Technology
Sorry, Ruby. I know you wanted to write about this topic in the upcoming year, but looks like the town and UNC are a little ahead. :)
UNC School of Information and Library Science to partner with Town of Chapel Hill
Posted Date: 6/27/2011
The Town of Chapel Hill is poised to benefit from a grant received by UNC-Chapel Hill's School of Information and Library Science to increase the digital curation workforce, focusing on the public information and the integration of public policy with information technology.
Durham Tech’s Orange County Campus Hosts Sustainability Technologies Fair
Interested in solar technology? Learn more during Durham Technical Community College’s Sustainability Technologies Fair. The event will be held on Saturday, April 30, from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. on Durham Tech’s Orange County Campus in Hillsborough. Beginning this fall, the Sustainability Technologies program will offer both the Solar Photovoltaic certificate and the Renewable Energy diploma. Visitors can view solar technology demonstrations and talk to solar technology professionals. Some representatives from locally-owned solar installation companies include Strata Solar, Southern-Energy Management, and Sun Dogs Solutions. Visitors may also participate in 30-minute sustainability and renewable energy workshops led by Durham Tech instructors. Other highlights: - Enjoy live music from local high school bands using an amplification system powered by solar energy;
- Learn about the new Sustainability Technologies credit programming at the Orange County Campus;
- Find out how to apply for financial aid and admissions for Summer Term 2011 and Fall Semester 2011 courses;
- Enjoy a delicious meal prepared by one of our locally owned and operated food truck vendors
The Solar Photovoltaic certificate is designed for licensed electricians, those pursuing an electrical degree, and those who are working in facilities services under the supervision of an electrician. The certificate instruction includes both energy use analysis and solar photovoltaic system installation.
The new Renewable Energy diploma includes electrical and math courses for students without previous electrical experience. The diploma program includes work experience with a local company. The renewable energy diploma may be completed in five semesters. This new program will position Durham Tech and Orange County as leaders and models in the state for developing innovative and practical green training programs and initiatives.
For the most up-to-date event information please go to the event webpage:
For more information, contact Carlo Robustelli at 919-536-7238, ext. 4202, or robustec@durhamtech.edu.Date:
Saturday, April 30, 2011 - 10:00am to 2:00pm
Location:
Durham Tech's Orange County Campus, 525 College Park Road, Hillsborough NC
Last week The Carrboro Citizen reported on Orange County leaders congratulating themselves on making major technology improvements over the past two years. "“Today’s servers are tomorrow’s mainframes, and we do have to have that kind of continuous upgrade of systems,” board Vice Chair Steve Yuhasz said." He's right of course, but it sounds like many of the changes were to internal infrastructure, so it's hard for us average residents to tell the difference. I'm wondering what technology OP readers would like to see the County improve?
One improvement that I did notice was the update to the web-based GIS system. Mostly it caught my attention because the County's site was down and/or malfunctioning for a while following the upgrade. It is now easier to use than before, which I would characterize as a step up from requiring a graduate degree to use, to merely requiring a lot of patience and guesswork.
There was a mention of this on CHL the other night; Did anyone else catch this public hearing popping up?
The net net as far as I can tell is that the manager wants to refinance our debt (sounds like a good thing), saving $4.6m over the life of the debt. And then he proposed $2m in new spending right along with it.
We were told over and over again this past budget cycle that everything had to be cut because there's no money. Now, instead of balancing all those things which were cut against this new proposal, some glitzy technology thing gets to jump to the front of the line with little public input to gobble up a large portion of savings that are found.
What I really don't understand is how we can cut basic services in the county and then go spend large amount of $ on "nice to have" like a better property info system (I have no idea if the radios are really needed or not). I've certainly used the current property info system enough to know it isn't the best. But can we really afford right now to buy a better one?
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