AVOID HOMESTEADING ANIMALS WITH A CHIMNEY CAP
Springtime is nesting time for many species of wildlife, and an expert in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences says a simple addition to your home can keep those inquisitive creatures outside where they belong. At this time of the year and throughout the year, we find bats, chimney swifts, raccoons and squirrels getting into our chimneys, explains Gary San Julian, professor of wildlife resources and extension wildlife specialist in the School of Forest Resources. He notes that caps, which are wire mesh devices that can be installed by chimney cleaners, keep large pieces of debris from escaping the chimney when the fireplace is in use. It's a very cheap insurance policy when you consider the damage animals can do. It's also good for them. You won't have animals getting in there and possibly dying, causing odors and health hazards. You won't have to have your chimney cleaned of fecal matter and nesting materials. For the full story, visit http://aginfo.psu.edu/News/default.html.
ALLENTOWN NATIVE WINS ARCHITECTURE COMPETITION
Brian P. Melcher of Allentown, a 2001 graduate of Penn State with a bachelor's degree in architecture, recently tied for first place in the John H. Stewardson Memorial Competition in Architecture. The statewide competition included senior-year students from Penn State, Carnegie Mellon University, Drexel University, the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia University and Temple University. The students were asked to design a contemporary art museum to be located in Pittsburgh, on a site diagonal to the Andy Warhol Museum. Penn State was well represented at the competition, with Jason Cole, Richard Danicic and Andrew Lefkowitz receiving honorable mentions. Winners receive a travel stipend to allow for study abroad. After traveling this summer, Melcher plans to work for a design firm in New York City. For the full story, visit http://www.artsandarchitecture.psu.edu/news/news.html.
STUDENTS DESIGN CENTRAL PA HUMANE SOCIETY WEB SITE
Homeless cats and dogs in the Altoona area may now have a greater chance of being adopted, thanks to a new Web site designed by Penn State Altoona campus students. Students enrolled in the campus's summer Computer Skills for Business Professionals class researched, programmed and designed a site for the Central Pennsylvania Humane Society that can be used to search for animals currently available for adoption at the shelter. The site also provides information about adoption policies, events sponsored by the shelter, directions and ways to make donations to the non-profit organization. By creating the site, the students were able to learn skills that will benefit them in their future careers, as well as provide a valuable service to a community organization, says Alex Chen, assistant professor of business administration and instructor of the course. The site is located at http://www.altoona.net/cphs. For the full story, visit http://www.aa.psu.edu/ur/releases/.
IST LECTURER IS NEW HEALTHCARE JOURNAL EDITOR
Richard Lang, lecturer in information sciences and technology at Penn State Abington, has been named editor of the Journal of Healthcare Information Management, the only journal specifically tailored for healthcare information and management systems professionals. Each issue examines the implications of a specific topic, such as scheduling, community health information networks and total quality management in the areas of clinical systems, information systems, management engineering and telecommunications in health care organizations. Lang is also a member of the Healthcare Information Management Executives and Healthcare Information Management Systems Society. For the full story, visit http://www.abington.psu.edu/Info/news.htm.