CHICAGO – July 2, 2014 – In the years following the recession, a number of metros have become more competitive, capturing a larger share of the total jobs added in the U.S. because of factors that are unique to their local economies. CareerBuilder and Economic Modeling Specialists Intl. (EMSI) released new research that shows you which metros are getting a bigger piece of the pie and why.

In today’s economy, knowledge in the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) has become incredibly lucrative. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the annual mean wage for a STEM job is $79,395 — nearly 71% higher than the national annual average wage across all occupations and industries. Over the past couple of decades, some cities in the U.S. have become more attractive to STEM graduates for a variety of reasons.

Let’s say you’re an ambitious, creative professional or entrepreneur working in the United States. You’re interested in technology, you have the luxury of mobility, and you want to be close to the center of things. Which city should you choose as your home?

If you’re attracted to a specific sub-field, the answer may be obvious. For finance, advertising, traditional media, or fashion, it’s New York. For government, it’s Washington, DC. For entertainment, it’s Los Angeles.

In this special report, sponsored by higher education software and service provider, Ellucian, Campus Technology outlines the challenges colleges and universities face with payment systems and introduces Ellucian Payment Center by TouchNet, a new payment system designed specifically for higher education institutions that integrates Ellucian’s suite of enterprise resource planning products with a payment system from TouchNet Information Systems.

Image: http://campustechnology.com/ 

“Why the hell isn’t this project done?!”

“I’m going to initiate a chargeback on all the money we’ve paid you for the last year, since you can’t get this done.”

Our customer was angry. He felt we weren’t doing our jobs.

Except for one problem.

I have a new plan for improving my health and fitness: I’m going to sleep on it.

Here's why I’m thinking about putting in some more pillow time—and the technology I plan to use to make it happen.

Image: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

TRENTON, N.J. (July 11, 2014) – In support of the Christie Administration's continuing efforts to grow the State's technology industry, the Board of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA) approved assistance yesterday to support technology companies at every stage of growth.

"We recognize the significant economic potential that our technology industry yields and we remain committed to offering a continuum of support to ensure we are able to help entrepreneurs, startups and established companies," said EDA Chief Executive Officer Michele Brown. "By creating an environment that catalyzes innovation, we will generate new job and investment opportunities and ensure New Jersey remains a destination for the industry."

In response to the demand for technology-focused shared office space in New Jersey, the EDA will publish a solicitation at the end of July seeking a for-profit developer of technology shared space projects to establish a new or expanded facility for entrepreneurs and startup companies. The EDA would provide a $1 million loan to fund acquisition, improvements and/or fixed assets associated with the development of the facility. Fifty-percent of the loan would be forgiven if specific economic development milestones are met. Respondents will be ranked, with each project standing on its individual merits, against scoring criteria in the following categories: economic development; business model; strategic partnerships; and, management.

More than 70 percent of college graduates with a bachelor's degree in science, technology, engineering and mathematics are not employed in those industries. About 74 percent of STEM college graduates hold jobs unrelated to their fields of study, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. And those who are working in STEM fields are predominantly male. Specifically, Census data shows more than 80 percent of engineers and more than 70 percent of computer professionals are men.

Image: Jaclyn Borowski - UMBC on April 28 opened a $1.7 million Science Learning Collaboratory, a 3,000-square-foot multi-use lab where students will learn practical applications for science and technology. UMBC Professor Andrew Miller recently discussed his work at the lab. Maryland's workforce has the highest concentration of STEM-related jobs in the U.S. 

Venture capitalists tend to promise lots of advantages when they court technology entrepreneurs, saying they can offer expert advice and a network of contacts.

But Kent Goldman, a former partner at First Round Capital who left this year to start a new venture capital fund, promises the start-up founders something extra: investment profits.

Image: Kent GoldmanCredit Upside Partnership 

What leaders say is far less important than what they do.  That’s one of the clearest conclusions we drew from a study, in collaboration with HBR, of 19,000 employees around the world, focused on how they experience their lives at work. (You can still take the survey to see how your experience compares to other HBR readers’.)

As we reported last week, companies seeking more sustainable high performance from their employees need to meet four of their core needs: renewal (physical); value (emotional), focus (mental) and meaning and purpose (spiritual).

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The tech luminaries on bundling and unbundling in the digital age.

The most effective entrepreneurs view themselves as assets. They continually invest in themselves and in their future through continuing education and self-improvement.

If you want to become a better entrepreneur and successfully grow your business, dedicate time and energy to improve your daily habits.

Four young Australian entrepreneurs have given their top tips for making it big before the time you're 30.

The business founders spoke at Macleay College entrepreneurship forum in Sydney.

The women included Expert 360 founder Bridget Loudon, The Best Day founder Whitney Komor, OneShift founder Genevieve George, Her Fashion Box founder Kath Purkis.

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It looks like something out of a sci-fi movie, but this glowing mass is actually coral under fluorescent lighting conditions.

Coral fluorescence, produced by special fluorescent proteins, is a relatively poorly understood phenomenon, but researchers think it could help protect the coral from damaging sunlight, or other forms of stress

Image: http://www.livescience.com 

Applying for grant money to conduct scientific research is painstaking, challenging and often disappointing. With limited funds and a difficult economy, the main sources of funding-industry, government and philanthropy-can't dole out bucks for every interesting idea that comes their way.

Image: Some researchers in the U.S. are turning to the public to raise money for scientific research projects when the government and industries cannot offer enough, or any. - (Photo : Kathleen Pryer)   

What's the best place to live if you're a shark? (Hint: It's also a pretty great place to live if you're a human.) The British Virgin Islands. The archipelago recently became the third Caribbean territory to declare its waters a safe haven for sharks. 

The decision to establish a shark sanctuary in the British Virgin Islands was made official on May 22 by cabinet members of the British-controlled territory. The designation prohibits commercial fishing of all shark and ray species throughout the territory's 60 or so islands and islets.

Image: A nurse shark in the waters off the British Virgin Islands. Credit: The Pew Charitable Trusts 

When it comes to the global employment outlook, our latest Job Creation Survey from the EY Global Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, shows that entrepreneurs continue to inject energy into the job market. But another fascinating discovery is that contrary to widely held opinion, technology itself is an engine of job growth as well. Of those respondents who believe technology affected their businesses, a whopping 81% are bullish about its impact as they grow their respective workforces.

AMERICAN citizens are paying 535 people to take care of the legislative needs of the country. We are getting shortchanged. Here’s an example: On June 10, an incumbent congressman in Virginia lost a primary election in which his opponent garnered only 36,105 votes. Immediately, many Washington legislators threw up their hands and declared that this one event would produce paralysis in the United States Congress for at least five months. In particular, they are telling us that immigration reform — long overdue — is now hopeless.

It is very typical to measure mature of startups ecosystems in terms of new startups, growing startups, investors, investments, exits, etc. and it makes sense as cities use these statistics in the best possible way to communicate their economic growth at high level and to attract other relevant people, investors, big companies, more entrepreneurs and other stakeholders.

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At the end of June, St. Louis was proud to host a delegation of international leaders to explore the St. Louis technology ecosystem—particularly how the entrepreneurial community worked together. Sixteen delegates travelled from 9 Eurasian countries with the aid of two Russian interpreters and International Trade Specialist, Becky Long. The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Special American Business Internship Training (SABIT) program hosted the delegates, who wanted a deep dive into entrepreneurship and Intellectual Property Rights, as it pertains to Technology Commercialization.

Image: http://techli.com/