Nonprofit organizations are susceptible to the same kinds of electronic infiltration as for-profit businesses. Yet unlike their private-sector counterparts, due to resource constraints they often dont have adequate security in place to defend their systems from such security threats. Dr. Faisal Abdullah will address the steps that nonprofits can take to protect their data and networks in a free webinar, What Would an Attacker Do? Know Your Risks to Protect Your Nonprofit. It takes place Thursday, May 3, 2012, from 11 AM to 12:30 PM PDT. More information and registration is available at nten.org.

Dr. Abdullah is an Associate Professor of Management Information Systems and the Director of the Masters of Science in Information Security Program (campus and online) at Lewis University in Romeoville, IL. His teaching and research interests include computer forensics, e-discovery, database security strategies, information security risk analysis and management of information security. His understanding of regulations and security frameworks contribute to his in-depth knowledge of quantitative, qualitative, and hybrid risk assessment procedures and disaster recovery planning.

The online Masters Degree in Information Security at Lewis University prepares students for the threats facing contemporary businesses and organizations. The curriculum of this IT security degree examines the theory and practice of IT security on a global scale to create graduates with a solid foundation in information security as well as advanced expertise in operations, forensics, programming, and strategic risk assessment. The program is offered both online and on campus to align with students professional interests and goals. Coursework meets the national standards of the Committee on National Security Systems (CNSS), and Lewis University is a Department of Homeland Security and National Security Agency designated National Center of Academic Excellence (CAE) in Information Assurance Education.

To learn more about Lewis Universitys online MS in Information Security, go to http://online.lewisu.edu/ms-information-security.asp.

About Lewis University

Lewis University is a Catholic university offering distinctive undergraduate and graduate programs to nearly 6,500 traditional and adult students. Lewis offers multiple campus locations, online degree programs, and a variety of formats that provide accessibility and convenience to a growing student population. Sponsored by the De La Salle Christian Brothers, Lewis prepares ethically grounded, globally aware, and socially responsible graduates. The ninth largest private not-for-profit university in Illinois, Lewis has been nationally recognized by The Princeton Review and U.S. News & World Report. Visit http://www.lewisu.edu for further information.

Who: Author, activist, and guest lecturer in the Elms College autism spectrum disorders program, John Elder Robison.

What: Robison will read from and sign copies of new book, Be Different. Free and open to the public.

When: 7 p.m., April 26, 2012

Where: Elms College Alumnae Library Well

Robison’s long career took him from working backstage with rock and roll greats, to engineering and toy design, to his own high-end car repair shop. A chance visit to his garage by a therapist introduced him to Asperger’s, and the symptoms that had never added up to a diagnosis throughout his entire life. Publishing his autobiography, Look Me In the Eye, propelled Robison into the ranks of activism and authorship.

For more information, contact Kathryn James, Ph.D., director of the communication sciences and disorders and autism spectrum disorders programs, at jamesk@elms.edu or 413-265-2253.

Elms College is a co-educational, Catholic college offering a liberal arts curriculum that gives students multiple perspectives on life. Founded in 1928 by the Sisters of St. Joseph, Elms College has a tradition of educating reflective, principled, and creative learners, who are rooted in faith, educated in mind, compassionate in heart, responsive to civic and social obligations, and capable of adjusting to change without compromising principle.

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Howe’s New York – the weekly BlogTalkRadio show hosted by New York Real Estate Attorney and Rocket Lawyer Attorney of the Year Robert Howe- welcomes Ed Rohs to the show tonight at 6:00 PM EST. Mr. Rohs is the co-author of Raised By The Church, his autobiography, published by Fordham University Press, on the life of an orphan in post World War II Brooklyn, New York. Howe’s New York focuses on local events of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, New York and real estate issues both locally and across the nation.

Raised by the Church – co-written by Judith Estrine -chronicles the extraordinary life of Ed Rohs, a bright, mischievous boy who was raised in five institutions of the Catholic orphanage system in postwar Brooklyn, New York, from infancy in 1946 until he was discharged as an adult in 1965.

