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Science Tech competition going on today
at Gwinnett Center
By
Anne Wainscott-Sargent
Special to GwinnettForum.com
DULUTH, Ga., March 14, 2008 -- The WIT Foundation, the philanthropic
arm of Women in Technology (WIT), an association devoted to the
advancement of Georgia's businesswomen in the industry, announces
its second year of support to the 2008 FIRST Peachtree Regional
to be held in March 13-15 at the Gwinnett Civic and Cultural Center
in Duluth. FIRST is "For Inspiration and Recognition of Science
and Technology."
Besides event sponsorship, WIT Foundation also provided grants
to 12 Georgia high school teams for this year's "FIRST Overdrive"
competition. Teams were selected based upon various criteria, including
meeting the goal of having 30 percent or more female team members
distributed in both technical and non-technical roles. WIT Foundation
also provided a grant to three Georgia middle school teams for the
2008 Fernbank FIRST LEGO League Regional Qualifier Tournament. All
three teams were 100 percent female. WIT Foundation's total support
to FIRST in 2008 exceeded $50,000.
Sue Miller, president of WIT Foundation, who will serve as a judge
at both the Peachtree Regional and at the FIRST Championships to
be held in Atlanta this April, says: "WIT Foundation is delighted
to be able to continue our high level of support for these teams
and this competition due to our belief in the power of science and
technology and the impact it has on our youth. By encouraging girls
to participate on FIRST programs, the WIT Foundation hopes to change
the alarming shortage of women in computer science and engineering
programs."
U.S. high school girls comprised fewer than 15 percent of students
who took the AP computer science exam in 2006, and there was a 70
percent decline in the number of incoming undergraduate women choosing
to major in computer science from 2000 to 2005, according to the
National Center for Women and Information Technology.
Consider these statistics:
- The Bureau of Labor Statistics finds that women hold about 27
percent of jobs in computer and mathematical occupations.
- One of the schools benefiting from WIT Foundation support is
team 1127 at Milton High School. Suzy Crowe, Robotics coach at
Milton, says: "Last year, our team was 30 percent girls.
This year, almost half of our 22-person team is female, including
our team's co-president and co-vice president. Many of these young
women are focusing their energy on the electrical system and programming,
and mentoring newer members of the team.
- In 1992, the FIRST Robotics Competition began with 28 teams
and a single 14x14 foot playing field in a New Hampshire high
school gym. This season, more than 1,500 teams---including a record
316 rookie teams---will participate.
- Forty-one regional competitions will lead up to the 2008 FIRST
Championship at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, April 17-19 In this
year's game, team-built robots are designed to race around a track
knocking down 40-inch inflated trackballs and moving then around
the track, passing them either over or under a 6'6" overpass.
Extra points are scored by robots positioning the trackballs back
on the overpass before the end of a two-minute, 15-second match.
Bill McCargo, vice president of community relations at the Scientific-Atlanta
Foundation, and founding chair, Georgia FIRST, says: "Georgia
FIRST is indebted to the WIT Foundation for their support of this
important program. I travel nationally and regionally to speak to
heads of foundations and community relations of high-tech companies.
When we mention organizations that are doing the most effective
job of getting young people excited about pursuing engineering,
science and technology careers, FIRST always comes up as a leading
program."
EMS Technologies Inc. of Norcross is a founding sponsor of the
Norcross High School robotics team. It has now been a sponsor of
this team for five years in a row. Norcross High senior Michael
Kahn, president of the Norcross Engineering Team, says that EMS
mentors "not only help with the construction of the robot,
but also teach members of the team engineering practices that took
years to learn.. EMS engineers are our friends and colleagues in
FIRST. We could not compete without them."
Two Lilburn legislators backing bad measure
for our schools
By
Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher
MARCH 14, 2008 -- Action by two Gwinnett legislators made us uncomfortable
last week, since we think they were proposing legislation leading
Georgia backward, not forward.
Brack |
We refer to two Republicans from Lilburn, Rep. Clay Cox, who introduced
a bill to allow the election of county school superintendents. His
bill was endorsed by Rep. David Casas, as the co-sponsor of House
Resolution No. 1. We urge this resolution be scuttled.
What is it about Lilburn Republicans? Why do they introduce such
crackpot measures? Mr. Cox, in particular, always seems hanging
around, or over, the fringe.
Ask anyone you respect in the education business, and you will
find almost to a person they think that electing both a school board
and a superintendent of schools for that county is a bad idea. There's
obvious reasons why this is bad. When you elect both a school board
to provide overall policy, and at the same time independently have
the voters also elect the school superintendent to run the schools,
you are asking for trouble. Both think they must prevail. Both the
board and the superintendent think they must "answer to the
people." In effect, you automatically insure that there will
be conflict between the school board members and the superintendent.
