HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER’S FINDINGS LEAD TO PUBLICATION
High-school teacher Pat Peterson thought what she saw was obvious -- thousands of blood-red dots moving about in a collection of animals and vegetation brought from the Pacific Ocean floor onto the deck of a research ship had to be tiny copepods that contained hemoglobin. Participating as a guest with the Research and Education: Volcanoes, Exploration and Life (REVEL) program, Peterson was a rookie at research. Still, the high-school teacher from Kintnersville, Pa., was certain the red color in the tiny crustaceans meant their blood contained hemoglobin for carrying oxygen. "None of us had ever heard of copepods with hemoglobin before," said Charles Fisher, professor of biology at Penn State and the chief scientist on the expedition at the Juan de Fuca Ridge, which is off the coast of Washington. "Copepods are very small and don't need hemoglobin in their blood to obtain oxygen. So, we kind of poo-pooed her at first." Peterson and one of her students later returned to Penn State, and with the research team, confirmed her findings. The team's resulting research constitutes the first study on the structure and function of copepod hemoglobin, and has been accepted for publication in the October issue of Biological Bulletin. "It's unusual for a high-school student, or teacher, to be an author on a scientific research paper, but they really kept us going." Fisher said. "Peterson's interest sparked the study and her collections at sea made the study possible. For more on this story, go to
http://www.science.psu.edu/alert/Fisher10-2000.htm
TESTING TIRES VIRTUALLY, BEFORE BEING MANUFACTURED
Penn State researchers, in collaboration with the French ESI Group, have developed a computer simulation that lets engineers "road test" a tire design virtually -- while the tire is still on the drawing board. Moustafa El-Gindy, director of the Crash Safety and Vehicle Simulation Research Centers at Penn State’s Pennsylvania Transportation Institute, says, "Tires are probably the most complex component of a vehicle and tire performance, especially at high speeds, is critical to vehicle safety." Every tire has a maximum speed at which a "standing wave" occurs along the tire circumference causing deformation, a temperature rise and eventual failure. Using the new Penn State/ESI software, engineers can simulate any tire type at any tire inflation pressure rotating on a test drum and predict the formation of the standing wave. They found that, as the inflation pressure is reduced below the manufacturer’s recommended value, the speed at which the standing wave forms is reduced and the energy consumed by the tire is increased significantly, resulting in a rapid increase in tire temperature, energy consumption, rolling resistance and fatigue. They also included a virtual "bump" in the simulation to look at the effect of obstacles on the tire’s performance and the comfort index. For more on this story, go to http://www.psu.edu/ur/2000/tiretesting.html.
eBUSINESS RESEARCH CENTER OFFERS TWO LECTURES
The Penn State eBusiness Research Center has planned two lectures in its 2000 Distinguished Speaker Series. The first will be presented by Alan Montgomery of the Carnegie Mellon University Graduate School of Industrial Administration at noon on Wednesday, Oct. 25. He will discuss Designing A Better Shop in Room 201, Keller Building. The second lecture will be presented by Michael H. Rothkopf of Rutgers University’s Center for Operations Research. He will give a Primer on Auctions at noon on Wednesday, Nov. 15, in Room 807A of the Business Administration Building. The eBusiness Research Center promotes academic and practical research on various aspects of eBusiness, with emphasis on marketing and management issues.. For more information, go to http://www.ebrc.psu.edu/speaker_series.html
‘INTERNET DAY II’ AT PENN COLLEGE TO COVER eCOMMERCE
A staggering $1.44 trillion worth of business and consumer purchases will be made over the Internet by 2003, according to projections by "eMarketer," a leading provider of Internet statistics, and companies that aren’t e-savvy may soon be left behind. Businesses looking for ways to cope with the changes can learn more about the technology of electronic commerce during "Internet Business Day II," a program coordinated by the Williamsport-Lycoming Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with Pennsylvania College of Technology and other area businesses and organizations. The program will be held Tuesday, Oct. 24, at the Community Theatre in the Trade & Transit Center in downtown Williamsport. For more news from Penn College, go to http://www.pct.edu.
‘YOU’RE THE CHEF’ BEGINS YEAR 3 ON PUBLIC TV
What began as a menu option for cable homes in Williamsport five years ago has developed into a gourmet recipe for public television viewers statewide. The evolution of Pennsylvania College of Technology’s "You’re the Chef" continues in October when the cooking series’ new season premieres on WVIA-TV. "You’re the Chef" marks its third year on public television at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14, on WVIA in northeastern Pennsylvania. The show uses the culinary resources of Penn College’s School of Hospitality to showcase the preparation of practical dishes while promoting cooking as a fun, adventurous activity. The series is hosted by Chef Paul Mach, an assistant professor at the College’s School of Hospitality; and co-hosted by non-chef Tom Speicher, broadcast media specialist. "The presence of a non-chef in the kitchen who represents the folks at home makes the series unique," explained Mark Thomas, vice president of television at WVIA. "Plus, Chef Paul is very sensitive to the needs of viewers. From the fine diner to busy parents, he strives to show everyone how they can make a recipe work for them." For more, go to http://www2.pct.edu/news/miscella/you're_the_chef0900.htm .
HONORS COLLEGE, INSTITUTE PLAN NATIONAL CONFERENCE
The second Schreyer national Conference on Innovations in Undergraduate Research and Honors Education, now in the planning stages for the end of March, will bring together honors educators and leaders in higher education with a special focus on undergraduate research at research universities. Sponsored by the Schreyer Honors College and the Schreyer Institute for Innovation in Learning, the conference will address such issues as: individual student research vs. assigned big project research; the value of team vs. individual theses, best practices in advising, converting public service projects into public scholarship projects and integrating learning and research. For more on the Schreyer Honors College, go to http://www.scholars.psu.edu/ and for the Institute, go to http://www.inov8.engr.psu.edu/.