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Taking mental notesRep. Gil Gutknecht of Minnesota listens intently to Spanier's
testimony. Spanier explained to him and other members of Congress how the
Internet 2 Project is compatible and complementary with President Clinton's
Next Generation Internet initiative. |
By Lisa M. Rosellini
Public Information
WASHINGTON -- Despite the incredible advances in technology, there are still things that faculty and students at research universities across the country can't do because of the limitations of a crowded Internet, according to President Graham B. Spanier, who recently urged Congress to support funding for "the next stage" of the Internet.
During his April 9 Congressional testimony on the Internet 2 Project being spearheaded by Penn State, Spanier explained the significance of the project to members of the House Subcommittee on Basic Research. Internet 2, now backed by more than 100 higher education institutions, organizations and private industries, is a new superfast computer network that U.S. universities are planning to create. It is expected to be 10 times faster than the current Internet and will link universities, colleges and national laboratories, allowing faster transfer of data and providing the ability for researchers to work simultaneously on projects. The hearing was the last in a series being held to examine the National Science Foundation's proposed 1998 budget.
In his talk, Spanier dispelled the fear that Internet 2 was only an effort on the part of the most prestigious institutions to create their own private network. He also reassured representatives that the Internet 2 Project was "entirely compatible and complementary" with President Clinton's Next Generation Internet (NGI) initiative -- a three-year, $300 million effort which calls for the development of Internet 2 and experimentation with the next generation of networking technologies. The NGI goal is to increase the speed of the current Internet 100-fold.
"Our goals are to rapidly deploy our success to the benefit of others in the educational community and beyond -- K-12, libraries and institutions ... who can't afford to take these first steps," Spanier said. "At Penn State, our work with Internet 2 involves the commitment of a significant amount of time and millions of dollars of our own resources. Investments on the same scale are being made by scores of universities around the country."
The academic community has committed $50 million per year for the next five years to Internet 2. The $100 million requested by the Clinton administration for NGI, is an important part of the total funding picture for Internet 2, according to Spanier. Spanier estimated that approximately $30 million of that amount would actually go to universities working on Internet 2.
"We need this initial support from the government. Once we are able to show commercial entities that this is feasible, they will offer their support," Spanier said. "This is a modest request compared to what 100 universities have said they will put in for this project."
The president also explained that the government funding was a "modest investment" when compared with the pay back in terms of what the project can accomplish first for researchers, and later for the general public and industry.
Rep. Mike Doyle from Pennsylvania asked if the "one-time" investment from the government was sufficient or would the project require continued funding. Spanier said the evolution of Internet 2 would probably follow the path of the original Internet with commercial investments coming in even more rapidly at the very beginning. Currently, seven companies -- including Ameritech, IBM, MCI and Sun Microsystems -- have signed up to provide support for Internet 2.
"We see this as a continuing cycle of government, university and private investment," Spanier responded. Spanier said an announcement of "substantial corporate support" is expected in the near future.
Gil Gutknecht, a Congressman from Minnesota, asked about the cooperation between agencies and how the project fit with NGI.
"Internet 2 can fit into the larger picture of NGI," Spanier said. "The Internet 2 goal of a 10-fold increase fits in well with the NGI goal to increase the Internet's capacity 100-fold. I see the Internet 2 as a subset of NGI -- completely compatible. It will be part of the normal evolution of the Internet, not a stand-alone enterprise.
"As we achieve the goals of each step in the process, it will allow the nation, universities and industry as a whole to move ahead and advance," he said.
After hearing testimony, the subcommittee reports back to the House Science Committee. A vote on the funding issue will not happen until late this summer.
Rep. Mike Doyle of Allegheny County, a Penn State alumnus,
was one of several legislators to ask Spanier about Internet 2.
Photo: Greg Grieco
By Lisa M. Rosellini
Public Information
WASHINGTON -- In the last two weeks, and in weeks to come, Penn State's presence on Capitol Hill has increased dramatically as administrators take their turn at providing media interviews and expert testimony to Congress on matters that cut to the heart of higher education.
Appearing on CNN at 7:30 a.m. on April 9 to talk about admissions and then moving on to give an 8:30 a.m. keynote speech on technology to a nonprofit consortium of higher education institutions, President Graham B. Spanier was primed for his 10:30 a.m. same-day interview on CNBC discussing the proposed Internet 2 project. Moving to the forefront on a variety of issues, Spanier is gaining recognition as a national spokesman for higher education. Determined to position Penn State as a leader in technology, research and education, Spanier said it's important that not only Penn State administrators speak out on issues that affect the institution, but that higher education as a whole raise its collective voice and be heard by lawmakers. By his 2 p.m. testimony that day before the House Subcommittee on Basic Research, Spanier -- looking a little weary-- was well prepared for any questions fired at him by legislators.
