SCOREBOARD PRACTICE LIFT DONE; ACTUAL LIFT TODAY
A ‘practice lift’ of the new video scoreboard at Penn State’s Beaver Stadium took place this morning, Tuesday, August 8, outside the north end of the stadium. The 1,000-ton crane on site for the project lifted up a yellow, 10-ton spreader beam – which distributes the 125-ton weight of the scoreboard itself – and put tension on the eight cables attaching the spreader beam to the scoreboard. Once off the ground at about 9 a.m., the crane held the beam and scoreboard off the ground for one-half hour. Work crews are in the process of checking the components of the crane and cables, and if all goes well and weather conditions permit, the actual lift of the scoreboard to the top of the north deck of the stadium is scheduled to commence at approximately 11:30 a.m.Regardless of when the actual scoreboard lift is completed, the 1,000-ton crane – a Manitowoc "Octa-Trac" – will remain at the Beaver Stadium work site until next Monday. The lift had been scheduled for the past two days, but because of adverse weather conditions and gusty winds, the lift was postponed until today. For updates throughout the day, go to NewswirePlus at http://www.psu.edu/ur/stories/StadiumExpansion/index.html.
ALUMNI KEEP CONNECTED VIA NEW ONLINE DIRECTORY
The Penn State Alumni Association has announced a new free service for its members – an online alumni directory. Dues-paying members of the Penn State Alumni Association can locate information about other Penn Staters with the ease of a mouse click. The Web site – https://psudirectory.com – allows members to search for friends by last name, class year, geographic location, or some other customized search. The information in the Penn State Alumni Directory is password protected, and is only accessible to other dues-paying members of the of the Alumni Association. All Penn Staters, however, can visit the site, update their information, or limit the amount of information that is viewable. To log on to the site, members will need to set up a new user account by using their last name and the unique indentifier number that is printed above their name on The Penn Stater magazine or The Football Letter. For more information, go to the Alumni Association’s Web site at http://www.alumni.psu.edu.
STUDY: MEN AND WOMEN COPE DIFFERENTLY WITH STRESS
You may have always suspected it, but a Penn State study suggests that women do cope with stress differently than men. A research team that includes Dr. Laura Cousino Klein, assistant professor of biobehavioral health in Penn State’s College of Health and Human Development, has identified a broad biological and behavioral pattern that explains a key method used by women to cope with stress. "It seems that rather than responding in a fight-or-flight fashion when threatened, fearful or stressed, women may more often tend-and-befriend. Women are more likely to protect and nurture their young, and turn to family and friends for solace when they are stressed," explains Dr. Klein. The study is based on an analysis of hundreds of biological and behavioral studies of response to stress by thousands of human and animal subjects. This is the first new model to describe people’s stress response patterns in more than 60 years and fills a gap in the stress response literature. Almost all the stress response studies in the past have been conducted on males, and therefore upheld fight-or-flight as the main response to stress. For the full story by Steven Infanti, go to http://www.hhdev.psu.edu/news/pressrel/stress.html.
LECTURE PROBES IMPACT OF MEDIA VIOLENCE ON CHILDREN
The Prevention Research Center for the Promotion of Human Development in Penn State’s College of Health and Human Development will present a free public lecture on the impact of media violence on children, featuring Dr. Ron Slaby, senior scientist at the Education Development Center and lecturer at Harvard University. The public lecture and discussion will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 10, 2000 at the Mt. Nittany Middle School Auditorium in State College. The event is free and on-site childcare will be provided. Parents, educators, and other concerned community members are encouraged to attend. "Media violence has been established as a contributing cause of youth violence in our society," according to Dr. Slaby. In his lecture, he will discuss the history of research on media violence and its effects, as well as remedies targeting business and the media, educators, parents, community advocacy groups, and policy-makers.
PENN COLLEGE ALUMNI WIN ARCHERY GOLD MEDALS
Former Pennsylvania College of Technology archers Chad Karstetter and Shawn Naylor – along with Randy Hinkelman of Williamsport, PA – captured the gold medal for the U.S. men’s compound bow team in the World University Archery Championships, held recently in Madrid, Spain. Karstetter and Naylor both graduated from Penn College in 1999. They won the right to compete in the World University Archery Championships by earning All-American status at the National Archery Association’s U.S. Intercollegiate Archery Championships in May, 1999. In the World University Archery Championships, which are sponsored by the International University Sports Federation, Karstetter, Naylor and Hinkelman won the gold-medal match by defeating the French team 23-18. The trio advanced to the finals by beating the team from Spain 23-17.