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USI engineering student Ken Schnautz receives international award

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Kenneth Schnautz, a University of Southern Indiana student majoring in engineering, is the 2011 recipient of an international award for leadership and service to a student chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).

The Charles T. Main Student Section Award Silver Medal will be presented November 13 at the Members and Students Luncheon during the ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition in Denver, Colorado. The recipient of the silver medal receives a $2,000 honorarium.

Schnautz will complete a bachelor’s degree in engineering with an emphasis in mechatronics in December.

During his freshman year, he played an integral role in forming the USI chapter of ASME after it had been dormant for several years. Schnautz is recognized for long-term leadership of the chapter, now a thriving organization, and for efforts significantly impacting the region, including the creation of a robotics competition that attracts more than 100 middle and high school students each year. Schnautz served as vice president of the USI ASME chapter in 2007-08 and was president from 2008-11.

The USI Robotics Competition celebrated its fourth year in 2011. As ASME chapter president, Schnautz has taken the lead in planning, advertising, communicating with middle and high school teachers, designing and building the course, and coordinating the judging. Prior to the event, the ASME student group offers two workshops to help teams and classroom teachers build their robots and test them on the course.

“The success of the USI Robotics Competition can be attributed to Ken Schnautz and his leadership of the student group,” said Dr. Shelly B. Blunt, associate dean of the Pott College of Science and Engineering.

Schnautz has worked to increase the involvement of the USI chapter within the larger ASME community. In 2010, he coordinated arrangements for six USI students to attend the District C. Student Professional Development Conference in St. Louis, Missouri. He also attended the 2010 ASME Student Leadership Seminar in Champaign, Illinois, afterwards initiating a successful proposal to bring the event to USI this year. It will be held October 14-15.

USI engineering faculty commended Schnautz for his professionalism and initiative.

“If I had to summarize my involvement, it would be that I was willing to do the dirty work,” Schnautz said. “If something needs to be done, I do it. If nothing seems to need doing, I find something to do, let it be organizing a robotics competition, building a website, selling t-shirts, or filing paperwork.”

Schnautz is a member of the Student Advisory Board for the Pott College. He has provided engineering demonstrations for the Tri-State Science Fair at USI and the Indiana State Fair in Indianapolis. His outreach includes serving as a volunteer for the first Southwest Indiana Regional SeaPerch Competition held this year at USI. He was a member of the engineering team that competed in May in the Lunabotics Mining Competition sponsored by NASA at the Kennedy Space Center. Schnautz also has assisted the USI chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers with its concrete canoe project.

In fall 2009, Schnautz completed a 15-week internship at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. His research concentrated on correlating the electrical properties of soil with its density. He has completed three summer internships at Nidec Motor Corporation (formerly Hurst Motor Manufacturing), a maker of electronic motors, in Princeton, Indiana, and continues to work there this semester. His responsibilities include the testing and diagnostics of preproduction motor controllers. Schnautz also works as a lab assistant for the USI Department of Chemistry.

Schnautz has received the Biagi Chance Cummins London Titzer Endowed Engineering Scholarship (2007-11), Indiana Space Grant Consortium Undergraduate Scholarship (2008-09), a USI Departmental Scholarship (2007-11), and the Lily Endowment Internship Scholarship (2010-11).

He is a 2007 graduate of Reitz High School in Evansville.

Schnautz’ goal following graduation is to work for an engineering firm in the Evansville region in a job relating to control systems, robotics, human-machine interface, or electronics.

ASME has more than 120,000 members in 150 countries. The organization established the Charles T. Main Student Section Award in 1919 and expanded it in 1983 to include a second-place award, with a gold medal presented to the first-place winner and a silver medal to the second-place recipient. Schnautz is USI’s first recipient since 1987 when Keith G. Benedict, now a USI instructor in engineering, received the gold medal.

Source: USI.edu

Downtown Today: 9/5/2011

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Time All Day
Subject BUILDING CLOSED
Reminder 18 hours
Categories Personal, HOLIDAYS

Time All Day
Subject HOLIDAY
Reminder 18 hours
Categories Personal, HOLIDAYS

Vanderburgh County Health Department Mosquito Activity Update

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Due to further evidence of West Nile Virus in Vanderburgh County, the Vanderburgh County Health Department is going to perform focused adulticiding operations in areas where significant mosquito or West Nile activity has been found. The adulticiding operations will take place September 6, 7, 2011, weather permitting. Fogging will begin approximately at 8:00 PM and conclude by 12:00 AM. The areas being sprayed will include the area bordered by the Lloyd Expressway on the south to Diamond Avenue on the north, and from N Main St on the west to Weinbach Ave on the east. If the treatment cannot be performed due to weather conditions, they will resume on the next available day.

