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Show ONE THOUSAND DAYS OF PROGRESS: THE 2002 STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESS Governor Michael O. Leavitt Innovation is Utah's signature. The television and artificial heart, limb and kidney are all ideas conceived by Utah minds. The next time you buy a CD or download an MP3 file, remember that stereo sound and digital media were Utah ideas. When you see "Monsters Inc." or play a video game, remember that the computer graphics industry was born here. When you use word-processing software or log on to a computer network, that's right, Utah technologies. Utah technologies have worldwide impact. But too often the innovation took place here and the jobs went someplace else. We will change that. If we are to emerge as a world technology player, people must know and understand the Utah brand. Our message to the world is that Utah has a young, growing workforce; well-educated, tech-savvy people; clean, safe communities; and stunning surroundings in which to work, play and raise families. We've already begun to market the phrase "Utah! Where ideas connect." Now we'll expand on that by showing the connection between our technological prowess and our natural, recreational wonders. Consider messages like these: Mother Nature lives here ... along with a major, tech-savvy workforce A deep snow base ... an even deeper technology base Life enhancing genetics ... life enhancing experiences Over a 1,000 days, we will organize more than a dozen economic ecosystems, a term we will make a Utah trademark. An economic ecosystem is essentially a cluster of related technologies where the elements necessary for prosperity; the ideas, research, capital, workforce and government support exist in one place. One of those ecosystems is biotechnology and human genetics. Utah will solidify its leadership in this area by initiating a project to manage, enhance and develop a database that combines medical research and health information with the state's unique collection of genealogical records. Entirely new industries will be created when two or more such economic ecosystems connect. In one recent example, Utah computer graphics technology met up with biomedical technology, and the result was magic. John Wright had already founded a successful high-tech company in Orem and was in the process of starting another that would tap his knowledge of computer graphics to create three-dimensional holograms. But then a phone call changed his focus. It was a chilling message. Natalie, his two-and-a-half year old daughter, had a tumor on her brain. It would require dangerous surgery. The most worrisome problem was that once a surgeon enters the human brain, it is difficult to know where the tumor stops and where vital brain cells begin. John asked himself, "What if I used the digital pictures taken by doctors of Natalie's brain to create one of my three-dimensional pictures of her tumor? Would it help?" John turned to Dr. Chris Johnson at the University of Utah's Scientific Computing and Imaging Laboratory, and together they created a computer simulation of Natalie's brain and tumor. The day before her operation, Dr. Jack Walker donned 3D glasses to view images in a way never before seen by a neurosurgeon. It was as if he stood inside Natalie Wright's brain. The tumor was removed, Natalie's life was spared, and the beginnings of a new industry with potentially hundreds of jobs for Utah workers was born. I would like to introduce Dr. Chris Johnson and John and Dana Wright. More importantly, I would like you to meet a very brave and beautiful Natalie Wright. We need to expand the reach of these pioneering Utah technologies and products. Shortly after the Olympic Games, we will deploy regular trade missions throughout the world to leverage our Olympic network and attract venture capital. PUBLIC EDUCATION The foundation of our economic strategy is continuous improvement in education. Education is our economic fuel. In a decade of prosperity, we have invested aggressively in public education. The payoff is smaller class sizes, better-paid teachers, classrooms wired for technology and a shift in emphasis to higher expectations, accountability and innovation. This aim-high philosophy accelerates with our specific goal of doubling the number of engineers, computer scientists and technologists entering the job market. The 1,000-Day Plan starts the clock and provides the road map. On Day One, we will announce four-year retention agreements with nearly 400 of our most skilled technology, math and science teachers. We will provide scholarships for 250 more teachers to earn advanced degrees in those subjects. And we will proceed with the enrollment of 225 principals, superintendents and administrators in the T-Plus certification program to help them create schools that are tech-smart. And then we take an even bigger step forward. What I'm proposing is a system of high-tech charter high schools, each named after a Utah scientific entrepreneur, each designed to support one of our economic ecosystems. There will be six of these high-tech high schools, and within 1,000 days the first four will be operational. One will be in Salt Lake City, focusing on biotechnology; another, in Weber County, will concentrate on engineering and medical devices. Utah County will have a school specializing in digital media; and a fourth in Logan will specialize in plant and animal genetics. Once admitted, students will be able to move among the four schools. And their goal will be to earn both a competency-measured high school diploma and an Associate of Science degree while learning technology through work with industry and higher education mentors. By Day 1,000, approximately 1,250 students will be fast tracking their way into careers that will lift our entire economy. These are ambitious goals driven by need and numbers. But solutions don't always come by way of statistics or cost-analysis. Sometimes they come from the heart. 70 |