"It's critical that we not only continue to be part of the process, but that we increase our presence and direct some of that process," Spanier said after the hearing. "The issues that are being discussed in Washington and in Harrisburg are obviously issues that greatly affect our ability to fulfill our most basic missions."
Spanier testified on the Internet 2 Project on behalf of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC) and other higher education associations. He is chair of NASULGC's Commission on Information Technology.
On May 7, Spanier will again travel to Washington to act as "emcee" for a Department of Defense event where approximately 25 universities -- including Penn State -- will set up demonstrations of Department of Defense basic research being conducted on campuses across the nation. While Spanier introduces various Congressional speakers such as Strom Thurmond and Rick Santorum, Penn State will show off the research it has conducted at both the Rotorcraft Center for Excellence and the Institute for High Performance Computing Applications. The basic research being performed at the Rotorcraft Center is aimed at lessening the noise produced by aircraft, solving structural vibration problems and improving safety. The Institute for High Performance Computing Applications concentrates its efforts on bringing together faculty and students in the use of parallel computers to solve industry problems.
On that same day, Rodney Erickson, dean of the Graduate School and vice president for research, and Anthony Wagner, director of Legislative Affairs, also will be in Washington visiting members of Congress and providing background information on the projects. Erickson recently testified (April 10) before a subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Armed Services about the need for continued federal funding for research. In his testimony Erickson stressed the importance of Department of Defense funding for basic and applied research and for educating the next generation of scientists and engineers.
"Research is the seed for the entire science and technology development process, and it directly affects the crop of applied technologies that we harvest," he said.
In 1996, Penn State's total research activity amounted to about $350 million, according to Erickson. Penn State ranked second in the nation in both Department of Defense-sponsored funding industry-sponsored funding.
"Penn State faculty are conducting more than 200 Department of Defense-supported research projects -- a portfolio valued at $100 million," Erickson told members of Congress.
Erickson made the case that while industry is funding some projects, it has come to rely almost exclusively on the public sector for the long-term basic research underlying the development of both defense systems and commercial products -- a strong reason for continued governmental support.
Spanier's testimony on April 9 on the Internet 2 Project (see above story), was coupled with testimony from officials of other universities on various federally funded initiatives overseen by the National Science Foundation, an independent federal agency which promotes and advances scientific progress in the United States. Neal Lane, director of the NSF, and Richard Zare, chairman of the National Science Board, also spoke on the NSF's budget request for fiscal year 1998. The NSF provides approximately 25 percent of basic research funding at universities and more than 50 percent of the federal funding for basic research in certain fields of science.
"There is agreement in the higher education community that we should be playing a lead role in advancing our collective agenda in areas such as intellectual property issues, telecommunications infrastructure, research and information technology," Spanier said. "By doing this we can come to a consensus on the most critical issues facing higher education."
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A renowned artist and Penn State alumnus and a former University administrator, now head of a national private grantmaking foundation, will be awarded honorary degrees during May commencement ceremonies at Penn State.
John Thomas Biggers, a celebrated muralist who has painted realistic scenes from rural black life and other well-known works over the last five decades, will receive the honorary doctor of fine arts degree as part of the May 17 commencement activities in the College of Arts and Architecture. William C. Richardson, president and chief executive officer of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and former executive vice president and provost of Penn State, will receive an honorary doctorate of humane letters on May 18 at The Hershey Medical Center.
Honorary degrees may be awarded to those who are eminent scholars, performers, artists and practitioners in academic fields, or individuals who have made particularly distinguished contributions to society in areas such as public service, business or government. This year's recipients, only the fourth and fifth to be named by the University, were nominated by a 15-member committee.
Biggers, named a Distinguished Alumnus in 1972 -- the highest honor bestowed by the University Board of Trustees -- has been called one of America's "most significant African American artists." He earned his bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees in art education from Penn State in the late '40s and early '50s, before going on to become one of the nation's leading African-American artists.
Biggers followed his early mentor, Viktor Lowenfeld, to Penn State when Lowenfeld became a Penn State professor in 1946. As an undergraduate, Biggers met the muralist Henry Varnum Poor, the artist working on the Land Grant Frescoes in Old Main, and was inspired to paint murals. After his graduation in 1948, Biggers joined the faculty of then Texas State University for Negroes in Houston, now Texas Southern University, and established the college's art department which, since its founding, has won acclaim for training prominent art educators. In 1952-53, Biggers completed a mural for the Blue Triangle YWCA in Houston, "The Contribution of Negro Women in American Life and Education," the preliminary studies for which had been completed in the studio of Jules Heller, the later founding dean of the College of Arts and Architecture at Penn State.
