AUSTIN NOMINATED AS AMBASSADOR TO TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
President George W. Bush has announced his intention to nominate Roy L. Austin, director of Penn States Africana Research Center and associate professor of justice, sociology and African-American studies, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Roy Austin has extensive knowledge of the histories and cultures of Caribbean nations. His longstanding ties to this region will serve him well as the next U.S. Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago, Bush said. Austin's two-year term as director of the Africana Research Center began July 1. A member of the faculty since 1972, he specializes in criminology and has written extensively on the disparities in sentencing between black and white criminals. His research also encompasses the sociology of the Caribbean. His nomination as ambassador must be confirmed by the Senate. For more information, go to http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/08/20010831-10.html.
PROJECT TO IMPROVE SOYBEAN PRODUCTION
Researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences hope to help China improve food security by breeding soybeans that use phosphorous in soils more efficiently. Jonathan Lynch, associate professor of plant nutrition, and several colleagues, in collaboration with South China Agricultural University, are focusing on reducing the soybeans need for fertilizer. The research will be applicable to agriculture worldwide as the gap widens between the soil available for growing crops and Earth's growing population. Many soils don't contain enough phosphorous--an essential plant nutrient--to grow crops. This problem is particularly serious in Third World countries, where the soils are highly weathered and farmers can't afford to import fertilizer. In China, soybeans are a key source of nutrients in soy milk, tofu and other soy products. For more information, visit the July issue of the Ag Sciences 2001 newsletter at http://www.aginfo.psu.edu/newsletter/default.html.
GIFT OF $100,000 ENDOWS NEW SHENANGO SCHOLARSHIP
William Franklin Shannon, of Hermitage, has given the Penn State Shenango campus $100,000 to create the William Shannon Scholarship Endowment to support Human Development and Family Studies students. Shannon, a 1958 graduate of the University's Liberal Arts program, made the gift to honor the memory of his father, William Shannon, a professional baseball player and mill worker. My Dad was very supportive, loving man, stated William F. Shannon. I am excited by the work being done at Penn State Shenango and I'm confident that my support will be used to benefit humanity that we cannot even envision now. The scholarship will be available in the fall of 2002. For more information on this scholarship or others offered at Penn State Shenango, call (724) 983-2803 or go to http://www.shenango.psu.edu.
STUDENTS, FACULTY EXPERIENCE LIFE WITH A DISABILITY
Students and faculty at the Penn State Delaware County campus are getting the opportunity to experience what it's like to live with a disability, thanks in part to Dory Shea, a student and spina bifida sufferer. Shea is serving as coordinator of Disability Awareness Week at Penn State Delaware County, which begins today (September 4). The program's activities include A Day in My Wheels, during which participants will be led through exercises that will enable them to gain a fairly in-depth idea of the challenges faced every day by people with disabilities. Those who want to experience mobility impairment will use motorized and manual wheelchairs and crutches. Accommodations are also being made for those who want to experience vision and hearing disabilities. For the complete story, go to http://www.de.psu.edu/news/#disabilities.
SHALALA PRESENTATION HIGHLIGHTS ONLINE
Highlights from last week's Penn State Forum address by Donna Shalala, president of the University of Miami and former secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, are available online at http://www.psu.edu/ur/stories/shalala/index.html.