G.A.B.B.

Marcia at The Pink Shoes posted one of the more incredible pictures I've seen on a blog. She and her husband were hiking in the MetroParks and ran across a snake eating a toad. You have to click through to see this. Marcia was freaked out, but the science geek in me is terribly envious.

UPDATE: Redhorse was the first to notice that I had embedded the wrong link. It's fixed now.

Labels: Akron Blogs, Akron Institutions

When the blog of United Way of Summit County popped up in my Technorati watchlist last week, I was skeptical it would go anywhere. So far, they've done a good job. The blog includes posts about UWSC events, needs in the community, services offered by UW agencies and of course, things readers can do to help the organization.

Two recent posts of note include one spotlighting the UW's involvement in an early childhood education advocacy project called BornLearning and another promoting a cause-linked online shopping site called Giveline.com.

As of yet, there is little indication that anyone else is reading -- hey, it's kind of like GABB! But of course there must be content before there will be readers.

Labels: Akron Blogs, Akron Institutions

The Beacon this morning reports on a move that helps keep two major employers in Akron happy and here.

Sterling will purchase the FirstEnergy building located on property adjacent to their Ghent Road campus. FirstEnergy states it had not intended to sell the property, but it seems to make sense given their expansion on White Pond Drive. The two companies employ about 4700 people in Summit County, a majority of them in Akron proper.

The city is putting up about $5.5m in funds for the White Pond facility, but the story seems to confuse the TIF contribution.

Regardless, the price tag of $5.5m is more than half what Issue 17, if passed, is expected to generate for economic development projects, leading me to suspect those funds would be used more for land banking and not infrastructure projects.

Labels: Akron Institutions

According to the Buchtelite, Akron leads all colleges in the state -- public and private -- in developing technology and transferring it to private-sector applications:

UA is ranked first in the state with the highest rate of return-per-research dollar leading to the commercialization of technologies, the regent's study said.

* * *

[University vice president for research and interim dean of the College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering George] Newkome credits the University of Akron Research Foundation, established in 2001, for UA's effectiveness in commercialization because it created the framework for entrepreneurial relationships between the university and local industry.

One of UA's technology success stories involves MemPro Ceramics Corp., a Colorado company that has been working with the university to develop industrial filtration products.

"Without a doubt, UARF's economic development goals for Northeast Ohio have been evident in all our interactions with the university," said John Finley, MemPro's chairman and CEO which recently opened an office in Akron. "Our relationship with UARF has been the single most important factor in attracting us from Colorado."

It's a good news story. I hope the Beacon picks it up.

Labels: Akron Institutions