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Friday, June 1, 2007

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Total Clips: 5

	Date	Outlet
Grants give young engineers a leg up: 16 high schools aim to relieve shortage	06/01/2007	Birmingham News
Expect more honey fungus	06/01/2007	Press-Register
How it Breaks Down	06/01/2007	Birmingham News
Alabama Legislature approves record school construction bond issue	05/31/2007	TimesDaily
Team Oshkosh develops TerraMax UGV for DARPA Urban Challenge, focuses on military applications	05/31/2007	Military & Aerospace Electronics


Grants give young engineers a leg up: 16 high schools aim to relieve shortage 06/01/2007 Birmingham News Ellaby, Liz		Return to Top
This initiative is organized and funded by the state Department of Education, Auburn University and the University of Alabama System. About two dozen Gardendale High School sophomores in August will begin a new course that allows them to peer into the mathematical concepts that power their iPods and digital cameras. At the same time, they will be helping test a new program designed to better prepare students for careers in engineering. Gardendale is one of 16 high schools across the state notified this week that they have been awarded grants to launch engineering academies next school year and help Alabama prepare for an expected national shortage of engineers. The idea is to prepare students for the rigors of college-level physics and math and to address a nearly 50 percent dropout rate among students in state engineering schools, said Jorge Aunon, dean of engineering at the University of Alabama in Huntsville and a spokesman for the new Alabama Engineering Academy Initiative. As a side benefit, the academies should help students decide early if they really want an engineering career, Aunon said. "If a student says, 'That's not for me,' I say, 'Great,'" Aunon said. "I'd rather know that now than in college." The new initiative, organized and equally funded by the state Department of Education, the University of Alabama System and Auburn University, is using a curriculum developed by The Infinity Project, a company affiliated with Texas Instruments. "The beauty of the curriculum is that students can see how math concepts are at work behind the technology they find in their own backpacks," said Diana Rey, director of academic relations for The Infinity Project. "It shows how math and science are relevant to technology, and what exactly engineers do." $6,500 for Gardendale: The $81,193 in grants for the 16 schools this yearwill pay for curriculum, textbooks, software and faculty training. The course can be used alone or, in Gardendale's case, be incorporated into a four-year program. Gardendale Principal Anna Vacca said she was already considering options for a school-based engineering academy when she received the state grant application this year. The school won $6,500 for the coming school year and $3,500 for 2008-09, she said. Schools were chosen based on their readiness to implement the program. Each school was required to commit at least two teachers for training and have a minimum of 13 students enrolled in calculus. Aunon said he hoped each new academy could one day be paired with a sponsoring industry and one of the state's seven engineering colleges. Officials originally planned to fashion an academy model based on programs up and running at 20 or so other public high schools, but Aunon said he suggested moving faster by using a proven national curriculum instead. Also, where most existing academies are built one course at a time beginning in ninth grade, he is urging schools to begin in 12th grade and work backward for quicker results. However, the state isn't imposing a uniform model, he said. Making math real: At Gardendale High, Vacca said starting in 12th grade wasn't an option. "We applied because we saw a need for kids to tie high-level math and science to something real," she said. "We just felt like we had to build an interest to take higher levels of math and science first." Gardendale will use The Infinity Project's introductory engineering course for sophomores next year. A more advanced course will be added the following year for juniors, with a plan to be fully operational in four years. That means Gardendale High students now will have a choice of applying to two engineering academies. A four-year pre-engineering academy is already available to applicants across the Jefferson County system on the campus of Shades Valley High School, said Beverly Lavender, director of career technical education for the system. This year, the system accepted 42 of 73 applicants for the freshman class. Lavender said she forwarded the new academy application to Gardendale because there was already interest and commitment. Aunon said the original goal was to launch seven new academies in the state, but he recommended giving money to all 16 that asked. E-mail: eellaby@bhamnews.com
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Expect more honey fungus 06/01/2007 Press-Register Gardening Columnist Bill Finch		Return to Top