Edward Rohs coordinates mental health service for the New York City Field Office of the New York State Office of Mental Health. He is a former psychotherapist and social worker for abused and abandoned children and their families. Ed’s skill at interacting with people of all ages across cultures, combined with his irreverent sense of humor, has made him a much-loved role model and mentor to generations of children and their families.

Robert Howe has been practicing law in Bay Ridge Brooklyn for over 30 years and serves as President of The Merchants Of Third Avenue. He specializes in real estate law, refinancing, wills, family court and healthcare proxy. He is very active both in the community and on social media on Facebook, Google+, and Twitter.

In celebration of Earth Day, Humility of Mary Health Partners is sponsoring free, community recycling events at all three of its health centers.

Residents of Youngstown and surrounding communities are invited to bring any documents that should be shredded to the Wound Care Center parking lot at St. Elizabeth Health Center, 1044 Belmont Ave., between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. April 20. Cintas Document Management will destroy the documents and prepare the shredded paper for recycling.

The Wound Care Center parking lot is along Park Avenue.

Residents of Boardman and surrounding communities are invited to participate in the free shredding/recycling event from 10 a.m. to noon April 23 at St. Elizabeth Boardman Health Center, 8401 Market St. Cintas Document Management will collect items to be shredded and recycled in the parking lot behind the health center.

Residents of Warren and surrounding communities are invited to bring documents to be shredded to the parking lot behind St. Joseph Health Center, 667 Eastland Ave. SE, from 1 to 3 p.m. April 23. Cintas Document Management will also provide those shredding and recycling services.

All three locations will also serve as collection sites for gently used school supplies, which will be recycled by local schools by providing them to children in need.

For more information about these events, call 330.480.2048.

About Humility of Mary Health Partners

Humility of Mary Health Partners is an integrated health system located in the Youngstown/Warren area. It is a region of Catholic Health Partners (CHP) in Cincinnati, the largest health system in Ohio and one of the largest Catholic health systems in the United States. HMHP provides a full spectrum of health care services, including inpatient, outpatient, emergency, urgent care, home care and long-term care. Members are St. Elizabeth Health Center, St. Joseph Health Center, St. Elizabeth Boardman Health Center, HM Home Health Services, The Assumption Village, Humility House, Hospice of the Valley and Laurel Lake. Learn more about HMHP online at http://www.HMpartners.org.

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Commonweal Magazine, the prominent journal of opinion edited by lay Catholics, today published a response strongly critical of the statement on religious liberty issued earlier this week by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The bishops are right to call for vigilance on behalf of religious liberty, say Commonweal’s editors. Unfortunately, the tenor of their statement clearly runs the risk of making this into a partisan issue during a presidential election.

The response, released today on Commonweals Web site, says that the bishops statement vastly exaggerates the extent to which American freedoms of all sorts and of religious freedom in particular are threatened. In addition, by neglecting the growing hostility to Islam in the United States, the statement will feed the impression that this campaign for religious freedom has been politically tailored.

The bishops statement, called Our First, Most Cherished Liberty, calls on Catholics and others to resist what the bishops characterize as unprecedented threats to religious freedom, including a national campaign of resistance as well as a Fortnight for Freedom leading up to this years Fourth of July celebration.

Commonweal is a biweekly journal of opinion published by lay Catholics since 1924, offering commentary on religion, politics, culture, media, and the arts.

Last night at the 2012 NY ASLA Design Awards, Robin Key Landscape Architects(RKLA), Enterprise Community Partners (Enterprise), Fordham Bedford Housing Corporation (FBHC) and OCV Architects (OCV) received an Honor Award in Collaborative Design for their work at Serviam Gardens, an affordable senior housing project in the Bronx. The New York Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) and the Horticultural Society of New York presented the 2012 Design Awards with an exhibition and ceremony honoring this year’s winners in the areas of landscape architecture, design, and planning.

