U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and Governor John Hoeven have announced that the head of one of the nation's most prestigious Department of Energy research laboratories will deliver the keynote speech at the 2008 Renewable Fuels Action Summit, which runs May 18 and May 19 at Bismarck State College.

Dr. Steve Chu, Director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, will address attendees at the Action Summit at 9:00 AM on Monday, May 19. Chu and two colleagues won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1997 for their groundbreaking work that used laser light to cool and trap atoms. Chu has focused much of his recent work on sustainable transportation fuels and other energy issues and will give a unique perspective on the growing renewable energy industry, Dorgan and Hoeven said.

"Dr. Chu is one of the brightest minds working on energy issues in this country today, and I'm excited to have him join in this conversation," Senator Dorgan said. "In the interest of achieving energy independence and in preserving our environment, our country must develop its domestic sources of energy. More than any other state, North Dakota has the potential to be a leader in the production of renewable energy, and this Action Summit will help brainstorm ways to make sure our industry is healthy and growing."

"North Dakotans who are leading the way in renewable energy throughout our state will talk about their participation in exciting efforts such as Empower ND, the State's comprehensive energy policy, and the partnership of local, state, and federal government with the private sector," Hoeven said. "We are working to build our energy resources and the conference will provide a great networking opportunity for all participants."

The Renewable Fuels Action Summit is open to the public. To register, visit http://www.bismarckstate.edu/energysummit/ or call 1-877-846-9387.

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Sherman Alexie will appear as key presenter at the North Dakota Arts and Humanities Summit sponsored by Bismarck State College Oct. 9-10.

Held every two years, the summit is an educational creative arts showcase, where students and faculty from North Dakota's colleges and universities share their work with each other and the public.

Alexie, an award-winning author, poet and filmmaker, has written novels, screenplays, short stories, and 11 collections of poetry. Scholars and literary and film critics have lauded his work with countless awards, including the 2007 National Book Award for Young People's Literature, the Pushcart Prize for poetry, PEN/Malamud Award, Sundance Film Festival Audience Award, and many others. He displays his exceptional humor and performance ability at poetry readings and comedy venues.

The arts summit will include a visual arts exhibit, musical performances, readings, and presentations by scholars and students. View the Summit Web site at bismarckstate.edu/summit/

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Teachers and school administrators can access a trove of information at the 2008 Teaching and Technology professional development workshops June 3-4 in Bismarck at the Best Western Doublewood Inn.

Sessions abound for Mac or PC users with hands-on and other instruction by educators and technology experts.

Lock into Garageband '08, the Art and Technique of Wikis, the convenience of RSS feeds, introductory Flash animation, Google Earth, and GPS and satellites in the classroom. Find out how to find and win foundation and corporate technology grants. Learn how to deploy the Microsoft Vista operating system, and try Scratch in the Classroom - computer programming anyone can do.

Participants have six opportunities daily to work on computers and learn new skills or software. Register early to attend these sessions. Graduate credit is available through four North Dakota universities by registering online between May 27 and June 4 on the TNT Web site: www.bismarckstate.edu/ceti/tnt.

Registration received by May 16 is $150 or $175 after that date. The fee covers two networking lunches, including a demonstration of student hand-held devices by Total Educational Solutions in Technology, Inc. on June 3.

School districts can be reimbursed for TNT participation. The conference is an approved activity under the following No Child Left Behind programs: Title I Part A and Title II Part D. For more information about these programs, contact Chris Kalash at the state Department of Public Instruction, ckalash@nd.gov.

Bismarck State College Continuing Education, Training & Innovation coordinates the Teaching and Technology conference. Register online with credit card or mail checks to TNT Conference BSC-CETI, P.O. Box 5587, Bismarck, N.D. 58506-5587. For assistance, call 877-846-9387 or 701-224-5600.

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Easing your class load for next year is one motivation for attending summer school. You may have the choice of taking a class online or on campus during Bismarck State College's summer session.

Want to get a lab science completed? Students who are not science majors can choose from Concepts of Biology (BIOL 111) or Human Biology (BIOL 126). Both courses are approved for transfer through the General Education Requirement Transfer Agreement (GERTA). For science majors, a full year of Anatomy & Physiology is offered during the summer. Two chemistry classes that take six weeks to complete are also on the schedule.

Need to learn a foreign language? You can study Spanish I during the eight-week session. Other courses offered are math, nurse assistant training, psychology, history, philosophy, accounting, business administration, music, art, computer applications, computer science, human services, English composition, speech and more.

June 2 is the first day of the eight-week summer session. Some classes may be completed in four weeks, and they begin either June 2 or June 30. For students in technical programs, starting dates vary.

To view the full summer session schedule, or to apply for admission, visit BSC's Web site at bismarckstate.edu and click on CampusConnection. For questions, call 224-5429 or 1-800-445-5073.

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Bismarck State College will begin offering Instrumentation and Control Technology, a new two-year program, this fall.

Students in the program will begin with courses in Electronics Technology for the first year of the Instrumentation & Control (I&C) program. The second-year courses in I&C will begin in the fall of 2009.

Representatives from North Dakota's energy industry requested that BSC offer the program to help meet the growing need for skilled instrumentation and control technicians in North Dakota's power plants, ethanol plants and other process plants. Other employment opportunities would be with manufacturers of appliances, medical equipment, or others industrial sites in which automated systems are used.

Students in the program will gain the skills and knowledge to install, repair, upgrade, maintain and troubleshoot instrumentation and control systems. They will earn an associate in applied science degree or a diploma upon successful completion of the program.

BSC is the only college in the North Dakota University System offering this program.

For information about the program, contact Bob Arso, chair of the Industrial Technology Department, at (701) 224-5416. For information about admissions, contact Marla Hagemeister at (701) 224-2475.

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