VISTA Today’s Chester County Business Briefs are a quick way to catch up on what’s happening around the county.

UTI Exton Campus Students Use Virtual Technology to Troubleshoot Cars

On Tuesday, Universal Technical Institute’s Exton campus students took part in a “Bosch Xperience” program, a virtual workshop which allowed the students to participate in interactive training through a state-of-the-art virtual learning experience.

The workshop was held in a truck referred to as a virtual garage with all its equipment provided by Bosch, the appliance manufacturer. The workshop included a virtual reality tour involving a step by step process describing how the students could diagnosis a problem before learning how to effectively solve each cars problem using different electronics, tools and other techniques.

UTI instructor Steven Charsha said that the program helps students gain knowledge of the car systems and the STEM skills needed to use the new technology. The program is designed to help students with either no knowledge or only general knowledge of the newer systems used for troubleshooting cars.

Ryan Costello Leads the Fight to Prevent another Government Shutdown

Representative Ryan Costello, a Chester County congressman, is spearheading an effort, together with 10 of his fellow freshman House members, to prevent a government shutdown on September 30, when the current fiscal year ends.

The shutdown is being pushed for by some of his GOP colleagues as part of an overall effort to defund the Planned Parenthood initiative. On Tuesday, Costello and 10 of his fellow freshman penned a letter to other members of the U.S. House of Representatives seeking to avoid another government shutdown, one they would consider a “mistake.”

“In 2013, as a Chester County Commissioner, I was frustrated that the federal government unnecessarily shut down for 16 days,” Costello wrote in a statement issued Wednesday. “I remember that frustration all-too-well, especially as I hear some of my colleagues talk about a government shutdown as a realistic and possible option.”

Shanahan’s Principal McDermott Honored by Dinniman

Bishop Shanahan High School this week honored Sister Maureen McDermott, IHM, Ph.D. as she is preparing to leave her role as the school’s principal for her new position.

Sister Maureen, who has been the principal for 15 out of her 18 years of service at the school, was recently selected to become the Superintendent of Secondary Schools for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, where she will oversee 17 Catholic high schools in Philadelphia region.

State Senator Andy Dinniman visited Bishop Shanahan High School during the week to personally thank Sister Maureen and present her with the special Senate Citation.

“Sister Maureen has consistently proven herself to be an academic leader, an innovative instructor, and a passionate advocate for Catholic school students, families and teachers in Chester County,” said Dinniman. “During her tenure at Bishop Shanahan she oversaw a period of unprecedented growth, while personally touching the lives of countless students.”