The gardens at Serviam Gardens were one of 12 pilot projects organized by desigNYC, a nonprofit whose mission is to improve the lives of New Yorkers through the power of design. RKLA worked closely with OCV, the community at Serviam and the project developers to craft the 19,000 square foot grounds and 7,500 square foot rooftop into a series of accessible outdoor spaces that feature gathering areas, an intergenerational garden and urban farm with underlying sustainability and educational features.

Serviam Gardens is located on the Campus of Mount Saint Ursula, an all-girls Catholic high school, and offers a much needed breed of housing in New York City quality, affordable senior housing that allows for independent living with the kinds of amenities and services geared toward their needs. OCV provided architectural services for the design and construction of the complex.

The award presented last night recognizes the growing interest and emphasis on grassroots community development. There to receive the award were Robin Key and Gareth Mahon of RKLA and Esther Yang, Enterprise Rose Architectural Fellow working on the developer end. Awards, were presented by James Russell, architecture critic for Bloomberg and author of The Agile City: Well-being and Wealth in an Era of Climate Change.

In a speech to a packed exhibition room at the Horticultral Society, Mr. Russell felt that we are entering an Olmstedian era of city beautification, refering in one breath to Fredrick Law Olmsted, co-designer of New York Citys Central and Prospect Parks, and the City Beautiful movement at the turn of the last century, two pivotal forces in the development of cities and city planning.

In addition to honoring award winners, last nights event kicked off the celebration of April as Landscape Architecture Month. The exhibition of winning projects will be ongoing at the Horticultural Society through May 2, 2012.

About OCV Architects

Oaklander, Coogan & Vitto Architects, P.C. is a versatile, award-winning architectural firm serving the New York Metropolitan area for over 30 years. OCVs body of work ranges from affordable and special needs housing to high-end private residences, from gut rehabs and historic preservation to innovative new construction. Having produced over 1,000 units of residential housing, the firm regularly partners with urban housing authorities and development groups to create sustainable, attractive residences within restrictive budgets. As a member of the U.S. Green Building Council, OCV strives to bring to each design respect for a projects site, setting, history and culture, while making every effort to build responsibly and sustainably. For more on OCV please visit http://www.ocvarch.com.

For further information on this release, Serviam Gardens, or similar projects, please contact:

Mireille Moga

Oaklander, Coogan & Vitto Architects, PC

203 Lafayette Street, 5th Floor

New York, NY 10012

212-675-6470 x222

mogam(at)ocvarch(dot)com

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Because She Matters will meet the first Thursday of each month from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at 6060 North 7th Avenue, Phoenix. Each meeting will feature a brief presentation, discussion and networking. The speaker on April 5 will be Tracy C., a recovering addict who exited the sex industry with the help of the Dignity Program, a Catholic Charities-supported group that specializes in helping women exploited into prostitution. Dignity’s year-long program allowed Tracy to help rebuild her life. Listen to her inspiring story as she talks about how her family helped to support her emotionally. With almost three years out of the sex trade, Tracy now attends college and works with others who struggle to leave the sex industry.

Prostitution is a violent occupation. The average age of death for a prostitute is 34, according to industry statistics, and the Journal of Epidemiology reports that prostitutes suffer a workplace homicide rate 51 times higher than the next most dangerous jobworking in a liquor store. The Phoenix Police Department reports the Phoenix metro area has become a major hub for young prostitutes. Detectives believe cash is the main motivation behind the recruitment of younger girls, as they command higher payments from sex buyers.

Relatives and friends of porn actors, strippers and prostitutes face many difficulties as they struggle to understand their loved ones choices. Until now, there have been no organized support groups for these secondary victims of a lucrative business that exists mainly in the shadows. Because She Matters will offer support and resources for the families of those caught in the sex industry, no matter in which segment of the sex industry they work.

About Us

Because She Matters was founded in 2009 by Nancy Todd to help sex workers who wanted to exit the sex industry and to offer support for their families. Ms. Todd holds a Masters in sociology and has decades of experience working with this at-risk group. Because She Matters is not associated with any religious organization and has no political affiliations or opinions regarding the legality of sex work. For more information please call (480) 297-5810 or visit http://www.becauseshematters.blogspot.com

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High school students at Immaculate Conception Academy, an all-girls college preparatory school, are competing for the tenth year in a bridge building engineering competition. Working alongside engineers involved with Engineers Alliance for the Arts (EAA), students design bridges and present their models to judges at a final competition that will be held on April 28th at the PG&E Auditorium at 245 Market St in San Francisco. The event is open to the public.

