HEARD ON CAMPUS – FACULTY SENATE CHAIR JOHN NICHOLS
“The events of September 11 have not changed our mission. Indeed, they have powerfully reaffirmed it…it was – in large part – an attack on liberal education and the values for which this an other universities stand. The September attacks have brought into clearer focus the importance of what we as educators do. And, if there is a silver-lining to these terrible events, it may be the re-invigoration of higher education in America; an academic renaissance in which faculty and students – with the support of external constituencies – come together with a renewed and expanded commitment to teaching, learning, and the advancement of knowledge.”– Faculty Senate chair John Nichols, professor of communications, during his opening remarks Tuesday (Oct. 23) to the Senate in their first full meeting of the academic year on the University Park campus.
CANCER NETWORK RECEIVES NATIONAL AWARD
The National Cancer Information Service has awarded the Northern Appalachian Cancer Network its National Partnership Award for outstanding dedication to cancer education and control. Ann Ward, of Penn State’s Department of Food Science, is the network’s project director. Based at Penn State, the network focuses cancer education resources for the rural Appalachia counties in Pennsylvania and New York. Community cancer coalitions in Crawford, Clearfield, Elk, Lawrence, Indiana, Tioga, Wyoming, Green, Snyder, Allegheny, Susquehanna, Montour and Columbia counties, as well as Delaware County and Chautauqua County in New York, are actively involved in serving the cancer needs of rural medically underserved Appalachia families. For the full story by Karen Carter Mallet, visit http://www.outreach.psu.edu/News/.
COMMUNITY INVITED TO JOIN RACE RELATIONS PROJECT
Public radio station WPSU (91.5 FM) is embarking on an exploration of race relations at Penn State and in its surrounding communities. In early November, WPSU will air the first live program of “Race Matters.” The program will explore racial and ethnic stereotypes and their impact on individuals. In addition to six hour-long specials airing over the next nine months, the project will include a series of first-person narratives, produced by a racially diverse group of Penn State students; and commentaries (radio editorials) by members of the University community and area residents. The project will conclude in summer 2002 with an hour-long radio documentary. WPSU invites Penn State students, faculty and staff, and members of the community to share their own experiences and thoughts on race. Students interested in becoming narrators should contact WPSU as soon as possible (and no later than October 26) by e-mail at mailto:racematters@psu.edu or by phone at (814) 865-9778. Individuals interested in writing a commentary for the series should call Cindi Deutschman at the same number. For the full story visit http://www.psu.edu/ur/2001/racerelans.html.
X-RAYS DETECTED FROM ELUSIVE COSMIC OBJECTS
A type of celestial object that has long stumped astronomers has been found to emit X-rays, thus proving a theory of how the objects form. A team of astronomers including Steven Pravdo of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Eric D. Feigelson, Gordon Garmire, Yoshitomo Maeda and Yohko Tsuboi of Penn State; and John Bally of the University of Colorado, have concluded in a paper in the Oct. 18 issue of Nature that these objects, called Herbig Haro objects, are produced by high-velocity shocks. Found in regions where new stars are forming, they are nebulae, or dust-and-gas clouds, formed when high-velocity gas emitted from young stars collides with clouds of interstellar material. The collision heats the gas in the surrounding nebula to sufficiently high temperatures to produce X-rays. Observations for the past 20 years showed no evidence of X-ray emission from these objects, but the team’s discovery of was made possible through the very powerful Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer on NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory For the full story, visit http://www.science.psu.edu/alert/Garmire10-2001.htm.
DUMAS JOINS CAST OF “ED,” ALSO SEEN ON OTHER SERIES
Charles Dumas, associate professor in Penn State’s School of Theatre and the Department of African/African-American Studies, joins the cast of the NBC series “Ed” beginning tonight (Oct. 24) as a recurring character, Judge LaRue. Already a regular on Sidney Lumet’s A&E series, “100 Centre Street,” playing Sgt. Delmain, Dumas will also be seen in the next few weeks as a chief of detectives on the new “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” series He was a recurring character on the original “Law & Order,” playing Lt. Anita Van Buren’s husband. Dumas also is artistic director of the Loaves and Fish Theatre Company, has appeared in a variety of Broadway, Off-Broadway and regional shows, produced 20 Off-Broadway and regional shows, and directed such shows as “Fences,” “Diary of Anne Frank,” “Them That’s Got,” “A Raisin in the Sun” and “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” In November, he will appear in “The Crucible” for Penn State’s School of Theatre. For more information on the school, go to http://www.theatre.psu.edu/.