Dec. 6, 2010

The DigestWhat’s Happening at KVCC

What’s below in this edition

Interacting with history (Pages 1-3) Effective resumes (Page 17) ‘Wind’ graduates (Pages 4/5) Any surplus food? (Pages 17/18) Campus project (Pages 5/6) Pre-holiday exercise (Page 18) Shilts v. Shilts Page 6) Race documentaries (P-18/19) Photos by kite (Page 7) Telling our stories (Page 19) Mavis Staples (Pages 7/8) Keeping them fresh (Page 20) Latinos, immigration (Pages 8-10) History gallery on TV (Page 20) Foundation’s grant deadline (P-10/11) What’s cooking? Fuel! (P-20/21) Adler astronomer (Pages 11/12) Joe Reilly’s tunes (Pages 21/22) ‘The Smelting Pot’ (Page 12) Art Hoppers to judge (Page 22) Our eBay (Page 13) ‘Seasons of Light’ (Pages 22/23) ‘Annie’ on stage (Pages 13/14) PTK growing (Page 23) Friday-night fun (Pages 14-16) Library services (Pages 23/24) Building a wind turbine (Pages 16/17) And Finally (Page 24)

☻☻☻☻☻☻Museum’s new history gallery opens Saturday

The reopening of the Kalamazoo Valley Museum’s history gallery on Saturday (Dec. 4) will be complemented by a day full of free activities:

Two presentations on the use of the arts in teaching the sciences by a world-famous astronomer

Three Challenger Learning Center simulated space missions Three planetarium shows Two family-oriented concerts featuring the songs of Michigan

environmental educator Joe ReillyFrom 9 a.m. through 5 p.m. at the downtown-Kalamazoo museum, visitors will

also be able to experience the “RACE: Are We So Different?” exhibit in the third-floor gallery and a photographic display on the first floor that captures the landscape of America’s diversity.

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Jose Francisco Salgado of the Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum in Chicago will talk about using the visual arts to improve the understanding and comprehension of the sciences at 1 and 3:30 p.m. in the World Works Room.

Riley’s performances are booked at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. in the Mary Jane Stryker Theater. The Challenger missions and planetarium shows will be available from 12:30 through 3 p.m.

The museum’s history gallery has been closed since last January when the Portage-based firm of MAVCON, along with several other contractors, began construction on the second floor, but its reincarnation has been in the planning stages for several years.

Titled “Kalamazoo Direct to You” and still featuring the opening section of the same name that graced the former history gallery, the new attraction has 17 galleries, or chapters, that present a broader review of the story of this part of Michigan.

Each offers hands-on, multimedia, interactive experiences intended for visitors to place themselves in history.

The 17 sections retell the story of Kalamazoo County with an emphasis on how Kalamazoo grew from a village on the Michigan frontier in the 1830s, to a city in the 1880s, and to a metropolitan area in the 1960s.

The gallery illustrates how the community was able to grow because of its people and its location on the railroad midway between two dynamic cites of the 19th and 20th centuries: Chicago and Detroit.

In addition to the fortune of location, residents honored three civic virtues that continued to build the community:

(1) The economic ingenuity that converted natural resources into products.(2) A continuing tradition of civic involvement.(3) An abiding faith in the power of education to shape its future. Exhibit planners took all of these factors into account in fashioning the gallery. While the contributions of Titus Bronson, the Upjohn family, the ingenuity of

Homer Stryker, the Checker Cab, celery, and the various industrial eras of the community are still covered, ”the new ‘Kalamazoo Direct To You’ provides a greater presence to the previously unsung contributors to our story, including those of the many women and minority business, civic, and community leaders,” said Bill McElhone, the museum’s director. “That is part of Kalamazoo’s unique heritage.”

Other old favorites such as the general store, Douglass Community Center, and the Todd collection remain part of the remodeled gallery.

However, the new features add substance and faces to Kalamazoo’s story as it unfolds from bog iron to windmills and friable pills, from carriages and farm machinery to paper and medical equipment.

Short biographies, “Who in Kazoo,” offer stories of Kalamazoo residents whose choices continue to affect the community today. For example:

The two entrepreneurs whose foundry, then the largest in Michigan, processed the rich bog-iron deposits along the Kalamazoo River and laid

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the basis for later metal-working industries including stove, carriage, windmill, and agricultural-implement manufacturers.

How the ingenuity of a businessman and a technician made Kalamazoo a mandatory stop on the international rock ‘n’ roll scene.

The role of a Kalamazoo physician and scientist in the development of the mysterious and dangerous X-ray tube that would evolve into a medical breakthrough in health care.

The woman who ran one of the city’s major paper producers for a quarter of a century long before members of her gender were involved in the business world.

Among the scores of interactive, hands-on experiences are these – a visitor can imagine himself/herself as a news anchor at John Fetzer’s WKZO-TV reporting on presidential candidate John F. Kennedy’s visit to Kalamazoo in the summer of 1960; assembling a showcase of A. M. Todd’s antiques and artwork for public display; becoming part of a string band on a sound stage by plugging into an amp a realistic-looking guitar, banjo, or mandolin.

"What distinguishes ‘Kalamazoo Direct to You’ is that the stories told are of ordinary people sometimes doing extraordinary things,” said Elspeth Inglis, assistant director for education programs.

“Generations of Kalamazoo area residents' stories are represented with objects, photographs and hands-on activities,” Inglis said. “Visitors will experience something of the lives of many who came before, and leave knowing that they're part of the story, too."

“If anyone ever thought history was boring,” said Paula Metzner, assistant director for collections, “they should come and see this new exhibit on Kalamazoo history.

“This exhibit,” she said, “has a bold, modern design mixed with lots of great audio and video elements, hands-on activities, historic photographs, and a wonderful blend of old and not-so-old artifacts, many of which the community has given to the museum over the last 130 years.”

"In the new Douglass Community Center,” said Annette Hoppenworth, programs coordinator, “patrons are invited to sit a spell and socialize with their neighbors. Visitors can serve up ‘snacks’ from the soda fountain while learning more about the services offered by the community center throughout history as well as today." Regarding his “Science Through Art” presentation, Salgado will talk about how he uses his skills in astronomy education and the visual arts – especially photography -- to create multimedia venues that communicate science in engaging ways, and provoke a sense of curiosity about the Earth and its place in the universe.

Two of the results are critically acclaimed astronomy films created to accompany live performances of classical music, including Gustav Holst’s “The Planets.”

Salgado, a Puerto Rican, earned his doctorate in astronomy from the University of Michigan.

Since beginning his initiative in 2000, Salgado been engaged in collaborations with the Boston Pops, astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, and scores of other musical and scientific organizations.

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Wind Academy II graduation is Dec. 10With 14 enrollees ready for their Dec. 10 graduation from Kalamazoo Valley

Community College’s Wind Turbine Technician Academy, all slots have been filled for the third edition of the 26 weeks of training and applications are being taken for the fourth that starts July 5.

Scheduled for 10 a.m. at KVCC’s Michigan Technical Education Center (M-TEC) on The Groves Campus off on 9th Street along I-94, the program is open to the public.

The third academy will convene on Jan. 3 with graduation slated for June 30. Members of that class hail from Arizona, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Kentucky, Minnesota and Michigan. Among the home towns of the Michigan enrollees are Muskegon, Vicksburg, and Kalamazoo.

