HEARD ON CAMPUS — Erin Brockovich, speaking last night in Eisenhower
Auditorium as part of Penn State’s Distinguished Speakers Series.
"Most people don’t know that I have dyslexia. I don’t like to be labeled. We are taught not to judge a book by its cover, but that’s exactly what we do. People called me stupid — I knew that I could learn, but I just couldn’t learn the way society’s educational structure wanted to teach me. There are other ways, other answers, other solutions…dylexia saved my life, because it taught me that I can do things in a different way." — Erin Brockovich, speaking last night in Eisenhower Auditorium as part of Penn State’s Distinguished Speakers Series. 

NEW ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY ENDORSED BY DEANS
Penn State's new policy on academic integrity has been strongly endorsed by Penn State's Council of Academic Deans (CADS). A statement from CADS, presented publicly earlier this month, says the deans "strongly support efforts to enhance academic integrity at Penn State. We will provide individual and collective leadership to strengthen further the University's commitment to the highest standards of academic integrity." The new academic integrity policy, which became effective this semester, more clearly defines what cheating is in an era where students routinely work in groups and use the Internet to gather and share information. Look for a longer version of this story and the complete statement in tomorrow’s Intercom, on the web at http://www.psu.edu/ur/archives/intercom_2000/Sept14/cads.html
The story will be posted this afternoon (Sept. 13)

BUSINESS PROF SPEAKS OUT ON FIRESTONE ISSUE
Many pundits commenting on the Firestone debacle are drawing parallels to the Tylenol incident of years ago. While many are quick to note that Tylenol answered early and effectively and that that Firestone did not, the observation is only partially on the mark, according to Dr. Marvin Goldberg, professor of marketing and chair of the Department of Marketing in the Smeal College of Business Administration at Penn State. "A key difference is that in the public's eye, Tylenol was also a 'victim' of an aberrant perpetrator. Firestone cannot be perceived in this way. No one 'did this to them.' They are not the 'victim' but the perpetrator. Lot harder to get off the hook under these circumstances, even if you do admit guilt early," says Goldberg. For more information on Dr. Goldberg, go to http://www.smeal.psu.edu/mktg/mgoldberg.html 

SENATE CONFIRMS CLINTON'S NOMINATION OF FEDOROFF
The United States Senate has confirmed the nomination of Nina V. Fedoroff by President Clinton to serve as a member of the National Science Board Fedoroff is professor of biology, the Verne M. Willaman Chair in Life Sciences, director of the Life Sciences Consortium, and director of the Penn State Biotechnology Institute. The National Science Board is composed of 24 part-time members who are selected on the basis of their eminence in science, engineering, education, or research management to direct the activities of the National Science Foundation. Members are nominated for four-year terms by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Fedoroff’s areas of research, include plant genetics and molecular biology, which give her the background to deal with such issues in plant-genetic and genomic research as the genetic modification of plants. For more on this story, go to http://www.science.psu.edu/alert/Fedoroff9-2000.htm 

IST FACULTY MEMBER AMONG MOST CITED
Dr. Amanda H. Spink, a faculty member in the School of Information Sciences and Technology is fifth nationally among more than 700 scholars who published in select journals between1993 and 1998 and listed among the most widely cited scholars in her field, according to in a recent article published in The Library Quarterly. Spink is an associate professor of information sciences and technology and associate librarian. Her research delves into theories and models of human information behaviors and interactions with information retrieval technologies, Web systems, and digital libraries, and relevance and feedback theory. For more on this story go to http://www.ist.psu.edu/headlines/headlines.html#cited 

ALUMNI FELLOWS FOR 2000 NAMED
The Penn State Alumni Association has announced the recipients of its 2000 Alumni Fellow award, the most prestigious honor conferred by the association. This year, 27 designees will be honored at ceremonies held on campuses throughout the University system beginning this month. For names, go to http://www.psu.edu/ur/archives/intercom_2000/Sept7/alumnifellow.html. 

MARKER LECTURES IN EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY SET FOR SEPT
Professor Simon Conway Morris, from the Department of Earth Sciences at Cambridge University in England, will present the 2000 Marker Lectures in Evolutionary Biology Sept. 21 and 22. The series of three free public lectures is sponsored by the Department of Biology and the Eberly College of Science. The lecture series, titled "The Crucible of Creation," includes a lecture intended for a general audience titled "The Cambrian Explosion: New Insights from the Burgess Shale" at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 21, in 111 Forum Building. Morris also will give two specialized lectures in the HUB auditorium on Friday, Sept. 22. The 9:30 a.m. lecture is titled "Evolution Bound: The Ubiquity of Convergence." At 2:00 p.m., Morris will present a lecture titled "The Non-prevalence of Humanoids: Darwin Meets the Extra-terrestrials." Morris's main research interest is on the early evolution of animals, based on studies of the Burgess Shale in Canada and also Cambrian deposits in China and North Greenland. For more information, go to http://www.science.psu.edu/alert/MarkerBio9-2000.htm 

PSU RANKED NO. 8 AMONG BEST SCHOOLS FOR WOMEN ATHLETES
Penn State has been ranked No. 8 among the best schools in the nation for female student-athletes, according to a survey by Sports Illustrated For Women. The Lions were the only Big Ten school ranked in the top 10. The September/October issue is now available. For more on this story, go to http://www.GoPSUsports.com/pressreleases/pressrelease.cfm?anncid=430 

PENN STATE-OHIO STATE GAME TO BE ON ABC NATIONAL TV
For the eighth consecutive season, the gridiron clash between Penn State-Ohio State will be televised by ABC Sports. The network announced today it will televise the Big Ten opener for both squads on Saturday, Sept. 23. Kickoff is at 12:00 p.m. EDT from Ohio Stadium. The contest will be shown across the nation, with the exception of the Pacific Time Zone, Alaska and Hawaii. For more information, go to http://www.GoPSUsports.com/football/pressreleases/pressrelease.cfm?anncid=443