Daily Archives: May 9, 2021

SUGAR LAND, Texas, May 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --HCSS, a leading provider of innovative solutions that help heavy civil businesses streamline their operations, announces the celebration of the Houston Texas Woman's University (TWU) graduation with a drive-through event at its corporate campus. Graduation was held this past weekend on May 1, 2021.

TWU is the nation's largest university, primarily for women. Texas Woman's University offers degree programs in the liberal arts, nursing, health sciences, the sciences, business, and education. TWU serves the citizens of Texas by graduating more new health professionals than any other university in Texas, offering a liberal arts-based curriculum that prepares students for success, and conducting research that impacts the prevention of several devastating diseases.

"This year's virtual graduation was, in many ways, better than traditional in-person graduations," said Mike Rydin, CEO and Founder of HCSS. "Since everyone who came to celebrate the graduates was in their cars, they were only 10 to 15 feet away from their grads. If this event had taken place in a stadium, you would be watching a faceless stream of gowned figures because of sitting so far away from the graduates."

Other special events occurred as well, such as the Hooding Ceremony recognizing doctoral degree candidates. For TWU doctoral candidates, family members and/or children could hood their graduate. Immediately after hooding, professional photos were taken in front of a backdrop with school officials, with family members included.

Every graduate received a copy of "Live Life Like Sophie Would," a book HCSS has produced to honor Mike Rydin's late wife and encourage the next generation to be lifelong learners, generous spirits, hard workers, and active people. Sophie worked for many years as a professor of Occupational Therapy at TWU and loved to pass on her wisdom to students. She also worked alongside Mike from the beginning of HCSS. Bringing the students to the HCSS campus to celebrate their future success seemed a fitting way to honor Sophie's legacy. Sophie graduated from TWU with a master's degree in Occupational Therapy.

About HCSS

Since 1986, HCSS has been developing software to help construction companies streamline their operations. Today, we are recognized as a pioneer and trusted leader in estimating, operations, and fleet software, serving thousands of construction companies across the nation. Visit http://www.hcss.comto learn more.

For More Information contact:

Becky Boyd

MediaFirst PR

Office: 770.642.2080 x 214

Cell: 404.421.8497

Email: [emailprotected]

Related Images

drive-through-graduation-at-hcss.jpg Drive-through graduation at HCSS driving through graduation

twu-graduation-2021.jpg TWU Graduation 2021 Graduation at HCSS

twu-2021-grads-get-professional.jpg TWU 2021 Grads Get Professional Pictures Taken pics

successful-twu-grad.jpg Successful TWU Grad TWU Grad

SOURCE HCSS

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HCSS Hosts TWU Houston 2021 Graduation With Drive-Through Event - PRNewswire

The big question about the Biden administrations proposal to preserve 30% of the nations land and waters by 2030 is what would count as conserved.

A common assumption as evidenced by four county commissions in Colorado passing resolutions opposing the proposal, even before its details were known is that meeting the 30% goal would require more wilderness designations.

But the administrations recently released report, Conserving and restoring America the Beautiful 2021, takes real pains to dispel notions of a euphemistic land grab.

Given the amount of misinformation that has been swirling around the 30x30 goal, its our hope that the report will allay some of the fears that led to anti-30x30 resolutions. Without knowing specifics, we concede that Bidens proposal had the potential to be misconstrued as some uber-liberal Green New Deal initiative.

Its an uneasy time for rural communities in western Colorado. Agitation is running high over wolf reintroduction, gubernatorial proclamations regarding meat consumption and a proposed ballot measure that could affect how livestock is raised in the state. Western Coloradans dont need more things put upon them and Bidens proposal aroused suspicion.

But the report is pretty soft and not overly prescriptive. It deals in recommendations, not specific policies or outcomes. The report lays out eight core principles. Among them is a commitment to collaboration, support for voluntary and locally led conservation efforts, and honoring of tribal sovereignty and private property rights. The emphasis on stakeholder engagement should ease concerns of a top-down approach bent on harming local communities.

The report acknowledges that there is no single metric including a percentage target that could fully measure progress toward the fulfillment of the 30x30 goals. It recommends that the federal government create an American Conservation and Stewardship Atlas that collects baseline information on the amount and types of lands and waters that are being managed for conservation and restoration purposes.