Q: I had to cut down several large water oaks after the hurricanes. A disease specialist told me they all died of a fungus that sounds kind of like "amarillo." Now some of my roses are dying, too. You ought to tell folks what to do about this thing. It's serious. A: Because of the many trees recently damaged by hurricanes, Auburn University disease specialist John Olive believes we're going to be seeing a lot more mushroom root rot -- officially known as armillaria root rot, and fondly called honey fungus -- along the Gulf Coast. And for those who have it, it won't be a pleasant thing. Honey fungus can attack a wide variety of woody plants, and many of the plants that are attacked will die. It's dangerous to start talking about ailments like honey fungus because suddenly everybody comes down with the symptoms and starts scratching. So hold on: Chances are good that most homeowners will never have to deal with this damaging fungus, which almost always gains a foothold on large hardwood trees that have died or been cut down. There's no need to panic just because there are mushrooms near an old stump: Most of the mushrooms in our yards -- such as the conscpicuous stinkhorns familiarly known as stinky squids -- won't harm living plants. They're merely turning dead wood into good topsoil. But honey fungus may not be content just to break down the roots of dead trees. Under the right conditions, it can spread its tentancles into nearby living roots. The disease typically spreads hit or miss -- one plant may show symptoms, while five other seemingly identical plants are unaffected. But the plants severely infected usually don't recover. Mostly, honey fungus works unseen below ground, so you'll never know plants are infected until they are very near death. But like most fungi, it will, once it's fat and happy and has already done its damage, eventually produce above-ground mushrooms. These mushrooms are usually golden brown in color. Once you've seen them, you can be sure the fungus is already well advanced. Unfortunately, there's little, if anything, that you can do to stop the fungus once it has developed. Some wise guy might suggest you should get rid of all the dead wood in the ground. Ho-ho-ho. Even if you grind and remove the entire stump, there are miles of woody roots spreading out from the stump that you'll never be able to remove -- and it's the roots that are the primary source of infection. Olive says there are no fungicides that are effective. The most effective preventative may be to keep your plants as healthy as possible. No, that doesn't mean you should go out and drench your plants with fertilizer and irrigation, which could actually accelerate the disease. A healthy plant is one that's in deep, well-drained topsoil, that's neither underwatered nor overwatered, whose roots get water when they need it, but dry out between waterings. Healthy plants don't have to compete with grass or weeds, and are comfortably protected by a mulch. While virtually all woody shrubs can, under just the right condtions, succumb to armillaria root rots, I suspect some species of plants will be more prone to debilitating infections. Root rots in general are rare on longer-lived oaks such as white oaks and live oaks, but very common on shorter-lived oaks like water oak and laurel oak. I suspect that's because live oaks have a far more aggressive immune system than water oaks, and are therefore able to wall off and isolate the fungus before it spreads through the tree. Likewise, I'd bet that plants such as as peach trees, dogwoods and kurume azaleas -- which are prone to a variety of diseases and rots -- are going to fall prey to armillaria more readily than generally disease-resistant plants such as Formosa azaleas. The good news is that the armillaria won't be a persistent problem. Once it has chewed through most of the dead wood in your yard, it will rapidly decline, and the chances of it infecting living plants will decline appreciably. Q: Folks say there's a coyote in our neighborhood in midtown Mobile, and it's killing our neighborhood cats and dogs. I say that's patently absurd -- there's no way a wild animal that big can survive in a densely populated city. What do you think? A: Yes, Virginia, there really are coyotes, and they visit neighborhoods -- all types of neighborhoods -- all around the Eastern United States. Since there are records of coyotes on Manhattan Island, it's no stretch of the imagination to place a few in downtown and midtown Mobile. And not just one coyote. I'd bet that coyotes move in and out of Mobile all the time. I witnessed a coyote trying to run off with a cat late one night in a neighborhood not too far from downtown Mobile. I'm quite sure there are coyotes operating in virtually all the Eastern Shore cities. Coyotes, like Norwegian rats and pigeons and fire ants and a wide assortment of garden weeds, are now firmly entrenched in the human ecosystem, and wherever we create an environment designed to be primarily useful for people, we're likely also creating a cushy habitat for coyotes. Coyotes have famously broad appetites, and urban and suburban areas offer a high-protein feast: garbage, rats, mice, cats, dogs, opossums. There are plenty of creek banks, weedy lots and dense hedges for them to sneak in and out of. Since the coyotes are quite accustomed to human antics, I doubt you'd ever have the opportunity to capture or kill one. They also have a fairly broad circuit and reproduce even faster in response to stress, so killing one (or two or three) won't eliminate them from your neighborhood. Coyotes may kill domestic dogs, particularly