Press
Press
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Craneville team takes top spot at Robotics
Challenge
Saturday, March 06, 2004 - LENOX -- The
Craneville Creators of Craneville Elementary School defeated the Yorgishmorgs of
Great Barrington in the finals and were crowned competition champion of "Mission
Mars," the fifth annual Berkshire Robotics Challenge, conducted Feb. 28 at Lenox
Memorial High School.
The competition involved student teams from throughout the county, using programmable robots built from LEGO kits to overcome miniature replicas of the obstacles, restrictions and challenges of a Mars mission.
The competition, which involved 21 Berkshire County teams composed of more than 150 students ages 8 to 14, was sponsored by Berkshire Applied Technology Council, with major underwriting support from GE Plastics.
Peter Bell and John Friedman coached the Craneville Creators. Team members were Jordan DiPietro, Emily Rowe, Lindsey Hunt, Evan Latvalle, Cody Belland, Brett Lavigne, Chris McCann, Michael Friedman, Zach Stedman and Rachel Bell.
Wade Bernstein, Die Ban and Pam Boudreau coached the Yorgishmorgs. Team members were Luke Ban, Simon Ban, Josh Bernstein, Mathieu Boudreau, Andrew Kotleski, Michael Kotleski, Austin Miner and Christopher Young.
Semifinalists included the Energetic Emeralds from Lenox Memorial and Girls, Gizmos and Gadgets of Dalton Neighborhood Team. Other awards included Sportsmanship & Team Spirit, awarded to Red Rockers of Morris Elementary; Best Mechanical Design, Reid Robotics, Reid Middle School; Most Innovative Design, Girls, Gizmos and Gadgets; Best Programming, Craneville Creators; Against All Odds, Martian Dudes 2004, Worthington-Cummington; Comeback Kids, Lenox Pathfinders, Lenox Memorial; Rookie Team of the Year, Central Mass LEGO Brains, Worcester County.
The program included a presentation by Jay M. Pasachoff, Field Memorial professor of astronomy and director of the Hopkins Observatory at Williams College.
Inspectors for the event were Robert Gove of Husky Injection Molding and David Owen of Domeware Data Systems
Referees were Principal Bruce Collina of Craneville School, Principal Bob Vaughan of Morris Elementary School, Elizabeth Roberts of Monument Mountain Regional High School and Professor Martha Cyr of Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
David Isby and Cheryl Tripp-Cleveland of WUPE-WUHN radio in Pittsfield were masters of ceremonies.
Web design academy offered to young women July
14-18
Monday, June 09, 2003 - PITTSFIELD -- Berkshire
Women on TechPath will hold its annual summer academy for young women in Grades
9 through 12 at Berkshire Community College on Monday through Friday, July
14-18.
The academy, which provides hands-on experience in Web design on the Internet, is free for participants who complete the program. Each participant is required to provide her own lunch, and her own transportation. Registration is limited to 15 participants on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Instruction in Web design is provided by Hal Evans, BCC instructor in computer information systems. Students create their own personal Web sites, and work in teams to develop a new WOTP site. (For last year's site, click here.)
Other activities include tours of local Internet-related businesses, cultural organizations, and recreational activities such as hiking on BCC's nature trail.
Funded by the state Department of Education and the Berkshire County Regional Employment Board, the WOTP project encourages young women to pursue high-skilled, high-wage careers in nontraditional fields.
The academy is coordinated by the Berkshire Applied Technology Council and the Berkshire Tech Prep Consortium in conjunction with BCC.
In addition to the academy, WOTP sponsors an after-school program during the spring semester and plans to sponsor more technology-oriented programs in the coming year.
There is a $25 registration fee that will be returned upon the completion of the academy. To register or for more information about future programs, contact Denise Johns at 442-0885 or Julie Hannum at 499-4660, Ext. 308.
Technology Council class graduates
Tuesday, June 17, 2003 - PITTSFIELD -- The first class of the
Berkshire Applied Technology Council's applied engineering technology
certificate program concluded on May 29 with a celebration for students and
their families, program professors and business sponsors in the Berkshire
Community College cafeteria.
William M. Hines, president and chief executive officer of Interprint Inc. and founding president of the Technology Council, was the keynote speaker. Students formally received their college certificates at the BCC commencement on May 31 at Tanglewood in Lenox.
The program ran from Sept-ember 2001 through June 2003 and was funded by a U.S. Department of Labor grant.