The graduates of the second academy are: James Babiasz of Kalamazoo Charles Williams of Kalamazoo Anthony Parcher of Kentwood, Mich., who will speak for the graduates Raymond Bradley of Greenville, Mich. Nicholas Matkin of Kalamazoo Nicholas Clements of Clawson, Mich. Arden Major of Marcellus Alexis Della Costa of Kendall, N. Y. Larry Lawlor of Waukegan, Ill. Dan Fagan of Port Sanilac, Mich. Justin Knapp of Casa Grande, Ariz. Mohamed Farwana of Kalamazoo Andrew Galemore of Carbondale, Colo. David Houting of Zeeland.

Presenting the credentials to the second batch of graduates will be their instructors, Tom Sutton and Greg Meeuwsen.

Parcher, Della Costa, Galemore, Williams and Farwana were the recipients of $1,000 scholarships from the Grainger Foundation. Dellas Costa is the first female graduate of the academy.

Prospects for employment would appear high for the graduates of the second academy if the fate of the first students is any indication.

Fourteen of those graduates are employed, 11 of them in the wind-turbine industry. Of the other two, one has returned to his native England to seek employment in the British wind industry while the other is lining up interviews. Of those not currently involved with wind turbines, one has resumed his education in California and another has been deployed to Afghanistan as part of his military commitment.

“It is exciting to hear from our graduates in the field,” said Cindy Buckley, director of training and development at the M-TEC. “Five are employed by the same company. Two from Michigan have kept their homes and their families here. They are flown to their jobs around the country, work for five weeks, and are flown back here for two to three weeks.

“It’s like a fraternity,” she said. “On one assignment, five of the graduates ended up at the same wind farm in Montana. Our graduates are highly regarded in the wind industry for the quality of their training and their commitment to safety.”

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She reports that company and industry recruiters have already contacted those who will receive their academy credentials on Dec. 10 and scheduled interviews.

The KVCC academy received a $550,000 federal appropriation to purchase specialized laboratory equipment, including a 90-foot tower and turbine unit that is scheduled to be installed in the M-TEC’s parking median for testing and training purposes by New Year’s Day.

Only KVCC’s program is certified by Bildungszentrum fur Erneuerebare Energien (BZEE) in the United States.

Located in Husum, Germany, and founded in 2000, BZEE was created and supported by major wind-turbine manufacturers, component makers, and enterprises that provide operation and maintenance services. As wind-energy production increased throughout Europe, the need for high-quality, industry-driven, international standards emerged. BZEE has become the leading trainer for wind-turbine technicians across Europe and now in Asia.

KVCC has educational partnerships with Fuhrlaender North America, based in North Kingston, R. I., and the Michigan-based Crystal Flash Renewable Energy. These arrangements give KVCC academy students the chance for in-depth exposure to the maintenance requirements and hands-on monitoring of utility-scale wind turbines, and to cutting-edge technologies.

The first step to gain access into the next academy is to complete the written application, which can be downloaded at this web site - www.kvcc.edu/training. Applications can be mailed or faxed to the college.

A math test is also part of the screening process, along with the results of a medical examination and documented work experience in technical fields.

The last step in the application process is a screening for an ability to function in tight quarters and work at great heights.

The fee is $12,000. For more information, contact Buckley at (269) 353-1250 or cbuckley@kvcc.edu.

A video about the program is available at http://www.mteckvcc.com/windtechacademy.html .

The Grainger Foundation, an independent, private foundation based in Lake Forest, Ill., was established in 1949 by William W. Grainger, who founded W. W. Grainger Inc. in 1927.

$12-million project starting to wind downBoth floors of the new wing on the Texas Township Campus are now occupied by

KVCC functions, while the remaining phases of the $12-million project are nearing completion.

“Materials Handling is also operating in its new receiving space in the addition,” reports Dan Maley.

“Next is the clearing out the temporarily used space in the Student Commons theater and forum to return to their normal configuration,” he said. The project’s final classrooms are nearing completion while the remodeling of the space for Facilities Services is under way and progressing as planned.

Maley expects all of the unfinished phases to be reading in time for winter semester, as will new signs throughout the campus.

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“Thanks to everyone's extraordinary efforts, communication and teamwork,” Maley said, “the project is nearing completion, on time and under budget.”

The “star” of the $12-million expansion and renovation, the wing is the new home to the Student Success Center, several student-service functions, and a 150-seat auditorium.

The new wing houses the Student Success Center on the second floor and the Office of Admissions, Registration and Records, the Office of Financial Aid, the Office of Institutional Research, and Central Receiving on the first level.

In all, KVCC will lose eight classrooms and gain 10, plus the 150-seat mini-auditorium/lecture hall in the new expansion. The Student Success Center has reverted to serving as The Gallery.

Dollars for such projects are banked in capital funds by the state and by the college, and are not part of each’s general fund. Michigan’s formula for higher-education projects has not changed from past years. Each community college and the state provide 50 percent of the costs.

The Kalamazoo architectural firm of Eckert Wordell designed the expansion and remodeling, while the Miller-Davis Co. is serving as construction manager.

This is the college’s first major construction initiative since the Student Commons in 2001.

Historic night in Cougar basketball annalsThe front page of Thursday’s (Dec. 2) Kalamazoo Gazette captured the drama and

the poignancy of the previous night’s basketball game in which Dick Shilts, in his 32nd and final season at the Cougars’ cage mentor, coached against his 27-year-old son, Ricky.

The side story was that KVCC defeated the Calvin College junior varsity 68-50. The heart-tugger was the interaction of the father-son tandem and their obvious love and respect for each other.

The account by sportswriter Scott DeCamp contained a nice piece of wordsmithing:

“Shilts v. Shilts: its sounds like a court case.”And it was, a case of theater at its best on a basketball court.The junior Shilts told DeCamp about the “surreal” feeling since he virtually grew

up in the KVCC gymnasium, first as a ball boy for his dad and finally as a two-year starter as a Cougars guard who could shoot almost as well as his father. Both would agree that the ranking reversed once they stepped on the golf course.

Ricky went on to play two more years at Calvin College. As a senior, he helped the team advance to the Final Four in the NCAA Division II tournament. He, his wife, and young son call the Grand Rapids area home these days. He’s a part-time coach at Calvin and works full time as a sales representative in the equipment store of the Maple Hills Golf Course in Grandville.

The senior Shilts told DeCamp that he couldn’t bear to look toward the other bench during the game.

“Actually,” he said, “I tried to avoid doing that. I think I only looked down there a couple of times. . .I had to coach my team and he had to coach his. . .”

Ratliff’s photo equipment – camera, film and a kite!

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Aerial photography from a plane is routine, but Jim Ratliff gains his up-there perspectives from a kite.`

Fourteen of his photographs will be part of the Dec. 3 Art Hop in downtown Kalamazoo and those images will be on display at the KVCC Center for New Media Kite Aerial Photography through January.

“The first aerial photograph I remember was of my family’s business, a golf course in Indiana,” says Ratliff, who directs the college’s library in Anna Whitten Hall in downtown Kalamazoo. “It was taken by an airplane photographer who sold the print to my grandparents. I studied that photo’s textures in the grass, colors in the water and wondered what camera was used and how high the plane flew over.” That wonderment stayed dormant until 2001 when a friend gave Ratliff a kite for his birthday to take to the beach, which lead him to looking into the history of kites. During his study, he came across an aerial photo by kite documenting the destruction of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and thought, “That’s so cool. I could do that.”

“I had always been interested in photography and capturing images from unique perspectives,” said Ratliff, a Purdue University graduate. “The enjoyable challenge for me concerning kite aerial photography includes creating a camera rig out of materials I had around the house, setting up the camera in the field to take useful photos, mastering kite flight and seeking out interesting targets to photograph.”

