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Larry L. Hench, professor of ceramic materials in the Department
of Materials at the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine,
University of London, will present the 1997 
Nelson W. Taylor Lectures
on Sept. 22 and 23 at University Park.
Hench will speak on "Medical Materials for the Next Millennium" at 3:30 p.m. Sept. 22 in 112 Kern Building, and on "Molecular Modeling of Materials" at 3:30 p.m. Sept. 23 in 301 Steidle Building. A reception will be held for Hench Sept. 22 in the EMS Museum, 112 Steidle Building, immediately following his lecture.
All events are free to the public.
Hench discovered Bioglass -- the first man-made material found to bond with living tissues. The unique glasses are used clinically throughout the world to repair bones, joints and teeth. The development of Bioglass and Hench's accompanying studies of the mechanisms of glass surface reactions and chemical materials processing have led to many international awards and publication of nearly 400 research papers, 21 books and 23 patents.
Hench's studies of silica sol-gel processing also have made a significant impact. They led to the development of a new generation of gel-silica optical components (Gelsil). The products, now commercially manufactured, have led to numerous advanced technology awards in the optics industry.
Before joining the faculty at Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine in 1995, Hench held a professorship and was director of the Bioglass Research Center and co-director of the Advanced Materials Research Center, all at the University of Florida. He is associate director of the Interdisciplinary Research Centre in Biomedical Materials and was recently appointed director of the Centre for Tissue Regeneration and Reconstruction, both at the University of London.
The Nelson Taylor Lecture Series is sponsored by the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. It was established in 1969 to honor the memory of Nelson W. Taylor (18991965) who was head of Penn State's Department of Ceramics from 1933 to 1943.
Since 1995, Penn State Altoona has presented some of the world's most prestigious and renown figures to the public as part of its Student Affairs Distinguished Speaker Series.
This year's slate of speakers includes Dan Quayle, Ted Kennedy Jr., Sam Fulwood, Sarah Weddington, Phyllis Schlafly and Jean-Michel Cousteau. The series will tackle such popular and sometimes controversial topics as disability issues, diversity, abortion and the environment.
* Quayle kicks off the series when he discusses family values, national security and a host of other political and nonpolitical topics during his "Standing Firm" presentation. Quayle will speak at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 25 at the Adler Athletic Complex.
* Kennedy, who lost a leg to cancer as a youth, puts the civil rights of people with disabilities into the American consciousness and political arena. He presents his views and findings during his presentation, "Facing the Challenge: Dealing with Disabilities" at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 13 at the Adler Athletic Complex.
* Life as an African American in today's society is captured by award-winning journalist Fulwood as he presents "Waking From The Dream: My Life in the Black Middle Class." Fulwood takes the stage at 3:30 p.m. Jan. 18, 1998, in the Penn State Altoona Community Arts Center.
* The abortion debate will be highlighted as Roe vs. Wade attorney Weddington debates feminist critic Schlafly in "The Roe vs. Wade Debate: Twenty-Five Years Later." The debate will take place at 7:30 p.m. March 3, 1998, at the Adler Athletic Complex.
* Architect and environmentalist Cousteau, son of the late underwater explorer Jacques Cousteau, draws upon his lifetime of exploration to reflect on humanity's impact on the global environment during his "Designing Our Future" presentation. Cousteau will present his program at 7:30 p.m. April 7, 1998, at the Adler Athletic Complex.
The Distinguished Speaker Series is provided as a student and community service by the Division of Student Affairs at Penn State Altoona. The series is free to the public; however, tickets are needed. They may be picked up at the Penn State Altoona Bookstore from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday; 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
The 97-98 Cultural Speaker Series at Penn State Delaware County will bring a variety of speakers to the main student lounge at the campus this academic year. Scheduled lectures are:
* Former Wisconsin Congressman Steve Gunderson will speak at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7. In 1994, Gunderson became the highest ranking Republican official in U.S. history to disclose his homosexuality. He has since retired and will share his views through his book House and Home: The Struggle for Gay Rights in America.
* Sonia Manzano, the bilingual Maria on the PBS children's television series "Sesame Street," visits at 12:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 17. Manzano, also an Emmy-winning contributing writer for the show, will discuss the importance of "Positive Role Models in the Hispanic Community," stressing the need for developing one's personality and character in life.
* A special Martin Luther King Jr. program is planned for 12:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 19. Judge Louis J. Pollak will discuss his challenging and rewarding experiences arguing the Freedom Ride case before the United States Supreme Court in 1964. This landmark case challenged the "Jim Crow" laws of racial segregation that dominated the South. Pollak is a member of the U.S. District Court in Philadelphia and former dean of the Yale Law School and the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
* Nadine Strossen, an advocate for constitutional laws, civil liberties and international human rights, will discuss these issues as they relate to women at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, March 3. She is the first woman to head the nation's oldest and largest civil liberties organization, the ACLU.
* Phoebe Eng, media developer and author of Warrior Lessons, a book about women and empowerment, will speak at 12:30 p.m. Friday, April 17. Eng has been featured on CNN, NBC and ABC, and in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal for her views on contemporary culture and race dynamics. Eng will speak on "One World, One Culture" and how the media has created this phenomenon.
The Department of Chemical Engineering is offering a series of seminars during the fall semester. All seminars will be held at 2:30 p.m. at the Paul Robeson Cultural Center. Hostess for all seminars is K. Fichthorn, associate professor of chemical engineering and physics. For more information, contact Sandra Brown at (814) 863-4961 or smbche@engr.psu.edu.
Remaining seminars are:
* Tuesday, Sept. 30: "Self-Assembly and Interactions Between Polymer Interfaces," Anna Balazs, University of Pittsburgh.