The certificate graduates include Michael LaPierre of Boyd Converting, Brian Brazeau of Cavallero Plastics Co., Douglas Golin, Mary Ellen LaPlant and Susan Wood of Crane and Co., Chester Potash of Curtis Fine Paper, William Amuso and Cathy Plankey of Hi Tech Mold and Tool; Matthew Barber of Interprint Inc., Frank Wood of Marland Mold, Georg Fili and Matthew Storie of MeadWestvaco Specialty Papers, and Carlyle Chesbro of RI Baker Co.
Most of the students will continue on to obtain their associate's degree in applied engineering technology.
Robotics Challenge deadline is May 30
Sunday, May 18, 2003 - LENOX -- Technology-minded students, parents,
teachers and coaches throughout Berkshire County have begun registering their
teams for the fifth annual Berkshire Robotics Challenge, which will be conducted
in March 2004 at Lenox Memorial Middle and High School.
The competition provides an opportunity for students ages 8 to 14 to build their science and technology skills while designing and programming a robot using a LEGO Mindstorms kit. Students work in teams toward a competitive goal while learning problem solving, teamwork and good sportsmanship.
The theme for next year's competition is "Mission Mars."
Though the details of the mission have not been disclosed, the challenges typically require LEGO robots to turn, climb, lift, and drop small items that are provided.
Team sizes will be limited to 10 students; each team must have a coach -- one or more responsible adults -- who can help the group work together. Support will be available from experienced local coaches and U.S. First LEGO League offers advice and coaches' chat rooms at www.usfirst.org .
Teams should register before May 30. Once a team receives notification that its place has been reserved in the tournament, it also must register at www.usfirst.org and order a competition kit. The nonrefundable Robotics Challenge registration fee is $25. The league registration fee has typically been about $150 and the competition kit about $250. Returning teams with kits that are in good working order will have lower expenses, and financial support is available to teams for whom funding is an obstacle.
"Due to the growing demand of this event and the limited space that is available, we must require that all teams register with Berkshire Robotics Challenge before registering with U.S. First," said Dorothy Curtiss of Berkshire Applied Technology Council. "We don't want teams to spend hundreds of dollars on First LEGO League fees, only to find out that the BRC tournament is full."
Teams may register by e-mailing dcurtiss@TheBATC.org with team name, coach's name(s), team roster, and e-mail address and phone number. Additionally, each team must send a check for $25 payable to Berkshire Applied Technology Council to: Dorothy Curtiss, Berkshire Applied Technology Council, 1 Fenn St., Suite 302, Pittsfield, MA 01201.
Registrations will be accepted on a fist-come, first-served basis until the maximum 25-team field is reached. A waiting list will be established in case any registered teams drop out.
The event is open to any school or neighborhood team. Until May 30, BATC is limiting registrations to two teams from any single school.
If there are any spaces after May 30, organizers will try to accommodate schools that are interested in registering more than two teams. A special "rookie" category is available for teams whose entire roster of students and coaches has never competed previously.
For further information, including questions about sponsorship, contact Curtiss, 448-9000, or Denise Johns, 442-0885.
Making PEDA site work for city
Friday, February 14, 2003 - PITTSFIELD
AS WE begin to build the foundation for the growth and redevelopment of the Pittsfield Economic Development Authority site, we are faced with the key challenge of deciding what it is we want to do with prime industrial land. Land surveys, engineering, early site preparation and real estate market studies are all behind us. Now we have to ask, "Who do we want here?" And more important, "Who wants us?" -- and will join with us in their business growth strategy.
To find the answer to this, the ultimate goal, we must deal with three imperatives. We must develop a strategic mission, define our marketing perspective and -- when an opportunity presents itself -- act with unity and urgency.
One thing is strikingly clear: we cannot look to the past for an answer. The University of Massachusetts recently released a report analyzing the economy in seven regions of the state. It has been called the most comprehensive economic development study the state has undertaken in 10 years. The numbers are compelling and clear. Traditional blue-collar manufacturing jobs are leaving the state in large numbers. In fact, Massachusetts has fewer manufacturing jobs today than it did in 1939.
And as plant after plant closes, abandoned or underused industrial sites have become a common feature in the towns and cities of New England. In some they are simply a depressing eyesore. But some cities and towns have recognized the valuable community heritage and potential represented by these sites and have taken steps to bring them into the 21st century.
Brockton, for instance, is moving to capitalize on the number of small companies in its area. With a low-tech strategy, it is putting its energy into growing small manufacturing companies while assisting the ones that are already there.