One trick to kite photography is tripping the camera shutter. Ratliff uses intervelometers (automatic shutter timers) either built into the camera or added on.

When he started this hobby with a 35-mm “point and shoot,” he had to bring his kite down after 20 minutes to change the film. When he first sent up a digital camera, he could let it hang for much longer and come down with 120 photos -- most of which were blurry or off target, he says. “It’s a fun challenge of kite flying, camera preparation, natural lighting, wind speed, wind direction and luck,” Ratliff said.

His exhibit includes images of the Kalamazoo Farmer’s Market, the Christ the King Cathedral Labyrinth, the Lake Michigan shoreline, Asylum Lake Nature Preserve, farmland in Ohio and a creek crossing on his family’s golf course in Indiana.

Rock ‘n’ roll legend booked for Artists Forum

An inductee into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame who has shared stages with the greats in contemporary music is bringing her band to Kalamazoo.

Called “the most underrated diva of the century” by Rolling Stone magazine, Chicago-born Mavis Staples, lead singer of a famed singing-family act, will energize this year’s Artists Forum concert at KVCC on Friday, Jan. 28.

Tickets for the 8 p.m. performance in the Dale Lake Auditorium are on sale in the bookstores on the Texas Township Campus and in Anna Whitten Hall in downtown Kalamazoo. The cost is $20. If available, they will also be sold the night the performance.

One interesting aspect is that Staples’ Kalamazoo appearance, which is co-funded by a grant from the Irving S. Gilmore Foundation, will be followed by tour stops in London, San Francisco, The Netherlands, Sweden, Finland and Scotland.

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Initially instrumental in gospel music in her Chicago roots, she and her two siblings evolved into rock ‘n’ roll headliners and used their celebrity to add muscle to the Civil Rights Movement.

Illustrating that she still carries a bit of clout, the 71-year-old performer was part of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert's “Rally To Restore Sanity And/Or Fear” in Washington on Oct. 30. She performed the title track of her new CD, “You Are Not Alone,” which has become the most successful recording of her solo career.

For the grand finale of the day's events, Mavis lead all the participants, including Colbert, Stewart, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Yusuf Islam (aka Cat Stevens), Sheryl Crow, and Tony Bennett in a version of "I'll Take You There,” the family act’s biggest hit.

Nominated for more than her share of Grammy awards, Staples began singing with her family group in 1948 at churches and appearing on a weekly radio show. A big voice belied her young age.

Her father, Roebuck "Pops" Staples, had grown up on a Mississippi plantation in an area key in the development of the blues. He had learned to play the guitar from the great early bluesman, Charley Patton. After he moved north to Chicago in 1936, he began to organize gospel quartets after finishing work at a meatpacking plant.

With a 1956 hit under its belt, the family took its music on the road as “God’s Greatest Hitmakers” shortly after Mavis' graduation from what is now Paul Robeson High School in 1957.

By the mid-1960s, The Staple Singers, inspired by the head of the clan’s close friendship with Martin Luther King Jr., became the spiritual and musical voices of the Civil Rights Movement. They covered contemporary pop hits with positive messages, including some of Bob Dylan's renditions.

The Staple Singers hit the Top 40 eight times between 1971 and 1975. Staples had made her first solo in the late 1960s with her version of "Crying in the Chapel." A solo album came in 1969.

Later albums were directed by rock superstar Prince. Staples also did one honoring gospel legend Mahalia Jackson, a close family friend.

She and her family performers were inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 1999. Staples, picked to sing "America the Beautiful" at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, is among Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Singers of All Time.”

Both the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago have staged a Mavis Staples Day to salute her musical career and dedication to civil rights. Perhaps more popular than she had ever been, Staples told Jet magazine that "Nobody is going to send me out to pasture. My voice is my gift from God, and I'm going to use it."Latinos, immigration are race exhibit’s Sunday dialogue

The 1977 TV adaptation of Alex Haley’s blockbuster novel, “Roots,” captivated the nation with its poignant, yet we-shall-overcome sagas of one man’s family encountering racial prejudice and slurs through generations.

The venue is less dramatic -- yet just as illuminating in challenging perceptions among Southwest Michigan residents – as the Kalamazoo Valley Museum hosts “Race: Are We So Different?” in downtown Kalamazoo through Jan. 2.

Fashioned by the Science Museum of Minnesota in conjunction with the American Anthropological Society, the exhibit – with three duplicate versions -- debuted in St. Paul in January of 2007. Kalamazoo will be the 17th stop on the national tour of the

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trio of exhibits, coming here even before making a stay at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington.

As part of the community-wide celebration of the exhibition, the museum will also be hosting a free, visiting-scholars series that focuses on the science, history and sociology of race.

Set for 2 p.m. in the museum’s Mary Jane Stryker Theater is the last installment on Sunday (Dec. 5):

“Latino Settlements and Immigration Debates: What Do Race and Culture Have to Do With It?” – Arlene Torres, director of the Latino Faculty Recruitment Initiative at the City University of New York and cultural anthropologist specializing in Caribbean, Latino and Latin American studies.

“Race: Are We So Different?” includes interactive components, historical artifacts, photographs, imagery, educational games, multimedia elements, and graphic displays that introduce visitors to biological, cultural and historical views on race.

Funded by the Ford and National Science foundations, the exhibit explores the origins and manifestations of race and racism in daily life in the United States.

The bottom line is that racism is relatively new on the humanity scene. Race is a sociological concept. The biological differences among humans are infinitesimal. Basically, anthropologists in the 19th century saddled the Western world with the hypothesis that race is based on biology, which has written some very ugly chapters in the planet’s history.

Humanity has been a two-edged sword. People look different, a trait that has been a source of strength, community and personal identity. The other edge of the sword has fostered discrimination, oppression and hate.

The exhibit delivers a three-theme message: The Everyday Experience of Race – Racism is not a comes-with-the-model

element. It is not packed in a person’s brain at birth, but instead must be taught/created through laws, traditions, cultures and institutions.

The Science of Human Variation – Racial and ethnic categories are man-made and have changed over time. The genes tell the story – that we are all alike once below the epidermis, no matter what the skin color. Peel off that millimeter of a layer and people are the same.

History of the Idea of Race – Sorting people by physical differences is a recent invention. The development of this concept is closely linked to the early development of the United States.

“Race: Are We So Different?” is based on scientific research, not on opinions, viewpoints, attitudes or biases. The DNA strands twisting through the cells of any individual – whether black, white, Asian or Latino – bear similar patterns to all other humans.

Dots on an exhibit map show that all humans originated in Africa between 150,000 and 200,000 years ago. After millennia, humans began migrating to what is now Europe and Asia, and to points beyond, to colonize the planet. There is no gene a person living in the United States would have that a person living in Africa would not have.

Skin color is a superficial trait. The different shades of skin evolved worldwide as a way of adapting to the sun’s ultraviolet rays, according to the three-year-old exhibit.

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One component shows that scientists can’t identify a person’s race by inspecting his/her bones. The “race card” is in people’s minds and social institutions, not in their bodies.

Race, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. How people categorize themselves racially speaks volumes about the country in which they were raised.

In the United States, people tend to be classified as white, black, Latino, Asian or mixed. In Brazil, according to the exhibit, there are as many as 100 terms to identify people by the shade of their skin.

That points to the fact, scientists say, that racial categories are social inventions, and are not scientifically valid.

In the history section is a glimpse of how racism, accompanied by greed and Manifest Destiny, uprooted the lives of “Americans” who called this continent home long before Columbus “discovered” it.

