CHAN ELECTED TO THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
Moses Chan, Evan Pugh Professor of Physics, has been elected as a member of the National Academy of Sciences, considered one of the highest honors that can be accorded a U. S. scientist or engineer. Chan is known internationally for his research in low-temperature physics and also for his contributions to the physics profession. Chan's research is aimed at fundamental questions about matter in its various phases or states such as liquid, solid, and gas. He is particularly interested in phase transitions--the conditions under which a material changes from one phase to another--in quantum fluids, in reduced dimensions, and in the presence of disorder. The principles he and his research group have helped to establish have proven to be useful in understanding problems in condensed-matter systems undergoing phase transitions. For more news on the College of Science, go to http://www.science.psu.edu/alert/Chan5-2000.htm
RESEARCHER TO PRESENT CLUES TO HELPING NEWBORNS
A College of Medicine researcher is presenting research in Toronto today on work to identify genes that have a role in influencing lung growth and development in newborns. Mala R. Chinoy, associate professor of surgery, and her colleagues are using a mouse model to study babies born with small, insufficient lungs with coexistent congenital diaphragmatic hernia. Chinoy says that her team has recently reported low blood-plasma levels of nitric oxide in the mouse newborns born with abnormally small lungs. This is the first study to show such a relationship. Nitric oxide is a molecule that is important in allowing proper blood flow through micro-vessels in the lungs, which in turn help purify the blood through gas exchange. She believes that low levels of nitric oxide in the embryonic stages leads to a thickening of smooth muscle layer around the blood vessels, interfering with proper blood flow and resulting in elevated blood pressure and respiratory distress. For more research at the College of Medicine, go to http://www.collmed.psu.edu
CHENEY TO UNDERTAKE NEW EDITION OF SPENSER
The poetry of Edmund Spenser plays an important role in the canon of British literature and influenced generations of English-language authors. His work is of great interest to both experienced scholars and beginning students, but no up-to-date critical edition of his poetry and prose currently exists. Dr. Patrick Cheney, professor of English and Comparative Literature, has begun to remedy this deficit. Working with David Lee Miller of the University of Kentucky, Joseph Loewenstein of Washington University, and Elizabeth Fowler of the University of Virginia, Cheney plans to collate and edit extant early editions of Spenser's work, prepare critical commentary, and produce a set of three volumes for publication by the Oxford University Press in 2008. The editors also plan to produce a single-volume classroom edition and a digital archive for both classroom use and scholarly research. For more information, go to http://www.psu.edu/ur/2000/spenser.html
PENN COLLEGE STUDENTS SAVE BAT COLONY
With their prolific ability to control insect pests, bats make good neighbors. As houseguests, though, the diminutive nocturnal predators quickly wear out their welcome. That's what happened at Maple Hills United Methodist Church near Williamsport where, for 25 years, a breeding colony of about 3,000 Little Brown Bats (Myotis lucifugus) has caused a slew of problems, including foul odors and showers of bat droppings whenever the church bell rings. The church congregation finally had enough. The state Game Commission, Penn College and Lowe's joined forces to build new bat housing to keep thousands of ousted bats from roosting in neighboring homes. The built a bat condo, which weighs nearly two tons and is capable of holding 6,000 adult Little Brown Bats and 6,000 of their offspring. The condo is just the third of its kind to be built in Pennsylvania, said Donald Nibert, assistant professor of forestry at Penn College and coordinator of construction for the project. About 75 forest technology students from Penn College built the 8-foot-by-8-foot structure, which will be positioned 150 yards from the church so the bats can continue to provide the vital service at which they --eating night-flying insects. A single bat can consume nearly 3,000 insects a night. For a longer version of this story, go to this week’s Intercom at http://www.psu.edu/ur/INTERCOM/penncollege.html
OUR OWN BLUE SAPPHIRE TWIRLS HER WAY TO THE TOP
Bobbie Jo Solomon, the Blue Sapphire and lead twirler for Penn State cheerleading, won three gold medals in the Baton Twirling World Championships last month. She won the gold and the title of 2000 Senior World Dance-Twirl Champion, while her team, The Dynamics, won two gold medals. Last year she won the National Twirling Championship and the titles, Miss Majorette of America and the Senior National Dance-Twirl Champion, which qualified her for the World Championships. She is a sophomore in business administration.
HAVERBECK WINS AWARD FOR SPORTS INFORMATION
Recently retired Penn State Associate Sports Information Director Mary Jo Haverbeck has won the Arch Ward Award from the College Sports Information Directors of America. The award is presented to a member who has made an outstanding contribution to the field of college sports information or has brought dignity and prestige to the profession. Haverbeck will receive the award on June 28 during the association’s annual meeting.