HR Partnership | March 31, 2010

Jefferson Lab’s Open House provides a unique opportunity for the public to tour the Lab and meet its staff. It is the only event where visitors under 18 can access areas of the Lab normally off-limits. Open House is a well-established event with a track record of drawing 4,000 – 6,000 visitors. It is held rain or shine and is free to the public.

Science Activities & Demonstrations

Saturday, May 1, 2010 Open House

Open House will highlight the latest physics research and technology developments at Jefferson Lab. Lab staff will be on hand to discuss their work, answer questions and provide scientific demonstrations throughout the day. Open House is the only time when visitors under 18 can tour the lab. Jefferson Lab aims to offer an Open House biennially.

The event will feature a variety of hands-on, science-education activities for the young and young-at-heart. Visitors will be able to enter portions of the lab, learn about the $310 million 12 GeV Upgrade project underway that will allow JLab to continue as a world leader in scientific research, and to learn first-hand from staff and users about research underway at the lab.

Local universities, museums, private companies and government agencies will present activities and information on complimentary local science endeavors including the Hampton University Proton Therapy Institute, The Mariners’ Museum, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) and the Newport News Fire Department.

This year, Open House will be featured as a National Lab Day event. National Lab Day is a federally endorsed, national campaign to foster hands-on learning in science and math. To learn more about National Lab Day, visit: http://www.NationalLabDay.org.

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Category: Research & Technology | 1 Comment »
Tags: Hampton Roads, Jefferson Lab, Newport News, Research, Technology

HR Partnership | March 30, 2010

Newport News has Port Warwick and City Center, James City County has New Town, Hampton has Peninsula Town Center and now Yorktown will have Nelson’s Grant.

York County is in the works to get its first mixed use development. Called Nelson’s Grant, the development would include 66 town houses, 46 condos, and nearly 14,000 square feet of commercial space.

The new development is designed to create a sense of place for those that will live there. It incorporates many of the concepts that real urban planners support, such as sidewalks, alleyways to support rear-entry garages, community spaces, parallel parking, and a mixed use area. If this development is successful, it should be a model for future development all around Hampton Roads. It is more efficient on city services and therefore less expensive to serve than the segregated-use, ‘traditional’ suburban sprawl.

From the Mr. Williamsburg Blog. To read more, visit: WilliamsburgsRealEstate.com

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Category: About Hampton Roads | No Comments »
Tags: Hampton Roads, Sense of Place, Yorktown

HR Partnership | March 29, 2010

From U.S. Wind Energy Development (March 2010):

The Governors’ Wind Energy Coalition was formed to address some of the nation’s most pressing needs — jobs, energy, and climate — through the use of domestic renewable energy resources.

As a bipartisan group of 29 governors from all areas of the nation (Virginia is included), we share a concern that our dependence on unsustainable and carbon intensive energy sources is an unacceptable risk to the nation’s energy, economic, and environmental security. These recommendations include the governors’ top priorities — green economic development, job creation, and energy security.

Background

The nation’s past energy policy has left Americans exposed to both volatile energy prices and traditional sources of electricity. The growing national determination is that more renewable energy sources must be used. In addition, many policy makers are pressing for an accelerated move toward vehicle electrification as a means to improve both our national energy and economic security by diminishing our reliance on imported oil. This will involve new electric transmission infrastructure in order to capture the value of the nation’s premier renewable energy resources. New transmission will also lower electricity prices for some and support continued electric grid reliability.

Download and read the 2010 Wind Energy Recommendations.

Visit the website at http://GovernorsWindEnergyCoalition.org.

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Category: Research & Technology | 1 Comment »
Tags: Energy, Virginia, Wind

HR Partnership | March 23, 2010

On Monday’s NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, Roger O’Neill reported from Norfolk, Virginia on Making A Difference: Keeping family rituals while at war. Sadie (5) and Charlotte (2) Grzymalski enjoy a “Dadda Video” from their Navy dad, stationed in Afghanistan. Dad reads books as part of the United Through Reading® Military Program, a nonprofit aimed at helping to ease the stress of separation for military families. Deployed parents read children’s books aloud for their child to watch at home via DVD.

