Carol Senkalski of Erie won the 3rd annual Mothers of Invention Contest held by ABC’s Good Morning America. Her invention was a multi-cut cookie cutter. Senkalski won $10,000 and her invention will be marketed by Amazon.com. Here is the video of her explaining and demonstrating the cutter.

Edinboro University Presidential candidate interviews with the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education officials in Harrisburg will be held today, Monday, May 14. It is expected the Board of Governors’ selection of the next president of the University will be made shortly after the interviews. The 3 candidates are: Dr Jeremy D Brown, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs State University of New York, Canton; Dr John William Folkins, Chief Executive Officer, Bowling Green State University Research Institute; and Dr Sue Kiefer Hammersmith, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.

Dan Nichols will be swimming Lake Erie to raise funds for cancer research. The swim will start at Presque Isle State Park in Erie Pennsylvania and end at Long Point Ontario Canada, a total of 33 miles (53 km). Nichols is hoping to finish the trek in 21 hours. The swim is a record attempt, with the current record being 43 km in 23 hours and 46 minutes. Nichols is an experienced triathlete, racing for 18 years, and participating in six ironman competitions. The swim will take place August 4.

The 50th annual Lake Erie Interclub Cruise takes place June 22-28. Registration is Friday June 22 at the Erie Yacht Club.

The Akron Aeros split the 4 game weekend series against the Erie SeaWolves with a 4-3 win at Canal Park on Sunday afternoon. Erie is off on Monday and will be back in action on Tuesday night at Jerry Uht Park in Erie PA against the Trenton Thunder (New York Yankees). RHP Eulogio De La Cruz (4-2, 3.46 ERA) looks to win his third straight game and he goes up against RHP Jeffrey Marquez (4-2, 1.93 ERA).

Opening night at Lake Erie Speedway will be Saturday May 26.

Erie area bloggers and just blog readers are invited to a gathering today from 7 to 9 pm at the Fox & Hound English Pub and Grille, 250 Millcreek Plaza. (It’s in the same plaza on the hill along Interchange where TJ Maxx is.) No dues…no notes, and no speeches. Just eating and drinking.

The Salvation Army in Erie will be celebrating National Salvation
Army week starting May 14. Throughout the week The Salvation Army will have several events ongoing to bring attention to the Erie Community of the many services and programs they provide. One of the major events that week will be the Kettles for Kids campaign. The recognizable Red Kettles will be located at numerous entrances of the Millcreek Mall. All proceeds from this fund-raising event stay in the Erie area, which will allow them to send less fortunate children to summer camps. The Salvation Army is looking for members of the community to help with this campaign by volunteering their time and standing with the Red Kettles. The Camp for Kids campaign kicks off on Monday, May 14 and continues through Saturday, May 19. They offer 2 separate shifts for individuals; they encourage large groups and organizations that have many volunteers to take a location for the entire day. Should you have any questions, please contact Dan Hanson at The Salvation Army at (814) 454-6497.

The Gannon University Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) on Friday, May 18 will host a regional symposium entitled Excellence and Innovation in Teaching and Learning. The symposium will run from 9 am to 4 pm in the Yehl Room of the Waldron Campus Center, 124 West Seventh Street. Steven W Gilbert, founder of the Teaching, Learning and Technology Group of Takoma Park, MD, will be the event’s keynote speaker. Gilbert will discuss the “Seven Principles of Good Practice” by Chickering and Gamson. He also will examine the challenges associated with the principles as well as new instructional strategies to address them. In addition, Gannon University faculty members will present their own personal experiences and strategies during several concurrent sessions in the afternoon. Other topics of discussion include fostering student accountability, active learning through a potpourri of technology, and student centered learning. Registration for the event will begin at 8:30 a.m. The cost is $50. For more information or to register, call (814) 871-7451. Registration is encouraged by May 9.

The Tragically Hip play the Warner Theatre in Erie, Pa on May 18. Reserved seat tickets are $31.50.

The 2007 Edinboro Highland Games and Scottish Festival takes place May 18-20 on the campus of Edinboro University, with events Sunday at the Edinboro United Methodist Church. This year’s musical guests include Ed Miller, the Chelsea House Orchestra, and Fieldstone. Tickets are $5 with kids under 7 admitted free. Parking is free.

Join hundreds of bicyclists on Saturday, May 19, 2007 at the Intermodal Transportation Center on the Bayfront Parkway to Bike 10, 30 or 50 miles around beautiful Presque Isle Bay and Lake Erie to raise funds for the non-profit youth environmental education organization Lake Erie-Allegheny Earth Force. Call for information (814) 835-8069 or email Annette Marshall, OSB.

The Great Lakes Independent Film Festival is sponsoring the camp classic “Reefer Madness” on Saturday May 19 at the Roadhouse Theatre. Showings at 8 pm and Midnight.

The 2007 Memorial Day Shootout will be held at the host venue of Family First Sports Park in Erie PA, May 26-28. Over 150 teams are expected. The Memorial Day Shootout is for premier soccer teams ages U9-U19 and is among the top college recruiting tournaments. The tournament will feature some of the best boys and girls soccer teams in the United States and Canada. This is a US CLUB Soccer event. USYSA teams are permitted to participate.

Penn State Behrend’s popular College for Kids returns this summer with over 150 weeklong classes to educate, entertain, and inspire young people ages 6 to 18. College for Kids courses begin June 11 and continue through August 10, with the exception of Fourth of July week. Classes are organized by age and held during morning or afternoon sessions, with before- and after-care available for an additional fee. Returning classes include past favorites in guitar, golf, knitting, word processing, PowerPoint, model rocketry, acting, sign language, and scrap booking instruction; World War II history, “Engineering MythBusters,” and “Dinosaur Discovery.” New courses this year: “Storm Chasing 101″ taught by WJET-TV meteorologist Tom Atkins; two finance classes, “Kids and Money” for the younger student and “Show Me the Money” for teens; “Let’s Cheer,” “Conversational Spanish,” “Introduction to Chess,” “Star Wars and the Roman Empire,” “Crafts from the Beach,” “Space Camp: Return to the Moon,” and an investigation of the paranormal called “X-Files.” “We also have a very special opportunity this year for kids ages 12 to 18–a chance to paint a mural on the fountain in Perry Square under the direction of local artist AJ Noyes,” Mary Trott, College for Kids program coordinator, noted. “Because of the significance of this community service project, this will be one of the rare College for Kids classes that meets for a full day.” Perry Square fountain painting will take place the week of July 23. For artists not old enough to participate in the mural project or unable to commit to a full-day class, Noyes also will teach College for Kids courses in hand-sewing and beading, craft painting, nature drawing and painting, and portrait drawing. Costs vary by course but start at $70 per weeklong class. Before- or after-class supervision is available for an additional $10 per week. Schedule and registration information will be distributed through area schools and also is available by calling 814-898-6212 or clicking here. Mail and online registration will begin in early May. Participants are encouraged to register early for best class selection.