Kickstart: Is 'college' important?

The University of Akron in Ohio is retaining its polymer education programs, but dropping the "college."

In a revision of the university's operating system to help cut costs, officials said faculty and students from the College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering would retain their place within the programs for both undergraduate and graduate degrees.

"During the feedback process, the alumni and external stakeholders were vocal about keeping PS and PE faculty together, but often recommended making it a department or a school," according to a reorganization plan released this week. "The brand presence of the title of 'college' is significant but the title of 'school' seems to be equivalent in most stakeholder's perception."

Polymer science would likely be merged into a related program, such as a new engineering, technology and applied science college or a STEM college program, according to the plan.

A lot of us have been doing business at home offices during the coronavirus outbreak. But what happens if you can't work from home when offices are closed?

In the past, when I've worked from home and the weather was sketchy, I knew I could go to a nearby coffee shop for WiFi access if my power went out. Early on as Plastics News shifted to a publish-from-home model, I thought: "Where can I go if my WiFi acts up?" Every place was closed, after all. Luckily, I haven't had to find a workaround yet.

I mention this because in the wake of devastating flooding in Michigan, which forced Dow Inc. in Midland, Mich., to close the bulk of its operations there temporarily, machinery maker Brown Machine Inc. in nearby Beaverton, Mich., was forced to launch a Plan B when flooding took out its phone and internet services.

While there was no damage in Beaverton and Brown was able to continue manufacturing, Brown ended up circulating its staff's cell phone numbers to keep in touch with customers.

Luckily, the outage didn't last long, and everything was back in order within 24 hours. But its a reminder that everyone needs to be ready to find solutions to problems they never expected to encounter.

First up, a proposal that seems to be a legitimate proposal by a designer trying to look at what dining at a restaurant in a COVID-19 world would be.

The website Designboom features a concept from designer Cristophe Gernigon for the "plex'eat," which would hang "individual greenhouses" made of plexiglass over restaurant tables so diners can sit with friends but remain in their own bubble.

"These shields curve up at the rear to allow users to enter [and] exit. Made from transparent plexiglass, the hanging cones ensure that the diners can still see each other and their meals. They are also lightweight and easy for restaurants to clean between sittings."

You're not the only reminded of the "cone of silence" on the old sitcom "Get Smart."

Second, if you want a quick laugh, you can check out a 10-second video on Reddit featuring a couple of guys who thought it would be a good idea to throw some plastic sheeting into the bed of a pickup truck, fill it with water, then cruise around town.

They didn't really think through the physics of how water would move, however.