One Heck of a student. University of Idaho working to bring computer science degree to Coeur d'Alene center this fall
Samantha Heck is a dream student for the University of Idaho. With a drive to succeed and off the charts intelligence, the college freshman is already working as an intern for one of the largest employers in the region.
“Samantha is a rock star,” said Paul Amador, Director of Program Development at the University of Idaho, Coeur d'Alene. “She was in our high school intern program working for Kootenai Health. They liked her so much they asked her to stay on. She was accepted to MIT, but she elected to go to the University of Idaho.”
Heck, a Post Falls High School graduate, downplays her decision to go to the University of Idaho instead of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, an elite research university in Cambridge, Mass.
“It was a complicated decision for me,” she said. “If I had gone to MIT, I would have had huge debt and MIT would have been my whole life. The U of I had everything I wanted and it was close enough to home.”
Heck works remotely and helps Kootenai Health with its wired and wireless networks.
“During my breaks, I get to spend time on the Kootenai Health main campus,” she said. “It’s been a great experience.”
Heck said she would have loved it if the U of I had offered a computer science degree in Coeur d’Alene.
“It would have been a really big deal for me if I could I have stayed at home and saved money,” she said. “I know other kids who would like to do the same.”
That’s why the University of Idaho is moving closer to offering a bachelor's degree in Coeur d’Alene this fall.
“We’re taking a multi-pronged approach to bring computer sciences, computer technology and innovation here,” said Amador. “We will be rolling out upper division computer science courses in the fall. We’re working on certificate programs as well. I view this as if we were building a freeway with lots of on and off ramps.”
The University of Idaho is helping lead the charge to provide a trained workforce as technology sector jobs continue to grow.
Jason Hart, who graduated from the University of Idaho with an electrical engineering degree, works for tech giant Oracle from his Hayden home. Hart believes the region has great potential for technology careers, but he cautions people from thinking North Idaho will be the next Silicon Valley.
“They are looking for a skilled workforce to pull from and we don’t have the employee base to support that on a large scale yet,” he said. “Silicon Valley was a unique occurrence. It got a lot of publicity and was similar to a gold rush in many ways. Not every place is going to be like that.”
Kootenai County has an estimated 1,700 people employed in technology sectors and the Idaho Department of Labor has identified technology as a core sector for future growth in this region.
“We’re excited about this because our technology companies provide higher wages than many of our standard industries like traditional manufacturing and services,” said Samuel Wolkenhauer, regional economist with the Department of Labor. “We project continued strong growth in the technology sector in North Idaho.”
The University of Idaho is offering intensive training for industry certification in cyber security thanks to a grant from the Department of Labor.
“It’s funded for up to three years and aimed at providing more capacity and training throughout the entire state,” said Charles Buck, who manages the University’s facilities in Coeur d’Alene, Post Falls, and Sandpoint. “We’ve had our sights on upper division university training in North Idaho for several years. We just got started with our first introductory computer science course this fall. It’s available at our Harbor Center site and for dual credit for high school students in Sandpoint.”
University of Idaho hopes to build a local bachelor's degree program with upper division classes beginning in the fall of 2016 and to provide more advanced training as needed. In addition, the university is working with local school districts to cultivate future students. It now offers computer coding camps for middle school girls and training for high school teachers during the summer.
“There is some crossover between the girls’ camp and the teacher training, which is a neat opportunity,” said Amador. “Our interns are being placed out in the community working for technology-related businesses. We also run a workforce developmental training program around cyber security for businesses. There is so much going on. It’s an exciting time for the University of Idaho.”
--Written by Marc Stewart
Marc Stewart is Director of Sponsored Content for the Coeur d’Alene Press. He can be reached at mstewart@cdapress.com or 208-664-8176, ext. 2011.