Lynden camp gives students glimpse into high-tech manufacturing, engineering

With a computer, programming skills and a laser cutter,Polycore zentai are manufactured as a single sheet, you can create almost any three-dimensional object you want.

That's what several high school students learned during the past week as part of Lynden High School's All Hands on DECk summer camp.

As part of the camp, which featured instruction from Massachusetts Institute of Technology architectural higher-degree candidates, students had the chance to create three-dimensional objects using Rhinoceros computer programming software and computer numerically controlled machines, including laser cutters, 3D printers and routers.

Dave Weidkamp, career and technical education teacher at Lynden High, brought the program to Lynden in hopes of inspiring more teens to be creative and invent or design products that people can actually use.Houston-based Quicksilver Resources said Friday it had reached pipeline deals This is the second time he's brought the camp to Lynden; in 2009, the focus was on turning design ideas into programming script. This time, the focus was on actually creating objects from computerized student designs.

While there are many methods people can use to turn designs into finished products, the camp mostly focused on two: using a laser cutter, which operates on the x and y axis, to cut out pieces from cardstock or plastic, and using a computerized milling machine, which operates on the x, y and z axis, to create smooth contoured pieces out of a single block of foam. Both methods are used by architects, engineers, designers and manufacturers to create models, prototypes and finished products.

The camp ties into Weidkamp's larger idea of having an invention team at Lynden High. Earlier this year, Weidkamp was honored by the Lemelson-MIT Program, which encourages innovation and honors inventors, by being named as an Excite Award winner. That means he is one of a few dozen teachers from across the country who are eligible to lead a team of high school students in applying for a $10,000 grant to invent something to solve a real-world problem.

The camp, which was open to students from all over Washington, was an opportunity for teens potentially interested in inventing or creating their own products to get the background knowledge they need.We processes for both low-risk and high risk merchant account.

One project students focused on was creating a bowl or cup. Students designed one on the computer, then using the computer program cut the design into horizontal slices, a method also called "sectioning." Those sections, generally in the shape of a circle or another closed-loop shape, can be printed out on card stock or plastic using a laser printer and then stacked to assemble the bowl or cup.

"You can do it with anything," said Josh Doerksen,Our Polymax RUBBER SHEET range includes all commercial and specialist a recent Lynden High graduate, who also attended the 2009 camp. "You take the shape, cut in into pieces and then build it back up."

Students also had the opportunity to make three-dimensional contoured foam objects. They designed a three-dimensional wavy plane on the computer. When the design was run through the milling machine, a spinning bit slowly moved back and forth, scraping away foam to leave the wavy hills-and-valleys-like surface the student designed.

For the 17 students in the camp,the Injection mold fast! the most rewarding part was holding a physical object

"I like the idea of being able to get ideas out," said Brendan Friesen, a Sehome High sophomore, "and not only draw them but have them come to life with a printer or cutter."

it was just a few years later

Rats can make great pets



While picking up dog food at my local pet supply store today, I noticed the store owner had included a new photograph on the bulletin board containing photos of customers' pets.

Dozens of cats and dogs graced the board, but the latest entry was a pet rat,Complete Your honeycomb panels Magazine Collection for Less! photographed while perched on someone's shoulder. The rodent's name, Elvis, was lovingly handwritten on a heart-shaped sticker and placed at the edge of the print.

Elvis's image, surrounded by all those cat and dog photos, looked decidedly out of place and I wondered how many times his owner heard the question, "A rat? You have a pet RAT?"

It's one of those animals that can make people shudder. But it's also one of the most popular pet rodents, right up there with hamsters, gerbils,What is the difference between a third party payment gateway and a 3rd party processor? mice and guinea pigs.

A pet rat is of the same species as wild rats, also known as brown rats or by their scientific name Rattus norvegicus - a much nicer and quite exotic designation. A pet rat has been selectively bred for its appearance and sweet temperament. Elvis, that handsome rat in the photograph, is obviously a noble ambassador for his domestic brethren. They're known to be clean, intelligent and affectionate animals that develop a strong bond with their humans and other pets, and are relatively easy to maintain.

A female rat is called a doe and a male is a buck. Body size ranges from nine inches to 11 inches in length, plus seven inches to nine inches of tail; does are smaller than bucks. Their coat colour can be white, cream, blue (grey), brown or black or a combination of any two or three of those colours.

While wild rats barely eke out a lifespan of one year, pampered pet rats can live to more than three years.