Photos and text tell the story of how federal lawmakers in the 1880s, determined to erase the cultures of the Native Americans, removed children from their homes and placed them in boarding schools.

They were forbidden to speak their native language or to practice their religion because the whites “knew better.”

Apache children in long hair and native dress arrived in the Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania, where legendary athlete Jim Thorpe eventually rose to global fame.

A second photo shows the same youngsters months later with tidy haircuts and buttoned-up school uniforms.

Race and the wealth gap are addressed via piles of $20 bills in glass boxes to represent the annual net worth of families based on race.

One race has three bundles of currency carrying the face of Andrew Jackson, one has four, another has 29, with the winner – and still champion -- counting 33. Can you guess which group is No. 1 in the wealth gap and which is No. 4?

Threaded throughout the exhibit is the message that when people are assigned to groups based on skin color and other physical features, lost is any information about who they really are as individuals.

More than an exhibit and with all of its complementary programming from October through the end of the year, “Race: Are We So Different?” offers an opportunity to reshape perspectives, to raise the level of discourse about a subject that too many are uncomfortable addressing, and to enhance an understanding of human diversity.

With apologies to Capt. James T. Kirk of the Starship Enterprise, race is the final frontier to learning who we are and what we can become.

Dec. 22 deadline for foundation’s grant proposalsFor the 2010-11, academic year, the KVCC Foundation has established funding-

request deadlines for internal grant proposals and filled some vacancies on the governing board.

Those faculty and/or administrators seeking financial support from the foundation must make plans in advance and adhere to the established deadlines.

Here’s the schedule for the next two rounds: Proposal deadline: Dec. 22; decision by the KVCC Foundation Board of

Trustees the next month. Deadline: April 22; decision in early May of 2011.

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For more information, contact Steve Doherty, KVCC director of development and foundation executive director, at extension 4442 or sdoherty@kvcc.edu.

Exploring the feasibility of establishing a “higher education center” as part of the Arcadia Commons West (ACW) initiative in downtown Kalamazoo is being supported by the KVCC Foundation.

Joining forces with its counterparts at Western Michigan University and Kalamazoo College, the KVCC Foundation Board of Trustees has approved a $5,000 grant to help support a master-planning phase of the ACW, the main component of which could be a higher-education center involving the three institutions.

The foundation board also endorsed a $100,000 technical upgrade of the sound, video, and projection equipment in the Kalamazoo Valley Museum’s Mary Jane Stryker Theater.

President Marilyn Schlack of KVCC, President Eileen Wilson-Oyelaran of Kalamazoo College, and WMU President John Dunn have committed to working together to provide a stronger and more cooperative higher-education presence in the core of Kalamazoo County.

The agreement to explore the creation of a “higher education center” as one of the Arcadia Commons West’s major components has provided opportunities to apply for planning grants for the center and for the ACW’s other educational and economic-development elements – job creation, housing, neighborhood improvements, retail and commercial growth, parking and transportation, urban gardens and a food-producing cooperative, an enhancement of Kalamazoo’s art community, and entertainment.

During the planning phase, programs that have been proposed to be housed at a higher education center will be examined -- a culinary-arts school that would be unique to the Kalamazoo community, food-administration and dietetics degree-granting programs, an art gallery/curatorial-training center, the community’s sustainability center, and a collaboration that would bring together elements involving international education and diversity.

New appointees to the foundation’s governing board are: Tom Schlueter, president and chief executive officer of Keystone

Community Bank. Dan Scheid, chief financial officer of the Harold Zeigler Auto Group. Jim Turcott, a pioneer KVCC faculty member who recently retired as dean

of liberal arts. The chairman of the board is Jeff Gardner, president of the Gardner Group.

Moving up as vice chair is attorney Michele Marquardt. The new treasurer is David Tomko, PNC Bank’s regional president for Southwest Michigan while Larry Leuth, president of First National Bank of Michigan, will remain as board secretary.

New three-year terms have been extended for Gardner, and for trustees Ed Bernard and David Jarl.

How the arts can teach the sciencesA renowned astronomer based at the Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum

in Chicago will speak about using the visual arts to improve the teaching of the sciences as part of the opening of the new history gallery at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum on Saturday (Dec. 4).

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Jose Francisco Salgado will present “Science Through Art” at 1 and 3:30 p.m. in the World Works Room on the museum’s first floor. All of the events at the museum that day are free.

Salgado uses his skills in astronomy education and the visual arts – especially photography -- to create multimedia venues that communicate science in engaging ways, and provoke a sense of curiosity about the Earth and its place in the universe.

Two of the results are critically acclaimed astronomy films created to accompany live performances of classical music, including Gustav Holst’s “The Planets.”

Salgado, a Puerto Rican, earned his doctorate in astronomy from the University of Michigan.

Since beginning his initiative in 2000, he been engaged in collaborations with the Boston Pops, astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, and scores of other musical and scientific organizations.

His nonprofit entity is call “KV 265.” Its mission is the communication of science through art to the general public, school children and educational institutions around the world.

KV 265 promotes the creation of multidisciplinary works that bridge the worlds of science and art to increase the understanding and appreciation of these human endeavors.

KV 265 stands for Kochel-Verzeichnis 265, which is the catalog number for the Mozart piano variations used in the nursery rhyme, “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.” Salgado said the name was chosen to illustrate the connection between the science of astronomy and art, links that can enrich humanity worldwide.

Kalamazoo’s metal-working legacy is topic“The Smelting Pot: Kalamazoo’s Early Metalworking Industry” is the Dec. 12

installment of the Kalamazoo Valley Museum’s “Sunday Series.”The flashback to this chapter in the community’s history will be presented by

Tom Dietz, the museum’s curator of research, at 1:30 p.m. in the Mary Jane Stryker Theater. All presentations in the series are free and open to the public.

"Many people are aware that Kalamazoo has a history of metal-working industries from carriages and windmills to stoves and industrial presses,” Dietz said. “However, many may not be aware that a local natural resource, bog iron, mined from the banks of the Kalamazoo River in the 1840s and 1850s, gave rise to those industries.

“Further,” he said, “those original iron foundries and blast furnaces laid the basis not only for the many metal-working companies but also were critical to the rise of manufacturing in Kalamazoo, transforming the village from an agricultural-processing and trading outpost to an industrial city by the end of the 19th century.”

“The Smelting Pot” will explore the story of the bog iron, the men and companies that first exploited it, and the various manufacturers who either used the bog iron itself or built on the accumulated talents of those who were skilled in working with metal.

Here are the “Sunday Series” programs through the end of January: “Kalamazoo: Michigan’s 19th Century Carriage City?” – Jan. 9 “Celery Bitters and Sarsaparilla Bark: 19th Century Remedies for Everything

That Ails You” – Jan. 23.For further information, contact Dietz at extension 7984.

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‘Swap Meet’ is place for unique holiday giftsThe Office of Human Resources’ web page contains a want-ad system to link

KVCC folks with their colleagues in the sharing of talent, knowledge, skills, goods and services. There is also the technology to attach a photo to what you want to market.

It could be thought of as KVCC’s e-Bay shopping center, and it works. The “KVCC Swap Meet” provides a forum to barter goods (made or grown) and

to post information about services that can be provided -- painting, sewing, computer assistance, etc.

It can also be used to post an announcement about services or goods that are being sought.

There are five categories on the site: Services for Hire, Services Needed, Goods Wanted, Goods for Sale, and Miscellaneous. This site is for KVCC employees only and is intended as a way for employees to network with each other for trade or sale purposes.

