Top News

SOLAR ENERGY TO HEAT WATER FOR SOUTHWESTERN FRATERNITY

When alumni of Phi Delta Theta fraternity return for homecoming this year, they are going to notice something very different about their former fraternity house.

An 8x10 solar panel is being installed on the roof this week as part of a new system that will enable the house to use solar energy to heat some of its water. The system was installed by Jeff Bendall, a member of the fraternity who graduated in 2000 and now works for a solar energy company in Austin.

Bendall is a member of the Phi Delta House Corp., which is responsible for maintaining the fraternity house. Phi Delta Theta is one of two fraternities at Southwestern that maintain their own houses.

Bendall said the fraternity began discussing the solar thermal project last spring when one of the two hot water heaters in the house failed. Bendall is solar thermal project manager for Lighthouse Solar Austin, a locally owned arm of a company based in Boulder, Colo., that is called Lighthouse Solar.

Read the rest of the story here.

Events

FOUNTAINWOOD OBSERVATORY TO HOST VIEWING NIGHT OCT. 23  

The Fountainwood Observatory at Southwestern University will host a public viewing night on Friday, Oct. 23, from 8 -11 p.m. 

Fountainwood Viewing Nights are always free and open to the public. The observatory is located on the northeast side of campus adjacent to the Rockwell Baseball Field (see #6 on the campus map). Faculty members from the Physics Department at Southwestern as well as observers from the Williamson County Astronomy Club will be on hand to guide viewing.

The evening viewing will begin with a waxing crescent Moon in the southeastern sky and a brilliant Jupiter in the southern sky. By 8 p.m. bright stars such as Vega, Deneb and Altair − the stars of the Summer Triangle − will begin to appear. By about 9 p.m. objects such as the Andromeda Galaxy, which is two million light years away, will be well-placed for viewing. By the end of the viewing session the magnificent double cluster in Perseus will be high enough to observe. 

For weather-related updates about viewing nights, call the Fountainwood Observatory hotline at 512-863-1242.

OCT. 29 IS LAST DAY TO REGISTER FOR PIRATE GOLF CLASSIC

Oct. 29 is the last day to register for the 2009 Pirate Golf Classic, which will be held Friday, Nov. 6, at the Teravista Golf Club. The tournament will get under way with a shotgun start at noon.

Individual players can participate for $125 or foursomes can enter for $475. Sponsorship opportunities are also available. Registrations forms are available online here.

Proceeds from the tournament will help support the Southwestern Athletic Department. 

For more information, contact Bill Raleigh at raleighb@southwestern.edu or 512-863-1611.

Media Coverage

Community Impact newspaper ran an article about The Tie That Binds, a new book on the Price family, whose children attended Southwestern in the early 1900s. Read the story here.

Notables

The Rainbow Program developed by junior pre-med major Gillian Graham, has been added to Rachel Ray’s Yum-O website. Yum-o!® is a nonprofit organization that the television host started to empower kids and their families to develop healthy relationships with food and cooking.