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Volume 26, Issue 35, april 29, 2004

news briefs

Students work to prevent infant death

Every year, about 50 infant deaths and 12,000 injuries occur due to unsafe cribs, said Industrial Design Adjunct Professor Glenn Aaron, but Metro industrial design students believe their new infant crib will reduce that number.

Weyerhauser will begin manufacturing the crib, R-SAFE (Reinforced Structural Affordable Foldable Enfolded), and Basic Comfort will distribute it by the end of the year.

The idea to build the crib came about when Industrial professors John Schmidt, Tom Noonin and Aaron were discussing the fact that the crib is known to be the most dangerous piece of furniture in a nursery, Aaron said. Students became interested and began the project. Reinforced fiberboard was used to make the prototype for the crib.

Cardboard boxes are made out of fiberboard. When fiberboard bends it becomes stronger. Enfolding, or hugging, is the process the professors and students went through in folding the fiberboard. Basic Comfort will give 50 percent of the profits from R-SAFE to Metro's industrial design department to use toward future projects.

Professionals to look at senior portfolios

Members of the National Press Photographers Association will be in the Tivoli May 5 to offer advice and review graduating seniors' portfolios.

The NPPA wanted to bring working professionals and students together to build contacts and friendships, said Leah Bluntschli, treasurer of the NPPA.

"It's always good to have professionals look at your portfolio before you graduate and see if its up to par," Bluntschli said. "It's sort of a double-check that your good to go or not."

Metro alumni Walt Hester will speak about community photojournalism, while Jay Dickman, a Pulitzer Prize winner, will speak about freelance photography. Kenn Bisio, chair of the photojournalism department, will discuss the current state of journalism.

The Second Annual Photojournalism Conference will start at 4 p.m. on May 5 and will be held in Tivoli 640. Anyone can attend the conference for an admission fee of $10.

Free enterprise team travels to Kansas

For the first time in the school's history, Metro's Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team is advancing to the national competition after winning the regional competition this month. Other SIFE teams from the region gathered in Denver to present their annual report in terms of using principles of free enterprise to help their communities. Leaders from the business community judged the teams on certain criteria, including content and creativity.

Metro's SIFE team presented their report in the form of a newscast, said Professor Mick Jackowski, co-adviser of the team with Ken Huggins.

One project Metro's team constructed and gave to elementary schools was called Ice Cream and Soda Dreams. Elementary school kids operated their own ice cream and soda shop. Nationals will be in Kansas City May 23 to 25.