HEARD ON CAMPUS — CHRISTOPHER REEVE
"Be an explorer. Be an adventurer. Think outside the box. None of us are strangers — we’re just equals who haven’t met yet. If you can put yourself in others’ shoes for just a little while, miracles can be achieved." — Actor, director, and activist Christopher Reeve, speaking before more than 4,000 at the Bryce Jordan Center last night. Reeve appearance was sponsored by Penn State’s Distinguished Speaker Series.

OUT AND ABOUT — FALL FOLIAGE, BIRD WATCHING SITES
Loyal Newswire reader Grant Berry, who is with the development office at Penn College, has written in to share a Web site for outdoor hikers, leaf-peepers, bikers, and birders that has been put together by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to market the state’s fall offerings. It even has live Web cam sites for those who can’t leave their desks. Go to http://www.fallinpa.com and click through to state forests, bird clubs, driving tours and more. Experts consider this weekend to be the peak time for viewing fall foliage throughout much of central Pennsylvania. 

COOL, WET SUMMER CARVES INTO PUMPKIN CROP
If you haven’t yet picked up a pumpkin for this year’s Halloween decorating, you shouldn’t delay. A horticulturist in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences says if you wait until the last minute, a smaller-than-normal crop may limit your selection. "This year’s cool, wet weather has been in sharp contrast to last year’s drought," says Michael Orzolek, professor of vegetable crops. But its effect on the pumpkin crop has been similar. "Because of rain and clouds this growing season, very little pollination took place in many fields," he adds. "As a result, the vegetation looks great, but the number of fruit per acre is down. This year’s pumpkin crop is probably 20 to 30 percent below normal." Orzolek explains that pollinators, such as honey bees, are not as active during cool, cloudy and wet weather. And without pollination of female flowers, fruit will not form on the plant. For more on this story, go to http://aginfo.psu.edu/news/october00/pumpkin.html. 

MBA STUDENTS TACKLE LOGISTICS FOR A NON-PROFIT
A group of second-year MBA students in the Smeal College of Business Administration are helping a Texas-based non-profit firm develop a comprehensive logistics plan. The students, under the direction of the Center for Logistics Research and the Department of Business Logistics, are working with MediSend/International in Dallas, TX. The firm collects surplus medical supplies and equipment in the United States for distribution to public and charity hospitals in developing countries throughout the world. Six students in business logistics 596 are currently analyzing MediSend’s inbound collection procedures and flow, its warehousing operations, inventory management, staffing, work methods, and outbound logistics. Three team members flew to Dallas on September 27 to tour the warehouse operations and to meet with MediSend’s representatives. The team analyzed the existing operations and outlined a project scope and plan that was accepted by all. The students will deliver a logistics plan to MediSend by the end of the semester. For more from the College of Business, go to http://www.smeal.psu.edu. 

LE JEUNE CHEF AT PENN COLLEGE HONORED BY MAGAZINE
Wine Spectator magazine has honored Le Jeune Chef Restaurant at the Pennsylvania College of Technology with a prestigious "Best of Award of Excellence" for the depth and breadth of its wine selection. The award places Le Jeune Chef — a 168-seat restaurant that also serves as a practical-laboratory for students in Penn College’s School of Hospitality — in select company. The "Best Of" award recognizes restaurants "with wine lists that offer several hundred selections, with a strong breadth in major wine regions and vertical coverage of at least a handful of top wines," according to the September 30 "Restaurant Awards 2000" issue of the magazine. Le Jeune Chef offers about 600 wine selections. "Receiving this award is validation of years of hard work and collaboration by our staff," said William C. Butler, dean of the School of Hospitality at Penn College. Ultimately, students will benefit most from the honor, Butler added. They learn their craft in a lab that has received national and international recognition, which translates into a labor-market advantage when they are competing for careers. For more on this story and other Penn College news, go to http://www2.pct.edu/news/pctoday.shtml. 

MOBILE STUDIO TEAM ASSISTS JOHNSONBURG PLANNING
Penn State’s Mobile Studio Team will present recommendations to the Johnsonburg community regarding the future of downtown Johnsonburg and the surrounding area at a potluck dinner and town meeting at the Johnsonburg Community Center (Corner of Bridge & Market Streets) on Saturday, October 14, at 6 p.m.  The Mobile Studio, an outreach initiative of the Hamer Center for Community Design Assistance at Penn State, is composed of volunteer faculty and extension agents from a variety of fields including architecture, landscape architecture, and community and economic development.  The Hamer Center was contacted by the Johnsonburg Community Trust to assist the community in prioritizing areas for future implementation including streetscape improvements, restoration of buildings in the historic district, and economic development strategies for the downtown and surrounding area. For more on the Hamer Center call (814) 865-5300, and for more on the College of Arts and Architecture go to http://artsandarchitecture.psu.edu. 

SMALL TALK: MERCURY ALERT
If you have a mercury thermometer in your medicine chest, it may be time to replace it with a digital one or a tympanic ear thermometer. Concern about thermometers spurred more than 15,000 calls to the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) in 1997 alone. Why? If inhaled or ingested, high doses of mercury can damage the nervous system, brain, liver, and kidneys, especially in children. But don’t panic. There have never been any reports of children having long-term effects from ingesting the mercury from a thermometer, says the AAPCC. Because mercury thermometers are shaken before use, they’re particularly prone to breakage. Many hospitals have held swaps to allow people to trade in a mercury thermometer for a free digital one. Never vacuum up the contents of mercury thermometer, which could cause the mercury to become airborne and be inhaled. Instead, use tape to blot up the spilled mercury. Today, digital thermometers ($5 to $10) and tympanic ear thermometers (up to $100) are easier and quicker to use than mercury thermometers.

"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 .