The Vanderburgh County Health Department urges individuals to wear insect repellant while outdoors. August and September is the peak of mosquito and West Nile season and individuals should be cautious while participating in outdoor activities. The Vanderburgh County Health Department will continue to focus its efforts on habitat elimination, education, and treatment of stagnant or standing water as these are the most effective forms of mosquito control.

The Health Department continues to ask residents to:
• Be Smart. Take special precautions when outdoors between dusk and dawn, when mosquitoes are most active;
• Be Safe. Use insect repellant containing DEET, Picaridin, or Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus; and
• Be Certain. Make sure your property is free of any standing water, which could be breeding grounds for the mosquitoes that carry the virus. Empty flowerpots, buckets, old tires, and clogged gutters.

Click here to view the Adulticiding Map

Tri-State Genealogical Society Meeting Notice

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When: Tuesday 13 September 2011
Time: 7:00 PM
Where: Willard Library – 2nd. Floor
What: Monthly Meeting

A drawing for an attendance prize will be awarded at close of meeting… you must be present to win.

The Tri-State Genealogical Society will have a brief business meeting followed by a presentation by:
Past President of the Tri-State Genealogical Society (TSGS), John G. West, will speak at the September 13 meeting of the society. Mr. West has been researching his family history for over 50 years and will share some of his experiences with others in his talk “Genealogical Research Skills vs. Just Plain Luck!” West proved his ancestry back to a Revolutionary War Patriot that qualified him for his membership into the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR). As an active member of SAR, he has served as President, Secretary, Treasurer and currently as the Historian of his Ohio Valley Chapter. In the Indiana Society SAR, West has served State positions including his current office as State Historian and State Chair of the 4-H Youth Awards Program. West is very active in 4-H Genealogy, judging at county fairs and the last four years as an Indiana State Fair 4-H Genealogy Project Judge. West publishes the “TSGS Cruiser Blog” for the genealogical society http://tsgsblog.blogspot.com/ and enjoys presenting his patriotic & educational “Flags over America” program (with over 160 flags on display) to various organizations as part of the SAR Speakers Bureau.
As we study our “Family History” we can all learn more from the experience of others. This is a program you don’t want to miss, we will be looking forward to seeing you at the meeting and enjoying a very interesting and informative program.
You do not have to be a member to come and learn at the society’s monthly meetings.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: This time of the year, weather conditions may cause the society to cancel meetings… the decision to cancel usually is determined the day of the meeting, providing short notice. Since a bad weather system may develop later in the day (or that night), check our blog (http://tsgsblog.blogspot.com/) for cancellation notice or call Willard Library (812-425-4309)

The impact of litter on the community: By: Sarah Geers

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600 Block of East Franklin Street
The impact of litter on the community

The presence of litter has a variety of impacts on communities ranging from health issues to economic impacts. Most commonly it is seen as an aesthetic issue, but what is less understood is how this aesthetic problem impacts other issues in a community.

Residents’ perception of neighborhood decline and disorder: In a group of studies discussed in The Florida Litter Study, litter has been identified as a major indicator of neighborhood decline and disorder. Other indicators of neighborhood decline and disorder include vandalism, abandoned buildings, graffiti, and vacant lots. Of all of the indicators assessed in a study done by Perkins, Meeks, and Taylor in 1992, litter was found to have the strongest correlation with perceptions of neighborhood decline and disorder (as in Florida Litter Study, 1998). A study by Skogan in 1990, indicates that the effects of this perception of neighborhood decline range from a decrease in property values to an increase in crime, or at least an increase in criminals’ perception that crime will be tolerated (as in Florida Litter Study, 1998).

Increase in crime: This study goes on to explain that as people’s perceptions of neighborhood decline increase, it is more likely that crime will occur and that criminals will be drawn to the area because it appears more likely that criminal behavior will be tolerated or ignored. A study by DeFrances and Titus in 1994 found a statistically significant relationship between neighborhood disorder and burglary outcome indicating that burglaries are more likely to be completed in neighborhoods with higher levels of disorder (as in Florida Litter Study, 1998).

Property values and business: The study by Skogan indicates that the effect of this perception of neighborhood decline and increase in crime can also negatively impact property values and investment interest (as in Florida Litter Study, 1998).

Cost of litter to the community and local government: Aside from lowering property values, the cost of cleaning up litter has an added impact of the economy. In 1993, the US spent $131 million on roadside litter clean up (Florida Litter Study, 1998). This does not include the cost of beach clean ups, street sweeping, localized flood damage from litter clogged storm drains, or any other clean up or litter prevention program funded by the government. From a study done by Baud and Iudicello in 1990 in Texas, local governments there spend over $14 million annually to clean up their beaches (as in Armitage and Rooseboom, 1999). A more recent estimate of the total annual cost of litter prevention, cleanup and disposal in the state of California was $375.5 million (Earth Resource Foundation). These figures should present a basic idea of the kind of money that is spent cleaning up litter that could be used for other programs.

