THE DAILY COLLEGIAN Kids explore parents' jobs By Sarah Peters COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER Getting a simulated MRI, learn ing how cows are milked and nurs ing state-of-the-art mannequins was all in a day's "work" for par ticipants of Penn State's Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day event. The annual event, hosted by the Office of Human Resources and Office of Educational Equity gave students the opportunity to explore career opportunities with their parents at three locations throughout the day Thursday. Students could pick from a pool of 50 sites, ranging from the Breazeale Nuclear Reactor to the Dairy Barns. More than 500 peo ple attended the event. Associate Vice President for Human Resources Billie Willits said the event. organized by a committee led by Office of Human Resources administrative assis- Alumni hope to bring By Nick Maneila FOR THE COLLEGIAN The College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) Alumni Society announced plans earlier this week to bring a"TEDx event to Penn State. TEDx events are a product of the TED TechnoloQ7, Entertainment and Design) non profit organization that aims to give a global voice to important and creative thinkers. Notable speakers at TED events in the past have included Al Gore and Jane Goodall. tant Carol Griffin, has a two-fold purpose. The event gives young people the opportunity to explore different careers while giving fac ulty and staff the opportunity to see a different side of Penn State. For Information Technology Trainer Ken Lang's son, Stephen Lang, 11, the day was all about new discoveries. Though he hopes to be an architect, Stephen Lang said his favorite event of the day was seeing salt change color after being bombarded with radiation at the nuclear reactor. At the Dairy Barns, the smell of manure filled the air as Assistant Manager Nadine Houck explained how the cows are cared for. As the participants toured the facility, they were careful to step around any cow manure that dot ted their path. But they didn't hes itate to get up close and personal with the cows, petting their noses affectionately as they mooed. - I've never had a cow stick out If you go What: TEDx planning meeting When: 2 p.m. Sunday Where: 206 IST Building Details: Anyone can attend Different from global TF:I) con ferences. TEDx events focus on recreating the feeling of the annu al conferences in local communi ties and schools. according to the group's website. TEDx events usually are comprised of live its whole tongue and lick me," Kearston Andrus, 12. said. "That was pretty cool." John Andrus, Jr, a plumber pipe fitter for the university, said seeing one cow's - window" opened up was a highlight of the tour for him and Kearston, his daughter. The "window" is a surgi cally cut hole in one of the cow's stomachs comparable to human's ear piercing, in that it will heal, Houck said. She also took out the plug, reached in the cow's stomach and pulled out food the cow consumed 12 to 24 hours ear lier. In the Chandlee Laboratory, students and their parents toured the 3T MRI Facility, Human Electrophysiolou Facility and the High Field MRI Facility and a saw a frequency coil that transmits and receives radio waves. Acting Director of Social Life and Engineering Sciences Imaging Center Rick Gilmore explained MRI procedures to global voice organization to PSU speakers. in addition to TEDTalks videos, which are recordings of previous talks given at other loca- Steve Garguilo, the executive director of the steering committee spearheading the initiative, said he first pitched the idea to the IST Alumni Society six weeks ago. TEDx at Penn State is a mas sive undertaking. but it has the potential to be a defining moment in the history of the College of IST and the university at large," Garguilo said. Al 2 p.m. Sunday in room 206 of the IST Building, the steering Participants watch as Nadine Houck demonstrates how Dairy Barn researchers care for cows through a surgically cut "window." their parents, and Gilmore's eating with their caregivers daughter volunteered to demon- In the maternity lab, a high-tech strate the MRI Simulator. mannequin yelled, "I'm having School of Nursing Simulation contractions," and "Please, give Lab Coordinator Mary Anne me an epidural," as attendees Ventura and Nursing Instructor learned about the birthing Gwen Holderman gave partici- process. As Holderman was pants a tour of the School of speaking, the mannequin actually Nursing's simulation lab, gave birth. which featured blinking, breathing mannequins capable of communi- committee will hold an open meet ing to help ldck off planning of the event. Any student, alumni or commu nity member is welcome to volun teer, Garguilo said. Volunteers can opt to be a part of four separate committees: com munications, operations, speakers and sponsorships. "We'd love to have people from all over Penn State community get involved," Garguilo said. "That's really what TED is all about new ideas, new perspectives, and trying to inspire people." Students said they were excited Who loves ya, baby? FRIDAY, APRIL 23, 2010 13 To e-mail reporter: svpso7l@psu.edu about the possibility of a TEDx event taking place on campus next fall. "I've watched some of the speeches online, they're usually pretty cool," Tyler Laubach (fresh man-chemical engineering) said. "If it happens I think I would prob ably go." Taylor Balch (freshman-com puter science) said he had never heard of the event before, but would considering attending. "I would go if there was a cool speaker," Balch said. "Someone like Al Gore would be really inter esting."
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