KVCC will not be responsible for any transactions or the satisfaction of either party, and will not enter into dispute resolution. “KVCC Swap Meet” is housed on the Human Resources website under Quick Links.

To post a service or item, just click Post Ad, select the appropriate category, complete the online form and click submit.

Co-workers will be able to view the posting by the next business day. It is requested that the postings be made during non-working hours.

Among the services for hire are making network cables, dog boarding to allow holiday get-aways for pet owners, string and woodwind music combos for events, interior and exterior painting, drywall repairs, deck staining, landscaping, and light-maintenance tasks.

The Swap Meet is also the place to connect with a medium for those who want to contact folks who are no longer among the living or to communicate with members of the animal kingdom.

For sale are a traveling container for a dog in a car, a 2001 Subaru, audio books, more than 20 model tractors in mint condition, a breadmaker, a plantation saddle, a washer and dryer, and fresh eggs.

Wanted are last season’s venison to serve as dog food, video games for a Playstation 3, a lead singer and instrumentalist for a church’s music group, and a men’s tennis racket.

Under the Miscellaneous category is hosting the opportunity to rent a bungalow in Carmel, Calif., and purchase tickets for the Civic Theatre’s current production of “Annie.”

KVCC’s links to Civic production of ‘Annie’The Civic’s current production of “Annie” has at least two familiar faces and

talents involved in the Kalamazoo staging of the Broadway classic.Lynn McLeod, who works in the Academic Scheduling Office, is cast in the role

of Miss Hannigan, the mean ‘ol woman who runs Annie’s orphanage. Carol Burnett had the role in the movie version.

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Meanwhile, in the orchestra pit, the notes of such famed tunes as “Tomorrow” are coming from the violin of Nick Rankin, employment coordinator in the Office of Human Resources.

“Annie” opened Nov. 26. The rest of the dates and times are: Friday and Saturday (Dec. 3-4) at 8 p.m.; Sunday (Dec. 5) at 2 p.m.; Dec. 9 at 7:30 p.m.; Dec. 10-11 at 8 p.m., and the final performance on Dec. 12 at 2 p.m.

Mandolins, ‘Mockingbird’ in museum spotlightStringed music will fill the Kalamazoo Valley Museum at the December Art Hop,

while the following event in the “Friday Night Highlights” series will be Gregory Peck’s finest film, “To Kill a Mockingbird” on Dec. 10.

The Kalamazoo Mandolin and Guitar Orchestra will perform from 6 to 8 p.m. as part of the Dec. 3 Art Hop in downtown Kalamazoo. The performance in the Mary Jane Stryker Theater is free.

The “Friday Night Highlights” series includes bookings of classic movies, concerts, Art Hop events, and laser-light planetarium shows. The films, concerts and planetarium shows have an admission fee

The Kalamazoo Mandolin and Guitar Orchestra features three musicians with KVCC connections.

The orchestra is a plucked string ensemble consisting of mandolins, mandolas, mandocellos, guitars, and bass. It was founded in 2003 to revive the mandolin orchestra tradition in Kalamazoo.

Under the direction of conductor Miles Kusik, who teaches guitar classes at the Arcadia Commons Campus, the 21-member orchestra performs a wide variety of music including classical, ethnic, and "golden era" mandolin orchestra music.

Of the other two KVCC connections, mandolinist Jackie Zito, the college’s supervisor of library acquisitions, is the orchestra’s concert mistress and co-founder. Ron Cleveland, exhibits coordinator at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum, is also part of the mandolin section.

A mandolin craze swept the nation from the 1880s to the 1920s. Soon mandolin clubs and orchestras sprang up in nearly every town, including Kalamazoo that was destined to create quite a stringed-instrument heritage. The repertoire of these groups usually consisted of a mix of classical, marches, rags, and popular music of the day.

The Kalamazoo Mandolin and Guitar Orchestra is a non-profit organization and is sponsored by Crescendo Academy of Music. Rehearsals are Tuesday evenings at 7:15 at the Crescendo Academy of Music in the Epic Center.

Also part of the "Friday Night Highlights" agenda each week is an 8:30 p.m. showing of the planetarium show featuring the music of Pink Flood. That has a $3 admission fee.

With a laser-light show in full color streaming across the planetarium's 50-foot dome, the 50-minute production, complete with 3-D animated images, showcases the classic hits of Pink Floyd.

Rotating on Friday nights are the group’s songs from the albums “Dark Side of the Moon,” “Wish You Were Here,” and “The Wall.” “To Kill a Mockingbird” will be shown at 7:30 p.m. in the Stryker Theater. Tickets to the Dec. 10 showing are $3.

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“To Kill a Mockingbird” is one of the rare works of literary art that won a Pulitzer Prize and its screen adaptation earned an Academy Award.

The part of Atticus Finch was made for Peck. It became his signature role even though his film credits over a remarkable career contain more than a share of classics.

Harper Lee’s novel was published in 1960 and was instantly successful. It has become a classic of modern American literature.

The plot and characters are loosely based on the author's observations of her family and neighbors, as well as on an event that occurred near her hometown in Monroeville, Ala., in 1936, when she was 10 years old. Her childhood friend was Truman Capote, and that character is also portrayed in the film version.

The novel is renowned for its warmth and humor, despite dealing with the serious issues of rape and racial inequality. Finch, has served as a moral hero for many readers and as a model of integrity for lawyers.

One critic wrote: "In the 20th century, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ is probably the most widely read book dealing with race in America, and its protagonist, Atticus Finch, the most enduring fictional image of racial heroism."

It took Hollywood only two years to put Lee’s novel on the screen in 1962 with Mary Badham in the role of Scout, which was Lee’s film character. Cast in the role of Boo Radley was a young Robert Duvall.

In 1995, the film was listed in the National Film Registry. It also ranks 25th on the American Film Institute's (AFI) 10th anniversary list of the greatest American movies of all time. In 2003, AFI named Atticus Finch the greatest movie hero of the 20th century.

The film takes place in the fictional town of Maycomb, Ala., during the 1930s. The story covers three years, during which Scout and brother Jem undergo changes in their lives. They begin as innocent children, who spend their days happily playing games with each other and spying on the town bogeyman, Boo Radley.

Through their father's work as a lawyer, they begin to learn of the racism and evil prevalent in their town, and painfully mature as they are exposed to it.

Peck became synonymous with the role and character of Finch. The film’s producer remembered hearing from Peck when he was first approached for the role: "He called back immediately. No maybes. The fit was among the most natural things about a most natural film. I must say the man and the character he played were not unalike."

Peck later said in an interview that he was drawn to the role because the book reminded him of growing up in La Jolla, Calif. "Hardly a day passes that I don't think how lucky I was to be cast in that film," Peck said in a 1997 interview. "I recently sat at a dinner next to a woman who saw it when she was 14 years old, and she said it changed her life. I hear things like that all the time."

The 1962 softcover edition of the novel opens with the following commentary from Peck: "The Southern town of Maycomb, Ala., reminds me of the California town I grew up in. The characters of the novel are like people I knew as a boy. I think perhaps the great appeal of the novel is that it reminds readers everywhere of a person or a town they have known. It is to me a universal story - moving, passionate and told with great humor and tenderness.”

Upon Peck's death in 2003, Brock Peters, who played Tom Robinson in the film version and remained friends with the actor throughout his life, quoted Harper Lee at Peck's eulogy, saying, "Atticus Finch gave him an opportunity to play himself.”

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Peters concluded his eulogy stating, "To my friend Gregory Peck, to my friend Atticus Finch, vaya con Dios."

