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Here is today's summary of economic development news, a free service of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, representing Alabama's private sector investment in economic development. If you enjoy NewsFlash, thank an EDPA Partner.
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Alabama-built Mercedes-Benz GL-Class named Motor Trend SUV of the Year
Published: Monday, October 15, 2012
By Dawn Kent | dkent@al.com
The Mercedes-Benz GL-Class, the full-sized luxury SUV produced at the German automaker's Tuscaloosa County factory, has been named the 2013 Motor Trend SUV of the Year.
This is the second time the GL-Class, which was redesigned this year, has won the award. Its first-generation version also got the nod from Motor Trend in 2007.
Markus Schaefer, head of Mercedes' Alabama operations, said the company is proud of the recognition.
"Every team member has worked hard to make this launch a success and it is particularly rewarding to get this news just as the vehicle is starting to reach our customers' hands," Schaefer said in a prepared statement. "The Motor Trend award is validation of our team members' hard work, and their attention to building a quality product is helping us achieve global sales success."
more...
[al.com] |
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AU's biosystems engineering dept. gets $142K grant Funds to help improve teaching methods, multimedia options
By: Drew Taylor | Opelika-Auburn News
Published: October 16, 2012
Auburn University's Department of Biosystems Engineering will be taking steps toward improving its curriculum, thanks to a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The department recently received a grant from the USDA Higher Education Challenge, totaling more than $142,760. Projects supported by the grant address regional or national needs, as well as involve creative approaches to addressing the needs of an organization.
Professor Oladiran Fasina said the grant would help in reconfiguring the department's teaching approach over the next three years to include improvements in student learning, recruitment and retention, as well as a better understanding of the basic concepts of biosystems engineering that appeal to a broad range of students.
"We were fortunate to be able to get this grant and we hope that we can explain it to not only our department, but to other programs as well," Fasina said.
more...
[opelika-auburn news]
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United Launch Alliance completes final milestone of NASA space act agreement
Published: Monday, October 15, 2012
By Lee Roop | lroop@al.com
WASHINGTON -- United Launch Alliance, which assembles its launch vehicles in Decatur, Alabama, has completed the final milestone of its current Space Act Agreement with NASA, the space agency said today.
That puts ULA's Atlas V rocket one step closer to being able to transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station.
The fifth and final milestone of the agreement was the"Hazard, System Safety and Probabilistic Risk Assessment." It detailed how ULA's Atlas V rocket launch system hardware would ensure crew safety during launch and ascent, NASA said.
"The ULA team did an outstanding job outlining how it plans to integrate its launch vehicle with completely different spacecraft designs," said Ed Mango, NASA's Commercial Crew Program manager. "We commend ULA for taking on the challenge of human spaceflight, and we look forward to learning more about their innovative and cost-saving solutions as we continue to move forward in developing a crew transportation capability for America."
more...
[al.com] |
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City Council, Chamber of Commerce come together for business recruitment, retention
By Jason Morton
Staff Writer
TUSCALOOSA | After the recent reshuffling of City Hall's department structure, the City Council is moving toward contracting out its economic development efforts.
The chosen contractor, as established by the council's Finance Committee last week, is the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama.
At the request of Mayor Walt Maddox, the committee authorized the mayor to complete a contract with the Chamber to perform services similar to those done by the city's former Office of Economic Development.
The department realignment shrunk this department considerably, and Maddox has proposed that any contract with the chamber be funded with portions of the about $175,000 in savings that is coming from not filling two open positions within the Office of Economic Development.
more ...
[Tuscaloosa News] |
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Enjoy the day,
Val Walton
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