O’Neill posed in front of Norfolk home-based carrier U.S.S. Harry S. Truman and also explored the ship’s United Through Reading Room where parents record. Reading provides a deeply personal benefit to both child and deployed service personnel.

Watch the video report.

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Category: Military Bastion | No Comments »
Tags: Hampton Roads, Military Bastion, Navy, Norfolk

HR Partnership | March 21, 2010

Art After School at the Crispus Attucks Cultural Center

Students at the Attucks Theatre play improvisational games in a joint program with the Virginia Stage Company and the CACC. Photo credit: VA Stage Co.

Hampton Roads regional organizations join forces to create Art after School at the Attucks using theatre and team-building skills to help students find their own voice. It’s a 6-week program developed in concert with the Office of Youth Development at the Virginia Stage Company (VSC).

Using theatre exercises, culturally relevant topics and poetry, students develop performance pieces that allow them to speak to the world they live in from where they live. The sessions are taught by VSC’s Emerging Artist Ensemble — young actors who have recently received their Masters of Fine Arts (MFAs). These actors spend a season with the VSC doing education outreach in the schools, performing in touring education shows and performing in mainstage VSC productions, as needed. After School At The Attucks will conclude with a final performance on Sunday, April 18th.

You can see and read more on VSC’s Facebook page. Or contact Patrick Mullins, Associate Artistic Director at the Virginia Stage Company.

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Category: Arts & Culture | No Comments »
Tags: African American, Art, Culture, Hampton Roads, Virginia

HR Partnership | March 20, 2010

excerpts from William Fulton on Citiwire.net For half a century, Americans have been pounded with the message: “To get a good job, get a good education.” For people like me, who came of age in the Rust Belt in the ’70s, this meant only one thing: Go to a four-year college, get a white-collar job, and get out of the factories. This was a big change from the world of our parents. For them, economic security meant unionized semi-skilled factory jobs. For us, economic security meant bailing from the factory before it shut down and joining the white-collar workforce.

But now it’s 2010, and white-collar jobs aren’t the ticket any more. Every day, more and more college-educated workers in America lose their job to “outsourcing” –especially to India, Ireland, and Eastern Europe, all of which have an abundance of highly educated English speakers capable of doing white-collar work.

So do you still need a good education to get a good job? Yes. But what is a good education? And what kind of good education will lead to a good job?

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Category: Education & Workforce | 1 Comment »
Tags: Education, Hampton Roads, PDCCC, TCC, TNCC

HR Partnership | March 20, 2010

from Rita D. McClenny, Director of the Virginia Film Office

The 2010 General Assembly has finished its work, and it has resulted in a ground-breaking victory for the Virginia film industry! The General Assembly has approved:

• A new tax credit incentive program with $2.5 million to be invested in film-related projects beginning January 2011.
• $2 million in funding for the Governor’s Motion Picture Opportunity Fund, effective July 1, 2010 for the biennium.

As we all know, this was a very serious and difficult budget year and we all owe a debt of gratitude to Governor Bob McDonnell, Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling and our bill patrons Senator Louise Lucas and Delegate Ben Cline. We are also grateful to all the members of the General Assembly. Even those who did not ultimately feel they could vote for the legislation gave it their careful and thoughtful consideration.

There are so many people whose hard work and dedication contributed to this victory. I would like to acknowledge the contributions of the people and organizations who made this great accomplishment possible.