The first year ICA participated it was the only all-girls school in the competition. The Spartans won in every category including Best Overall. Over the years, ICA students have continued to win their share of awards, but they havent repeated their sweep; that repeat sweep remains a goal for their teacher!

Math Department Chair Gigi Torres said, Im excited about the program because girls get to meet current engineers and learn about engineering in a way that encourages them to pursue the discipline. We need more women in the engineering field.

Once a week students meet with active engineers to plan and build their bridges, the design of which is based on one of three scenarios. Volunteering at ICA are Laura Whitehurst, engineer at Walter P. Moore; Dave Miller, engineer at Degenkolb; and Brandon Sullivan, engineer at Arup.

Whitehurst, the leader of the ICA volunteer team, specifically requested to be placed with ICA this year. She had worked with Torres in the past and had a positive experience. This is a great way for girls to learn how engineering ties into everyday life because it incorporates speaking, writing, and math, Whitehurst stated.

This is Millers first time volunteering with the program. He got involved because he did not have this kind of opportunity in high school and was proud to help provide it to current students. Miller said, This program helps teach girls about their career options, that engineering is within their reach.

Estefania Lopez, ICA Class of 2012, shared, I love the program. It allows students to work independently and creatively while being guided by the engineers. We can compete and get recognized for our work. She said that the volunteers are happy, fun, helpful, and approachable. I used to think engineers didnt have a life, but I now I realize its a good career. Its incredible to design something that you can see come to reality.

For more information about this program please contact Katie Mayberry, Marketing and Events Specialist, at (415) 824-2052 x40.

About ICA

Immaculate Conception Academy, a Catholic college preparatory school, educates young women for a life of faith, integrity and service. As a Cristo Rey school in the Dominican tradition, they are committed to providing both excellent education and meaningful corporate work study experiences to students of limited financial resources. Learn more about ICA at http://www.icacademy.org. Learn more about Cristo Rey at http://www.cristoreynetwork.org.

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The Tutor Family Center for the Performing Arts, Chaminade College Preparatorys new home for creativity, is now open.

In the world of educational institutions, this is simply a game changer, said Chaminade President, Jim Adams.

The $ 9.7 million state-of-the art facility houses teaching and rehearsal space for drama, dance, band and choral students. The drama room doubles as a black box theater; while the dance room features a sprung, slip-resistant floor; and the band and choir rooms each have acoustic treatments. The 23,175 square-foot building also features a 365-seat theater, a permanent stage with 46 lines for backdrops, curtains, lights, etc. and an integrated lighting and sound system. Backstage, there is a scene building workshop, storage rooms for props and costumes, as well as dressing rooms and office space.

The $ 9.7 million needed for completion of the project was funded through the successful $ 6 million capital campaign, Lighting the Way, the Campaign for Chaminade, along with cash reserves. Despite a challenging economic climate, Chaminades largest campaign successfully reached its goal thanks to generous donors, including Ronald Tutor, who provided the leadership gift which made ground breaking and initial construction possible.

With a new and permanent home for the performing arts on campus, Chaminade firmly demonstrates the high priority it places on creativity. Adams says, When we started this campaign our case for support focused on creativity and the value it brings to the educational process. The indispensible value it brings to our students as they move into a world that changes not by the day, but by the moment. Chaminade College Preparatory encourages students to foster their imagination, envision new possibilities and probabilities, and find their inspiration.

The inaugural production in the Tutor Family Center of the Performing Arts, “Fiddler on the Roof,” opened on Friday, March 16, 2012 at 8:00 p.m. Directed by Yvette Bishop, additional performances are set for March 17-18 and March 23-25.