Such a system violates fundamentals of management to the utmost,
in that both parties think that their ideas are right. You set your
school system up for mediocrity, if not far lower quality.
Cox |
Tom Wilson, current superintendent of schools in Carrollton, and
previously in a similar post at Buford, called such a move a step
backward. "I think professional organizations work better when
you have a lay board, like we have - lay people who are elected
to the school board. Then they hire a professional to be superintendent."
No business nor governing body should have two bosses. The system
that Reps. Cox and Casas champion does just that.
Casas |
There's even another reason why electing both the school board
and superintendent is bad. Before Georgia mandated elected superintendents
in 1993, counties required that anyone running for superintendent
live within that county. The pool of candidates, therefore, was
most limited, especially in small counties. Not only that, but the
voters do not always elect the most qualified candidate. We've seen
a bad candidate elected, and have seen what it can do to the school
system. It is not pretty.
Far better is our current system throughout Georgia of placing
the power behind the school system in the hands of the voters to
elect the school board members to set overall policy. That means
that they also set up qualifications and flexibility for the appointed
school superintendent, and then go out and find the best person
for the job, no matter where they live. If that person does not
perform, the accountability is there, direct, for all to see, with
the ultimate power resting in the hands of the duly-elected school
board members.
We wonder why Reps. Clay Cox and David Cases insist this is good
legislation, when those in the field of education see the measure
as nothing shy of bad legislation. It makes you wonder what is the
reason that these two legislators would introduce such an openly
backward measure. We urge the balance of the General Assembly to
kill this measure.
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Feels
Second Amendment provides basic protection
Editor, The Forum:
The right to bear arms for self-defense is a big issue for me.
The laws today are made for the criminals, not the upstanding people
of the United States. I am a member of the NRA and do believe in
the Second Amendment Right to bear arms. If we let the government
take these rights away, then what have our American Soldiers been
fighting for all these years? The only people that would have guns
would be the criminals.
-- Robert D. Sanders, Hoschton
Dear Mr. Sanders: Thank you for being original.
We received many emails on this subject, all obviously form letters.
We don't print them. At least you can compose your thoughts. This
site is meant to be a forum of ideas, and while we disagree with
you on what the second amendment means, we respect your right
to your thoughts. -eeb
Raises question about
2009 garbage hauling service
Editor, the Forum:
After reading your article on the new (for 2009) plan for the garbage
hauling for Gwinnett County, I for one do not agree with the county
finding another way for increasing our taxes. What does waste disposal
have to do with our taxes and what about our right to choose who
we want to service us? It is in no way right for us to have to use
a waste disposal company in which we (the ones footing the bill)
did not choose. What happens when we are dissatisfied with their
service? Will the county handle all the complaints, issues and problems?
The county is the one who issued all these waste disposal companies
business licenses to operate in our county. So why now are they
wanting to control the matter/issues that these businesses are claimed
to have caused? Maybe this should have been considered prior to
the issuing of the business licenses. But as always the easiest
way to correct an error or mistake made by a government is to make
a decision, force it on the citizens and then increase the taxes
to cover the cost of the error and/or correction of the error.
Just my opinion on the matter, of course.
PS: What about the new haul through fee that the county is charging
the waste company per customer, of which is being passed on to the
customer? If the waste company is based out of Gwinnett County,
they are charged an occupational tax for every gross dollar they
make as part of their cost for their business license. Would one
not consider the occupational tax as being part of the waste companies'
cost of doing business in Gwinnett County? If so, why a haul-through
fee? Should their taxes not cover such a fee?
-- L.B. Hunt, Lawrenceville
Dear LB Hunt: the problem centers around those
Gwinnett residents who are so sorry that they let trash and garbage
pile up in their yards. Since some people do not seem to want
to live in reasonable manners within a civilized world, the rest
of us are punished, you might say, by our collectivesystem,that
is the government, requiring that "we behave." Hence,
the requirement for all households to effectively keep their surroundings
in proper condition. Everyone is punished, you might say, because
some of us do not live up to the standards that others would wish.
Not directly what you asked, but this is what is behind all this.
Yes, by all means, call the county should you ever be dissatisfied
with your service. That's what good government is for.
There's also the present situation where in some
areas, as many as six haulers are in subdivisions. With some firms
having a truck for garbage, for recycling and bulk waste, that
can be 18 trucks pounding those streets. That's unreasonable.
As for the pass-through fee, that's been in place since 1991,
and is used to administer the program.-eeb
Questions subsidies
for Gwinnett Transit System
Editor, the Forum:
For the last six years our county commission has spent good money
after bad subsidizing the transportation costs of 3,300 (1,400 Express
riders/1,900 local riders) Gwinnett citizens. This is less than
one half of one percent of our county population. It seems incredulous
to me that they are now considering reducing that subsidy by less
than eight percent and the 3,300 are upset about the increased fare
proposal.
