PA ATTORNEY GENERAL SUES OHIO-BASED TICKET SCALPERS
At a press conference yesterday at the Bryce Jordan Center, Attorney General Mike Fisher filed a lawsuit and motion for a permanent injunction against Front Row Tickets Inc. of Steubenville, Ohio, and its president. They are accused of operating an elaborate ticket scalping scheme that illegally resold thousands of tickets for Pennsylvania entertainment and sporting events at $45 to $100 above face value. Fisher thanked Tom Harmon, director of University Police, and Robert Howard, general manager of the Bryce Jordan Center, for their cooperation and assistance in the investigation. Some of the events at the Bryce Jordan Center targeted by the scalpers included the Bette Midler concert and WWF and WCF wrestling. For the full story, go to http://www.attorneygeneral.gov/press/release.cfm?p=B73FD75F-79E8-11D4-8DF20060972D2515 

LEONHARDS GIVE $1 MILLION FOR ENGINEERING FUND
A $1 million gift from Penn State alumnus William E. Leonhard and his wife, Wyllis, will establish two new funds in the College of Engineering. One fund will be named in the couple’s honor while the second will honor their son, Richard, who is a 1966 Penn State aerospace engineering graduate, and his wife, Marion. Both funds will be used at the discretion of the College of Engineering dean in consultation with a representative of the donor’s family. "The Leonhards’ continuing generous support gives our college the opportunity to support deserving students and faculty, and will allow us to stay at the forefront of new educational program initiatives," said Dean David Wormley. Funds from the gift could support student educational projects and activities, equipping and maintaining teaching and research laboratories, and curriculum development. For the full story, go to http://www.psu.edu/ur/2000/leonhard.html 

ROUGHNESS IS A FACTOR IN BACTERIA’S ABILITY TO STICK
Using an atomic force microscope to probe the surface of glass, mica and quartz at the molecular level, Penn State engineers have, for the first time, identified the bacteria-sized peaks and valleys in this tiny terrain as an important factor in microbes’ ability to adhere to some of these materials. Dr. Bruce E. Logan, the Kappe professor of environmental engineering, says, "Reducing bacterial adhesion is necessary for preventing tooth decay, the contamination of implants in humans, and the contamination of silicon chip surfaces during manufacture. On the other hand, it’s important to increase bacterial adhesion for the proper operation of water treatment filters and to limit pathogen migration in soil." Now, the individual microorganisms and the surfaces to which they attach as well as their topography and adhesion properties can be measured. For the complete story go to: http://www.psu.edu/ur/2000/roughness.html 

UPGRADE TO GREATLY INCREASE INTERNET PERFORMANCE
Adelphia Business Solutions has been awarded the contract to provide higher capacity communication circuits to serve Penn State campuses. The first set of circuits to serve campuses at Hershey and Harrisburg are already installed. Additional circuits serving Penn State's Behrend campus near Erie, and Berks campus near Reading, will be installed during the upcoming weeks. The project, which will provide 45 Mbps service to each of Penn State's 24 campuses, will yield an approximately 10-fold increase in the effective bandwidth available at each campus, compared to that presently available, with only a modest increase in cost. According to Gary Augustson, vice provost for information technology, the need for higher bandwidth at these Penn State locations has expanded dramatically, due to the increase in student, faculty, and staff Internet use. For the full story, go to http://www.psu.edu/ur/INTERCOM/internet.html 

INSTITUTE TO CO-HOST E-COMMERCE CONFERENCE
The Institute for Information Policy in the College of Communications will join the East-West Center to host the "Asia Pacific Conference on E-Commerce" in Honolulu at the East-West Center, Oct. 30 to Nov. 1. Electronic commerce, the fastest growing business sector in the world, is widely recognized as a key factor in the national and regional economic growth of the Asia-Pacific region. Its rapid spread has raised many complex business, legal, and policy issues. The conference’s planners say the event will bring together prominent representatives from e-commerce, telecommunications, and Internet technology industries from Asia, the Pacific Islands, and the United States, for three days of intensive discussion. Richard Taylor is co-director of the Institute and Palmer Chair Professor Telecommunications Studies. For more information, go to http://www.psu.edu/dept/comm/news/08-24-00news.shtml. 

SMALL TALK: CHEERS FOR CHOCOLATE MILK
Nutritionally speaking, many parents probably rank chocolate milk only a notch or two above candy and cookies. But believe it or not, this favorite drink — at least the kind that's made with low-fat milk — may occupy an important place in the diet of some children, particularly those who don't care for the taste of regular milk. Several years ago, researchers at New York University in New York City measured the amount of food that 60 sixth-graders ate and drank during nine lunch periods. To no one's great surprise, they found that the students were more likely to drink greater quantities of milk when it was chocolate flavored. The children imbibed nearly twice as much 1%-fat chocolate milk as 1%-fat plain milk, and 1/3 more low-fat chocolate milk than plain whole milk. To be sure, it would be preferable to youngsters to do without the 50-odd calories of sugar the chocolate provides in every cup. But at least they're also downing calcium, as well as other important nutrients, such as protein, phosphorus and vitamins A and D. Plus, by drinking low-fat chocolate milk instead of white milk, they take in 70 percent less fat.

"Small Talk" is a weekly column of safety and health information for parents and other caregivers for children. It is a community service of the Penn State Children’s Hospital, located at The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Pa. Please direct any comments or questions to Patricia Millner, director of nursing at the Penn State Children’s Hospital, at mailto: . 

DISPATCH FROM SYDNEY: THROUGH THE EYES OF STUDENTS
By program leaders John M. Keller and Thomas I. Wortman.

Today we introduce three of the students in Penn State’s Sydney2000 program: Jackie Purtell, Alex Quinones, and Anne Keller. You will have the chance to experience this program through their eyes. Jackie is a 21-year old political science major from Radnor. She admits being "a little nervous about signing up for the program," but after almost a week here, she is amazed at how much there is to do and learn. Alex, a 20-year old finance major from Puerto Rico, says he’s "having a great time and I’m really looking forward to sharing my observations with fellow Penn Staters." Anne, a 22-year old hotel, restaurant, and institutional management senior from State College, thinks the program is a terrific way to spend her last semester and a "great way to get ready for a career in hospitality management." Jackie, Alex, and Anne, as well as other Penn State students and faculty on the expedition, will be sharing their experiences with Newswire readers over the next several weeks.

Sydney 2000 involves 64 Penn State students on a two-month journey to Australia that includes a three-week working practicum at 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney. The program is sponsored by the Office of International Programs and the College of Health and Human Development's School of Hotel, Restaurant & Recreation Management. For more, go to http://www.international.psu.edu/ieps/sydney2000.html