Constructing literacy center out of straw to build hope

The three little pigs might be afraid of the Big Bad Wolf, but a group of Nittany Lions will be fearless as they build a literacy center from straw -- and on the windy Great Plains of Montana, no less. Students taking a Penn State engineering/architecture class on sustainable housing will travel to Lame Deer, Mont., with alumni this month to help build a straw-bale literacy center at a community college on the Northern Cheyenne Indian reservation. The full group of workers -- from both Penn State and the University of Washington -- will construct the much-needed facility from July 14 to 31. Look for newswire dispatches from students at the site during the two-week building blitz. For the full story by Allison Kessler, visit http://www.psu.edu/ur/2002/straw-balecenter.html. For other project information, visit http://www.engr.psu.edu/greenbuild/.