A GVnow report explores some of the opportunities middle school girls will have to learn about careers in engineering, CAD design, CNC milling and other technologies at Grand Valley State University's annual Science, Technology and Engineering Preview Day Camp. According to excerpts from the story:Area middle school girls will see what it takes to become an engineer at the Science, Technology and Engineering Preview Summer Day Camp (STEPS) at Grand Valley. Girls from all over West Michigan will make and fly radio-controlled electric airplanes. The planes will fly with the latest lithium-ion-battery technology in electric radio-controlled flight.Throughout the week-long camp, girls will be introduced to computer-aided design (CAD), CNC milling, and visit Alcoa Howmet in Whitehall, Mich., to participate in plant tours and view laboratory operations. Read the complete story here.

Engineers at Dematic Corp. in Grand Rapids have developed exciting new conveyor and sorting systems, prompting the company to begin hiring about 80 employees who will be stationed largely in the Grand Rapids area. Dematic added more than 80 employees in recent months

To help its students succeed, Grand Rapids Community College has joined a nationwide initiative that helps pinpoint barriers hindering student achievement and offers proven solutions to overcome those problems.

Deborah Johnson WoodAfter getting a taste of retailing by selling items on eBay and at home parties, Amy Van Den Brink says she was ready to take a brick-and-mortar leap when she opened her boutique jewelry store at the Holland Town Center on James Street with her mother and co-owner, Doris Vanden Bosch. Van Den Brink says she now knows it was the right move for their business Newb's (pronounced Newby's). With its initial success, they just relocated their business last month in a 2,200-square-foot storefront at 182 S. River Ave. in downtown Holland.Newb's is an acronym for necklaces, earrings, watches and bracelets. The shop specializes in jewelry for women, girls and boys. "We offer lots of different brands of jewelry, all styles for all ages from children to elderly women," Van Den Brink says. "Jewelry is such a personal thing; we want to carry a lot of styles. We even have bracelets, kaleidoscope necklaces and dinosaur necklaces for boys."In recent months, the boutique expanded its product lines to offer women's fashions and accessories for women and girls. The shop offers Pandora-style beads, sterling silver and brands that include 3 Sisters Clothing, Treska Fashion Accessories and Big Buddha handbags. Van Den Brink says some customers come in because of the selection of clip-on earrings, which are hard to find. "Before we started the store, I was putting together women's entire wardrobes and selling them on eBay," Van Den Brink says. "I purchased lots of accessories and ended up with lots of extras, so I thought I'd sell those at home and use Craig's List."She had so many women coming to her house that her mom suggested doing home parties, which became so popular the two women needed to open a store. "We're just really thankful that we've had this opportunity to be able to grow like this," Van Den Brink says. "We have really loyal customers and everyone is so positive when they come into the store. It's really overwhelming."Source: Amy Van Den Brink, Newb'sDeborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected]. Development News tips can be sent to [email protected].

Deborah Johnson WoodA hip new furniture startup in Holland plans to spark up the way people use public spaces with the launch of the company's initial furniture line geared for a technology-driven society. Sparkeology is a combined effort of longtime library furniture-maker The Worden Company, architecture and design firm Via Design and its sister company Viable, and graphic design firm Square One Design. The company operates out of Worden's headquarters at 199 East 17th St."We saw that public spaces have become community hubs where people gather," says Worden spokesperson Robin Hendrick Lane. "On campuses, students gather in coffee shops, in hallways between classes, in lounges in dorms. We see opportunities in all of those spaces where people need to sit down and plug in, and the need to create little spaces where people can work."Lane says users can plug into built-in electrical connections in the furniture, as well as "plug into" engagement with any group that gathers – the furniture is lightweight and designed to fit a number of configurations. For example, Flip can be a table or a stool, or flip it over and it holds your briefcase and coffee – off the floor and upright. And there's Ty, a space divider that "ties" everything together and doubles as a central power hub. Add a Ty-Pad backrest and Ben, a coordinating bench, and you have seating, a power source and a divider that can become a display piece. "We're looking at ways to accommodate a laptop in terms of a tablet arm that can be folded away," Lane says. "And our display pieces double as space dividers with interchangeable interiors that go from cubbies to shelves and you can hang a flat screen TV or monitor off the interior."Worden will manufacture the furniture in its FSC-certified facility, using wood veneers, low-formaldehyde wood cores, or metals made of recycled and recyclable materials. Sparkeology's first nine products will make their debut at NeoCon World's Trades Fair 2010, a decision made just six weeks ago. Flip will compete in the Best of NeoCon competition for office accessories.Source: Robin Hendrick Lane, SparkeologyDeborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected]. Development News tips can be sent to [email protected].

A Muskegon Chronicle report says that more bicycling tourists could see the West Michigan lakeshore via two wheels when existing bike trails become part of a planned nationwide bicycle roadway network. According to excerpts from the story:Muskegon may be visited by more two-wheeled, pedal-pushing tourists in the future because it falls along the planned "U.S. 35" bicycle route. The route, which is part of a nationwide bicycle roadway network being planned by the Adventure Cycling Association, will run from south of Jackson, Miss., to Sault Ste. Marie. Plans call for it to connect with other routes that crisscross the country. It would be one of six in the state, according to the association. Joshua DeBruyn, bicycle and pedestrian coordinator for the Michigan Department of Transportation, said the route will be determined by local governments, based on guidelines laid out by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. The route will use existing infrastructure, including roads and bicycle paths, he said.Read the complete story here.