The Life of the Mind Consortium arranged for Willow Valley residents to tour Osburn Hall, a three-story facility with clusters of labs on each of those floors. The first floor houses the four Energy/Power/Transportation (EPT) labs. The second floor has five Materials labs (Metallic, Polymers/Ceramics, Modular Technology Education, Production, and General Technology labs. The top floor contains a Media Studio and the ten labs of the Communications and Occupational Safety and Environmental Health cluster.

Many Willow Valley residents have prior experience working with one or more of these materials or activities; and others have taken up woodworking, computer graphics, or work with other materials in their retirement. Thus there was a great deal of interest in visiting this 70,000 square foot facility that, after extensive renovation and expansion, was opened in 2004.

Most of us were not quite sure what we would see when we visited the Industry & Technology labs at Millersville University, and obviously what we did see was filtered through our own life experiences and current interests.

All of us were impressed by the obvious interface between more traditional industrial work and computer technologies. Computers are used in the design & production stages, and the precision of electronic tracking of the evolution of products was evident in these labs. This enables students and faculty to more effectively analyze process as well as product and thus enhance learning.

The educators among us immediately noticed the focus and intensity of the students working in the various labs. Retirees who had spent most of their years in academe teaching graduate students were especially pleased to see this in young students. (Of course, we were aware it was the final few days of classes with projects to be completed and exams to follow.) We were especially impressed with the civility and graciousness of these young people who had a group of old folks staring at them while they were working. There was a product orientation and an obvious emphasis on increasing the complexity in all aspects of product design and production as well as in the use of both traditional tools and emerging technologies.

Many retirees do woodworking and cabinetry in their retirement, and several of them were heard saying “You could eat off the floor in here” as they walked into the lab where these activities take place. They focused on the specific tools and equipment while others of us looked at the artistry of small tables made by students. Several retiree visitors had been engineers; and, depending on their specific fields, they paid particular attention to the Polymers/Ceramics Lab, the Electronics Lab, or the Energy/Power/Technology Lab. The aerospace engineers among us were impressed to see students at flight simulators similar to those they had used.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable visit. We came away with a greater appreciation of what the Industry & Technology Department offers to students, to consumers, and ultimately to society in general. As retirees, we can be proud of our association with these faculty and outstanding young people.

Our thanks to Dr. Len S. Litowitz, Technology Education Coordinator in the Department of Industry and Technology at Millersville University who invited Life of the Mind Consortium members to visit and led the tour of the labs in Osburn Hall http://muweb.millersville.edu/~itec/html/facility.html

Our conclusion is summarized, in part, by the words of Christina Wodtke "You ask about the important things to keep in mind: same as ever, with a task-based twist: what are the users trying to accomplish, what does the business need them to successfully accomplish, and what will the technology allow? If you can balance these three forces, you'll have a solid product."