Tom McCauley

  • Omaha South High School Grads Launch Tech Careers, Land Paid Summer Internships at Union Pacific 

    Omaha South High School Grads Launch Tech Careers, Land Paid Summer Internships at Union Pacific 

    This summer, two recent Omaha South High School graduates, Suraj Poudel and Evelyn Espinoza Macias, will enter highly competitive paid internships at Union Pacific after participating in the AIM Institute’s pilot workforce development program that teaches high school students how to code.  Ashok Fichadia, Assistant Vice President of IT Development for Union Pacific, said the…

  • Developing Leadership When Things Are Not Good

    Developing Leadership When Things Are Not Good

    Originally posted on the AIM Institute blog No one knows how the coronavirus pandemic will evolve, how long the economy will stay underwater, or even what recovery looks like.  But the radical workplace upheaval and sudden ad hoc shift to remote technology over the past month suggest two truths:  We need more tech talent.   We…

  • “At Home in a Crisis Trying to Work”: Cheered on by the Startup Collaborative, Founders Face Grim Future with Hope

    “At Home in a Crisis Trying to Work”: Cheered on by the Startup Collaborative, Founders Face Grim Future with Hope

    Erica Wassinger, Senior Director of Entrepreneurship & Innovation for the Greater Omaha Chamber, exerts considerable energy and influence helping entrepreneurs weather the storms of starting up. Her work as cofounder of The Startup Collaborative often brings her as close to founders as public health guidelines currently allow.  For the past month, she’s been speaking with…

  • 2020 Maha Festival cancelled, will resume in 2021

    2020 Maha Festival cancelled, will resume in 2021

    Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Maha Festival has been cancelled, festival organizers announced today. Originally scheduled for Aug. 5 – 8, the Maha Festival is a “four-day celebration of music and discovery” that attracted 14,500 attendees last year. The event will resume in August 2021. While the cancellation may seem premature, Executive Director…

  • KANEKO: Putting Omaha on the Map

    KANEKO: Putting Omaha on the Map

    Some might not realize it yet, but the arts and culture nonprofit KANEKO has fans all over the world.  “KANEKO puts Omaha on the map,” said Samuel Bertino, KANEKO’s Individual Gifts & Community Engagement Manager.  “It’s a place to come and see new and exciting things that are happening. Whenever we have people come in…

  • Steel Wheels Keep on Turning, Thanks to Union Pacific Innovation

    Steel Wheels Keep on Turning, Thanks to Union Pacific Innovation

    This is a guest post by Union Pacific. Imagine if roadside sensors could warn you before one of your tires suffers a blowout. While that technology is still a fantasy for drivers, Union Pacific Railroad has been using a similar technology to prevent train derailments for years. It comes by way of thousands of strategically…

  • Send in the Clowns: An Experiment Outsourcing to Fiverr

    Send in the Clowns: An Experiment Outsourcing to Fiverr

    Outsourcing used to be a dirty word. To some extent, it still is. That’s probably due to public confusion with offshoring, the migration of company operations to other countries to capitalize on cheaper labor. Offshoring connotes economic devastation: factories closed, jobs lost, communities destroyed. On the other hand, outsourcing—contracting work to a third party—is having…

  • Physicians Mutual and AIM Institute Provide Pathway for Call Center Employees to Become Data Scientists, Web Developers

    Physicians Mutual and AIM Institute Provide Pathway for Call Center Employees to Become Data Scientists, Web Developers

    Last year, Nathan Coberly found himself asking how to get more people into tech. The Physicians Mutual Vice President of Enterprise Architecture and Development was part of a subcommittee of the Nebraska Tech Collaborative trying to develop a strategy for career changers and veterans to pursue IT. Coberly himself had transitioned from the military into…

  • Working to Reduce Cultural Bias in AI, Advocate for Women in STEM: Camille Eddy

    Working to Reduce Cultural Bias in AI, Advocate for Women in STEM: Camille Eddy

    Growing up, Camille Eddy wanted to be an astronaut. She went to space camp, loved Star Trek, and was even mentored by former NASA mission specialist Barbara Morgan. Part of being an astronaut, Eddy discovered, involved developing STEM skills. So, she began programming at age 12, started her own web design business at age 17, and…

  • Leadership Development for Smarties: from Source Code to the Boardroom

    Leadership Development for Smarties: from Source Code to the Boardroom

    A first-rate developer is easy to spot. You can quantify how many languages a person knows, how effectively they work, how much value they offer. Evidence of their talent is tangible, well-documented, and often literally glowing. Good managerial candidates are less noticeable. Someone might be a persuasive presenter of innovative ideas, but lack follow-through. Another…