NEWS FLASH

49 Penguins Freed After New Zealand Oil Spill | Since a cargo ship leaked 350 tons of oil in New Zealand — marking the nation’s “most significant environmental maritime disaster” — more than 2,000 seabirds have died. In some good news, the New Zealand wildlife facility has now freed 49 of the 343 rescued penguins. People first responded to the disaster by knitting tiny sweaters that would keep the penguins warm and protected, and we can expect more penguins, sans the sweaters, to be freed shortly.

NEWS FLASH

Penguin Sweaters | In response to the New Zealand oil spill that is hitting blue penguins, people are knitting little sweaters to keep the oil-slicked birds safe and warm while they wait for cleaning. Penguins in sweaters are just as adorable and cool as one might think. Unfortunately, nearly 1,300 seabirds have already died, in what has become the nation’s “most significant environmental maritime disaster.”

NEWS FLASH

New Zealand Wins Engineering Contest At Solar Decathlon | “Wowing jurors with its attention to detail, craftsmanship, and an unusual energy visualization system,” New Zealand (Victoria University of Wellington) received first place Thursday in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011 Engineering Contest for its First Light house. “The New Zealand house was beautifully executed, with extreme attention to detail and craftsmanship and an intuitive tree-ring visualization system, which makes it easy to understand energy use throughout the house,” said Engineering Contest juror Dr. Hunter Fanney, chief of the building energy and environment division of the engineering laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The University of Maryland has maintained the overall lead.