• The Virginia Production Alliance, an incredible organization representing Virginia’s exceptional film, television and production community.
• Terry Stroud, Chairman of the Virginia Production Alliance, who has been championing this cause for longer than anyone can remember.
• VPA President Mark Remes whose leadership in this effort was invaluable, along with board members Anne Chapman, Kahil Dotay, Jennifer Pullinger, Alfred Shapiro and Hunter Thomas.
• The Virginia Production Alliance’s lobbying team at Advantus Strategies, including Bud Oakey, Josh Myers, David Anderson, May Fox and Margaret Ivy-Smith.
• Everyone who participated in Film Day or “Two-a-Days.” These dedicated people went one-on-one during the session with our lawmakers to personally make the case for the need for film incentives in Virginia.
• The many people who took the time to contact their lawmakers. These emails and phone calls were instrumental in making this new legislation and financial resources possible.

Congratulations to everyone and thanks for your support of this important legislation!

Now that we have these important incentives, let’s be certain to support the Hampton Roads Film Office. And don’t forget the 2010 Virginia Screenwriting Competition deadline of May 21st.

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Category: About Hampton Roads, Government & Citizens, Visit HR | No Comments »
Tags: Hampton Roads, HRFO

HR Partnership | March 19, 2010

The “Do One Thing for Sustainability” (DOT) Initiative invites all members of the William & Mary community–students, faculty, staff, alumni, and neighbors–to make small, public commitments to more sustainable choices, in a manner that educates everyone about our various opportunities to live and work more sustainably.

In encouraging each of us to consider choosing a DOT (or “doing one thing” differently), we are engaging the community in brainstorming about how each of us can contribute to making it a more sustainable place. In sharing them publicly, over Facebook and in our Swem Library installation, we are committing to those changes with one another’s support.

“Who else has made a DOT?” More than a thousand people have already chosen DOTs since the campaign pilot last fall at the Mason School. W&M President Reveley has chosen two DOTs: to print double-sided and to use nondisposable coffee mugs whenever possible. Some of our most prominent alumni have also chosen DOTs, including James Comey (’82), former Deputy Attorney General and now Senior Vice President of Lockeed Martin, who pledged to trade in his SUV for a hybrid in support of DOT.

“What about the Earth Day party?” Details to come, but plan on joining us for a campus-wide celebration of the DOT initiative at our Earth Day event, April 24.

from Prof. Erin Ryan, Associate Professor of Law at William & Mary, guest blogger

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Category: About Hampton Roads, Education & Workforce | No Comments »
Tags: Environment, Hampton Roads, Sense of Place, William and Mary

HR Partnership | March 18, 2010

And on the Google Ultra High-Speed Internet front:

HAMPTON, Va. — More than 50 people gathered at the Hampton Roads Convention Center Tuesday, March 16th, as the city raced to finalize its bid to become a trial area for Google’s upcoming high speed Internet tests. Learn more on the city’s new website: http://www.First2Fast.com

A “Google war” has erupted across America…

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Category: Research & Technology | 5 Comments »
Tags: Economy, Hampton, Military Bastion, Technology

HR Partnership | March 17, 2010

by Chris Bonney, owner of Bonney & Company, an independent marketing research firm

For years our region has been content to let its public transit infrastructure dwindle to the point that it is used only by the poor, the handicapped, the elderly and others who have no other choice. In some ways, we are a victims of our own affluence. The price paid for suburban sprawl is low population density that makes it difficult to provide cost-efficient public transportation.

But, in fact, our poor public transportation system is doing us even greater harm, particularly as we work to create a reputation for our region as a dynamic, progressive and fluid place to do business.

The other night my wife and I had dinner at a friend’s home with a young man from Chile who is doing research at Jefferson Lab and taking classes at Christopher Newport University as part of his Master’s degree program. He will only be in Hampton Roads for six months. Yet he is attempting to be part of our community in the same ways he was when he studied in Switzerland and France. As time allows, he attends local events and plays in two of the region’s smaller symphony orchestras.

This young man has a modern, international perspective and a bright future. He will “go places” in life. He will take and spread impressions of the Hampton Roads region with him wherever he goes in the world.

Unfortunately, the impression he is getting about our region is that we care very little about those who do not have or wish to use automobiles…. Read more…

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Category: About Hampton Roads, Transportation | No Comments »
Tags: Hampton Roads, Sense of Place, Transportation