SIMPLEPOWER: A FAST ENERGY ESTIMATION TOOL
Researchers at Penn State’s Microsystems Design Laboratory have developed a new energy estimation tool, called SimplePower, that not only evaluates a system-on-a-chips’ power consumption faster than other available techniques, but also points out the power hungry "hotspots" in both hardware and software so that designers can fix them. Dr. Vijaykrishnan Narayanan, assistant professor of computer science and engineering and one of SimplePower’s developers, says, "Architectural level power estimation tools are becoming increasingly important with the growing complexity of current systems-on-a-chip designs to provide fast estimates of the energy consumption early in the design cycle. By the time the design of today’s large and complex processors have been set in silicon, it may be too late or too expensive to go back and deal with excess power consumption problems. For more information on SimplePower, go to http://www.cse.psu.edu/~mdlFor more on this story, go to http://www.psu.edu/ur/2000/simplepower.html.
ENVIRONMENTAL INSTITUTE GARNERS FIRST NSF GRANT
The Environmental Institute, recently established by the College of Engineering, has received its first grant from the National Science Foundation. The $2.5 million grant will fund a project led by Bruce Logan, Kappe Professor of Environmental Engineering, on "Molecular Analysis of Macromolecule-Surface Interactions in Bacterial Adhesion." The research will investigate the physical and chemical forces behind how bacteria stick to surfaces. Logan says a better understanding of these forces could lead to breakthroughs in preventing tooth decay, contamination of implants in humans, and contamination of silicon chip surfaces during manufacture. This adhesion could also be used for purposes such as increasing bacterial adhesion for the proper operation of water treatment filters and to limit pathogen migration in soil. For more on this story, go to http://www.engr.psu.edu/news.
THEATRE PROFESSOR UP FOR PLAY DIRECTORIAL AWARD
When the Penn State School of Theatre says that its students are taught by working professionals, they are not exaggerating. Stephen Rothman, associate professor of theatre and producing director of Pennsylvania Centre Stage, has been nominated for the Carbonell Award for his directorial work on David Rambo’s new play, God’s Man in Texas at the Florida Stage in West Palm Beach. Rothman worked closely with Rambo on the final changes in the script. God’s Man in Texas is now one of the most popular new plays in the regional theatre circuit, with an off-Broadway debut slated for later this year. The play is up for best play, best actor, best supporting actor and best set and lighting design. Winners will be announced in November. For more on the School of Theatre, go to http://www.theatre.psu.edu.
GRUCCI POETRY CENTER ENDOWED WITH $300,000 GIFT
Sibyl Barsky Grucci of State College has donated $300,000 to Penn State’s department of English to endow the Joseph L. Grucci Poetry Center. The endowment will support the establishment and maintenance of the center, a place Grucci envisions as a repository for creative writing. Sibyl Barsky Grucci is the widow of Joseph Grucci, the first professor to teach a poetry writing workshop at Penn State. The Grucci center will be in Burrowes Building on the University Park campus, the home of the English department. The endowment’s funds will be used not only to maintain the physical space for the center, but to enhance a collection of materials related to the writing of fiction and poetry, to fund readings and visiting writers, and to support graduate student fellows to manage the center. For more on this story, go to http://www.psu.edu/ur/2000/gruccigift.html.
STUDENT VOLUNTEERS GOING ‘INTO THE STREETS’
This weekend, more than 40 Penn State students will entertain teens, make jack-o’-lanterns, and help prepare downtown State College for the holidays by volunteering through Into the Streets, a University program designed to introduce students to community service. Students will work at sites such as Holt Memorial Library in Philipsburg, where they will help with a fall fair for children, and the State College YMCA, where they will coordinate an air hockey tournament and other activities for Teen Night. Some students will paint a house for Habitat for Humanity, while others will work at a yard sale for Centre Peace. In addition, students will spend time with Downtown State College Partnership, Inc. cleaning and preparing holiday decorations and lights for hanging throughout downtown during the holidays. ITS is organized by Lions Share through Penn State’s AT&T Center for Service Leadership. Lions Share helps students find volunteer opportunities that best compliment their experiences, interests and time constraints. For the fully story, go to http://www.psu.edu/ur/2000/itsvolunteer.html. For more on the AT&T Center, go to http://www.sa.psu.edu/att.
MINORITY MBA TEAM PLACES IN NATIONAL COMPETITION
The Smeal College of Business Administration’s minority MBA case team placed second in the Annual Case Competition conducted by the National Black MBA Association. The Annual Case Competition, held October 6-8 in Chicago, included 35 MBA teams from top-tier programs around the country. This is the ninth year in a row that a team representing Penn State’s Smeal College has earned a berth in the competition. Competing teams are given four weeks to prepare an analysis and presentation of a complex business case. During the competition, each team presents its case, defends its analysis and provides recommendations before a panel of corporate executives. The case, developed by DaimlerChrysler, challenged the team to provide "real time" solutions to telematics issues in the auto industry. The four second-year MBA students on Penn State’s team were: Monique Brown, Tiffany Brown, Leslie Jackson, all from Philadelphia; and Bebago Lugogo from Blacksburg, Va. David Butt, associate professor of business administration, coached the team. For more from the Smeal College, go to http://www.smeal.psu.edu.
OLYMPIC GYMNASTS TO APPEAR AT JORDAN CENTER
Gymnastics stars of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney will perform in the Bryce Jordan Center as part of the TJ Maxx 2000 Tour of World Gymnastics Champions. The event will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 14, at 7:30 p.m. The tour is highlighted by appearances of the top international Olympic medal winners, including Russian team members, gold medalists Alexei Nemov and Svetlana Khorkina and silver medallist Elena Produnova. In addition, 1996 Olympic gold medalists Dominique Moceanu and Shannon Miller will join most of the members of this year’s U.S. Olympic contingent on the tour. The show will be a theatrical combination of music, athletics, dance and celebration. Tickets are available at the Bryce Jordan Center, Eisenhower Auditorium, selected Uni-Mart ticket outlets, Commonwealth Campus ticket outlets, or charge by phone at (800) 863-3336, locally at (814) 865-5555, or online at http://www.bjc.psu.edu. For more information, go to http://www.bjc.psu.edu/bjc/html/media.html#moregym.