Motive Power would like to strike up a relationship with local colleges. The Boise locomotive manufacturer wants to meet some engineering students. It wants to pose problems to the school’s faculty and students and hear their ideas for solutions. It would like research that could help the company.
There could be research “to help us (in a way) we may not even know exists,” said Eddie Von Hout, an engineering manager at Motive Power’s Southeast Boise plant.
The disconnect between Idaho colleges and businesses was a recurring theme Wednesday as college presidents, state agencies, economic developers and a few businesses met to consider how the state’s eight public universities and colleges could do more to pump up the state’s economy as it recovers from recession.