IN THE NEWS: "The Horse Fair, poems by Robin Becker, associate professor of English and women’s studies, was reviewed in the New York Times Book Review, Sept. 24. Reviewer Carmela Ciuraru says, "This generous poet is never less than attentive and responsive to the world that surrounds her." 

RIESS GIFTS CREATE CHAIR, FELLOWSHIP, AND SCHOLARSHIPS
Leighton Riess, a 1944 chemical engineering graduate of Hilton Head Island, SC, will create a scholarship, a faculty chair, and graduate fellowships in the College of Engineering. Engineering Dean David Wormley said these new endowments will allow faculty and students to forge new paths in engineering. The new chair will be used to recruit and support a senior faculty member in the biological or biomedical areas of engineering. The fellowships will attract and support top M.S. and Ph.D. students in biological- or biomedical-related areas of inquiry. Earlier this summer, the University created a new Department of Bioengineering within the College of Engineering. The department, which already offers advanced degree programs and conducts biomedical research, will offer a new bachelor’s degree program in bioengineering. "I have a strong attachment to Penn State," said Riess, who is the retired president of the Cabot Corporation’s European operations. "I definitely felt that I wanted to make a gift related my field of chemical engineering, and to the new interdisciplinary opportunities in bioengineering. For more news from Engineering, go to http://www.engr.psu.edu/news/ 

DON'T BE HARDHEADED ABOUT YOUR SOFTENED WATER
Everyone knows the difference between software and hardware or softball and hardball, but some consumers are hard pressed to remember exactly what softened water is, says Paul Robillard, associate professor of agricultural engineering. Most people base their definition of hard and soft water on whether the water leaves a detergent film on pots and fixtures or whether the water makes their hair more silky and manageable. Robillard explains that water labeled "soft" or "hard" depends solely upon the levels of two soluble minerals -- calcium and magnesium -- in the water. "From a health standpoint, calcium and magnesium have no adverse affects," he says. "Both minerals are essential daily nutrients." However, if calcium and magnesium are at high levels, the minerals will build up on surfaces such as plumbing pipes, eventually plugging them. Minerals also can damage hot water heaters and make laundry detergents less effective. Softened water is an advantage if homeowners experience soap film on pots, utensils and skin, or find that detergents are not cleaning up to expectations. But, water softening does raise the sodium level of water to about 7.5 to 8 milligrams per quart for every grain per gallon of minerals removed, which can be a health risk for people on low-sodium diets. For the specifics on how water softeners work and more on this story, go to http://www.aginfo.psu.edu/News/september00/softwater.html 

WEB EXPERT TO JOIN E-BUSINESS RESEARCH CENTER
C. Lee Giles, an expert in World Wide Web issues in the School of Information Sciences and Technology, has been selected as the associate director for research of the University’s eBusiness Research Center. Giles holds the David Reese Professorship in IST and is a professor of computer science and engineering. He is known for recent papers in the journals Science and Nature estimating the size of the web and its content, and showing that current Web search engines only index a fraction of it. Prior to joining Penn State this year, Giles was a senior research scientist with NEC Research Institute and an adjunct faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia and Princeton.. The eBusiness Research Center, under the direction of Nirmal Pal, is jointly sponsored by IST and the Smeal College of Business Administration. The center explores the business strategies and practices of organizations operating in the on-line environment. For more information, go to http://www.psu.edu/ur/2000/istgilesappt.html 

NY TIMES JOURNALIST TO ADDRESS 1st AMENDMENT FESTIVAL
Veteran New York Times journalist and author Tom Wicker will give the keynote address at a First Amendment Festival co-sponsored by the Penn State College of Communications and The Freedom Forum First Amendment Center on Tuesday, Oct. 3. Wicker’s address, "A Passion for the First," will be held in the HUB Auditorium from 1:30 to 2:15 p.m. and is open to the public. The First Amendment Festival is a daylong event featuring panels covering such topics as Napster, the Internet, and free expression on campus. Other guest speakers include Mark Goodman, executive director of the Student Press Law Center in Arlington, Va.; Michael Gartner, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and ombudsman for Brill’s Content magazine; and John Seigenthaler and Kenneth Paulson, founder and executive director, respectively, of the First Amendment Center. Several Penn State faculty members will also participate. All events will be held in the HUB Auditorium. For more information, contact Clay Calvert, assistant professor of communications and law and co-director of the Pennsylvania Center for the First Amendment, at (814) 863-5654 or or go to http://www.psu.edu/dept/comm . 

ACTER BRING ‘AS YOU LIKE IT’ TO CAMPUS OCT. 4
The Center for the Performing Arts presents Actors from the London stage in the ACTER (A Center for Theatre, Education, and Research) production of William Shakespeare's As You Like It at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 4, in Schwab Auditorium. .Banished nobles, quarreling brothers, and cousins in disguise seek freedom from political takeovers and city life in the great Forest of Arden. Pledging eternal devotion and friendship, Rosalind and Celia find themselves in the forest with both former city dwellers and local country folk. Disguised as country brother (Rosalind) and sister (Celia), the two women teach the men in Arden how to win a woman's heart. Shakespeare's timeless romantic comedy is full of song, dance, witty banter, and observations about life. ACTER at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill aims to change the way Shakespeare is taught in the United States and make it more exciting. ACTER hires professional actors from London and sends them to American colleges and universities to perform and lead affordable, week-long residency programs. For tickets or more information, contact the Arts Ticket Center, Monday through Friday, at (814) 863-0255. Outside the local calling area, phone (800) 278-7849. For more on the College of Arts and Architecture, go to http://www.artsandarchitecture.psu.edu/ 

PRAYER AND SUPPORT RALLY FOR ADAM TALIAFERRO SEPT. 29
The Penn State football team will sponsor a Prayer and Support Rally for injured teammate Adam Taliaferro from noon to 1 p.m on Friday, Sept. 29, in front of Old Main. Assistant coach Larry Johnson and several members of the football squad are scheduled to speak and lead prayers for the complete recovery of Taliaferro, who suffered a severe spinal injury in last weekend's football game at Ohio State. Taliaferro, a freshman from Voorhees, N.J., remains in serious condition in the Intensive Care Unit of the Ohio State University Medical Center in Columbus. He is resting comfortably after undergoing successful decompression spinal fusion surgery Monday. He is expected to remain there for another two or three days before being transferred to a spinal rehabilitation center near the Philadelphia area, closer to his New Jersey home.