When did it become the responsibility of the many to subsidize
the transportation of a few? Additionally it would appear that the
Transit Advisory Board has the backbone of a jellyfish. I understand
they have a vested interest in continuing this failed experiment
so their weak-kneed recommendations are expected.
Personally I would like to see the BOC raise the fares in an amount
sufficient to eliminate the subsidy totally. If the current 3,300
defect back to their automobiles, so be it.
Mass transit is a good idea if it pays for itself. Mass transit
that can only survive long term with a subsidy is very much like
burning 1.1 gallons of gasoline to produce one gallon of ethanol.
Given the current and foreseeable budget situation, the last thing
we need is another albatross that looks a lot like MARTA.
We elected the county commission to make the tough decisions in
the best interest of our individual districts and the entire county.
Don't let the half of one percent continue to fleece the rest of
the 99.5 percent of Gwinnett County.
-- Patrick Malone, Snellville
Dear Patrick: You are right that all public transit
is subsidized. Most people realize that in order to move lots
of people around most efficiently, transit takes subsidies. And
of course, highways take public funds and put them to use for
the people also. Airlines use public facilities themselves, down
to public runways (landing fees assessed), but also rely on government-paid
air controllers. Subsidizing the public is never ending, it appears,
when it comes to transportation. -eeb
No
time for slight errors
Another great cartoon by Bill McLemore:
New
London Theatre sets Lion-Witch-Wardrobe in April
New London Theatre in Snellville will present the C.S. Lewis classic,
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia),
opening April 18 at 8 pm. It will continue on Fridays, Saturdays
and Sundays through May 4.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a fantasy story
written for children by C. S. Lewis in 1950. The story, set in 1940,
is the first part of the series of adventures named The Chronicles
of Narnia. Four children enter the enchanted world of Narnia
through a magical wardrobe and begin the high adventure filled with
creatures and spirits of myth and fable. The children must help
Narnia and learn lessons from their odyssey of courage, unselfishness,
and wisdom.
Tickets are $12 prepaid (on the website) or $15 at the door. To
learn more about The New London Theatre, go to the Web
site or call (770) 979-3691.
As always, New London presents family-friendly fare. New London
Theatre is a non-profit organization and is continually raising
funds to help keep all cost at a minimum, while striving to entertain
and educate the community in the Arts.
Towers High plans
40th class reunion at Jones Bridge Park
Towers High School in Decatur, Class of 1968, will host their 40th
Class Reunion on June 7, 2008, with special guests from the classes
of 1966, 1967 and 1969. The event includes a picnic from 11 a.m.
to 3 p.m.at Jones Bridge Park, 4901 E. Jones Bridge Road, Norcross.
An evening event will be at the at the Holiday Inn Select in Peachtree
Corners, 6050 Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, Norcross.
For details and for a brochure, contact Ira Moncrief at 770-922-2994.
Deadline for registration and payment is May 1, 2008.
Snellville hospital
makes application for 10-bed expansion
Emory Eastside Medical Center has completed its application to
the Georgia Department of Community Health for a Certificate of
Need for expansion of the hospital's fourth floor. The hospital
hopes for approval of the $3 million project by mid-May.
According to Emory Eastside's new Chief Executive Officer, Kim
Ryan, ground-breaking for the project will take place almost immediately,
upon approval. "This expansion will add ten surgical beds to
the fourth floor of the Snellville, 200-bed hospital," says
Ryan. "The additional beds, which are planned to open mid-August,
will be dedicated to orthopedic joint replacement and spinal surgery
patients."
Ryan said the specialty unit will feature a "Joint Hotel"
concept, catering to the unique needs of these elective surgical
procedures' patients. The concept features a dedicated physical
therapy/rehab center, gymnasium and dining room within the center.
Nurses who care for patients on this unit will have specialized
orthopedic and neurosurgical training and background.
Emory Eastside Medical Center was founded in 1980 and is located
in Snellville. For more information, visit www.emoryeastside.com.
Curves clubs seek
donation of food for local communities
Last year, the Curves food drive collected almost 11 million pounds
of food for local communities all over the world. This year, Curves
has set a goal to collect 15 million pounds to help even more people
in need of healthy food, including collection for the Norcross Cooperative
Ministry.
Persons wishing to donate may drop off non-perishable food items
at Curves locations Monday through Friday during business hours
during the month of March.
This year's food drive includes a twist: a weekly theme that gives
people fun options and helps them pick healthy foods to donate.