Here are the upcoming “Friday Night Highlights” bookings: Dec. 17 – The Hispanic sounds of Los Bandits Dec. 31 – New Year’s Fest Jan. 7 – Art Hop Jan. 14 – Bluegrass tunes by Deadwood Jan. 21 – A Celtic music jam Jan. 28 – Ninth Street Bridge.

Turbine-building class captured in documentaryAlthough a lack of enrollment forced the cancellation of a third edition of a wind-

turbine-building class for the fall semester, the workings of the course held last winter term is getting plenty of coverage.

Kalamazoo Gazette photographer Mark Bugnaski focused his video camera on that 15-week session and produced a five-episode documentary that is viewable via The Gazette’s Internet outlet, MLive.com.

Accompanying the video’s debut was a news story written by Gazette reporter Linda Mah. Here are some of her insights:

“The way to learn how to make things – is to make things.“While much of education today focuses on philosophical and theoretical

discussions, an experimental class at Kalamazoo Valley Community College has been focusing on the hands-on processes involved in manufacturing – from design to fabrication.”

“From January to May, Kalamazoo Gazette photographer documented the class as it went from design to installation of its innovative wind turbine on KVCC’s Texas Township Campus.

“MACH 282 – short for Machine 282 class – was experimental not only in its unique structure, which allowed students to design and create a product in the 15-week class, but also in its focus: wind turbines, which tie the college’s innovative Wind Energy Technology certificate program to train workers to install, maintain and service wind turbines.

Instructor Howard Carpenter “sees the class as one more piece in the network of alternative-education studies KVCC is opening to students. In addition to the wind-energy program, the college’s heating and ventilation program offers classes on renewable energy and geothermal heating, and the automotive division has an alternative-fuels class.”

In the first installment of the documentary, student Heather Frayer recounted how a trip down the Colorado River inspired her to learn more about wind energy. She signed up for the class now really knowing what it entailed.

She had to become comfortable with the technical demands of designing and building a turbine without any previous experience in welding, tool making, electrical circuits or computer-aided design. But Carpenter and his colleagues designed the course with that aspect in mind. She took part in all of its aspects, from research to design to fabrication to installation. The class also chose to build the model’s electric generator instead of purchasing a unit.

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What Frayer and her fellow students created is now in place at the west end of the Texas Township Campus between the technology wing and the soccer field in the shadow of the college’s 145-foot wind turbine.

Joining Carpenter (machining) as lead instructors were Rick Garthe (drafting and design), Erick Martin (welding and fabrication), and Bill Wangler (electrical technology).

The college intends to offer MACH 282 in the 2011 winter semester that begins Jan. 10. At least 15 students are required to run that course. Lecture sessions are slated for Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:30 to 10:50 a.m., lab sessions on the same days from 11 a.m. to 1:50 p.m., and a two-hour lab on Thursdays beginning at 3 p.m.

To register for this course and the winter-semester edition, contact Sue Hills at (269) 488-4371 or go to this web site: www.kvcc.edu/schedule.

Resumes next topic in Douglass seriesWhat a community college has to offer and how this form of higher education can

enhance a person’s life are the themes of a series of workshops scheduled for the 2010-11 academic year and beyond.

Free, targeted for prospective students of all ages and parents, and hosted by the Douglass Community Association at 1000 W. Paterson St., each 90-minute session will be presented by Kalamazoo Valley Community College personnel. Each Wednesday presentation begins at 4 p.m.

Here is the schedule for the rest of the workshop topics: Dec. 15 --- Writing resumes and cover letters. Jan. 19, 2011 – Making decisions on what career path to take. Feb. 16 – KVCC’s Transfer Resource Center and Focus Program that eases the

transition of students into programs at four-year universities and colleges. March 16 – The college’s new ExpressWays program that was launched with the

fall semester and its job-prepping venture in operation at the Northside Association for Community Development.

April 20 – A repeat of the workshop on financial aid. May 20 – The impact of good nutrition and healthy lifestyles on learning. June 15 – Setting goals and what it takes to be successful. July 20 – The Kalamazoo Valley Museum, which is governed by KVCC, and its

value as a learning resource. Aug. 17 – An overview of the college’s Arcadia Commons Campus in downtown

Kalamazoo. Sept. 21 – An overview of the college’s Texas Township Campus.“All of these workshops are open to the public,” said Bruce Kocher, vice president for

academic services. “These amount to an outreach to the Southwest Michigan community as a way to let people know what a community college has to offer and what is available.”

Donating food can be part of ‘The Human Experience’KVCC's Student Activities Office will be collecting food for the Kalamazoo Food

Bank at Loaves and Fishes as part of this year’s holiday season. Donations may be dropped off in the box located in front of Room 4220, in the

Student Commons, and the advocates area in the Student Success Center.

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“Last year KVCC collected 600 pounds of non-perishable foods, so let's make this year even better,” urged Mary Johnson, coordinator of student activities and programs.

She can be contacted at extension 4120 or MJohnson@kvcc.edu.

Swim, dance, bike those pounds awayEnlivened by the addition of a little South-of-the-border style of workout, the

Wellness and Fitness Center’s line-up of free, drop-in activities to promote vitality and good health among KVCC employees and students is operational through Dec. 22.

It’s your proactive chance to pare off a few pounds so that you can splurge a little when the upcoming holidays’ sumptuous treats pass your way.

And to help you do it, welcome to zumba, a workout routine that has been added to the Tuesday and Thursday schedules.

For the exercise-knowledge challenged, zumba is an aerobic fitness program created by Miami-based dancer and choreographer Beto Perez and two entrepreneurs. It originated in Colombia in the 1990s and as of 2009 is taught by some 20,000 instructors in 35 countries. Classes use music based on salsa, meringue, cumbia, and reggae.

“Zumba incorporates fast-paced music with cardio exercise,” says Blake Glass, manager of the KVCC Wellness and Fitness Center. “”The Latin-style music gets you in the mood and the instructor leads you through various multi-muscle movements that will have you sweating and burning calories while having a lot of fun.”

Here is the lineup for faculty, staff and enrolled students:Monday – swimming from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.; total body conditioning, 1 to

1:55 p.m.; and ballroom dancing from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.Tuesday – swimming from 7 to 8 a.m. and zumba from noon to 12:55. Wednesday – swimming from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.; and yoga from 1 to 1:55 p.m.Thursday – swimming from 7 to 8 a.m. and zumba from noon to 12:55. Friday – swimming from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., fitness cycling from 11:30 a.m. to

1;55 p.m., and total body conditioning from 1 to 1:55 p.m.Saturday -- swimming from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.Except for the obvious site for swimming, these exercise opportunities will be

based in Room 6040 in the Student Commons.

The illusion of race explored in documentaryDocumentaries that focus on the sociological and behavioral aspects of the human

phenomenon known as race are being shown at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum in conjunction with the local stay of a nationally touring exhibit.

Visitors can enhance their experience of sampling “Race: Are We So Different” in the third-floor gallery through Jan. 2 with free screenings of acclaimed PBS documentaries in the Mary Jane Stryker Theater.

“Race: The Power of an Illusion,” a three-part series that probed race in society, science and history, is set for a Saturday (Dec. 11) booking at 2 p.m.

Questioning the idea of race as biology, the series suggests that such a belief in race is no more sound than believing that the sun revolves around the earth.

The division of people into distinct categories—“white,” “black,” “yellow,” or “red” — has become so widely accepted and so deeply rooted in the human psyche that most people would not think to question its veracity.