It also recommends an annual report on collaborations to preserve land and water. The first report, due at the end of 2021, should provide and an assessment of land-cover changes, including loss of open space; and a review of the condition of fish and wildlife habitats and populations.

This all sounds reasonable and opens the land management tool box to a variety of approaches. Communities can identify certain values ecological, economic or social and protect them through a planning process. Thats a far cry from the federal government forcibly designating wilderness areas.

Our Mesa County commissioners did not blindly pass the same anti-30x30 resolution as some other Western Slope counties and deserve credit for waiting on Thursdays report. If they eventually come out in opposition, it will at least be from an informed standpoint.

While there are certain to be proposals to establish new wilderness areas (or convert existing study areas to wilderness) in Western communities, the report makes clear that this isnt a wilderness initiative.

Its more about identifying pathways to things that most Americans think are important anyway conservation, outdoor recreation, equitable access to the outdoors and biodiversity. All of which have taken on greater importance against a backdrop of climate uncertainty.

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Biden's 30x30 initiative | Editorials | gjsentinel.com - The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. Six incumbent trustees and 5new members were elected or appointed to serve on the Penn State Board of Trustees today (May 7).

University alumni elected Alvin de Levie and Steve Wagman as alumni trustees, and re-elected incumbent Brandon Short. Delegates of agricultural societies elected Donald Cairns and re-elected incumbent Chris Hoffman.

Robert Fenza and Mary Lee Schneider were re-elected as trustees representing business and industry. Julie Anna Potts was re-elected as an at-large trustee, while Nicholas Rowland was elected as the boards academic trustee.

College of the Liberal Arts student Janiyah Davis was elected to the position of student trustee, a position she will hold for two years. Additionally, Randolph Houston will also assume a two-year seat on the board as the immediate past president of the Penn State Alumni Association, replacing Steven Wagman in that capacity.

Alvin de Levie.De Levie is an attorney and founder of the Law Offices of Alvin de Levie, with offices across Pennsylvania in State College, Philadelphia, Clearfield, Bellefonte and Lock Haven. A 1973 Penn State alumnus, he earned a bachelors in political science and also holds a law degree from the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. He is a consistent supporter of Penn State THON and a number of local philanthropic organizations.

Brandon Short.Short is a 1999 Penn State graduate, and received his master of business administration from Columbia Business School in 2010. Short previously worked for Goldman Sachs in New York and Dubai, and he is currently a vice president at Round Hill Capital, a real estate private equity firm in London. A two-time captain of the Penn State Nittany Lions football team, he was named a consensus All-American linebacker in 1999, and after being drafted in 2000, played seven seasons in the NFL. While in the NFL, he was elected by his teammates as an NFL Players Association player representative.

Steven Wagman.Wagman is a 1982 Penn State graduate who first assumed a position on the Board of Trustees in 2019 as the immediate past president of the Penn State Alumni Association. He has worked in the health care industry for more than 30 years, and currently serves as the national health care business leader for Siemens Smart Infrastructure in North America. In addition to having served as Alumni Association president, Wagmans service to Penn State also includes positions on the Alumni Associations Alumni Council and executive board, the College of Health and Human Development alumni society board, the advisory board for the Penn State Center for Health Organization Transformation and as a student mentor within the College of Health and Human Development.

Donald Cairns.Cairns is 1988 Penn State alumnus who owns and operates Cairns Family Farm in Chester County, a 1,600-acre crop farming operation. He also spent 13 years as a professional risk management consultant, developing risk management and insurance programs for large businesses and government agencies. Cairns serves as vice chairman of the Chester County Agricultural Land Preservation Board and holds additional service positions with the Farm Bureau Legislative Committee and the USDA Service Agency County Committee.

