UW-Stout Students Make Award-Winning Miner Suit

Five apparel design and development students at UW-Stout were awarded first prize in the International 2011 Safety Products Student Design Challenge for their Underground Mine Suit – a project they designed to prevent injuries and save lives in a dangerous occupation. Their suit features drawstrings for instant tourniquets, foam pads around joints made of a material designed to harden on impact, reflective and glow-in-the-dark materials to keep miners visible, and the suit is composed of a lightweight and moisture-wicking material to keep miners comfortable and dry. The students spend around $400 to produce four prototypes of the suit, and the win marks the second time in three years that a team from Stout has taken won the contest.

Idea Challenge Narrows it Down to the Final Four

The Eau Claire Area Economic Development Corporation has announced its final $500 prize winners in the Idea Challenge. First is Adhesive R&D, a company that has patented a rubber gasketing material called Rubber Max. Its president, Kevin Rosenberg, says Rubber Max addresses problems with thermal expansion and contraction. Second FlameMeister, a product for HVAC systems that prevents blockage in air intake pipes. The last two spots were given to Alexis Lucas and Allen Steinhauer. The latter designed a carrier/trailer for golf carts called the Villager Stow n’ Tow. This item allows golfers to carry larger items. Lucas entered the Idea Challenge in hopes of starting a business called Chip Magnet that will produce homemade relishes, salsas, and jellies. All four winners will be eligible to win one of three $1000 prizes and the $5000 grand prize.

Cray Snags Supercomputer Job

Cray, the global supercomputer company based in Seattle that employs around 250 in Chippewa Falls, just made a sweet $188 million multiyear contract with the University of Illinois. After International Business Machine Corps decided to give up the $300 million Blue Waters supercomputer project, Cray picked it up projecting to have it online next year. Unlike an ordinary computer, Blue Water system is predicted to have a performance of more than one petaflops. This kind of computing is useful for science computations like tornado formation or the invasion of viruses in cells. With the addition of such a big project, Cray’s revenues are looking mighty fine for 2012.

Free Photo Portrait Program Returns

Chippewa Valley families are invited to participate in the second annual “Help-Portrait Eau Claire,” an event designed to allow underprivileged people in the area have free portraits taken, printed, and returned in the same day. This is part of a larger international “Help-Portrait” event that has given more than 100,000 portraits in 54 countries. The Valley’s participation will be held at L.E. Phillips Senior Center on Dec. 3 from 10am-4pm. The photos will be taken by volunteers, who donate their creativity, time, and talents to give back to the community. Last year a dozen volunteers took 60 portraits of 70 area residents; some of whom had their photo taken for the first time.

Help a Local School Bus Become a Science Lab

Wildlands School in Augusta is in the running for a grant from Clorox in a contest called Power A Bright Future. It provides five schools with a $50,000 grant to fund a school program. Wildlands, a 7-12 charter school, has a unique desire: to duplicate a 22-year-old bus they’ve converted into a mobile lab by removing half the seats for microscopes, centrifuges, photospectromiters, and other science equipment. The current mobile lab bus was put in five years ago to allow students to participate in unique project-based learning. They’re in the running, but need your help! You can help by voting online at PoweraBrightFuture.com.