Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 16, 2018)
Page 8A OFF PAGE ONE East Oregonian Thursday, August 16, 2018 TECH: Students in the program have a variety of backgrounds Continued from 1A to have a large number of qualified technicians in the next three to five years,” he said. “I worked with them to develop a curriculum, specif- ically targeted to prepare stu- dents for employment.” The majority of students, he said, come from East Morrow and West Umatilla counties. “Most of our grads are employed at data centers, and most are employed locally,” he said. Though he said he didn’t have exact numbers for how many students go on to get jobs at local data cen- ters, he said 42 or 43 students of the 60 that have completed the program so far have got- ten data center jobs — both locally and elsewhere. He said many students’ first jobs out of the program can include internships or tempo- rary contracts, not necessar- ily full-time jobs. Amazon financial support On Wednesday, BMCC announced that Amazon Web Services was putting $50,000 toward scholarships for stu- dents currently in the data center technician program. Thirteen students applied for and will receive scholarships. Hernberg said he was pleased with the funds. “I know some specific situations where it’s really made the difference between students being able to go to school or not go to school,” he said. On Wednesday afternoon in the data center technician lab, students tried to figure out a problem: how do they make two computers talk to each other? They worked on a simple static routing exer- cise, setting up two subnet- works and one router that connects them. One group of students ran into a problem when they found out one of the switches wasn’t communicating with one of the computers. Her- nberg encouraged them to troubleshoot by connecting different cables to different ports, and trying to isolate where the problem was. Solving those types of problem is one of the road- blocks students will have to deal with in a job as a data center technician. “It’s dealing with cus- tomer data, repairing servers and switches,” Davis said. “Making sure everything is upstreaming so there’s no down time, so customers aren’t losing access to their stuff, or credit card informa- tion to hackers.” Student backgrounds Students in the pro- gram have a variety of backgrounds. “I’ve always been inter- ested in computers,” said Jonathan Macias, a Herm- iston resident. “When I got older, I started building them.” When he heard Amazon was opening data centers, he thought it was a good fit for him, and an opportunity to do IT work. “Even if you don’t want to start working with the com- pany, what you learn here can be applied to any com- pany,” he said. But most of the people in the program are interested in staying nearby. “With Amazon build- ing, and all the opportuni- ties here, there’s no reason to move that far away,” said Shayla Preston. Preston works 30 hours a week as a medical assis- tant at Good Shepherd Med- ical Center and had no back- ground in computers when she started the program. She said she was drawn to the profession because of the pay and the independent nature of the work. Mandy Tobin, a Board- man resident, said the pro- gram has been a good service for the region. “I feel it’s really helped the community learn more advanced skills,” she said. “The program is very hands-on, and caters to (people) whether they’re advanced in IT or have no IT background whatsoever.” Tobin said she’s long been fascinated by technology, and has already completed her Computing Technology Industry Association A+ cer- tification, for entry-level IT jobs. She said she hopes to see more women join the pro- gram, and that people can be successful in it, regardless of their previous education. “Just because you might not know about computers, you can know about comput- ers,” she said. FLAGGER: 12 fatalities in a week ROCK: 80-some kids are part of camp Continued from 1A Continued from 1A and second-degree criminal mischief, both mis- demeanors. Milton-Freewater police arrested Bledsoe last July for second-degree assault, menacing, reckless endangering, harassment and second-degree disorderly conduct. District Attorney Dan Primus said his office is checking Bledsoe’s criminal history. That can show whether an individual has a pattern of DUII cases, for example, and helps establish criteria for releasing someone from jail. State court records show a Leman Louis Bledsoe with a birth year of 1941 served five years probation for a 1987 conviction for attempted murder in Multnomah County. Pri- mus said he could not confirm if that case and the manslaughter case involve the same defen- dant, but this is the kind of information his office works to verify. Monaghan’s death marks the 12th fatality on Eastern Oregon state roads in the span of a week: • Holden Martin, 19, of Northport, Wash- ington, died in Wednesday, Aug. 8, on High- way 201 in Ontario in a multi-vehicle crash involving a large farm implement. • Victor Dunkelberger, 33, of Rocklin, Cal- ifornia, died Saturday in a head-on crash on Highway 95 in Malheur County. • Mitildit Lako, 36, of Elmwood Park, Illi- nois, died Sunday evening on Interstate 84 one mile from Baker City. He was the passen- ger in a van that stopped or was going slow in the right lane when a semi-trailer rammed it. one up for the first time. For the counsel- ors who teach them, the camp is a chance to influence young musicians and leave feel- ing reinvigorated. “You have to be a very different person to not be incredibly inspired,” Schulberg said of the camp. Schulberg is stepping into his first year as director, but he says he’s attended every day of the camp for the past 13 years. He started out as a student when he was 13 years old, and then graduated to junior counselor around 17. Now he’s running the show. This year there are 19 full-time coun- selors who guide the 80-some kids as they navigate the world of musical instruments. They come from Portland, New Mexico, or right here in Pendleton. No matter where they’re from, many of them come