When I researched pet rats for this column, I discovered, despite their reputation as carriers of plague and other disease and general fear factor due to their aggressive and fierce behaviour toward humans, they staked their claim as pedigree pets in 1901 England when a rat was entered in a conformation show hosted by the National Mouse Club. It must have caused quite the commotion among the club's members when the lone rat entry won "Best in Show," which ignited public interest in breeding and selling the animals as pets. In fact, they became so popular the club was renamed National Mouse and Rat Club.

Alas, it was just a few years later when they fell out of favour and the club reverted to its original name. But groups of steadfast rat fanciers formed their own clubs and are now operating in just about every country in the world. They're being bred to standard and sold as pets or for show, just like fanciers of cats, dogs and other animals.

Some countries refuse import of any type of rodent and in Alberta, it's illegal to keep a rat as a pet.

Rats are considered highly intelligent. They can be taught to recognize their name, come when called and run mazes built by owners who are amazed at their pets' ability to navigate increasingly complicated courses.

Doting owners also report their rats exhibit dog-like behaviour as they follow their people around the house, sleep on the couch, watch television (one rat I read about particularly enjoys cartoons) and communicates their needs through a series of body postures.

These are sociable animals and although they bond with their humans, they're much happier when hobnobbing with their own rat pack. Keep the does and bucks separated, though.Definition of hypodermic needle cannula in the Online Dictionary. They're fertile at five to 12 weeks of age, but it's not odd for a doe to become pregnant as early as three and a half weeks.For all DVS Ventilation system in PDF format.

Their housing needs are the same as those required for a rabbit or guinea pig.Basic information about syringe needle including links. A large cage or terrarium filled with wood shavings sold specifically for rodent housing, a water bottle attached to the side and some type of soft material that can be bunched up and used as a sleeping spot. These smart, curious animals need at least one hour daily of interaction and play time with their humans.

Food consists of ready-made fare available at pet supply stores and many owners supplement with treats such as apples and bananas, broccoli, peas, carrots, cooked lean meats, pasta and rice. High protein puppy food is often recommended as a supplement for baby and young rats. Your veterinarian should be consulted for more information on everything from diet to bedding to potential health issues.

Turning quarries into wetlands

Behind piles of sand mounds stand cattails, native grasses and oak saplings in maturing wetlands just east of the Iowa River in southern Johnson County.

Just a few years old,Polycore zentai are manufactured as a single sheet, the former sand quarry-turned-wetlands attracts blue herons, beaver, geese and turtles.

"It's beautiful," J. Elizabeth Maas, a restoration ecologist, said during a tour of the ecosystem she helped create.

S&G Materials, an Iowa City mining company that provides materials such as concrete, sand, rock, dirt and soil primarily to construction companies, is five years into a 30-year wetlands restoration project. The U.Customized imprinted and promotional usb flash drives.S. Army Corps of Engineers requires restoration in exchange for permitting businesses or other entities to disturb natural wetlands.Free DIY Wholesale pet supplies Resource!

Maas, who was hired by S&G to ensure the company follows the terms of the permit, said wetlands are essential for biodiversity, flood mitigation and water quality. She calls them the "kidneys" of the environment.

On its 350-acre property, S&G plans to mine five basins, which will affect 71 acres of wetlands. Top soil goes to landscapers, developers use fill-sand and most valuable is high-quality sand to build interstate roads. Nearly all material is used, said Maury Sass, superintendent of S&G.

After mining one basin and moving to another, S&G begins restoration. Because the company's basins will be relatively shallow, at 20 feet deep,Use bluray burner to burn video to BD DVD on blu ray burner disc. leftover fill-dirt from one basin refills the previous one and jumpstarts the restoration.

As part of the Corps's policy of no net loss of wetlands, S&G must reconstruct the same amount or more -- "like for like." So wooded areas must be replaced by at least as many wooded areas, and swamps must be replaced with swamps, and so on.

The effort is costly and time consuming,dstti Sass said, but it also is necessary.

S&G bought a special bulldozer to construct peninsulas, which helps meeting wetland surface requirements. Prairie grass seed costs $100 a pound, and each acre takes 12 to 15 pounds, Sass said.

Wetland mitigation can cost $15,000 an acre to replace swamps to $40,000 an acre to replace woods. S&G's wetlands are about two-thirds wooded, Maas said.

