SATIRE AND SPIN DOCTORS PLAGUED ENGLISH RULER, TOO
The comic images and satirical verses that plagued 17th-century English ruler Oliver Cromwell have a lot in common with the work of modern-day political commentators, a Penn State researcher says. In her recent book, Constructing Cromwell: Ceremony, Portrait, and Print, 1645-1661, (Cambridge University Press, 2000), Laura Knoppers, professor of English, examines how shifting popular images and satire shaped perceptions of the revolutionary public figure who ruled England as Lord Protector from 1653 to 1658. There are links between political satire in England 1640-1660 and political cartoons, satirical columnists and commentators the Jay Leno crowd of today, Knoppers says. Although a member of the upper-class gentry, Cromwell was mocked as a brewer and a social upstart. His physical traits bulbous nose, thinning hair and pocked skin were exaggerated and caricatured much as in editorial cartoons today. It was during this period that licensing and censorship fell apart in England. For the full story by Julie Brink, visit http://www.psu.edu/ur/2001/Cromwell.html.
HAZLETON STUDENT GOT A REAL BREAK FOR SPRING
Many college students use spring break to blow off steam midway through the semester, but for Penn State Hazleton student Andrew Makhoul, the 2001 break was a time to help orphans in Guatemala and to learn about himself. The telecommunications major spent a week in the Central American country with students from various colleges at Hogar Rafael Ayau, an orphanage in Guatemala City's toughest neighborhood. With a 30-foot wall and armed guards surrounding them, they quickly got a taste of everyday life in a country characterized by widespread poverty and violence. This wasn't spring break for me, Makhoul said. It was Real Break. That's what the program is called Real Break because this isn't a party. The full story is in the Spring/Summer 2001 issue of Penn State Hazleton's Insight/Outlook. To learn about the campus, visit http://www.hn.psu.edu/.
CENTER FOR TURFGRASS SCIENCE DRIVE TEES OFF
Penn State's turfgrass science program hopes to put down roots at The Arboretum at Penn State, where 35 acres have been set aside for the Center for Turfgrass Science's teaching and research building, research plots, and Mascaro-Steiniger Turfgrass Museum. An estimated $10 million will be needed to finance the new center, and fund-raising is in progress. The program's three current facilities were built piecemeal over the years and are scattered across the campus, making them difficult to operate efficiently, says George Hamilton, senior lecturer in turfgrass science and facilities coordinator. The Turfgrass Museum features rare turf equipment dating back to the early 1900s. In the proposed new center, it would get more space for displays, a climate-controlled room for viewing historical documents, and extensive video support for selected museum pieces. More information on the turfgrass science program is at http://turf.cas.psu.edu/. The full story by Stacy Tibbetts appears in the Spring/Summer 2001 issue of Penn State Agriculture, and at http://aginfo.psu.edu/PSA/ss2001/turfarbor.html.
RESEARCH/PENN STATE WINS THREE SILVER MEDALS
Research/Penn State magazine, published by the Office of the Vice President for Research and produced by Nancy Marie Brown, David Pacchioli, Dana Bauer and James Collins, won three silver medals in the Council for Advancement and Support of Education's 2001 Circle of Excellence Awards Program. The medals were awarded in the research magazines, periodical staff writing and periodical special issues categories. The September 2000 issue of Undergraduate Research/Penn State was recognized for its unusual, and effective, undergraduate focus. To read Research/Penn State online, visit http://www.rps.psu.edu.