Corbett Welcomes Dow Chemical To Upper Providence

Location of Upper Providence Township in Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

UPPER PROVIDENCE TOWNSHIP— The road from Spring House to Collegeville was roughly 25 miles and about three years long for the Dow Chemical Company.

Inside Dow’s beautiful new building of brick and glass is space — glorious modern space, where scientists can expand on the prolific innovations that have been served so well by the company’s 50-year old Spring House research facility.

Although the last of the 800 employees at Spring House won’t be working at this global hub of possibilities until the end of next year, Dow formally assumed residence on Wednesday with a house warming gala of sorts at its sprawling Northeast Technology Center on Arcola Road.

“Collegeville’s going to be a great place because it’s a first-class site,” said Howard Ungerleider, an executive vice president, who hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Dow CEO Andrew Liveris, more than 700 Dow employees and various officials, including Gov. Tom Corbett, Montgomery County State Reps. Marcy Toepel (R-Red Hill), Mike Vereb (R-Collegeville) and Kate Harper (R-Blue Bell) and Montgomery County Commissioner Leslie Richards.

Read more:  http://www.timesherald.com/article/20130731/NEWS01/130739910/corbett-welcomes-dow-chemical-to-upper-providence#full_story

At Lakehurst, Airships Are Taking Off Again

At Lakehurst‘s historic Hangar 1, made famous by the fiery Hindenburg disaster nearby 75 years ago, another airship is waiting to take off on its next mission.

While aloft, the manned 178-foot-long Navy blimp – emblazoned with red, white, and blue rudder stripes – has drawn wide-eyed stares from onlookers across Philadelphia’s suburbs and along the Jersey Shore over the last several months.

The MZ-3A‘s testing at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst is part of the U.S. military’s renewed interest in airships, known for their ability to stay airborne for long periods and land without runways.

“Over the past decade, as drones have gained favor in identifying and sometimes engaging enemy forces, an ‘old-new’ concept has also reappeared – the observation dirigible,” said Guillaume de Syon, an aviation historian, author, and professor at Albright College in Reading.

Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/new_jersey/20120730_At_Lakehurst__airships_are_taking_off_again.html?cmpid=124488469