Though Biggers has many historical ties to Penn State, the two murals, "Night of the Poor" and "Day of the Harvest," which hang in Burrowes Building on the University Park campus, are perhaps his most familiar works to most Penn Staters. Biggers' other work on campus is "Sharecropper Mural" at the Paul Robeson Cultural Center.
In 1967, Biggers was named a distinguished professor at Texas Southern University. He retired in 1983 to devote most of his time to his art. In 1990, Biggers received the honorary degree, doctor of humane letters, from Hampton University. In 1995, a major retrospective exhibition organized by the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston and Hampton University toured the United States. He has received national recognition as a teacher and has been honored as a distinguished African American artist. Biggers, the author and collaborator on many books, has lectured at Penn State, the University of Maryland, Howard, Brown, Texas A&M and other universities.
Richardson, former president of The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore from 1990 to 1995 and a professor of health policy and management there, joined the Kellogg Foundation in 1995. The Kellogg Foundation, located in Battle Creek, Mich., was established in 1930 "to help people help themselves through the practical application of knowledge and resources." As a private grantmaking foundation, it provides seed money to organizations and institutions that have identified problems and have designed constructive action programs aimed at solutions. Over the last six decades, the foundation has provided more than $2.93 billion in charitable distributions.
From 1984 to 1990, Richardson was executive vice president and provost of Penn State. He also held the position of professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine in Penn State's College of Medicine at The Hershey Medical Center. From 1981 to 1984, he was dean of the Graduate School and vice provost for research at the University of Washington in Seattle.
Richardson has been active with numerous foundations, private institutions and public and private sectors. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine, of the National Academy of Sciences, and is a fellow of the American Public Health Association. He serves on the boards of directors of the Kellogg Company; CSX Corporation; the Mercantile Bankshares Corporation and the Mercantile-Safe Deposit and Trust Company. In addition, he serves on the external advisory committee of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
Born in Passaic, N.J., Richardson graduated from Trinity College, Hartford, Conn., with a bachelor's degree in history. He went on to earn a master's degree in business administration from the University of Chicago, Center for Health Administration Studies, Graduate School of Business, in 1964, and a doctorate from the University of Chicago, Graduate School of Business in 1971.
When the University Libraries breaks ground for construction of the new Paterno Library on Friday, April 25, Gov. Tom Ridge will be there with his hard hat on.
Ridge will leave his shovel at home, however. Instead, he'll join President Graham B. Spanier and Joe Paterno, football coach and co-chair of The Campaign for the Library, atop a bulldozer to move the first load of dirt.
Jesse Arnelle, president of the Board of Trustees; Gloriana St. Clair, acting dean of University Libraries; and Sue Paterno, co-chair of The Campaign for the Library with her husband, Joe, also will be present for the 4 p.m. on-site dedication at Pattee Library launching the two-year project that will greatly increase the size of University Park's main library. The project also includes renovation of existing space.
When completed, the new Pattee and Paterno libraries will include subject libraries with specialized holdings in life sciences, humanities, social sciences, business and education; a new library for special collections and state-of-the-art information retrieval and telecommunications technologies. The existing East Pattee will be renovated to provide office and work spaces, periodical collections, reference areas and workstations.
The ground and first floors of the Paterno Library at Pattee will house special collections and key operations; the second and third floors will support a social sciences library and a business library. The fourth floor will have an expanded life sciences library and the fifth floor will include an education library and administrative offices.
After completion of the new library, renovation will occur in some sections of West and Central Pattee where the humanities and arts collections will be housed. The existing map room will become a traditional reading room and West Pattee will include the reserve collection and the extended-hours reading room.
The project is being funded by $11.7 million raised in The Campaign for the Library and $14.8 million in state money.
For more information and updates on the project, check out the construction Web site at http://www.libraries.psu.edu/pubinfo/construction/.
Two faculty members have been awarded Fulbright grants this summer. They are:
Ronald L. Filippelli, associate dean for administration, planning and personnel in the College of the Liberal Arts, has been granted an administrative Fulbright to Japan. This is a group program designed to give participants familiarity with higher education, society and culture in Japan.
Dennis K. Davis, professor in the College of Communications, has been granted a Fulbright to attend a seminar on German media and communication science. This group seminar examines the political, economic and social institutions of Germany, including the five new states in Eastern Germany, in light of their recent history and current development.
The University Continuing Education Association awarded Laura Doughty, coordinator of alumni and community relations at Penn State Great Valley, and Jill Eidenberg, publications specialist, a silver award for flier design in the 1997 Division of Marketing and Promotion awards. The two-color flier was designed for the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration week activities organized by Great Valley's continuing education department.
