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Ford's Focus
Yesterday was National HVAC Technician's Day! As we head into these warm summer months, I know I'd like to express my appreciation for our technicians who keep our HVAC systems running to keep faculty, staff and students comfortable indoors as they go about their work. HVAC techs often deal with extreme temperatures while they work and work in places many of us would rather not go, like attics and crawl spaces and everywhere in between. In addition, they play an important role in energy savings helping to save money and reduce the carbon footprint. To all of our HVAC techs, thank you for all you do for Penn State and OPP.
Best,
Ford
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On June 6, OPP honored a special group of employees for their decades of dedication and service at a reception in the Founder's Room at the Bryce Jordan Center. Congratulations to all the honorees!
"Thank you everyone for being here, and thank you to Penn State for such a good job all these years." ~Kevin Potter
"It's amazing that you can advance so far in 30 years. It's incredible. My whole family has basically come through Penn State. My dad retired with 26 years, my mom with 17 years, and my brother worked 42 years. With my 30 years that's 115 years of service. Both of my kids go to school here now. I'd like to thank everyone for the past 30 years." ~Mark Crowley
"As I've moved up, I've met a lot of people and had a lot of fun. My kids went to college here, and I'm grateful for that. I also met my wife here at OPP. She's the better half of me. I want to thank everyone." ~Ron Hockenberry
"I've had a good time since I've been here. It's a great example of how you can work your way up to a really good paying job that gives you a lot of satisfaction." ~Ron Coble
"Robert Frost said, 'The old dog barks backwards without getting up. I can remember when he was a pup.' That's how I feel." ~Matt Field
"Thank you to OPP's management. We're all very fortunate that they've created an environment that's family friendly." ~Mary Grove
"Penn State has been a great place. Everything has worked out well. I continue to come every day and enjoy it and have fun." ~Bill Hughes
Check out more pictures from the celebration on Flickr.
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Welcomes
 Ron Feathers began working as a chilled water operator on June 6. Hometown: Altoona
Hobbies: Motorcycles, hunting
 Chris Matish began working as an IT support specialist on June 6. Hometown: Cresson
Hobbies: Ice hockey
Hobbies: Spending time with family, outdoor activities
 Michael Rupert accepted a position as a compliance specialist. His first day was May 31.
Hometown: Petersburg
Hobbies: Renovations, gardening, sports
Hometown: Selinsgrove Hobbies: Traveling, outdoor activities, home brewing
 David Swisher accepted a position as an operations engineer. His first day was May 31.
Hometown: State College
Hobbies: Spending time outdoors, hunting
**If your picture was not included, we would be glad to include it in a future edition. Please contact Susan Bedsworth to set up a time to have your photo taken.
Farewells
Ed Kern, painter, is retiring after 28 years. His last day is June 24.
Charlie Rallis, inventory control and distribution manager, is retiring after 28 years. His last day is June 30.
Cody Miller, maintenance worker utility, accepted a position in the College of Liberal Arts. His last day is June 24.
Joseph Mitchell, maintenance worker utility, resigned from the University. His last day was June 20.
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Safety Compliance
Don Fronk from OPP's Safety Office visited the site of the plane crash last week to perform a spot check for safety. Crews under Jeff Dice and Michael Brown were on site. "I was pleased to see the crews executing their safety plan for this work. Crews were all working safe and in compliance with all PPE requirements. It was really cool to see how a team worked together safely and quickly to accomplish this work."
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From 4 to 5 p.m. today, June 23, Penn State will conduct its annual test of University Park's capability to reduce its electricity load when called upon during national or regional power emergencies. Last year's test reduced the power load by 31 percent, about 10 MW, during the test hour.
All University employees are requested to turn off all unnecessary lighting, office equipment, coffee pots, dehumidifiers and air conditioning. University offices should stay open and operate in a normal manner while reducing their consumption of electricity.
Recommended actions to take during the test:
- Shut off all office equipment and lights that are not needed (computers, monitors, printers, copiers, coffee makers and task lighting);
- Unplug iPad, tablets, digital cameras and cellphone chargers not in use;
- Keep exterior doors closed in air-conditioned buildings. Make sure operable windows are also closed;
- Personal space heaters should not be used to compensate for excessive air conditioning.
