Big brain, big heart

Although he humbly attributes most of his accomplishments to persistence rather than brainpower, Dr. Jim Knutson is a soft-spoken, kind man, with a big brain.

After growing up in Minot, ND, Jim earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of North Dakota. When he realized he wasn’t cut out for clinical psychology, he shifted his career focus to Human Factors Engineering, earning his master’s and doctorate degrees at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, GA.

Jim describes Human Factors Engineering as “a marriage between psychology and engineering.”

“We know how people process information, what colors they see, what kinds of things they can do, and how they see motion. That’s the psychology part. And then you’ve got engineering, where you must design something that people use,” Jim said. “Human Factors Engineers make that interaction between humans and machines the best it can be. All my professional life, I’ve strived to design things to be easy to use and safe.”

Early in his career, Jim worked on one of the first graphical ATMs, designing software that allowed users to push buttons on the screen rather than hard metal buttons. He also did some work for the Army on “heads-up displays” for Desert Storm.

“In the night vision goggles, sand dunes look just like the sky, so the helicopter pilots were flying right into them,” Jim said. “We designed ‘heads-up displays’ on the night vision goggles so they could avoid that when flying close to the ground at night.”

Later, at Gateway Computers, his group made computer setup easier by color coding all the ports, and by developing a pictorial setup poster showing how everything went together.

Jim now works for MTS Systems, a leading global supplier of testing and simulation systems used for product design, manufacturing, and research. In simple terms, Jim designs the user interfaces for systems that test cars, medical devices, and other products in the automotive, aerospace, biomedical, energy, and civil engineering industries.

In addition to a big brain, Jim has a big heart.

His heart can be partially attributed to childhood memories of Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch. Jim’s father, Larry Knutson, a long-time Ranch leader, involved him in the kids’ day-to-day activities.

“We moved from East Grand Forks, MN, to Minot, ND, when Dad took the job at the Ranch. I spent a lot of time at the Ranch, riding horses, helping with the honeybees, doing ceramics with the boys, and making things in the shop with Jack Kruckenberg.

Jim’s parents role-modeled a spirit of giving and caring about the world, both at the Ranch and at home.

“It was the little things,” Jim said. “You go to church and give money because that perpetuates the church. They always gave money so people could do wonderful things.”

His parents, Larry and Mickey, also modeled a giving spirit in the careers they chose. They both impacted hundreds of lives through their work—Larry through his work at the Ranch and Mickey as the founder of the Nurse Practitioner and Physician’s Assistant programs at the University of North Dakota.

“I started giving to the Ranch because Dad told me that I should, and it was just a thing I did,” Jim said. “Now I’m more discerning and I give to places that make a large impact on the world. I think our world has gone astray in some areas so I look for places that can bring back some of the goodness. The Ranch does good work in the world, and I appreciate that.”

Jim directs his donations to a scholarship created by his dad, the Knutson Family Scholarship Fund, to help Ranch boys and girls further their post-secondary education. Many former Ranch residents have received significant scholarships that allow them to attend college or trade school.

“When Dad created the fund, it was only available for those seeking a college education,” Jim said. “A few years ago, we opened it up to trade schools, realizing that not everyone needs to go to college. The scholarship fund is a vehicle where we can get kids the training they need so that they can make the world a better place.”

When Jim makes a gift, he submits it to his employer who generously matches it, time three.

“Through their matching program, my employer allows me to give more than I normally could by compounding my donation,” Jim said.

The family legacy of giving continues with Jim’s son, Cole.

“Just like my parents did with me, we started early with Cole. We gave in church and he gave in Sunday School,” Jim said. “When I receive letters from scholarship recipients at the Ranch, and at UND where Mom also has a scholarship endowment in her name, I share the news with him. We talk about the good we are doing through the scholarship funds. I encourage him to give, but don’t push it on him now that he is an adult. It’s not like when he was young, and I could ask him if he put his quarter in the Sunday School offering! Now, Cole is a very empathetic man who makes the world better through multiple service efforts that are important to him.”

Jim drove his dad to Minot last summer to visit the Ranch campus where he spent so many years. Jim said it’s fun to go back and see how the Ranch has evolved over the years.

“I’m just very, very proud to have been a little part of the Ranch throughout its history,” he said.