In November, Penn State's Board of Trustees approved the final plans for renovations to Old Main. Primary work on the historic lobby will begin in January to stabilize the environment, add sprinkler coverage and replace the lighting. Subsequent work on offices around the outside of the building will begin in April. All construction and renovation should be complete by next fall.

When holiday travelers return after the winter break, the Old Main lobby and main staircase will be closed. Contractors will be erecting scaffolding to work on the ceiling. Staff and visitors will still be able to enter Old Main from the front doors that face College Avenue, but they will be directed around the edges of the lobby to the wing corridors through April. Access to the President's Office will be via the second-floor balcony only, accessed from the stairwells at either end of the second-floor hallways.

The Gaige Technology and Business Innovation Building on Penn State's Berks campus recently won two new awards for its unique design and construction. The Construction Owners Association of America (COAA) granted a Silver Award from its Project Leadership Award Program at its national conference in Orlando, Fla. Within weeks, the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) granted a Project Achievement Award at its 2012 national conference in Chicago. Both the COAA and the CMAA recognized the steady leadership and detailed scheduling that led to this building's completion three months ahead of schedule and under budget.

Penn State's Board of Trustees today (Nov. 16) approved the final plans for the modification of the West Campus Steam Plant on the University Park campus that will convert the coal-powered plant to natural gas.

The Board also authorized a 30-year contract with Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania Inc. The plans have been designed by the firm of Burns and McDonnell of St. Louis, and the total projected cost of the conversion is $48.3 million.

Advanced technology vehicles, hybrids, electric cars, electric bicycles, and a Segway set the stage at the HUB yesterday. More than 200 Penn Staters discussed the future of campus transportation at this year's Environmental Forum, titled "Reinventing the Wheel."

This summer, Penn State began a new partnership with the Dow Chemical Co. to improve laboratory safety at the University. A diverse team of faculty, safety officers and graduate students from the Departments of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering (MATSE), as well as the Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Office, are working with Dow to develop best practices that can be instituted across all laboratory research departments at Penn State. The goal is to improve the University's safety culture

It is important that all members of the University community take an active part in keeping our campus free of litter. Newer members of the community may not realize that the University asks everyone to place announcements on the general purpose bulletin boards.

From 4 to 5 p.m. on Thursday, June 21, Penn State will again test the University Park campus' capability to reduce its electricity load when called upon during national or regional power emergencies. Last year's test reduced the power load by 20,000 kilowatts -- 1.5 times the electricity demand of all the homes in Bellefonte -- but the high temperature was 10 degrees lower. Thursday's heat may mean this "test" is a real event. University Park occupants are asked to limit all unnecessary electrical consumption under individual control.