoing funds to recruit additional faculty, improve en- gineering programs and provide scholarships. Utah’s 1,962 engineering graduates (2011) help to attract new companies like Adobe, Microsoft and EMC, while sustaining Utah’s major employers, including L-3 Communications, IM Flash, Ken- necott Rio Tinto and ATK. At its core, the initiative focuses on recruitment, outreach and reten- tion of students. Current university students work with high school Strategies to Engineer Innovation By Justin Berry, USTAR ENGINEER INNOVATION | continued on page 22 The U of U nanofabrication facility in the James L. Sorenson Molecular Biotechnology Building, a USTAR Innovation Center, can support a wide range of nanotechnology research including biomedical-based breakthroughs.