Tech News and Trends

As the pandemic drags on, the role of remote work, remote learning and even remote socializing grows more important. But can the same benefits of an in-person experience be had online? That’s what an Omaha-based leadership development academy for tech professionals is finding out. Since the pandemic broke out in March, industries have quickly acclimated…
Read MoreLincoln-based software development company Don’t Panic Labs and Doane University have teamed up to turn non-tech employees at sponsor organizations into fully fledged software engineers. The comprehensive initiative, called the Nebraska Dev Lab Pipeline Program, aims to strengthen Nebraska’s tech workforce and grow a larger, more diverse talent pool for employers to choose from when…
Read MoreIt’s fitting that an annual conference for software developers is using technology to continue this year’s event during a global pandemic. The 17th annual AIM Heartland Developers Conference will take place virtually on Sept. 24 via the industry-leading Hop.in conference platform. This year’s breakout tracks include AI, design, container orchestration, IT culture, frameworks, .NET, DevOps…
Read MoreVanessa Kasun is debugging some code, finalizing her presentation for the upcoming Heartland Developers Conference on Sept. 24. The topic? How to build a React app from the ground up. Kasun, an instructor at AIM Code School, will take HDC attendees from installation of the Node.js open-source cross-platform Javascript runtime environment to launching a simple…
Read MoreThis thinkpiece by Noni Williams forms part three of SPN’s three-part series investigating unconscious bias in the hiring process (be sure to read part one and part two). Williams is a Data Analyst at Kiewit with a passion for automation and the use of data to solve complex problems. Here, she analyzes the advantages and…
Read MoreLeave it to technology to solve problems not everyone has noticed yet. Problems some people have gone out of their way not to notice. Problems some people would have noticed if only the problem had been framed differently. On that last point, consider this: a Winthrop University survey from December 2018 found that only 50%…
Read MoreLast year, Silicon Prairie News took a look at racism in tech education and the tech hiring process in a two-part series, “It’s Time.” We’re taking another look at this important issue with a three-part series inspired by the summerlong national reckoning with racism in the U.S. Before landing the role of Happiness Engineer at…
Read MoreRaising an investment round for a startup is never easy. Try doing it during a global pandemic. But it is possible with a combination of bold leadership, committed VCs and a good idea. Just ask Ryan Gerhardy, CEO and co-founder of Des Moines startup Pitchly. Earlier this month, the data-driven productivity platform announced it had…
Read MoreOver $1.6 million in grant funding has been awarded to a project started by researchers at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the University of Missouri. Supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and Mozilla, the Community Health Analytics Open Source Software (CHAOSS) project seeks to ensure a healthy future for open source software. …
Read MoreSometimes a problem is so urgent and complex, you need the whole world working on it. That’s COVID-19. Sometimes you also need the help of a global supercomputer. That’s Folding@home. A distributed computing project powering research into SARS-CoV-2, Folding@home seeks to develop effective, patent-free drugs to treat the deadly coronavirus, which has caused over 732,000…
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