BRIEFCASE

INNOVATION STATION: COOL IDEAS ORIGINATING IN THE MIDSTATE

Hard target

Two engineering professors at Elizabethtown College are using a $188,653 grant from the National Science Foundation to study the cure rate of cement. Professors Nathanial Hager and Nan Grave and 12 students will conduct the research over the next three years.

The project involves embedding disposable sensors in concrete when cement is poured. The sensors use electrical pulses to measure the curing process - the rate at which the cement hardens - and identify irregularities that can result in improper curing.

The research team believes companies that make cement and cement additives can use the technology to determine how to optimize the curing process. The sensors also could be used in the field to help test the strength of structures. In the case of multilevel structures, the sensors can determine the best time to pour a second layer.

Hager's research in this area previously earned him funding from the state's Keystone Innovation Zone program and from the National Science Foundation's Small Business Innovation Research program. The latest round of funding comes from the NSF's Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation.

-Jason Klinger

2 CENTS: ADVICE FROM THE EXPERTS

It's e-lementary

If you're looking for a fairly cheap and effective way to market your company, consider starting an electronic newsletter, also called an e-zine. An effective e-zine can raise brand awareness and help drive business, said Stephanie Chandler, the California-based author of "From Entrepreneur to Infopreneur: Make Money with Books, eBooks and Information Products."

For best results, make growing your subscriber list an ongoing priority. Here are some of Chandler's tips:

* Put a "Subscribe Here" link on every page of your Web site

* Offer a bonus for signing up - a special report, coupon, discount or other perk

* List your privacy policy on your Web site and in your welcome message to subscribers

* Include a "Forward to a Friend" link in all your messages

* Cross-promote your e-zine with business alliance partners

* Publish articles related to your industry in other e-zines and Web sites

* Send your articles directly to industry-related Web sites

* Update your e-mail signature with a call to action: "Sign up for our monthly e-zine to receive industry reports and special offers!"

* If you meet a potential prospect at a business event or networking function, ask if you can add them to your list

* Never add someone to your list without asking first

-Jason Klinger

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING:

IN THIS WEEK'S CPBJ

"(We have) a loyal number of customers. Some come from as far away as the Maryland and Washington, D.C., areas. It isn't a matter of price. People that are looking for the unusual and the different can find it here."

Glenn Gross on his garden center.

See "Smart growth, " page 3.