TEMPLE STUDENT SHINES LASER AT HELICOPTER
An unidentified Temple student was seen flashing a laser pointer at a Philadelphia Police helicopter last Monday night, the Inquirer reported.
The action caused Aviation Lt. David Bonk to tweet out a picture of Morgan Hall North, where the incident occurred.
“Attention @TempleUniv student on top floor: pointing lasers at #TacAir is illegal,” Bonk tweeted Monday night.
The Inquirer reported that Lt. John Stanford, a Philadelphia Police spokesman, said police officials were in contact with Temple to ensure the university would warn that shining a laser at aircrafts can lead to the perpetrator being arrested.
Temple issued an email about the incident Tuesday afternoon, when Michael Scales, associate vice president for student affairs, addressed students who live in residential halls about the incident.
“Philadelphia Police reported overnight that someone in Morgan Hall North at Temple University shined a laser pointer at a police helicopter in the area,” Scales wrote.
“The use of laser pointers on aircraft can be dangerous for those in the air and on the ground. Anyone found responsible could face both criminal and university penalties.”
Tipsters should contact Temple Police at 215-204-1234.
-Steve Bohnel
STUDENTS, FACULTY CREATE POP-UP PARK IN SUBURBS
In honor of Park(ing) Day—an annual event created to temporarily turn metered parking spaces into public parks—Temple University Ambler students and faculty created “Park(ing) for People,” a temporary pop-up park located in front of the County Theater in Doylestown this past Friday and Saturday.
The effort to create the park, which was 120-feet long and 12-feet wide, was led by associate professor Baldev Lamba, chair of the Department of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture, according to a university press release.
“Imagine a greener, more people-friendly space in place of parking spots,” Lamba said. “This pop-up park is a true partnership between our students and faculty and volunteer architects, horticulturists, landscape architects, artists and organizations in the region.”
In 2011, Lamba helped to create a award-winning 32,000 square-foot pop-up garden—the first of its kind for the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. Even though the one in Doylestown was roughly 22 times smaller than this design, the purpose of both parks is the same, Lamba said.
“It’s about changing mindsets,” he said. “It’s showing people that urban centers can have areas that are green, innovative and inviting.”
-Steve Bohnel