Arundo Donax, an orchestral composition for clarinet by Burt Fenner, professor emeritus of music, is featured on a new compact disc, "Richard Stoltzman: Alchemy" from MMC Recordings, 1997. Richard Stoltzman, considered the "preeminent clarinetist of our time," performs Fenner's work with the Warsaw National Philharmonic, with George Manahan conducting.
B. Lakshminarayana, Evan Pugh professor of aerospace engineering and director of the Center for Gas Turbines and Power, was the invited keynote speaker at the VI Latin American Turbomachinery Congress and Exhibition in Mexico City. His address was titled "Recent Developments on Gas Turbines for Power Generation and Advances in Turbomachinery."
Suzanne Mohney, assistant professor of materials science and engineering, has received the 1997 Young Leader Award of The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS), representing the society's Electronic, Magnetic and Photonic Materials Division.The Young Leader Award honors outstanding young professionals who are active in the materials field and have leadership potential. Mohney was selected as one of 10 young leaders.
Talking on the telephone is second nature for many college
students. But, for a select group of Penn Staters, it has literally become
their "calling." Three, in particular, have made their mark at
Penn State hitting career highs as part-time telephone fund-raisers for
the University.
Students Marleen Frick, Michael Cipriani and Tonya Cummings, over the course
of their part-time calling careers, have raised more than $100,000 for academic
programs at the Lion Line headquarters. Lion Line, within the division of
University Development, hires students as part-time callers to raise funds.
Since 1983, only nine students have accomplished what these three have achieved.
Photo: Greg Grieco
The annual Blue-White football game will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 26, at Beaver Stadium. Admission is free and the scrimmage will be preceded by an autograph session at 12:15 p.m.
The Penn State fencing team won its third straight National Championship and its fifth in the past eight years at the NCAA Championships held recently in Colorado Springs, Colo. Only two other schools in NCAA history have won three consecutive fencing titles -- Columbia-Barnard and Wayne State.
The Lady Lion swimming team posted the top grade-point-average in the nation among NCAA Division I programs, according to a survey released by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America. Coach Bob Krimmel's team had a composite GPA of 3.34 to edge out Duquesne in second place. The women swimmers also had the top GPA among Penn State athletic teams during the 1995-96 academic year. A total of nine Penn State teams had a GPA of 3.0 or higher during the past academic year.
Senior Joe Roemer recently became the first Nittany Lion gymnast to earn GTE Academic All-America honors. Roemer was named to the men's fall/winter at-large second team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America. A 3.77 student in finance, Roemer also is one of 12 finalists for the Nissen Award, presented annually to the nation's top male collegiate gymnast.
NCAA and Big Ten Conference heavyweight wrestling champion Kerry McCoy, who finished his season with a spotless 41-0 record, was selected as the winner of the 1997 Dan Hodge Trophy, which is wrestling's equivalent of college football's Heisman Trophy. McCoy won 131 of his last 132 matches and dominated one of the nation's toughest weight classes to finish his career with a 150-18 record.
For the latest information on Penn State Sports, be sure to visit the official Intercollegiate Athletics Web site at http://www.psu.edu (Click on sports).
The Center for Emergency Medical Services at The Hershey Medical Center will celebrate the 10th anniversary of its Trauma Services and Life Lion aeromedical programs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 26. The center invites the entire community to come out and help honor the accomplishments and the history of Trauma Services and Life Lion.
Tours of both will be available, with the public able to sit in the seat of the helicopter that has assisted in saving thousands of lives, see the state-of-the-art Trauma Center and get a realistic impression of the daily activities that emergency medical staff perform.
Various displays will tell the history of the Trauma Center and of Life Lion. Free hot dogs, hamburgers, potato chips, birthday cake, soda and more will be available on the front lawn of the medical center.
Other activities include face painting, a Teddy Bear Clinic and appearances by the Zembo Clowns, the crash test dummies and the Nittany Lion.
In 1986, The Hershey Medical Center received its trauma accreditation and Life Lion was launched. The first patient airlifted survived a myocardial infarction on Dec. 12, 1986.
The Hershey Medical Center received its accreditation as a Level I Regional Resource Trauma Center in 1987 with additional qualifications in pediatrics in 1993. A specially-trained multi-disciplinary trauma team composed of surgeons, emergency physicians, nurses, anesthesiologists, radiologists and many others are available 24 hours a day for immediate response if the patients' injuries require additional support.
Serving 17 central and south central Pennsylvania counties and more than 2.3 million people, Life Lion provides aeromedical transportation for critically ill and injured patients to tertiary care or trauma centers throughout the region. Available 24 hours a day, the Life Lion critical care teams provide an intensive care environment during transport. For more information on the celebration, call The Hershey Medical Center at (717) 531-8606.