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This three-hour documentary tackles the theory of race by subverting the idea of race as biology, tracing the idea back to its origin in the 19th century.

This basically is the thrust of the third-floor exhibit. The segment on “The Difference Between Us” examines the contemporary

sciences -- including genetics -- that challenges common-sense assumptions that human beings can be bundled into three or four fundamentally different groups according to their physical traits.

“The Story We Tell” episode traces the roots of the race concept in North America.

It also explores the 19th-century science that legitimated it, and how it came to be held so fiercely in the western imagination.

The episode illustrates how race served to rationalize, even justify, American social inequalities as "natural."

“The House We Live In” explores how race resides not in nature but in politics, economics and culture. It reveals how social institutions "make" race by disproportionately channeling resources, power, status and wealth to white people.

Booked for Sunday, Dec. 19, at 2 p.m. in the Stryker Theater are showings of two episodes of “Matters of Race,” the four-part, four-hour PBS documentary that discusses the "architecture" of race relations in the United States, and their relationship to political power and social standing.

The miniseries consists of six separate short films about racial issues, with subject matter ranging from the influx of Hispanics in the American minority pool and the ongoing tribulations of Native Americans and Hawaiians.

Titles of these films include “The Divide,” “Race Is/Race Ain't,” “We're Still Here,” and “Tomorrow's America.” The Dec. 19 titles are “We’re Still Here” and “Tomorrow’s America.”

Spreading the word about KVCC initiativesOK, your new program, project, activity, community service or happening has

been given the green light by the powers-that-be. Or, you have been selected to make a presentation at a statewide or national

conference. Your next telephone call or e-mail should be to Tom Thinnes (extension 7899,

tthinnes@kvcc.edu) to begin spreading the word both around the college and around the community.

Don’t - REPEAT - don’t wait around until the week before to contact those whose duties include public relations, promotions, marketing, communication and dealing with the news media.

What’s important to remember is that members of the news media don’t sit on their hands waiting for calls giving them clues on what to do.

As with all of us at KVCC, they have schedules, full platters and agendas, and plenty to do. They appreciate as much advance notice as the rest of us so that they can properly apply their resources and their responses.

The same modus operandi applies to those who organize and present annual and repeating events. They, too, are often just as newsworthy and require as much advance notice in order to generate the public exposure many of them deserve.

Helpful Hint No. 2 - There is no such animal as making a contact too early.

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Helpful Hint No. 3 If something in the program, project, activity, community service or happening

changes or is eliminated, make another contact - and quickly -- so that the material/news release can be revised or updated.

Members of the news media appreciate being alerted so that they get the facts straight.

Also, if something changes days or even weeks later after the news story has been distributed and printed, still contact Tom Thinnes (see above) because the college’s news-and-information website is constantly edited, updated and refreshed. Many of these distributed news reports have extended shelf lives.

TV show looks at museum’s newest attraction If you missed the grand opening of the Kalamazoo Valley Museum’s new history

gallery, you can gather a sense of what it is all about from the confines of the room that holds your television set.

That’s because the December installment of the museum’s TV show is a behind-the-scenes look at the museum’s latest attraction.

Host Tom Dietz will give viewers a close look and some background materials on a few of its features, including the region’s bog-iron legacy, its role in the making of classic guitars, the Stryker success story, the role that the Douglass Community Center (Association) has played in Kalamazoo’s diversity, and how visitors will be able to try their luck and talents at being a TV news reporter.

The episode is being aired by the Public Media Network (formerly the Community Access Center) on Channel 22 on the Charter cable system at 7 p.m. on Sundays, 6:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m. on Fridays, and 11 a.m. on Saturdays throughout the month.

For further information, contact Dietz at extension 7984.

Before dumping used cooking oil, check with CharlieIf you deep-fried your Thanksgiving Day turkey and want to dispose of the

cooking oil, think of what’s cookin’ in the automotive-technology lab and ask Charlie Fuller whether his supply is low.

Through the magic of chemistry under the lab manager's supervision, bio-diesel fuel is being converted from vegetable oils that had been used to cook fondue foods, chicken strips, perch, turkeys, mushrooms, French fries, and jalapeno peppers.

Larry Taylor, the coordinator of the automotive program, launched the initiative to convert cooking oil into bio-diesel fuel for two major reasons.

“The No. 1 reason,” he said, “is to take a re-usable source of energy that is normally thrown away and make a fuel that can power some of the college’s fleet of vehicles and machinery, which is a money-saving venture.

“The second big reason is to use what is called the ‘Freedom Fueler’ as an educational resource,” Taylor said, “and that is already become a reality for those who are enrolled in the program in chemical technology.”

The unit, with all of its bells and whistles, filtration system, fittings, nozzles, and pumps, costs $4,400.

So what’s the payback?

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The used vegetable oils - from soybeans, peanuts, seeds, etc. - have been donated by KVCC staff members and by restaurants.

The automotive program has to buy methanol and sodium hydroxide - which is basically lye - to catalyze the concoction.

To 50 gallons of cooking oil will be added eight to nine gallons of methanol and about 100 grams of the other chemical. The result is an 80-percent conversion, or about 40 gallons of bio-diesel. When all the math is done and the costs are figured, KVCC comes out about $150 to the good with each batch. The chemistry produces biodiesel fuel and glycerin. Those two are allowed to settle and be separated.

However, the bio-diesel still needs to be “cleaned” of suspended glycerin and other “nasties,” and that cleaning is done by water out of the tap.

The water cleans the fuel and takes the suspended solids down to the bottom of the container. After a day or two, the liquid is crystal-clear bio-diesel. The congealed stuff at the bottom is basically soap, and can be flushed down the drain. But it also can be used in back-yard composting and as a cleansing agent.

Joe Reilly to entertain families at museumThe songs of Michigan environmental educator Joe Reilly will be the theme of

two family-oriented concerts at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum on Saturday (Dec. 4) that will help mark the opening of the new history gallery.

Reilly will share his tunes about Michigan’s lakes and natural places at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.in the Mary Jane Stryker Theater. All of the activities at the museum that day are free.

Performing for more than 12 years across Michigan and the Midwest, Reilly traces his musical roots to his parents who were proficient in both classical and liturgical compositions. From that he concluded that music could be healing, celebratory and prayerful.

A self-taught guitarist, he also trained at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. Of Italian, Irish and Cherokee ancestry, Reilly grew to encompass many genres of music, ranging from Native American to blues to jazz, and all of the stops in between. Academic studies led him to become interested in environmental justice and racism.

He’s written more than 30 songs and recorded three albums. While he does perform for social-change activists, for families, and for at-risk youths in after-school programs, Reilly has also been known to travel the bar-tavern-mainstream concert circuit to deliver versions of his messages in Ann Arbor, Petoskey, Traverse City, East Lansing, Grand Rapids and East Lansing. He’s also performed at Kalamazoo’s The Strutt.

He’s performed in the Concert of Colors in Detroit in 2004 and the Chicago Cultural Center in 2005. From 1997 through 2001, he sung with the Native American drum group, Treetown, performing at powwows and ethnic gatherings around the Great lakes.

After going solo for a short time, he co-founded the Long Hairz Collective trio that ventured into hip hop, folk, blues and the spoken word in their songs.

His “Children of the Earth” album features 23 environment-related songs for that age group. As they entertain, the compositions deliver messages about environmental science and ecological stewardship.

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Reilly and his topics have earned some air time on National Public Radio’s “Living on Earth” and have been featured on the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Environment Report.

Says Reilly: “My tours and performances are organized in ways that bring people together and build community across diverse lines of race, class, gender, age, religion, ability and music genres.”