for the same reason: to inspire and be inspired. Gus Epstein, a camp counselor and a 26-year-old drummer from Portland, says the camp is similar to his other job, which he called “coffee school,” a crash course in how to make espresso drinks for adults who want to open their own cafés. “Whether they are 15 or 40, it’s a similar feeling of being excited to learn something for the first time,” he said. According to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the musical genre originated in the late 1940s and early 1950s. But with influ- ences from rhythm and blues, jazz, gospel, Photo contributed by Oregon State Police A flagger died Tuesday night on High- way 11 near Athena when she was struck by a vehicle. Lako was not wearing a seatbelt and the impact ejected him from the van. He died at the scene. • Eight people — including five children — died Monday morning in a head-on crash on Highway 78 in Harney County. (See related story, Page A3.) Strandberg with ODOT said he could not remember when so many deaths occurred in such a short time on state roads. Data from ODOT’s Crash Analysis and Reporting Unit shows the following figures for fatal crashes statewide: 305 in 2012; 292 in 2013; 321 in 2014; 410 in 2015; and 448 in 2016, the last year the state has available information. The number of people who died from those crashes also increased, from 312 dead in 2013 to 498 in 2016. Strandberg reminded drivers to stay vigilant and alert, don’t drive distracted and to take pre- cautions, such as pulling over to rest. folk and bluegrass, it’s contested as to what actually qualifies as “rock ’n’ roll.” The uncertainty can be liberating. “There is a sense of freedom you get with rock music that’s different from tra- ditional piano or guitar lessons,” Epstein said. “There’s really no wrong way to play music, and once (the kids) realize that it’s more fun.” Schulberg said the camp tries to instill a “rock & roll ethos with a healthy dose of respect for others.” He said that even though some people may be quick to think of chaos and destruc- tion when they think of rock ’n’ roll, the genre is more about freedom of expression. Freedom to play, freedom to learn some- thing new, freedom to be unimpeded by limitations — it’s a lesson that counselor Dustin Hamman teaches to the kids, and then he remembers it applies to his own life as well. “You teach the kids they can do whatever they want and by the end of the week I end up believing that about myself,” he said. Sam Pinkerton agreed, but also rec- ognized that the camp is during a time of growth and change for these teens. The 26-year-old lives in Portland and plays the keyboard in a band called Prolly Knot. “High school and middle school is when I started playing music, and it’s such a cru- cial development time,” she said. “It’s cool to be able to give them ideas about what they can do.” FIELD TEST Candidates Wanted URGENT NOTICE: You may be qualified to participate in a special Field Test of new hearing instrument technology being held at a local test site. An industry leader in digital hearing devices is sponsoring a product field test in your area next week and they have asked us to select up to 15 qualified candidates to participate. They are interested in determining the benefits of GENIUS™ 3.0 Technology in eliminating the difficulty hearing aid users experience in difficult environments, such as those with background noise or multiple talkers. Candidates in other test areas have reported very positive feedback so far. We are looking for additional candidates in Pendleton and the surrounding areas. Dates: August 15th - 17th Product Test Site: Hermiston 955 SE 4th St. Ste. B, Hermiston, OR 97838. 541-716-5092 Pendleton 125 SE Court Ave. Ste. #6., Pendleton, OR 97801 541-224-8661 In an effort to accurately demonstrate the incredible performance of these devices, specially trained representatives will be conducting testing and demonstrations during this special event. In addition to an audiometric hearing evaluation, candidates will receive a fiber-optic otoscope exam, a painless procedure that could reveal common hearing problems such as excessive wax or damage to the eardrum, as well as other common cause of hearing deficiencies. Qualified Field Test Candidates: • Live in Pendleton or the surrounding area • Are at least 55 years of age or older • Have experienced some level of hearing difficulty, or currently wear hearing aids • Don’t currently work for a market research company We have a limited supply of the GENIUS™ 3.0 test product currently on hand and ready for testing. We have also been authorized to offer significant discounts if you decide to take the hearing instruments home. If you choose not to keep them, there’s no risk or obligation of any kind.† TO PARTICIPATE: 1. You must be one of the first 15 people to call our office Mention Code: 18AugField. 2. You will be required to have your hearing tested in our office, FREE OF CHARGE, to determine candidacy. 3. Report your results with the hearing instruments to the Hearing Care Specialist over a three week test period. FIELD TEST PARTICIPANTS Will be tested and selected same-day. Qualified candidates will be selected on a first-come, first-served basis so please call us TODAY to secure your spot in the Product Field Test. Participants who qualify and complete the product test will receive a FREE $100 Restaurant.com Gift Card* as a token of our thanks. AVOID WAITING – CALL AND MENTION CODE: 18AugField *One per household. Must be 55 or older and bring loved one for familiar voice test. Must complete a hearing test. Not valid with prior test/purchase in last 6 months. While supplies last. Free gift card may be used toward the purchase of food at participating restaurants where a minimum purchase may also be required. See restaurant.com for details. Not redeemable for cash. Promotional offer available during special event dates only. †If you are not completely satisfied, the aids may be returned for a full refund within 30 days of the completion of fitting, in satisfactory condition. See store for details.