Everyone is asked to cooperate by turning off all unnecessary electrical loads during this one-hour test. For further information, contact Mike Prinkey at 814-863-4091 or Alex Novak at 814-863-0432.
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The items in the May 26 issue of News & Views were drafting tools used by our landscape architects.
Items from the May 26 edition:
The next "Tools of the Trade" items are above. What do you think these are used for and by a person with what type of job? Email your guess to newsviews@psu.edu.
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On Friday, June 17, a group of OPP employees volunteered to package food for an organization called Common Food, which provides boxes of food to needy families in Port Matilda. The group used an assembly line to box food for 108 individuals and families. The boxes were filled with a variety of items, including peanut butter, pasta, beans, canned vegetables, juice, raisins, protein bars and more. In addition, each family also received fresh produce thanks to a donation from Trader Joe's. From set up to tear down, the work took less than two hours.
A big thank you goes out to all who volunteered to help on Friday night!
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Tower Road Landscape Facility Expands, Aids in the Academic Mission of Penn State
By: Katie Klodowski, Communications Intern
 Over the past 20 years, the Office of Physical Plant's Landscape Operations has taken on a bigger and bigger role at University Park. What started as a basic grounds maintenance operation has now morphed into a full botanic service; at University Park, the crews at the Nittany Landscape Shop, Pollock Landscape Shop and Tower Road Shop are responsible for maintaining 480 acres of lawn, 71 acres of shrub bed, 16,000 trees, an Arboretum and planting a multitude of flowers every year. At the roots of this operation are the greenhouses located at the Tower Road Landscape Facility. These greenhouses and plant material holding areas are the starting point for much of the plant life that is eventually spread around Penn State's campus.
A Blossoming Program
When Jeff Dice became a supervisor for OPP's Grounds Maintenance in 1998, there were very few flowers on campus. However, in the summer of 2000, the National Governor's Association held their annual conference at Penn State. During that time, there was a big push to add more color and beauty to campus. In the weeks leading up to the conference, OPP hired an outside contractor to prepare containers full of flowers to place all over campus. After the conference concluded, Dice and his crew had an important realization: "Even though the containers looked nice, they were very expensive. We realized we could make them better and do it with less money."
Eventually, students, faculty and staff started to notice the flowers and greenery on campus. In order to accommodate all their new duties, OPP's Grounds Maintenance had to expand. Job descriptions were written, people were trained and hired, and a Horticulture Crew and Landscape Construction Crew were added to complement the work of the existing grounds maintenance team.
Growing the Garden
At the beginning of Dice's tenure, his crew was housed in a small brick building near Rec Hall. Today, the operation has expanded with three greenhouses packed full of plant life at the Tower Road facility. The newest of these, OPP Greenhouse Production 1, was carefully designed to be extremely productive and expandable for the future. Now, the greenhouse is full of material that is homegrown and with containerized plant material that is used for bigger projects. Throughout the year, the facility serves as a holding area for a changeable amount of plant life that is always coming in for different projects around campus; the crew at this facility works tirelessly to ensure that all the plant life is ready to be sent out to their various destinations.
OPP Greenhouse Production 1 at the Tower Road Landscape Facility is compartmentalized into several different sections. One of these compartments houses tropical and exotic plants that would normally have difficulty growing in a temperate environment. However, the greenhouse has systems in place to ensure that the environment stays steady any time of the day or night, both in the summer and in the winter. Recently, plants such as tropical water plants, bird of paradise and banana trees have found a home in the tower road greenhouses. This area serves as a storage space for the Arboretum at Penn State's botanic collection. Since one of OPP's missions is to help facilitate the academic mission of the Arboretum, many of the plants stored at OPP Greenhouse Production 1 will eventually be planted at the Conservatory Terrace, the Oasis Garden or at other locations in the Arboretum.