Chris Hoffman.Hoffman was elected to the Penn State Board of Trustees by Pennsylvania agricultural interest societies in 2015. He owns and operates both Lazy Hog Farms, a 4,800-head nursery barn and 4,400-head fishing barn in Juniata County, and Lazy Chick Farms, which raises 250,000 chickens annually. He has served on the Pennsylvania Farm Bureaus state board of directors and executive committee, as well as the board of directors for the Pennsylvania Friends of Agriculture Foundation. His service history also includes positions with the Juniata County Farm Bureau, the American Farm Bureau, the Pennsylvania Nutrient Management Advisory Board, the PennAg Industries Association and the Fayette Township Fire Company.

Robert Fenza.Fenza was elected to the Penn State Board of Trustees in 2015 representing business and industry. The retired chief operating officer for Liberty Property Trust, he is a 1980 Penn State alumnus who holds a bachelors in landscape architecture and real estate. He has been honored by the Penn State Alumni Association with the Distinguished Alumni Award and has also received the Alumni Fellow Award. Fenzas service to Penn State includes previously leading the College of Arts and Architectures portion of the For The Future capital campaign, and he currently serves as vice chair for the A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence capital campaign.

Mary Lee Schneider.Schneider was first elected to the Board of Trustees in 2015 representing business and industry. She most recently worked as president and CEO at SG360, a Chicago-area direct-marketing firm. She received a bachelors in journalism from Penn State in 1984 and a master of science degree in printing and image technology from Rochester Institute of Technology, as well as a Master of Business Administration and a master of science degree in medical informatics both from Northwestern University. Schneider was named a Penn State Alumni Fellow in 2006. She volunteers on the board of the Chicago Public Library Foundation and the Leader Council of the Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.

Julie Anna Potts.Potts is the president and CEO of the North American Meat Institute and was first elected to the Board of Trustees as an at-large trustee in 2015. She previously served the American Farm Bureau Federation in positions including general counsel, treasurer and executive vice president. She also previously served as chief counsel for the U.S. Senate Agricultural Committee, and currently serves on the boards of Agriculture Future of America, the International Stockmens Educational Foundation and the International Meat Secretariat. She holds a bachelor of arts in English from Bryn Mawr College and a law degree from the George Washington University School of Law.

Janiyah Davis.Davis is a Schreyer Honors Scholar second-year student in the College of the Liberal Arts, studying public policy, criminology and psychology with minors in anthropology, sociology and child maltreatment and advocacy studies. She is as a member of Penn StatesBlack Caucus and vice-president of the Student Restorative Justice Initiative, and serves as the university relations director fortheMulticultural Association of Schreyer Scholars. She is also the community engagement director for Schreyer for Women, the special events director for Schreyer Scholar Ambassadors and a research assistant for the Rock Ethics Institute.

Nicholas Rowland.Rowland is a professor of sociology at Penn State Altoona. He holds a masters degree and a doctoral degree from Indiana University, as well as a bachelors degree from St. Johns University, each in sociology. A decorated instructor, Rowland has been recognized by Penn State with the Excellence in Classroom Teaching Award, the Grace D. Long Award for Faculty Excellence and the George W. Atherton Award for Excellence in Teaching. In 2017, he was named the Universitys first faculty scholar in the Engaged Scholarship Academy and joined the Schreyer Institute of Teaching Excellence as a faculty fellow. He is a member of the Penn State Faculty Senate, for which he served as chair for the 2019-2020 academic year.

Randy Houston.Houston has served Penn State as the 81st president of the Penn State Alumni Association, with a term than runs through June 30, 2021.He earned a bachelor of arts degree from Penn State in 1991 and holds a doctoral degree in law from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Houston is an intellectual property and entertainment lawyer with nearly 25 years of experience, as well as a formally trained musician and composer, playwright and activist with more than 35 years of experience as a creative artist. He has also served Penn State as a member of the board of directors of the College of Liberal Arts Alumni Society, on Alumni Council as president of the Liberal Arts Alumni Society and as a member of the Alumni Associations executive board and chair of its diversity and inclusion committee.

Penn States Board of Trustees is composed of six members appointed by the governor, nine members elected by alumni, six members elected by agricultural societies, six members elected by the board representing business and industry endeavors, one student trustee, one academic trustee, three at-large trustees, and the immediate past president of the Penn State Alumni Association. In addition, five members are ex-officio by right of their office, including Gov. Thomas W. Wolf (non-voting), Penn State President Eric J. Barron (non-voting), Secretary of Agriculture Russell C. Redding, acting Secretary of Education Noe Ortega and Secretary of Conservation and Natural Resources Cynthia A. Dunn.

