Portland State Magazine Spring 2016

SPRING 2016 pORTLAND STATE MAGAZINE 7 pa r k b l o c k s Old technology meets new CITY OF PORTLAND engineers used the machine pictured here to test the strength and durability of manhole covers in the first decades of the 20th century. The 8,500-pound, Riehle Brothers machine now sits in the PSU Materials Research Laboratory as mechanical engineering students automate it with electronics, sensors and a computer system so it can test modern materials. “It’s a cool project that’s giving us solid modeling experience,” says Tom Langston, student project leader. The machine is purported to be more accurate than most tensile testing machines today. The students are testing that claim. They are also making sure the machine can be unplugged and function as it did 100 years ago for demonstrations, including one at the Portland Mini Maker Faire at OMSI in September. Giving Portland babies a boost THE FIRST thousand days of a child’s life—from conception to age two—are considered the most important stage of development, say experts. Nutrition, parenting skills and exposure to toxins are all tied to a child’s ultimate health. Portland State’s Institute for Sustainable Solutions is partnering with ROSE Community Development and other organizations on the Baby Booster initiative, which will improve the health and livability of families in east Portland’s 97266 ZIP code—an area bordered by southeast 82 and 122 avenues and southeast Division and Clatsop streets. Multnomah County data shows that this area has a high incidence of low birthweight, which the initiative intends to reduce by half in the next 10 years. THE FEDERAL government has awarded a Portland State professor a $750,000 grant to design a comprehensive manual to help colleges and universities stop sexual assaults before they occur. Psychology professor Keith Kaufman received the grant through a U.S. Department of Justice program on monitoring and tracking sex offenders. The project to develop the manual will involve eight public and private universities across the country, including PSU, Linfield College and Portland Community College. Portland State is already working on strengthening sexual assault precautions. A University prevention specialist was recently hired, and all students are required to take a tutorial on sexual assault prevention.  Keeping campuses safer