Full Bloom, No Matter the Season
 All sections of OPP Greenhouse Production 1 are equipped with a state-of-the-art control system that works to maintain homeostasis. Intern Taylor McCoy explained, "There are sensors that take measurements of temperature and humidity every 10 seconds. Depending on the readings, shades on the roof of the greenhouse will open or close to only allow the right amount of sunlight in." While the shades do open and close on a pretty constant schedule, the sensors and computer automation take away the possibility of human error that could negatively affect the plants. Plants are also watered automatically through piping; an automatic timer hydrates the plants as scheduled. The newest greenhouse also features a walk-in refrigerator, where the crew can store plant material in preparation for planting.
Different plants in the greenhouses are also partitioned off and clearly labeled; different fertilizers are used depending on the needs of the particular plant species. Flowers are also clearly labeled to prevent them from going to the wrong customer or the wrong place on campus. Currently, the Telecommunications Crew is working on installing a wireless connection into OPP Greenhouse Production 1 in order to streamline the process of taking inventory. With a wireless connection, a crew member would be able to walk around with their laptop computer, survey the collection, and catalog everything that is in the greenhouse.
It's a Bug-Eat-Bug World
Recently, the crew has also started using a new method to protect the plants from pests and diseases. Instead of using pesticides, they now use natural pest predators to fight off insects that would normally prey on the plants in the greenhouse. The project was made possible by a Reinvention Fund grant awarded by Penn State's Sustainability Institute to researchers on campus, who tested the new method in the Tower Road Greenhouses at OPP. When the crew realized how well the new method worked, they continued to stay away from pesticides and have now been using the natural pest predators for two years. "It's a huge increase in safety for the crew, and it's much better for the environment," Dice said. Since the greenhouses open up to the outside environment quite often, there is a free-flow of insects always coming in and out. Despite this, the new chemical-free method has worked well and has kept all of the plant-life free of harmful insects.
This new procedure complements the University Park Integrated Pest Management Program (IPM), which addresses indoor pests. In October of 2015, OPP adopted the program in an effort to both protect University employees and to also more effectively rid campus buildings of unwanted insects and animals. The implementation of these practices at the Tower Road Greenhouses creates healthier indoor air quality and supports Penn State's sustainability goals.
Planting for the Future
In recent years, OPP's Grounds Maintenance Crew has made significant strides towards becoming more efficient and sustainable. The crew continues to look to the future, and they hope to expand their operation even more. According to Dice: "Penn State has invested a lot in its landscaping, and it shows right here. At one time, we lived in the mud and we had one little greenhouse. In most operations, particularly in horticulture, it's often a sweat-equity operation ̶̶̶ you do the best with what you have. It's hard to believe we've gotten this advanced from where we started."
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 The Safety Buck Program is designed to recognize and reward individuals who proactively contribute to the prevention of injuries and incidents at OPP and Penn State. The following employees have received Safety Bucks for their efforts to proactively help OPP reduce the occurrence of injury by identifying and suggesting corrective action to workplace hazards.
As a reminder, anyone can nominate an OPP employee for safe and proactive behavior. Thank you for helping keep OPP and Penn State safe! |
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 Old BotanyAccording to an article in the Daily Collegian, the Old Botany Building is the oldest academic building on campus which has not had its exterior renovated since its original construction. A legend often told by Lion Ambassadors states that Mrs. Atherton, wife of President George W. Atherton, haunts the building because of its close proximity to his grave.
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 Looking to get more activity in your day? Consider the following reasons to take a walk break outside at least once per day. Enjoy the warm and sunny weather while we have it!
- To boost endorphins - Boosting endorphins can help ease stress, tension, anger, fatigue and confusion in as little as 10 minutes.
- To limit sickness - Walking outside can cut your odds of catching a cold in half.
- To get a work out - Walking doesn't just work your leg muscles such as your quadriceps, hip flexors, and hamstrings. It also works your arm and shoulder muscles and your core, too!
- To improve - Walking can improve your health by improving circulation, your balance and even increasing bone mass.
- To reduce risk of disease - Walking can help reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, and some cancers.
- To enjoy the outdoors - There are many benefits to being outside, including more oxygen in the air, more sensory stimulation, and sun exposure increases vitamin D levels, among many more.