small ones, but strangely enough, there's plenty of evidence that they've been interbreeding with them, producing coyote-dog hybrids that may be even more desposed to take advantage of residential neighborhoods. Honestly, though, the packs of regular ol' dogs left to roam neighborhoods at night are probably far more of a nuisance, and far more dangerous. Q: My four-foot sago palm has had a baby fairly close by and the baby fronds are beginning to open. Can I transplant the deserving young one without doing damage to the proud momma? A: Yes, it is possible to separate and transplant a young sago palm. I've done it before. But since the baby is not really a separate plant -- it's essentially a branch off the main trunk -- removing it may require minor surgery. You'll need to "shave" the baby off the trunk of the main sago, where mother and daughter are closely attached below ground. You'll also want to make sure both momma and baby are big enough, as you'll need to get a good slice of roots, which will be mostly concentrated along the juncture between the baby and the momma. I use a good spade (i.e., not a round-pointed shovel, but a narrow, flat-bladed spade designed for transplanting) that has been sharpened well. Use a mill file to put an edge on the spade, and finish up with a coarse honing stone. Before using the spade, it's a good idea to dig and brush away as much of the dirt as possible where mother and baby are joined. When you've done that, slice right along the surface of the mother plant with the spade, being sure to slightly angle the tip of the spade toward the center of the mother plant, so you'll get some roots. When you've separated the baby, it should have at least a few well-developed roots. If it doesn't, you'll have a hard time keeping it alive. Plant the baby in a well-drained potting mix, and leave the scar on the trunk exposed to air for a few days, so that it can dry out and scab over well. I'd keep the baby in a pot until next spring, when you can transplant it to the garden. Ten years from now, you may have another four-foot sago. On the other hand, you could simply buy another sago palm .... (Bill Finch is delighted to answer gardening questions directed to gardens@press-register.com. In a pinch, you may also contact him at 251-219-5630, though he may not be able to return every call.)
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How it Breaks Down 06/01/2007 Birmingham News		Return to Top
The bond issue approved by lawmakers Thursday would allot $658.64 million for public schools. Amounts would be based partly on enrollment, though each city or county school system would start with a base of $200,000. Among Birmingham-area county school systems, the bill would give $28.95 million to Jefferson County, $20.18 million to Shelby County, $7.06 million to Blount County, $6.98 million to Walker County and $6.88 million to St. Clair County schools. Among city school systems in the area, the bill would give $22.60 million to Birmingham, $8.81 million to Hoover, $4.48 million to Vestavia Hills, $3.56 million to Pell City, $3.51 million to Bessemer, $3.33 million to Trussville, $3.28 million to Mountain Brook, $2.59 million to Homewood, $2.42 million to Jasper, $2.19 million to Fairfield, $1.38 million to Oneonta, $1.33 million to Tarrant, $1.26 million to Leeds, and $1.20 million to Midfield schools. $178.24 million for universities, including $79.8 million for the University of Alabama system, $35.5 million for the Auburn University system and $21.3 million for the University of South Alabama. Tuskegee University would get $4 million. $55 million to be spent on education projects approved by a six-member council. $48.2 million for the two-year college system. $32 million for the Enterprise school system, to help it replace two schools ravaged by a tornado March 1. A bill passed in late March promised the money. Any money already paid under a bill passed in March would be repaid to the state Education Trust Fund. $24.5 million to build a training center for state troopers and prison officers. Sen. Hank Sanders, D-Selma, said the center would be built at Wallace Community College in Selma. CONTINUED 1
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Alabama Legislature approves record school construction bond issue 05/31/2007 TimesDaily Phillip Rawls, Associated Press		Return to Top
The largest education bond issue in state history, approved by the Alabama Legislature on Thursday, is designed to spur a school building boom in every county. The Senate approved a revised version of the $1.07 billion bond issue 29-2 and the House agreed 100-4. The bond issue now goes to Gov. Bob Riley, who approved all the changes made Thursday, his press secretary, Tara Hutchison, said. The bond issue will be the state's first for school construction since 1998. Senate President Pro Tem Hinton Mitchem, D-Union Grove, said some had predicted that stalling tactics which shut down the Senate for most of the spring would kill the bond issue, but the compromise breezed through on the next-to-last day of the session. "This Senate is coming together to do the will of the people," Mitchem said. The passage of the bond issue came two days after the Legislature wrapped up work on the state education budget and General Fund budget for the fiscal year starting Oct. 1. Riley said Thursday the budgets