Continuing through May 2012, Chaminade has an impressive lineup of performances, including:

March 16-18 Fiddler on the Roof

March 20 Spring Sing

March 23-25 Fiddler on the Roof

April 4 Tenebrae Lenten production

May 4-6 Dance Concert

May 11-12 Dance Concert

May 18 Small Ensemble Concert

May 24 Chorus and Band Spring Concert

Chaminade College Preparatory is a coeducational Catholic school in the Marianist tradition, serving students in grades 6-12, with a mission to form morally aware and academically capable people to be outstanding contributors to the future. Founded in 1952, Chaminade operates a middle school campus in Chatsworth, and a high school campus in West Hills.

For additional information about Chaminade College Preparatory and the Tutor Family Center for the Performing Arts please contact Patricia Fernandez, marketing and public relations manager, at pfernandez(at)chaminade(dot)org.

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The Max Planck Florida Institute (MPFI) and the International Brain Research Organization (IBRO) recently hosted a two-day scientific symposium, Neural Circuits: From Molecules to Behavior on March 6-7 at the Lifelong Learning Complex on the Jupiter campus of Florida Atlantic University (FAU). More than 200 faculty, postdocs and students from MPFI, FAU, Scripps Florida and other South Florida universities attended the event, which was designed to promote collaboration among neuroscientists in Florida, Germany and Latin America. It also served as the inauguration of an MPFI-IBRO postdoctoral training program called the Latin American Fellows Program for Neural Circuit Research to be administered by MPFI in Jupiter.

The symposium featured presentations by scientists from around the world, including Dr. Tobias Bonhoeffer, Director of the Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology, Martinsreid Germany; Dr. Ramon Latorre, Director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Neuroscience, University of Valparaiso, Chile; Dr. Nils Brose, Director, Max Planck Institute for Experimental Medicine, Gottingen, Germany; Dr. Ranulfo Romo, National Autonomous University of Mexico; Dr. Eduardo Arzt, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Dr. Rommy von Bernhardi, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, President of the Federation of Latin American and Caribbean Neuroscience Associations (FALAN). Also highlighted at the symposium were presentations by three new additions to the faculty of the MPFI: Dr. Ryohei Yasuda, Duke University; Dr. Hiroki Taniguchi, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and Dr. Hyungbae Kwon, Harvard University. Dr. David Fitzpatrick, scientific director and CEO of MPFI and Dr. Carlos Belmonte, president of IBRO, provided the opening remarks.

This symposium was an excellent first step in building collaborations among neuroscientists from across the globe, and strengthening neuroscience research and training in Latin America, said Dr. Belmonte.

In addition to the two-day symposium, there was also a poster session and reception on March 6 to highlight the research of local neuroscientists.

We were delighted to have this opportunity to showcase the progress that MPFI has made in building a world-class neuroscience research facility, said Dr. Fitzpatrick. We look forward to future collaborations and training opportunities with our colleagues in south Florida and in the global neuroscience community.

For more information, please visit http://www.maxplanckflorida.org.

About the Max Planck Society:

Germanys Max Planck Society has led the world in advancing the frontiers of scientific research for more than 60 years. The independent, nonprofit organization, has an international staff of around 20,400, including research fellows and visiting scientists. Named for the 1918 Nobel Prize-winning physicist and founder of the quantum theory, Max Planck, the scientific institution maintains 80 institutes and research facilities located in Germany, but also in Italy, The Netherlands, and now in the United States. All are focused on exceptional, results-oriented basic research in the life sciences, social sciences and the humanities.

About the Max Planck Florida Institute:

The first institute established by Germanys prestigious Max Planck Society outside of Europe, the Max Planck Florida Institute is also the first research institute of its kind in North America. MPFI seeks to provide new insight into the functional organization of the nervous system, its capacity to produce perception, thought, language, memory, emotion, and action. Neural circuits, the complex synaptic networks of the brain, hold the key to understanding who we are, why we behave the way we do, and how the debilitating effects of neurological and psychiatric disorders can be ameliorated. MPFI meets this challenge by forging links between different levels of analysisgenetic, molecular, cellular, circuit, and behavioraland developing new technologies that make cutting edge scientific discoveries possible.