Harmful to humans and wildlife: Excessive litter can have damaging effects on wildlife and be harmful to human health. Litter on streets or sidewalks, if not cleaned up, will most likely end up in a river, lake, or ocean. That trash can have a serious impact on the aquatic life in the receiving body of water (Marais and Armitage, 2004). For instance, a fish or bird might mistake a piece of plastic for food and choke on it. Certain types of litter contain nutrients that may build up in excess in the water and cause algal blooms which deplete oxygen levels (Petrie et al.). This in turn creates a lower quality aquatic habitat where fewer delicate species can survive. Litter can also degrade water quality if there are other harmful chemicals associated with it, which can be harmful to humans if, for example, they eat fish from that body of water. Another way that litter can cause health problems is if it builds up and attracts rats or other pests that may carry disease (Petrie et al.).

Stevie Winwood: Dirty City

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IS IT TRUE? September 4, 2011

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We is gonna uhtract us some women lookin like dis

IS IT TRUE? September 4, 2011

IS IT TRUE the City County Observer is pleased to see that some of the other local media is awakening from their coma and starting to point their finger at the ugliness of this area?…that they of course avoid words like ugly and favor carefully chosen terms like “unattractive” which is not as likely to offend as terms like ugly, dirty, unkempt, distasteful, or disgraceful?…that using calming terms like unattractive reminds us of the politically correct yet universal excuse for poor performance “less fortunate”?…that it is right to point out that Evansville is stifling its own growth and eliminating opportunities by CHOOSING to be “unattractive” or shall we say “distasteful and repulsive” to outsiders?…that at least one editorial did use a term that was accurate enough to hopefully get some attention?…the term “SEA OF MEDIOCRITY” sends the right message about what Evansville seems to be to outside observers and furthermore is what it will continue to be unless it can first learn basic civic hygiene?

IS IT TRUE that this whole job creation through attraction of businesses and inspiration of growth is so much like dating that it takes one back to the days of youth?…that young men who are seeking young attractive women and young women who are seeking their ideal young men ALL seem to practice basic hygiene and even a little deception when they are in the “attraction game”?…that to attend a dance or another social event these youngsters routinely have the good sense to take a shower, put on deodorant, brush their teeth, comb their hair, use some cosmetics, and put on clothing that is carefully selected to send the message of whatever it is that they seek?…the bottom line is that people in “attraction mode” know how to look what they think is their best and go to great lengths to do so?

IS IT TRUE that a teenager that is a total and complete slob most of the time will switch into look good mode very quickly if the boyfriend or girlfriend is coming over to meet the parents?…that these kids will even clean the parents house and beg the parents to be on good behavior and looking good when “attraction” is on their mind?…that we wonder what it is that has caused the City of Evansville to lose this most basic of human personality traits?…that having travelled to many cities it is quite clear that Evansville from a main roads and gateways perspective does not live up to the “SEA OF MEDIOCRITY” description?…that the City of Evansville needs to make some serious improvements to show as mediocre to outsiders?…that mediocrity should be a first goal on an improvement program that eventually gets Evansville looking well groomed and ready for a date?

IS IT TRUE that we hope that this newfound enlightenment of the 2011 election year is not as fleeting as such efforts usually are?…that for the first time in many years there seems to be a reason to believe that there is actually sincerity and a pulse behind the cleanup efforts?…that with hardworking organizations like Keep Evansville Beautiful with its Joan of Arc like champion Ann Ennis who never takes her eye off of the ball do the basics to the best of their ability and economic development professionals like Greg Wathen finally connecting the perception of filth with failures to attract economic opportunity Evansville may just have one last ray of hope to join the cleansed cities of America?…that we are very encouraged that both candidates for Mayor of Evansville acknowledge the litter problem and have proposed actions to do something about it?…that the first step for a filthy dirty person to become clean is to look into the mirror and see themselves the way others see them?…that the second step is to be as repulsed by their own nastiness as others are and to vow to clean up and to stay that way?…that the final and most important step is to actually practice good grooming and hygiene on a daily basis?…that most people learn that in the 2nd grade and it is a joy to see the leadership of Evansville finally seems to be ready for the 3rd step as we begin our 165th year as a city?

WSJ: A Labor Day Message for President Obama

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Henry Nothhaft has called out not only the Obama Administration but Congress and local governments everywhere in his Labor Day manifesto on job creation. The assertion that start-up businesses create all (as on 100%) of new jobs is not new and has been well documented by the Kauffman Foundation for many years. Government however continues to punish entrepreneurs with regulations that are aimed directly at the business practices of the big and powerful companies that make the headlines. There should certainly be some local lessons to be learned from this article.

