LARD-FIRED BOILER CLEANER THAN FUEL OIL
Pork producers, who pride themselves on using every part of the pig except the oink, have seen the use of lard in cookies, chips and other foods decrease. In search of alternative outlets should the lard become unmarketable, a team of Penn State researchers has found that lard and choice white grease can replace No. 4 and 6 fuel oil in a process steam boiler with little or no retrofitting. "Today, the lard produced when processing a pig is used in restaurants, bakeries and cosmetics while the choice white grease is used in animal feedstuffs and as chemical feedstock," says Bruce G. Miller, associate director of The Energy Institute at Penn State. "The market for both edible lard and non-edible choice white grease is changing and Hatfield Quality Meats investigated new options for their products." For the complete story by A’ndrea Messer, go to: http://www.psu.edu/ur/2000/pigfat.html
DISTANCE EDUCATION WORKS, SAYS RYAN
In recent months there has been much discussion at the national level about Distance Education and on-line learning, with skeptics arguing that on-line courses do not offer the same intimacy and interactivity as face-to-face lectures in a classroom. James Ryan, vice president for Outreach and Cooperative Extension, says that if the proper care is taken to deliver quality instruction and provide quality support, Distance Education works. At Penn State, for example, this commitment begins long before students enroll in World Campus courses. Courses that can be delivered in a quality manner via distance learning are developed by a project team that includes instructional designers, graphic specialists, student support specialists and, especially, the faculty, who ensure that that an on-line course matches the quality and rigor of a traditional course. "Other universities have followed our lead on this issue," he says. Done well, on-line learning can bring together the expertise of renowned faculty members, learner support services, and resources such as library access, orientation, registration and records, advising, logistics, assessment, career services, and informal learning and social opportunities structured to meet the needs of today's busy adult learner. For a copy of this opinion piece by Ryan, go to http://www.psu.edu/ur/oped/ryan.html
CLINICAL TRIAL TO TEST NEW THERAPY FOR HEPATITIS C
Researchers at The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center are about to begin a clinical trial that will test a new therapy for patients with Hepatitis C. The patients enrolled in the study must have failed previous treatment regimens. "The standard treatment for hepatitis C is three injections per week with Interferon and, by mouth, the drug Ribavirin. This new investigational drug is essentially a long-lasting form of Interferon that will require only one injection per week," explains principal investigator Thomas J. McGarrity, M.D., professor of medicine and a gastroenterologist. "We believe this new form of Interferon stays in the blood longer at a high steady level which will be more effective." It is estimated that 4 million people in the United States may have hepatitis C. Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver, the organ that eliminates toxins and is important in metabolism. Hepatitis C is now the number one reason people need a liver transplant. About 200 patients in all will be enrolled at Hershey and six other test sites, all of which are in Pennsylvania. For more on this story go to http://www.collmed.psu.edu/news/pr/sep/90100.htm
STUDENTS, FACULTY MEMBER EXCAVATE EGYPTIAN RUINS
Penn State Egyptologist Donald B. Redford, professor of classics and ancient Mediterranean studies, led a team of students on an archeological dig in Egypt this summer, his second such summer expedition. The team traveled to Mendes, Egypt where they worked on the excavation of the Middle Kingdom level (circa 2000 B.C.). The Middle Kingdom level is located near the Old Kingdom temple discovered by Redford's team in 1999. Redford also accompanied students to a dig at Luxor, Egypt. The program, which will be offered again next summer, is sponsored by Penn State's Office of International Programs. Students receive six academic credits for participating. Expenses for the trip are tuition and room and board, plus transportation. For photos from the dig, go to http://alumni.la.psu.edu/Excavation/dig.htm.
INSIGHT INTO QUANTUM SUPERCONDUCTIVITY OF PARTICLES
A new property of a bizarre particle known as a composite fermion has been calculated by the physicist who first predicted its existence, Jainendra Jain, the Erwin W. Mueller Professor of Physics at Penn State, and his colleagues Vito W. Scarola, a graduate researcher at Penn State, and Kwon Park, a research assistant at Penn State. The research, published in the 24 August 2000 issue of the journal Nature, suggests that quantum superconductivity could result when composite fermions come together to form pairs in two-dimensional metals subjected to certain extreme conditions. For more on this story, go to http://www.science.psu.edu/alert/Jain8-2000.htm.
BARNEY’S MUSICAL CASTLE COMES TO BJC OCT. 10, 11
For the first time ever, Barney’s Musical Castle will play the Bryce Jordan Center. Performances are scheduled for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 10, and Wednesday, Oct. 11. Barney's Musical Castle is a whimsical journey born of a child's imagination. The 70-minute stage show features Barney, BJ, Baby Bop, and friends, who set out on a quest that takes them through an enchanted forest and ends up at a musical castle. Children in the audience are invited to sing and dance to new and classic Barney songs. Tickets go on sale at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 10, at the Bryce Jordan Center, Eisenhower Auditorium, selected Uni-Mart ticket outlets, and Commonwealth Campus ticket outlets, charge by phone at (800) 863-3336 or locally at (814) 865-5555 or online at http://www.bjc.psu.edu. Infants under the age of one are free on a parent’s lap.