The schedule includes: Week 1: Empty Your Pantry of Healthy Staples;
Week 2: Foods From Around the World; Week 3: Souper Suppers; Week
4: Family Friendly items including healthy snacks for kids and baby
necessities.
The Norcross Cooperative Ministry is located at 2275 Mitchell Road
in Norcross. For more information or directions, please call Shirley
Cabe, Director, at 770.263.0013.
Hampton Inn on Sugarloaf
wins top performing award
The Hampton Inn at the I-85 and Sugarloaf Parkway has won the Hampton
company's Lighthouse Award, designating it as one of the hotel chain's
top performing hotels among more than 1,400 Hampton properties.
The Hampton Inn-Lawrenceville/I-85/Sugarloaf was recognized for
its high rankings in quality, guest satisfaction and business performance.
The award criteria was based on customer feedback measured through
guest satisfaction surveys on the hotel, as well as product quality
and service scores measured quarterly by the company.
Kevin Hill, hotel general manager, says: "The competition
to be among the elite group of Hampton Lighthouse Award winners
becomes stronger each year as the Hampton brand continues to add
more hotels, making us especially proud this year to receive the
honor."
The hotel is also a recent recipient of the Hampton Circle of Excellence
Award, placing it in the organization's top 10 percent of best in
quality and service. The 127-room Hampton Inn is located near Discover
Mills Mall.
- An invitation: What
Web sites, books or restaurants have you enjoyed? Send us your
best recent visit to a restaurant or most recent book you have
read along with a short paragraph as to why you liked it, plus
what book you plan to read next. --eeb
Oglethorpe
has eyes on extending influence to Florida
(Continued...) General James Oglethorpe attempted to extend
his coastal
defenses well south of Georgia's official boundary, stipulated
in the colonial charter as "the most southern stream"
of the Altamaha River. In 1736 he even began construction of a fort
on St. Georges Island at the mouth of the St. Johns River, barely
35 miles from the Spanish stronghold of St. Augustine, Fla.
At Fort Frederica |
Spanish anger over this intrusion ultimately forced the abandonment
of Fort St. George, but Oglethorpe continued pressing to expand
southward. Some scholars suspect that he may even have attempted
to redraw versions of early Georgia maps to show fictive branches
of the Altamaha River connecting to the St. Johns, thus implicitly
redrawing the colony's southern border. His ambitions, thwarted
at St. Georges Island, paid off in 1738, when he persuaded the British
Parliament to send a regiment of nearly 700 soldiers to the colony.
The majority of these men were stationed at Fort Frederica, but
Oglethorpe also posted 200 men farther south at Fort St. Andrews
and a smaller company of perhaps 50 or 60 men on the southern end
of Cumberland Island.
The first real test of Oglethorpe's coastal defenses came with
the War of Jenkins' Ear. After an unsuccessful siege of St. Augustine
in 1740, Georgians retreated into their fortifications to await
the inevitable Spanish retaliation. Finally, in 1742, led by the
Spanish governor Manuel De Montiano, 36 naval vessels carrying 2,000
infantrymen appeared off the Georgia coast. The first alarm was
raised by the garrison at Fort William, which successfully kept
several Spanish galleons from entering the inland waterway.
Forewarned of the invasion, Oglethorpe mounted a spirited defense
of his main base at Fort Frederica, culminating in the famous Battle
of Bloody Marsh on St. Simons Island, in which his forces soundly
defeated the Spanish. While retreating toward St. Augustine, however,
Montiano drew level with Fort William on Cumberland Island and launched
a massive assault on the tiny garrison, commanded by Lt. Alexander
Stewart. Once again Georgia's defenses held firm, and the Spaniards
were compelled to withdraw.
The end of King George's War in 1748 brought a downsizing of Georgia's
defenses. With the disbanding of the regiment in 1749, the southern
portions of the colony, once the focus of Oglethorpe's ambitious
energies, entered a prolonged period of neglect and inactivity.
Small garrisons continued to be posted for some time at Fort Frederica
and Fort William, but Fort St. Andrews, Fort St. Simon, and the
Amelia scout station rapidly fell into disuse. Probably by 1758
even Fort Frederica had been abandoned. During the American Revolution,
British and American forces moved back and forth across the region
repeatedly, attempting on several occasions to reoccupy Fort William
on Cumberland Island. Such efforts, however, were brief and inconsequential.
By the 1780s the coastal defense system pioneered by Oglethorpe
50 years earlier had been all but forgotten. It had served its purpose.
It's not normal to
run into this type of people
"It's a rare person who wants to hear what he doesn't want
to hear."
-- Comedian and TV Host Dick Cavett (1936 - ).
Send your thoughts, 55-word short stories, pet peeves
or comments on any issue to Gwinnett
Forum for future publication.
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