Bear Briefs

Lab Learnin’—Western Montana is the state’s biotechnology and medical science corridor, and numerous companies and government agencies are looking for job applicants who possess basic laboratory skills and knowledge. In response to this need, The UM College of Technology has created two courses that can lead to certificates of completion for laboratory workers. Laboratory Technician I is a two-credit, 14-week evening course. Students finishing that can take a second, seven-week course that leads to a Laboratory Technician II Certificate of Completion, which also offers two college credits. Students obtaining a Laboratory Technician I Certificate of Completion will have knowledge to qualify for entry-level laboratory and manufacturing positions. Students with a Level II Certificate will have sufficient basic training for laboratory assistant jobs in research, clinical and industrial employment sectors. The spring 2007 course gets under way Jan. 24.

Adoption Accolades—Each year, the UM Office for Civic Engagement partners with the Salvation Army’s Adopt-a-Family program to help serve local families in need during the holiday season. The Salvation Army documents the needs of families and looks for community assistance to meet those needs. UM’s OCE then matches those families with UM departments and community members willing to buy and donate the needed items. OCE reports that this year the program met with unprecedented success. The office placed 40 families with UM and community sponsors, who donated everything from food and clothing to household items and children’s holiday gifts.

Business Book—UM communications Professor Emeritus William Wilmot does not believe that innovation begins with a lone genius who comes up with a great idea. He and Curtis Carlson, president and CEO of SRI International, believe that innovation is a collaborative process. Their book outlining that process — “Innovation: The Five Disciplines for Creating What Customers Want” — was chosen by Business Week reviewers as one of the top 10 business books of 2006. The book was published in August by Crown Publishing Group. SRI International is the company that pioneered the computer mouse, speech-recognition systems and many other successful innovations such as hypertext, robotic surgery and high-definition television. Wilmot is director of the Collaboration Institute, which offers workshops that use the book’s five disciplines to help participants shape innovation plans to fit their needs. Information about the book and the workshops is available at http://www.collaborationinstitute.com.

Prof Props—UM psychology Professor Tom Seekins received the 2006 Alan Meyers Award from the Disability Forum of the American Public Health Association at the association’s annual meeting in Boston. The award goes to individuals who combine excellence across the areas of research, teaching and advocacy to improve the health and quality of life for people with disabilities. Seekins is director of the Research and Training Center on Rural Rehabilitation at UM’s Rural Institute. In 1988, with colleagues at UM and at the University of Kansas, Seekins began work on an approach now called community-based participatory research. The approach involves people with disabilities and service providers in all phases of designing and conducting research.

Social Security—Marsha Katz, project director at UM’s Rural Institute, has been appointed to the Social Security Advisory Board by the U.S. Senate. The independent, bipartisan board was created by Congress to advise the president, Congress and the commissioner of Social Security on matters related to the Social Security and Supplemental Security Income programs. Sen. Max Baucus, incoming chair of the Senate Finance Committee, recommended Katz for the position. Katz has worked as an advocate for people with disabilities for more than 25 years. She came to UM’s Rural Institute in 1999, after serving as vice president of the Association for Community Advocacy in Ann Arbor, Mich. She is an experienced trainer in all aspects of the SSI and Social Security Disability Insurance programs.

Charitable Giving—UM faculty and staff reached deeper into their pockets than ever before for this year’s Charitable Giving Campaign, raising more than $113,000. This year 689 people participated in the drive, helping exceed the $110,000 goal set by the campus campaign’s executive committee. Donors can specify which of the 11 eligible organizations their donations benefit, ranging from the Missoula County United Way to Five Valleys Land Trust to the Western Montana Humane Society and Habitat for Humanity.