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Strawberry Powder Study
 Healthy, non-smoking men and women are needed for a research study examining the effects of a freeze-dried strawberry powder on LDL cholesterol and other cardiovascular disease risk factors. We are seeking participants 35-65 years of age with a BMI of 25-39kg/m2. Subjects must be healthy and not taking medications for high cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes or inflammatory conditions. Participants will be provided with two different amounts of freeze-dried strawberry powder and a placebo powder for 4-6 weeks each, with a 2 week break between test periods (total time for study is 16-22 weeks). At the completion of the study, participants will receive lab results and compensation of $350. If you are interested in learning more about the study, please call 814-863-8622 or email psustrawberry@gmail.com, mention the Strawberry Supplementation Study and leave your name and a contact number. This study is being conducted by Dr. Penny Kris-Etherton, Department of Nutritional Sciences, at Penn State.
 Cranberry Juice Study
Healthy, non-smoking men and women are needed for a research study examining the effects of a cranberry juice beverage on blood pressure and other cardiovascular disease risk factors. We are seeking participants 30-65 years of age with a BMI of 18-39kg/m2. Subjects must be healthy and not taking medications for high cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes or inflammatory conditions. Participants will be provided with a cranberry juice beverage and placebo beverage for 8-12 weeks each, with an 8 week break between test periods (total time for study is 24-32 weeks). At the completion of the study, participants will receive lab results and compensation of $200. If you are interested in learning more about the study, please call 814-863-8622 or email psucranberry@gmail.com, mention the Cranberry Study and leave your name and a contact number. This study is being conducted by Dr. Penny Kris-Etherton, Department of Nutritional Sciences, at Penn State.
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 In each edition of News & Views, we include information and links to retirement information found both on the web and from Penn State's Office of Human Resources. It's always important to plan ahead when it comes to retirement.
In this edition, we thought it might be a nice change of pace to focus on a more fun aspect of retirement-what you're going to do when you don't have to be at work every day. The prospects are endless. If you're into traveling, maybe you should add some of these U.S. destinations, both near and far, to your list.
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 Catskills, N.Y. - The Catskills Mountains region is know for its rich rolling hills of green, charming small towns and abundance of fresh air. It's an easy weekend trip only 4.5 hours from State College. -
 Yellowstone National Park, Montana and Wyoming - Yellowstone is a 3,500-square mile national park boasting some of the most dynamic natural sites in the world, including hot springs, geysers, and canyons, as well as roaming packs of wildlife. -
 White Sands National Monument, New Mexico - The largest gypsum dunes on the world create one of the most spellbinding landscapes. It's "under-the-radar" making it reliably quiet and ideal for exploration. -
 Big Sur, California - The famous 90-mile tract of Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1), traces the edge of sheer cliffs offering inspiring vistas and peaceful pockets of nature. The city of Big Sur, surrounded by redwood forests, is peaceful with a sparse population. -
 Mount Rainier National Park, Washington- This national park surrounds an active volcano, which sports a cloak of white year-round.
Check out this section in the next edition for more ideas of great places to visit.
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Have something to sell? Let us know! E-mail Susan Bedsworth with your item(s), details, contact information
 and photos. We will include it in the next edition of News & Views. And don't forget about OPP's Yammer Group "Up for Grabs." Just sign in with your University ID and password to post your item.
Lion Surplus
Lion Surplus handles the removal of University-owned equipment in environmentally responsible ways, such as sales, bids and auctions. Their store, located at the corner of Services Rd. and Big Hollow Rd., is open to students, faculty, staff and the public. The inventory changes daily, but the store routinely has gently used furniture, computers and other electronics, scientific equipment, and much more.
Follow Lion Surplus on Facebook to keep up to date on inventory and special events.
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This friendly cat, a frequent visitor to the Arboretum, gave her meow of approval to OPP's landscape efforts.
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Contact Us
If you have any comments or suggestions for News & Views, contact Susan Bedsworth by e-mail or at 863-9620.
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You can find a list of carpoolers and regional bus services through the 