finance his major priorities, but he hasn't decided whether to sign them into law. "There are some things that cause me some concern in both budgets, but we'll do a thorough review of both budgets and make our decision after that's been accomplished," Riley said at a news conference. The Legislature has one more meeting day left in its 2007 regular session: June 7. But unlike many sessions, there are no state budgets or high-dollar pieces of legislation awaiting action on the final day. The bond issue passed after two changes: -Adding $7.2 million for the University of Alabama System, which Rep. John Rogers, D-Birmingham, said boosts the bond funding for a cancer center at the Birmingham campus to nearly $50 million. -Compromising with the governor for two pools of discretionary money, one overseen by the governor and the other by a committee where legislative leaders hold half the seats. The legislative committee would have $55 million and the governor as much as $100 million, depending on how much interest the bonds earn after they are sold and before the money is paid out. The 20-year bond issue will cost the state an estimated $81.2 million per year, according to legislative fiscal experts. The bond issue will provide money to every city and county K-12 school system, ranging from $51.5 million in Mobile County to $618,908 in Linden. It will also fund construction projects at every public four-year and two-year college in the state. It will provide $13 million for school systems that have lost school buildings to fires, storms or other catastrophes in recent years, and $15 million in additional funds for schools in Alabama's financially struggling Black Belt. In addition, it will provide $24 million to build a new training center for state troopers and correctional officers at Wallace Community College in Selma, which is the hub of the Black Belt. There is also money to improve the facilities of the state Department of Forensic Sciences: $7 million at Auburn University and $4 million at the University of South Alabama. Sen. Scott Beason, R-Gardendale, objected to the bond issue, saying the state should set aside some of the extra tax revenue during the current economic good times for school construction because paying for the bonds will be difficult if an economic downturn occurs. "I'm afraid we are going to have buyer's remorse," Beason said. Senate budget committee Chairman Hank Sanders, D-Selma, said the state can afford to pay for the bonds in future years and continue to make progress in its public schools.
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Team Oshkosh develops TerraMax UGV for DARPA Urban Challenge, focuses on military applications 05/31/2007 Military & Aerospace Electronics		Return to Top
AU is part of the team developing TerraMax capabilities. Team Oshkosh develops TerraMax UGV for DARPA Urban Challenge, focuses on military applications OSHKOSH, Wis., 31 May 2007. Oshkosh Truck Corporation has two goals in building its unmanned ground vehicle for the U.S. Department of Defense: saving soldiers' lives and the $2 million prize. Team Oshkosh is developing the TerraMax unmanned ground vehicle at its Global Technology Center in Oshkosh for the 2007 Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Urban Challenge. Team Oshkosh will again be one of the only teams using a standard military vehicle chassis, the Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement (MTVR) truck, as the basis for the TerraMax vehicle. The 15-ton, four-wheel drive vehicle will retain a five-ton payload. Team Oshkosh selected the MTVR platform in an effort to align TerraMax with the intent of the DARPA event, which is to further advance robotic technology for use in military applications. "Events such as this provide an excellent framework for the advancement of unmanned vehicle technology ? a technology that we are passionate about to help save soldiers' lives," says Don Verhoff, executive vice president, Corporate Engineering and Technology, Oshkosh Truck Corporation. "The Urban Challenge framework brings the reality of unmanned wheeled vehicles closer to the Pentagon's 2015 goal." The goal states that by 2015, 30 percent of the military's fleet will contain unmanned vehicle technology. TerraMax will be tasked with navigating streets in an urban environment and be expected to obey traffic laws, safely enter traffic flow, pass through busy intersections, pass or follow moving vehicles at a safe distance, and other everyday driving activities most people take for granted -- all without a driver. While concentrating on the Urban Challenge event, Oshkosh sees the development of this technology as critical to future military vehicle applications. More than a remote-controlled car, the TerraMax unmanned ground vehicle will use a sophisticated logic, sensor, and control technology system to allow a computer to evaluate situations, such as a four-way stop, much the way a human mind would. Oshkosh Truck has partnered with Teledyne Scientific Company, The University of Parma in Italy, Auburn University in Alabama, and Ibeo Automobile Sensor GmbH to help develop these capabilities. Caterpillar, who provides engines to many Oshkosh Truck vehicles, has joined Team Oshkosh as a Gold sponsor. More information is available at www.terramax.com.
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