For more information on Penn State's board members, visit thePenn State Board of Trustees website.

The total distribution of the votes cast in the alumni election are listed below by the position of the candidates on the ballot.

Write-In Ballots1,068

Total Eligible Voters 710,381

Total Ballots Cast 22,297 (105 Mail-In)

Read more from the original source:

Board of Trustees election results announced | Penn State University - Penn State News

Posted on Wednesday, May 05, 2021

Over 50 projects from across Pratt Institute are featured in the virtual 2021 Pratt Research Open House (ROH), organized by the Office of Research and Strategic Partnerships in the Provosts Office. The fourth edition of the annual event was launched in April, showcasing innovation and creative thinking from students, faculty, staff, and alumni, all reflecting the year-round groundbreaking research being cultivated by Pratt.

The Wing Guard: An Insect Repelling Device for Temporary Food Services by Ellen Zhengyi Ren, BID 21, with Professor of Industrial Design Ignacio Urbina Polo

Over 50 projects from across Pratt Institute are featured in the virtual 2021 Pratt Research Open House (ROH), organized by the Office of Research and Strategic Partnerships in the Provosts Office. The fourth edition of the annual event was launched in April, showcasing innovation and creative thinking from students, faculty, staff, and alumni, all reflecting the year-round groundbreaking research being cultivated by Pratt.

The winners of this years ROH awards have been announced. Macarena Gmez-Barris, chair of the Department of Social Science and Cultural Studies in the School of Liberal Arts and Science (SLAS) and founding director of the Global South Center, was honored with the Research Recognition Award. Selected by committee through Pratts Academic Senate, the award is one of the highest honors of achievement at Pratt. The award, which involves a yearlong review process, recognizes people with strong ties to Pratt who have made significant impacts on academic research and have achieved critical review and reception for their work.

In the five years since Gmez-Barris became part of the faculty at Pratt, she has promoted dialogue, scholarship, and research with an interdisciplinary approach. The Global South Center, which she established in 2016, has spearheaded initiatives such as examinations of the regional disparities in the ecological impact of ocean plastics and climate injustice in the wake of the recent hurricanes in Puerto Rico. As a scholar and writer, Gmez-Barris explores the intersections between the environment, decolonization, visual arts, memory, and land and sea restitution. She has authored four books, including Where Memory Dwells: Culture and State Violence in Chile (2009), The Extractive Zone: Social Ecologies and Decolonial Perspectives (2017), Beyond the Pink Tide: Art and Political Undercurrents in the Amricas (2018), and Towards a Sociology of a Trace (2010, with Herman Gray), with an upcoming publication on the colonial anthropocene planned to be released by Duke University Press in 2022.

The more than 200 activists, scholars, and artists we have invited to speak, participate, and dialogue with us at the Global South Center has truly shaped my research, said Gmez-Barris in a ROH Q&A. All of these participants work towards radical justice through their scholarly and artistic approaches, as well as providing unique visions of how to do this often. Working with my colleagues in the Global South Center has helped shape my research trajectory, and personally represents an important accomplishment. The Global South Center models a trans-disciplinary approach to research and action.

Bioplastics: Materials for a Sustainable Future by Professor of Math and Science Cindie Kehlet and Helio Takai, interim dean of SLAS, with Math and Science Lab Technician Mary Lempres

ROH projects from this years showcase were also recognized for their exceptional research contributions, with the awards selection made by a team of faculty judges. The Sustainability Award went to Bioplastics: Materials for a Sustainable Future which explores how biodegradable materials could replace traditional plastics, particularly in art and design. Professor of Math and Science Cindie Kehlet and Helio Takai, interim dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences (SLAS), led the project with Math and Science Lab Technician Mary Lempres. Their research focuses on creating gelatin-based bioplastics with different amounts of activated charcoal to allow for flexibility with the potential for use in everyday products.

