KEYS TO FINDING A GOOD PRESCHOOL PROGRAM
Selecting a good preschool or daycare facility can be a daunting task, but Linda Duerr, director of the Child Development Laboratory , says the elements of a good early childhood curriculum should be present in any program for children, whether it is all day childcare or a partial-day preschool. She says parents should look for a setting where they feel comfortable, trust the teacher and are aware of the guiding philosophy of the program. They should also look for teachers who have experience and education in early childhood education and development as they are more apt to provide the rich and stimulating environment appropriate for preschool children. The curriculum should not be watered down Kindergarten. A developmentally appropriate curriculum focuses on all areas of the developing child — social, emotional, cognitive, and motor. "The curriculum should be play-based and provide a balance of child-initiated creative play with more structured activities. The environment should be child friendly and accessible to the child, with appropriate materials to support growth and learning in all areas," says Duerr. Parents should also expect a childcare facility to be state licensed. Many preschool programs also have accreditation, a Department of Education license or are Montessori Certified. Duerr recommends obtaining a list of licensed programs for young children from your local licensing agency. For more on this story by Steve Infanti, go to http://www.psu.edu/ur/2000/highqualitypreschool.html
PRIME PUTS FOCUS ON MANUFACTURING
The manufacturing landscape looks brighter for industry, education and students in southwestern Pennsylvania with some $3.3 million targeted to a coalition of colleges and universities to create the PRIME Coalition (Partnership for Regional Innovation in Manufacturing Education), the nation’s most comprehensive approach to manufacturing education. The PRIME Coalition is made up of Robert Morris College, Penn State New Kensington and the Community Colleges of Allegheny County, Butler County and Westmoreland County. The grant is made possible through a collaboration of two foundations, the Society of Manufacturing Engineers Education Foundation (SME-EF) and The Heinz Endowments. The goal is to provide seamlessly articulated, industry-driven education offering seven new manufacturing degree programs for the eight-county region that would not have been possible without this collaboration. The funding was made possible by $500,000 from the SME-EF, $2,248,000 from colleges and universities, and $577,000 from industry partners. For more on this story by Pat Winter, go to http://www.nk.psu.edu/news/news14.html
CALL CENTER CONTINUES ELECTRONIC EVOLUTION
The Penn State Call Center -- 814-865-4700 -- handles well over a half-million requests for directory assistance annually as well as requests for all types of general University information. It also schedules the use of interactive video and other call management services. To upgrade these services, the Call Center has recently replaced the 15-year-old electronic consoles and paper directories with an integrated console and directory system. It provides access to more timely and accurate faculty, staff, and student listing -- an updated copy of the directory is downloaded from official University records every day. The new technology also enables phone listings to be searched in previously unavailable ways. To maintain the high degree of reliability found in its manual predecessor, the new computer-based system has been equipped with a backup, fail-safe mechanism that enables continuation of Call Center functions in the event of a power outage or computer malfunctions. For information about Call Center services and directory listings go to http://www.otc.psu.edu/services/staff/callcenter.asp
ENGINEERING CREATES NEW DEPARTMENT OF BIOENGINEERING
Engineering Dean David Wormley announced the creation of a new Department of Bioengineering and a new M.S. degree program. The department will enable undergraduates to study at the crossroads of the life sciences and engineering through bioengineering, Wormley said. Until now, bioengineering has only been available as a graduate-level program. Herbert Lipowsky, head of the department, said the first undergraduates will be admitted in Fall 2001. Students will be required to take a core of common engineering and life science courses, complemented by a concentration in one of four traditional engineering areas. They will also take one of four specialized options:
-- Electrical Engineering, focuses on the design and development of medical devices, signal processing, and medical imaging;
-- Chemical Engineering; concentrats on transport in physiological systems, drug delivery, and development of engineered tissues;
-- Mechanical Engineering, focuses on the mechanics of the human body in health and disease and applications to medical devices and orthopedics; and
-- Materials Science, concentrats on bio-materials that interact with living tissues at the cellular level and tailored to affect tissues in a prescribed manner.
For more on the department go to http://bioeng.psu.edu. For a longer version of this story by Curtis Chan, go to http://www.engr.psu.edu/news
LIONS AT 29TH ANNUAL BIG TEN KICKOFF LUNCHEON
Coach Joe Paterno, defensive end Justin Kurpeikis and tackle Kareem McKenzie will represent Penn State at the 29th Annual Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon Festivities in Chicago July 26-27. Activities will be held at the Chicago Sheraton & Towers as the Big Ten prepares for its 104th season of football competition. The Kickoff festivities will include news conferences with every Big Ten head coach and two players from each squad. Interviews with print and electronic media will take place on Wednesday and Thursday. The Kickoff Luncheon is Thursday afternoon, with ESPN's Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit serving as co-emcees. Starting his 35th season as head coach, Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions are entering their eighth season of Big Ten competition. Penn State has compiled the conference's best overall record with a 70-16 (81.4) record since 1993. The Lions have earned a 41-15 Big Ten mark, second only to Ohio State's 42-13-1 record. For more sports news, go to http://www.GoPSUsports.com/home/