Lawrence is seeking to recast itself as a city of industrial sophistication, sort of a SoHo on the Merrimack. And Worcester recently started a concentrated advertising campaign to lure biotech, health care, manufacturing and education businesses to the region by promoting the area's 16 colleges and universities and the highly educated labor force.
Why are some major economic development projects successful while others have not realized their expected potential? Part of the answer lies in their strategic mission -- and how they have chosen to move it forward. Creating a strategic mission sounds easy. However, it is in fact notoriously difficult. Months or years of analysis, hard work and experimentation are needed to arrive at a successful approach, which may in the end need to be modified, as additional information becomes available through our master plan process.
Successful missions, the first imperative, are built on a number of assumptions. Here are some of ours:
The reality is that in today's environment, knowledge-based industries will create the high-wage jobs of the future.
While large manufacturing companies have downsized or left the state, many small, traditional manufacturers have an important role in driving the economy. They are often no less "high tech" than traditional technology-oriented businesses and they represent jobs with pay scales significantly higher than the average. Companies that focus on finance and entertainment also represent the growth industries of the future.
The new industries and businesses we attract have to fit one another. We do not want to create a strategy that promises something for everyone, with the resulting mix fragmenting into diverse -- and perhaps contentious -- segments.
Our workforce must have the "core competencies" expected and needed by the types of businesses we seek. This means we must support the programs or organizations such as the Berkshire Applied Technology Council (BATC), to create strongly qualified candidates for the local labor force.
I would add a fifth point -- Brockton and the other communities I mentioned defined their strengths and marketed them. They engaged in a process of strength analysis, and then used the results to map a more prosperous future that will benefit everyone in the community.
Our second imperative in achieving our goal is that PEDA must develop a marketing perspective. We believe the new industries that will locate on the PEDA site should join with us not as tenants but as partners. By defining our relationship with the customer as a marketing relationship, we focus on the customer's needs and goals, not ours. Rather than say what we want, we will ask the customer, "What do you want to do?" We will ask, "What are your goals?" And, most important, we will ask, "How can we help you do that?"
At the same time, we must make sure we get our message out to companies and organizations looking for an attractive rural area where they can relocate their business and their people.
And last, our third imperative is that we must learn to act decisively. In a rapidly changing business world, what we once thought of as fast pace is now a slow crawl. The "sense of urgency" bar is constantly being raised. If you're not continually moving forward, you're falling behind. If we do not act with extraordinary speed, in today's environment we will lose our most important prospect to the competition.
We cannot act quickly if we have failed to agree on our goals. This means that all the parties in the partnership -- PEDA, the neighborhoods, city government, the business community and the community as a whole -- must work together to take maximum advantage of all the state, local and private resources available to build our city.
The most effective way to achieve success is to get everyone into the action. PEDA alone cannot bring economic growth, development and jobs to Berkshire County. It is much bigger than that. Everyone must play a part. Everyone must act.
Thomas E. Hickey is the executive director of PEDA.
North Adams, MA
Prospect Foundation offers employee training
courses
Tuesday, March 25, 2003 - NORTH ADAMS -- The Prospect Foundation is offering employee training this spring to local employers through a workforce development grant funded by the U.S. Department of Labor awarded to the Berkshire Applied Technology Council. As these training sessions are grant-funded, there is no charge to the company or the participating employees.
To date, grant-funded sessions served over 100 area employees from a broad range of companies including The Advocate, Boxcar Media, the City of North Adams, Crane Paper, Eziba, Mindbranch, North Adams Regional Hospital, Novtex Corps., Storey Communications, Streetmail, and Village Ventures.
In response to local employers training needs, the following courses, all instructed by Drew Kelly, are being offered: April 7 and 8, 9 a.m.-noon, PowerPoint 1, MCLA Lifelong Learning Lab; May 12 and 13, 9 a.m.-noon, Access 1, MCLA Lifelong Learning Lab; June 9 and 10, 9 a.m.-noon, MS Excel 1, C/4 Lab at MASS MoCA; July 21 and 22, 9 a.m.-noon, PowerPoint 2, MCLA Lifelong Learning Lab; Aug. 11 and 13, 9 a.m.-noon, Access 2, MCLA Lifelong Learning Lab; and Sept. 22 and 23, 9 a.m.-noon, Excel 2, C/4 Lab at MASS MoCA.
Businesses wanting to schedule training sessions in any of the above-mentioned areas, have questions regarding the above mentioned sessions, or have other training/educational needs may contact The Prospect Foundation, 664 8080, or via e-mail at caedy@prospectfoundation.org .