Engineering program to welcome teen girls

Kansas University School of Engineering is sponsoring a program to interest teenage girls in engineering.

The Society of Women Engineers Weekend of Engineering will be Jan. 21-23 at KU. The weekend is geared toward girls who are juniors or seniors in high school. They will take part in team-building exercises, quick engineering projects and informational sessions to learn about careers in engineering and the programs available at KU.

The cost for the program is $75. The deadline to enroll is Jan 14.

For more information about the program or to get an enrollment packet, contact 864-3620 or e-mail fboldridge@ku.edu.

Holidays

Returning a gift?

Bring receipt, be nice

The nation’s annual trek to the return counter is nearly here.

ConsumerReports.org, the online site of the popular consumer magazine, has a few tips to increase your chance of a happy resolution:

l Arrive armed with a sales receipt. This is the swiftest method of slicing through initial confusion and smoothing the transaction.

l Work toward yes. Don’t assume a clerk’s “no” is the final word on the matter. Take the issue to another employee, who may understand the store’s return rules better than the initial clerk. If all else fails, speak to the manager.

l Be polite. Store clerks see the worst of humans’ dealings with each other, so a smile and beneficent attitude can go a long way toward a satisfying experience.

Medicine

Military trainers eye gaming technology

Attention Hollywood visual effects wizards and video game programmers: U.S. military doctors want you.

The military sees technologies from the entertainment industry as potential tools for honing the skills of military medics.

The effects could better simulate the difficult conditions and types of wounds medics are likely to encounter during war, said Dr. Greg Mogel, West Coast director of the Army’s Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center.

While the military has long used video game technology to train pilots and other personnel for combat, it is just beginning to consider similar uses for medics.

Motley Fool

Name that company

My company name sported the word “Elf” until last year, but instead of making toys in Santa’s workshop, I’d rather keep the workshop’s power and heat on. France’s largest company, I’m the world’s fourth largest oil and gas company, operating in more than 100 countries and employing more than 110,000 people. I explore for and produce oil and natural gas, generate power, trade energy, and make chemicals and petroleum products. I run more than two dozen refineries and nearly 16,000 gas stations, mostly in Europe and Africa. I have more than 500,000 shareholders. Who am I?