Following his last Kalamazoo appearance, Reilly set off on a West Coast tour with performances in Chico and Berkeley, Calif., Bend, Ore., and Bainbridge Island, Wash. It was a repeat of a similar junket he took in January of 2009.

Student projects to be judged at Art Hop The Center for New Media used the November Art Hop crowd to judge the latest

round in a semester-long contest for its students, and the process will be repeated this Friday night.

“Project: Multi-Media” is a series of monthly art-oriented challenges for student teams. The format is similar to that of the reality TV show titled “Project Runway,” which involves fashion designing.

According to Maggie Noteboom, events manager at the Center for New Media, seven teams presented their creations to a panel of three judges prior to the November Art Hop.

The judges were: Peter Brakeman, creative designer for Brakeman Design; Kalamazoo architect Michael Dunn; and local illustrator/cartoonist Paul Sizer.

After the three judges scored the submissions, those visiting the center for Art Hop activities that evening voted on their choices.

After the tally, four teams were eliminated and the remaining trio started gearing up for the Dec. 3 Art Hop. A similar project is in the works for the winter semester.

The three teams of students into the next round are: Melissa Al-Azzawi and Ryan Hunt; Samantha Nicles and Jaren Maddock; and Andrew Weindt and Ben Irmen.

‘Seasons of Light’ joins planetarium’s line-upThe Kalamazoo Valley Museum planetarium's latest bank of shows for the fall

includes two that were produced “in house” by planetarium coordinator Eric Schreur.There is a $3 fee for shows in the full-color, Digistar 4 planetarium, although

admission to the museum and its exhibitions are free. The local productions are the 35-minute “Mystery of the Missing Moon” and

“Starry Messenger” that also runs slightly longer than a half hour. Closing out the latest trio of attractions is “Seasons of Light.”

Here is the schedule of showings:“Mystery of the Missing Moon” – a family show that began Oct. 31 and runs

through Jan. 8. A 3-D animated classroom of fifth-graders learns the nature of moon phases, lunar eclipses, the importance of scientific integrity, and how different cultures create stories to explain the natural phenomenon around them. It runs daily at 11 a.m.

“Starry Messenger” – with bright stars and autumn constellations as background, this is a show through the eyes of legendary astronomer Galileo as the audience looks, via his “spy glass,” to see what he saw 400 years ago, forever changing the way humanity perceives the solar system and the universe. Its billings are 2 p.m. on Saturdays through Jan. 8.

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“Seasons of Light” -- a 40-minute sky show about the origins of holiday symbols and how they are connected to the evening sky. Viewable through Jan. 8, shows are 3 p.m. daily

“Season of Lights” recounts the historical, religious, and cultural customs throughout time., and their Christian, Judaic, Celtic, Hopi, Roman, and Nordic roots.

“Eric did the 3-D animations in ‘Mystery of the Missing Moon,’” said planetarium staff member Kelley Dickenson. “He also plays the role of Galileo in ‘Starry Messenger.’ Very few planetariums have the capability to create shows from scratch.”

She reported that the latest indication of his skills was being designated the recipient of the Mallinson Institute for Science Education’s Distinguished Alumni of the Year Award at Western Michigan University.

Also part of the museum’s "Friday Night Highlights" agenda each week through Feb. 25 is an 8:30 p.m. showing of the planetarium show featuring the music of Pink Flood. That has a $3 admission fee.

With a laser-light show in full color streaming across the planetarium's 50-foot dome, the 50-minute production, complete with 3-D animated images, showcases the classic hits of Pink Floyd.

Rotating on Friday nights are the group’s songs from the albums “Dark Side of the Moon,” “Wish You Were Here,” and “The Wall.”

More information is available at the museum’s web site at www.kalamazoomuseum.org.

2 more PTK’ers means scholarship dollarsBecause either Natalie Patchell doesn’t take no for an answer or her recruiting

efforts for Phi Theta Kappa operate 24/7, two additional students have been added to the chapter’s roster since the recent induction ceremony.

That brings the total to 137 new inductees, which made the KVCC chapter eligible for a Pinnacle Award from the national. That is awarded when a chapter registers a 5-percent increase in membership for the year. Better yet, a Pinnacle brings the chapter additional scholarship dollars that can be used by a deserving eligible student who might not be able to pay the dues.

Patchell, an instructor in English and transitional studies, also report that KVCC’s nominees for the 2011 All USA/Coca Cola Academic Team Scholarship -- Ruth Peterman, Abbey Newhouse, David Stout and Melissa Rodriguez – are all PTK members.

To be eligible, students must carry a 3.5 grade-point average, have earned 12 credit hours of classes, and be seeking a two-year degree.

Among the benefits of PTK affiliation are the potential for receiving scholarships for transferring to a four-year university, the opportunity for community service, taking part in intellectual activities, developing leadership skills, and building a network of contacts.

In recent years, the local chapter has taken part in highway clean-up activities through the Michigan Department of Transportation and in a statewide competition to donate organs for transplants.

Library service to be curtailed for two daysSome services at KVCC libraries will not be available for at least two days later

this month.

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The ValleyCat (catalog) and circulation (check-out) systems will be out of service on Sunday, Dec 19, and Monday, Dec. 20. The cutback might even be extended beyond the two days.

Not available will be the ValleyCat online public-access catalog, book checkout, and book renewal.

Library staff might be able to still provide some research assistance, allow for the in-house use of books, references and audio-video media, allow access to library-hosted online journal and research data bases (other than ValleyCat), and collect payments or clear owed fees.

More information is available by contacting Janet Alm at extension 4326 or Jim Ratliff at extension 7867.

“We sincerely apologize for this end-of-semester inconvenience,” according to a statement from the library. “The service disruption is due to a server upgrade at Western Michigan University, in conjunction with the Voyager (library management system) home office in Israel. The time is beyond our control and not negotiable.”

And finally. . .Kids say the darnedest things, and so do those who are involved in sports.“I have a lifetime contract. That means I can’t be fired during the third

quarter if we’re ahead and moving the ball.” – Football coach Lou Holtz“Trying to sneak a fastball past Henry Aaron is like trying to sneak a

sunrise past a rooster.” – Former teammate Joe Adcock“When you are playing for the national championship, it’s not a matter of

life or death. It’s more important than that.” – Former Michigan State football coach Duffy Daugherty

“It’s good sportsmanship to not pick up lost golf balls while they are still rolling.” – Mark Twain

“I’m working as hard as I can to get my life and my cash to run out at the same time. If I can just die after lunch Tuesday, everything will be perfect.” – Former pro golfer Doug Sanders

“There are still over 60 million Chinese who don’t care if we win or lose.” – Former football coach John McKay

“I won’t know until my barber tells me on Monday.” – Knute Rockne when asked after a game why Notre Dame lost.

“My wife made me a millionaire. I used to have three million.” – Hall of Fame hockey player Bobby Hull on his divorce.

“I had a better year than he did.” – Babe Ruth when told that President Herbert Hoover made less than the $80,000 the slugger was demanding in 1930.

“I have a friend who is a nun, and her social life is better than mine.” – Tennis player Wendy Turnbull on her non-existing leisure time during the season.

“All the fat guys watch me and say to their wives, ‘See, there’s a fat guy doing OK. Bring me another beer.’” – Mickey Lolich, the Tigers pitcher who won three games in the 1968 World Series.

“My doctor recently told me that jogging could add years to your life. I think he was right. I feel 10 years older already.” – Comedian Milton Berle

☻☻☻☻☻☻

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