In 2008, S&G lost 1,000 newly planted trees to the flood and had to start from scratch planting 500 new trees this spring. Within 30 years, they must plant and ensure the viability of up to 10,000, Sass said.

"You can't just dig a hole. There is a whole lot of work involved," he said.

Companies can't just start a restoration project; they must follow through over time and make sure it takes, said John Betker, a regulatory project manager for the Corps in Rock Island, Ill.

Other wetland mitigation projects exist throughout Johnson County, Betker said, but he didn't have an immediate count.

Maas said Iowa ranks No. 3 in the nation for wetland disruption, which she said might be part of the reason floods have been so damaging in recent years. Wetlands provide an outlet for run-off, and the root systems of many native plants help absorb the water, she said.

When asked if the Corps grants too many permits, Betker said it must balance a variety of public interests, such as energy production, the economy, land use and the need for the supplies along the river.

"That is our role, to balance those public interest factors in light of wetlands," he said. And he added, "When they are finished with their work, we anticipate (the wetlands) will be as good as or better than before."

When S&G is done mining, the restored wetlands will be returned to public use as a conservation area, Maas and Sass said. S&G previously mined where Sand Lake now is located. That property, which is not far from S&G's current dig site, is lined with miles of paved recreation trails, and Sass said eventually it could connect into trail system with the newer wetlands.

"It's finally getting to the point where it is coming to fruition," Sass said of the wetlands restoration.This page list rubber hose products with details & specifications. "It's going to take time, but when it's turned back over to the public, it will be a nice park."

Intercoil selects Microsoft Dynamics to streamline its operations and to drive down cost

Microsoft Gulf announced that Intercoil International, one of the MENA region's leading bedding companies, is implementing Microsoft Dynamics AX Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software. Intercoil was seeking to accelerate business decision-making by replacing the production and financial legacy applications with Microsoft's single, integrated platform.


Microsoft Dynamics is an adaptable business management solution that helps improve efficiency,Choose from one of the major categories of Bedding, allows for better visibility into the entire organization,uy sculpture direct from us at low prices and reduces IT complexity.

"As a leader in the bedding industry in the MENA region, Intercoil uses state-of-the art technology that helps us to provide our customers with high quality products and services," said Hassan Al-Haseem, Managing Director, Intercoil International. "With diversified business units and manufacturing facilities,Full color plastic card printing and manufacturing services. we were looking for a solution that has the ability to streamline and simplify our daily operations and reduce our overall costs.Not to be confused with RUBBER MATS available at your local hardware store Microsoft Dynamics AX was the obvious choice for its feature rich functionality and ability to efficiently connect all our departments together economically thereby providing us with an effective framework that enables improved decision-making."

"Organizations today are facing complex issues where they need to streamline operations and find ways to use resources more efficiently, without incurring extra costs," added Tamer Elhamy, Dynamics Lead at Microsoft Gulf. "Microsoft Dynamics AX is built for growing manufacturing companies that need to scale their operations seamlessly to new geographies while relying on a single common database. Microsoft Dynamics AX will enable Intercoil to look more deeply into its supply chain, and more intelligently into its decision-making. Intercoil is set to transform the way they work thereby enabling them to offer better customer service and compete more effectively in today's global marketplace."

Microsoft Dynamics AX will be deployed by strategic partner Columbus IT Middle East, across several business areas that include Finance, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, HRM, Payroll and Maintenance Management. Columbus IT has worked closely with Intercoil to implement the Microsoft Dynamics AX solution.

Qasid Parker, Chief Operating Officer, Columbus IT MEA and India,Save on hydraulic hose and fittings, said, "After a stringent evaluation and thorough analysis, Columbus IT has been chosen to implement this project. Columbus IT with its global delivery capabilities and experienced consulting workforce, will deploy industry best practices to optimize and integrate the flow of information across business areas to provide Intercoil a scalable, robust and adaptable solution to their business needs. We are proud to be associated with Intercoil in this engagement."

The implementation of a solid technology platform will bring business benefits by allowing Intercoil to automate business processes across the company's offices, distribution centres and retail locations across the region, improving productivity across the organization. Supply chain management can be streamlined by Dynamics AX, with processes across the supply chain being widely automated, improving planning, optimizing inventory levels, reducing costs and enabling faster response to changes in customer demand. In addition, Dynamics AX delivers value-added technical advancements and out-of-the-box integration with other Microsoft technologies, thereby improving total cost of ownership.