The state of alternative sources: The Louisiana Biofuels Processing Summit is set for Sept. 11-12 in Baton Rouge. The conference, sponsored by LSU, will be an overview of the growth of the state’s biofuels industry. The program will be held at the Renaissance Hotel. Registration is $125 per person, with the registration deadline set for Friday, Aug. 31. Complete details on the summit are available online here.
Student ready: Gov. Bobby Jindal helped mark the opening of the new South Central Louisiana Technical College campus development in Morgan City today. The $5.98 million new classroom building and lab facility will be home to health care, computer networking, and development studies as well as business services, student affairs, and other administrative offices. The new campus will begin serving students this week, and a phase two renovation will begin later this year to update the original building on-site.
Still the head of the class: The University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors today named Randy Moffett President Emeritus of Southeastern Louisiana University. Moffett has worked in a variety of positions at Southeastern for 32 years, including as president from 2001 to 2008, before becoming president of the UL System. He is retiring in September after 41 years in higher education. An emeritus position is one of the highest academic honors awarded to professors and administrators, usually on the occasion of their retirement.
Driven to relax: Americans plan to hit the road this Labor Day weekend despite rising gas prices. An estimated 33 million people will travel 50 miles or more, a 2.9% increase from last year, according to AAA, a federation of auto clubs that sell vacations and insurance and that lobby on behalf of car owners. That’s the highest predicted level of travel for Labor Day since the start of the recession in late 2007. Across the nation, a gallon of gas now costs an average of $3.72—a record for the month of August.