Sonic Bloom: What If Plants Could Talk to Us? by Anushritha Yernool Sunil, MID 22, and Archana Ravi, MS Information Experience Design 21

The Innovation Award went to Sonic Bloom: What If Plants Could Talk to Us? by Anushritha Yernool Sunil, MID 22, and Archana Ravi, MS Information Experience Design 21, with Professor of Industrial Design Debera Johnson. The project involves a soundscape that connects plant owners to the status of their plants health, using a circuit board and corresponding app, bringing users closer to the daily changes in the natural environments in their homes.

Preserving Activism Beyond and Between Pratts Gates from the School of Design, School of Architecture, and Pratt Libraries

There was a tie for the Impact Award with the two winners being Preserving Activism Beyond and Between Pratts Gates and A Civic Shift. Preserving Activism involved faculty, students, and staff from the School of Design, School of Architecture, and Pratt Libraries who came together to investigate the history of activism on campus using ephemera, oral histories, and texts. Their research elevated the impact of students, particularly students of color and women, in the fight for justice and equality. A Civic Shift was led by Fine Arts Civic Engagement Fellow Amy Khoshbin and Assistant Chair of Fine Arts Dina Weiss with Elle Ellinger, MFA Fine Arts 21, and Natalia Petkov, MFA Fine Arts 21. The initiative brought contemporary artists, grassroots organizers, and NYC City Council candidates together in a series of performative digital events focused on issues around how our collective imagination can foster progressive change in a time of COVID-19.

A Civic Shift by Fine Arts Civic Engagement Fellow Amy Khoshbin and Assistant Chair of Fine Arts Dina Weiss with Elle Ellinger, MFA Fine Arts 21, and Natalia Petkov, MFA Fine Arts 21

The Start-Up Power Award went to The Wing Guard: An Insect Repelling Device for Temporary Food Services by Ellen Zhengyi Ren, BID 21, with Professor of Industrial Design Ignacio Urbina Polo. The Wing Guard is a health solution focused on transient food establishments, such as wet markets and farmers markets, mimicking a dragonflys visual, sonic, and movement characteristics to keep flies from landing on food. In addition to promoting hygiene, it also helps prevent the transmission of serious infectious diseases.

Fashion and Identity: Representation, Self-Esteem, and the Muslim-American Narrative by Visiting Associate Professor of Fashion Design Shireen Soliman with Cassidy Jackson, BA Critical and Visual Studies 21, and Emily White, advisor at the Bank Street College of Education

The second-annual Peoples Choice Award, voted on by over 300 ROH visitors, went to Fashion and Identity: Representation, Self-Esteem, and the Muslim-American Narrative. The project by Visiting Associate Professor of Fashion Design Shireen Soliman with Cassidy Jackson, BA Critical and Visual Studies 21, and Emily White, an advisor at the Bank Street College of Education, was aimed at fostering community and identity among young Muslim women and empowering them to be their most authentic selves. In a series of design workshops, participants examined the correlation between awareness, agency, and perception of dress, such as one workshop where they restyled their own clothes into something new embodying their identities.

All of the 2021 ROH projects are available to explore online, reflecting the forward-thinking research happening across disciplinesat Pratt.

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News | The 2021 Research Open House Awards Recognize Innovative Projects from across the Institute - Pratt News

Council staff moved swiftly to remove an unauthorised encampment that pitched up in Tiverton last month.

A number of traveller caravans parked on district council land behind Morrisons supermarket of Kennedy Way at the end of April.

It was brought to the council's attention on April 23 and eviction notices were put up the following day. An enforcement team arrive at 9am on April 24 and most people had left the site by 10.30am.

Councillor Les Cruwys (Cranmore, Liberal Democrats) spoke at Mid Devon District Councils meeting on Wednesday, April 28.

He said: The job was so quick and so thorough the last of the travellers left the site at 10.30 am.

I went down to have a look and chat with the enforcement officers. Fortunately, there were only a couple of black plastic bags of rubbish there, although the main gate to the site had been damaged.

With the weather being dry, they had not churned the grass up too much, so at the moment, it doesnt look as though anything has been there.

He said the gate had been repaired and the rubbished cleared.

Hopefully, we can put in place preventative measures to stop a recurrence," he added.

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Traveller camp moved on from council land in Tiverton - In Your Area