Boise State University

Preparing students for in-demand semiconductor jobs ⚙️🦾👩🏻‍💻

Boise State will lead the Pacific Intermountain Network for Education in Semiconductors, a regional node of the National Network for Microelectronics Education (NNME). The NNME Pacific Intermountain node will bring together universities, community colleges, K-12 schools, corporations and government organizations to build a semiconductor talent pipeline across Idaho, Montana, Washington, Oregon, California, Colorado, Utah, Nevada and Hawaiʻi.

The region is home to major industry players like Micron Technology and is poised for significant growth.

The Boise State College of Engineering celebrated this announcement yesterday with speeches from Idaho Governor Brad Little, National Science Foundation Acting Director Brian Stone, and key stakeholders.

We would like to acknowledge the partners who made this possible, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), the U.S. Department of Commerce, the SEMI Foundation, Micron Technology and Idaho Technology Council.



Learn more: https://www.boisestate.edu/news/2026/06/04/boise-state-selected-to-lead-pacific-intermountain-semiconductor-workforce-network/

Wait…what happens to all of the poodle skirts, leather jackets and “Beauty-School Dropout” ensembles now that the production of Grease is over?

According to Theatre Arts Professor Darrin Pufall Purdy, costumes are first thoroughly cleaned, then organized into specific categories (by garment type or historical period) to be used in future productions. Costume designers will sometimes dye or alter old costumes to fit a new show.

In some cases, entire costume collections are preserved as complete shows. This is especially valuable for productions that will be revisited or that are frequently requested for community rentals — like “The SpongeBob Musical” and “The Sound of Music.”

Occasionally, Boise State’s costume workshop also hosts costume sales, allowing community members to buy a piece of theater history.

Learn more about Boise State’s costume collection: https://www.boisestate.edu/news/2026/04/23/questions-by-kids-what-happens-to-the-costumes-after-the-performance-is-over/

The Bronco is out of the bag. Congratulations to our spring 2026 graduating Busters! 💙🧡

Kennedy Morton (BA, elementary education, 2026) always got a big smile on her face when, while inside the Buster Bronco suit, she got to interact with a real-life friend. “I just felt like, okay, I know something you don’t,” she said. “You’ll know eventually, but this is really funny right now.”

For most school mascots, this tends to be the case: students in the suit must keep their identity hidden in order to preserve the illusion that the mascot is its own living entity. But upon graduation, mascots retire, and the cat — or the Bronco — is out of the bag.

Boise State had five Busters graduate in spring 2026: Isaac Celedon, Wyatt Flick, Madeline Makowski, Kennedy Morton and Alex Snow. We caught up with four of these Busters to learn more about the students behind the mask: https://www.boisestate.edu/news/2026/05/26/the-secrets-out-meet-the-graduating-busters/

"Salute" is a 2008 art installation by Seattle-based artist Kay Kirkpatrick, located on the east side of the Student Union Building. The sculpture honors the contributions and sacrifices of veterans in our community.

This Memorial Day, Boise State University remembers and honors the brave men and women who gave their lives in service to our country and our freedom.

Congratulations to two outstanding Boise State employees who won the 2026 ROSE (Recognition of Service Excellence) Award! 🌹

Denise Neilsen, Bronco Shuttle driver:

Denise Neilsen started as a shuttle driver when her daughter, then a graduate student at Boise State, suggested she’d be a perfect fit for the role. Now, Neilsen is a widely-known friendly face on campus.

She said she loves her job because she gets to meet people from all walks of life.

“At Boise State, you have the young group, but you also have older people, you have people that are from the military and came back to get a degree, you have people that wanted to change careers,” Nielsen said. “You get regular riders, and you get to hear their stories.”

Paige Thomas, ticket operations supervisor for the Morrison Center:

Paige Thomas handles 90% of in-person box office operations and frequently goes above and beyond to assist patrons. Thomas has worked in her role for almost five years, but she’s loved the Morrison Center for far longer.

“I grew up in Boise, and I remember coming to shows when I was little, and walking through the doors [of the Morrison Center],” she said. “It's a spectacular lobby right by the Greenbelt and the river. I remember just being impressed by the space and all the performances.”

Thomas now sits right next to the doors that she first entered through as a child. “Being a part of that in such a full circle loop is so incredible,” she said.

Food and dairy are a huge part of Idaho’s economy, contributing around $3 billion every year. When it needs cutting-edge innovations, this industry turns to Boise State scientists for research expertise, including environmental science major Josue Duran.

Duran, who graduated earlier this month, worked in the lab of chemistry professor Owen McDougal as part of the Food and Dairy Innovation Center, a campus research institution that partners with regional food and dairy businesses. There, he led his own project with funding from an Undergraduate Research and Mentoring Institute scholarship and the School of the Environment Director’s Award.

As part of his project, Duran received partially-treated wastewater from the Chobani plant in Twin Falls — the largest Greek yogurt facility in the U.S. This product is packed with biomass. Rather than sending that to a lagoon where it could decompose, releasing greenhouse gases and creating foul odors that impact local communities, Duran broke it down into usable components, including biocrude oil that could be used as fuel.

Read more about Duran and the Food and Dairy Innovation Center: https://www.boisestate.edu/news/2026/04/28/environmental-science-student-works-on-innovative-wastewater-solutions-for-idaho-dairy-industry/

It’s the 90s. You just printed out your essay on the way to office hours. You hear “Achy Breaky Heart” by Billy Ray Cyrus playing from the dorms in the distance. Your Nokia 3310 falls out of your cargo shorts but survives without a scratch. Life is good.

Photos from the 1990s courtesy of Special Collections and Archives.