INSTITUTE PROMPTS INVESTIGATION OF MORAL ISSUES
When such seemingly broad and disconnected subjects as sports ethics, medical ethics, children’s moral development, diversity issues and ethical challenges in law, the sciences and business are addressed by experts in Penn State’s Rock Ethics Institute, it may be taken as a sign of the gathering ethical storms in the current global climate. For Penn State students, this climate means exercising and strengthening the intellectual muscles necessary to question what they see, hear and experience. The goal is not to uproot or dislodge values, but to provide tools with which to investigate difficult moral issues and to improve citizenship. Grounded in the Department of Philosophy, the interdisciplinary institute encourages students of all majors to develop theoretical and pragmatic ethical approaches for their intended fields of expertise through research, community outreach, curricular revision and conferences to expand moral literacy at Penn State. For more information, visit http://philosophy.la.psu.edu/ethics/.
INTERACTIVE VIDEO VISITS OFFER COST-EFFECTIVE AID
A Penn State-led study shows that substituting interactive video sessions for up to half of a visiting nurse’s in-home meetings with post-surgical or chronically ill patients can be a cost-effective way to provide care. The study identifies the costs associated with the new technology and shows that while the new approach imposes additional initial expenses for care delivery, it contributes substantial savings without compromising quality. It is the first comprehensive study to link patient outcomes with the use of telehomecare. A team led by Kathryn Dansky, associate professor of health policy and administration, found that over a typical 60 days of care, savings of $300 per patient could be achieved by substituting video visits for seven in-home visits and $700 per patient was saved if half of the visits were made via advanced communication technology. For the full story by Barbara Hale, visit http://www.psu.edu/ur/2001/videovisits.html.
NOBEL LAUREATE MIRRLEES TO SPEAK AT PENN STATE
Sir James Mirrlees, 1996 Nobel laureate in economics, will give a public lecture on “Evolution and Rationality” on Wednesday, Oct. 3, at 4 p.m. in 102 Kern Building on Penn State’s University Park campus. Mirrlees has published widely on the optimal taxation of income and welfare economics. His work has become a principal constituent of the modern analysis of complex information and incentive problems in economics. The lecture is sponsored in part by the Henry Luce Foundation, and is free and open to the public. For more information, contact James Jordan at (814) 865-2201 or mailto:jxj13@psu.edu, or visit http://www.la.psu.edu/.
PENN STATE-MICHIGAN FOOTBALL GAME TO AIR ON ABC
Penn State’s Big Ten home game with No. 17 Michigan on Saturday, October 6, will kickoff at 3:30 p.m. in Beaver Stadium. ABC will televise the game to a regional audience. The telecast of the Michigan game is the fourth announced TV appearance of the season for the Nittany Lions. Penn State (0-3) and Michigan (3-1) will be meeting for the ninth consecutive year, with the Wolverines holding a 5-3 series edge. The Wolverines have won four straight in the series after the Nittany Lions had won three consecutive games against Michigan. The two schools rank among the nation’s top five in all-time gridiron victories. For more information, visit http://www.GoPSUsports.com.
GREEN “ROADSIDE ENEMY” TAKES HIT ON ROUTE 22/322
Drivers on U.S. Route 22/322 between Pennsylvania’s Millerstown and Amity Hall exits may have noticed a sweep of yellowing and dying trees. This is not the aftermath of a new disease, but the beginning of an attempt to eliminate a roadside menace, according to a researcher in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences. In June, Penn State and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation initiated a pilot project to halt the spread of Ailanthus altissima, a fast-growing, highly invasive tree that is spreading rapidly along the state’s highways. Art Gover, research support associate in the Department of Horticulture, says the tree “poses a hazard to motorists by encroaching into recovery areas, reducing line-of-sight and dropping limbs easily during storms.” The pilot project consists of the current control phase’s high-volume herbicide application to be followed, beginning next year, with a low-volume application phase to catch any resprouts. For the full story, visit http://aginfo.psu.edu/news/september01/enemy.html.