Excerpts:

” I urge you (President Obama) to avoid ideologically loaded programs like a new stimulus that probably won’t get through Congress, and instead focus on a few practical, low-cost measures that we know will create lots of jobs quickly.”

“We know, for starters, that 100% of net job growth in the U.S. comes from entrepreneurial start-ups, as a Kauffman Foundation report documented in 2010. If you took start-ups out of the picture and looked only at large or incumbent businesses, job growth over the last 35 years would actually be negative. In the words of Kauffman’s Tim Kane, “When it comes to U.S. job growth, start-up companies aren’t everything. They’re the only thing.”

“Mr. President, why aren’t you doing everything you can to nurture start-ups and make it easier for them to access capital, grow and hire people so they can develop the breakthrough products, services and medical advances that drive our national prosperity?”

“I’m sure that Jeff Immelt is an excellent CEO. It took more than a little skill, after all, for GE to avoid paying even a penny of tax on $150 billion in revenues. But he and his fellow Fortune 100 CEOs don’t know much about job creation. In fact, they’re a “who’s who” of outsourcers of American jobs. Over the last 10 years, U.S. multinational firms cut their domestic work forces by 2.9 million while boosting hiring abroad by 2.4 million.”

“Unfortunately, Mr. President, the only thing that Sarbanes-Oxley stopped was the ability of start-ups to pay the vastly increased costs of going public, thus crippling the IPO market and job creation (92% of which occurs after an IPO, according to the National Venture Capital Association). It certainly didn’t stop Wall Street banks—all of whom were compliant with Sarbanes-Oxley—from recklessly sinking the economy in 2008.”

“None of these measures requires bleeding the treasury. None is political. And all of them will work—quickly—to create literally millions of new jobs. Mr. President, there’s still time for you to kick-start the engine of job growth. All you need to do is listen to the voices of entrepreneurs who create those jobs.”

Link:

IS IT TRUE? September 3, 2011

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The Mole #??

IS IT TRUE? September 3, 2011

IS IT TRUE that the ownership of a long time Evansville business has finally made the jump not only out of Evansville but out of the United States altogether?…that the legacy Evansville business once known as Creative Press that was located in Downtown Evansville until INDOT bought their building is has been bought out by a British based business?…that just a few years ago that local ownership ceased to exist when Menasha Corp. bought Creative Press and placed it into a corporate entity known as Cortegra?…that when an out of town entity buys a locally owned business that the profits are no longer available to create local wealth?…that Creative Press was for many years an Evansville owned business that provided jobs, pride, and profits to the local economy an locally controlled wealth to the owners?…that when the company was sold to an American company outside of Evansville the local profit and wealth part of that equation evaporated except of course for the check that the owner got?…that now that a British company owned Cortegra that the profits will no longer serve to even add to the American wealth?…that this is just one more example of local wealth being acquired and all future wealth being relocated to some other place?…that recently there has been a whole string of companies many of which are in legacy industries that have been bought right out of Evansville?…that in a very short span of time Creative Press went from a locally owned business to a foreign owned subsidiary of a subsidiary?

IS IT TRUE that the consolidation of Local 7 WTVW and News25 WEHT is progressing with timetables being set for Local 7’s move across the money saving bridge?…that these two stations through the years have had such distinctly different demeanors in presenting news, sports, and weather that choosing which one to watch was more about what kind of mood you were in as opposed to which team commanded ones loyalty?…that News25 has been a traditional style news source that seems to fancy itself as a mini-national news source with local stories?…that Local 7 (previously Fox 7) has really mixed it up with some zaniness and a more gloves off and jesters hat on presentation?…that both stations have filled the needs of the community and that the City County Observer hopes that both news teams can somehow continue to broadcast in their own styles?…that when this move is complete these stations like Creative Press will be out of state, out of local control, and subject to the financial management oversight of detached owners?…that we wonder what will become of the Local 7 studio in Downtown Evansville?

IS IT TRUE that Friday has passed and that there is no agenda available for next week’s meeting of the Evansville Redevelopment Commission?…that the expectation of all is that there will be some substantial discussion regarding the VETTING interviews that both the Kunkel Group and Prime Lodging have now subjected themselves to?…that any gut feelings or insider information that was developed in those meetings is a closely guarded box of secrets?…that not even Mole #3 has been able to get any tangible information about how these interviews have gone for the bidders?…that there have been a few pieces of info trickle out but that nothing has two source credible verification so the “Mole Nation” shall remain quiet?…that the other topic of interest that we are expecting to hear about is the intention of the ERC with respect to the McCurdy Hotel?…that while owning up to the financial reality may be the right thing to do our expectation is that either the word “McCurdy” shall not be uttered or that this albatross will be kicked down the calendar by another 3 months for the next administration to deal with?

Welcome to the Jungle: Guns and Roses

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