* Tuesday, Oct. 14: "A Multiscale Approach to Homogeneous-Heterogeneous Oxidation Reactors: Reactor Safety, Chemical Synthesis and Pollution Abatement," Dionysus Vlachos, University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
* Tuesday, Oct. 28: "Micellization and Bilayer Formation in ABA and ABC Triblock Copolymer Blends and Gels," Richard Spontak, North Carolina State University of Raleigh.
* Tuesday, Nov. 11: "Aggregation of Particles in Shear Flows," Bill Olbricht, Cornell University.
* Tuesday, Nov. 25: "Surface Science Studies of Model Supported Metal Catalysts," John Vohs, University of Pennsylvania.
* Tuesday, Dec. 9: "Engineering the Secretion Pathway in Insect Cells," Mike Betenbaugh, Johns Hopkins University.
Blanche Wiesen Cook, distinguished professor of history and women's
studies at the John Jay College and the Graduate Center of the City University
of New York, will be the first speaker for 
the Women's Studies
Program's Feminist Scholars Series. Cook will speak on "Eleanor Roosevelt:
Women, Power and Human Rights" at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 23, in 101
Kern Building on the University Park campus.
Cook's 1992 biography, Eleanor Roosevelt: Volume One remained on The New York Times best seller list for three months and received many awards, including the 1992 Biography Prize from The Los Angeles Times and the Lambda Literary Award. It is now available as a Penguin paperback.
Cook shares Eleanor Roosevelt's commitment to the principle of greater dignity and security for all women and men, and in addition to her teaching, writes frequent reviews and columns for many newspapers and periodicals. She produces and is host for her own program for RadioPacifica, "Women and the World in the 1990s." She is working on volume two of Eleanor Roosevelt.
Roger Knacke, professor of physics and head of the Division of Science at Penn State Erie, Behrend College, will present "Is There Life on Mars?" at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 25, in the Reed Lecture Hall in Reed Union Building on the Behrend campus. This is the first of a series of Open House Nights in Astronomy at the college. This year's theme for the series is "The Search for Life in the Universe."
In his talk, Knacke will summarize results of the recent Pathfinder mission to Mars and the search for life on the red planet.
Mars is the planet in our solar system most similar to Earth. As such, it is a prime hunting ground for extraterrestrial life forms. While Knacke said it's unlikely that life survives on Mars today, recent evidence from the Mars meteorite and traces of lakes and floods on the red planet suggest the possibility that life could once have existed there. Knacke will describe the Pathfinder mission and NASA's plans for further exploration of Mars. His lecture will be illustrated by some of the photographs obtained by Pathfinder.
The remaining 1997-98 Open House Nights in Astronomy schedule follows:
* Oct. 30: "Beyond Planet X," Keith S. Noll, Space Telescope Science Institute;
* Dec. 4: "The Christmas Star," Knacke;
* Jan. 29: "Sandbox Physics," William Baxter, assistant professor of physics, Penn State Erie;
* Feb. 26: "The Clouds of Jupiter," Knacke;
* March 26: "Extrasolar Planets," Alan Boss, Carnegie Institute of Washington.
All lectures are free to the public. Astronomical observing will follow the lectures, weather permitting. For more information, call (814) 898-6105.
The African and African American Studies Department and the Women's Studies Program presents "Gender and Power Among Non-centralized and Segmentary Societies in Africa" by Onaiwu Ogbomo.
The program, a part of the "Gender and Africa Speaking Series," will be held Thursday, Oct. 2, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Paul Roberson Cultural Center on the University Park campus.
In this lecture, Ogbomo will trace the history of matriliny by examining oral traditions and religious practices, including the reverence for a pantheon of goddesses which appears to relate to early female authority figures. He will discuss the role of matrilocality, when settlements are made up of related female kin and the married males are strangers. He will show that among non-centralized peoples in southern Nigeria, matriarchy did not refer to female chiefs just as patriarchy did not refer to male chiefs.
Ogbomo's research calls into question two "sacred cows" of historical and feminist studies: the universal subordination of women and societies' "progress" by becoming more centralized.
The Penn State Mont Alto Campus Theme Program Series will hold two interactive panel discussions as part of its fall theme, "Mont Alto Alive!" The series is meant to emphasize the diversity of ideas within the community by exploring the topics of ethics, diversity and aging.
The first panel discussion, "Baby Boom and Beyond," explores trends within generations at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 30, in the Multipurpose Room, Multipurpose Activities Center. Panelists include: Margaret Galligan, instructor of business administration, Penn State Mont Alto; Cynthia Drenovsky, assistant professor of sociology, Shippensburg University; Jo Searles, professor emeritus, Department of English, Penn State; Christina Ragno, sophomore, secondary education, Penn State Mont Alto; and facilitator David Goldenberg, chief executive officer, Penn State Mont Alto.
The second interactive panel discussion in the series, "Ethics in American Society," will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 18, in the Multipurpose Room, Multipurpose Activities Center. Panelists include Penny Kyler, ethicist with the America Occupational Therapy Association; Cheryl Plummer, Franklin County commissioner; Rodd Welker, associate director of Student Affairs, Penn State Mont Alto; John Bardi, instructor of philosophy, Penn State Mont Alto; and facilitator Janet DeLany, director of the occupational therapy program, Penn State.
All programs are free to the public. For information, call (717) 749-6234.
Penn State Abington will kick off its lecture series, Celebrating Our Diversity, on Thursday, Sept. 25, with a presentation titled "We're All in the Same Gang," by actor Edward James Olmos. The event begins at noon in 112 Woodland Building.
Olmos is best known for his role as Lt. Castillo on "Miami Vice," and major roles in the films "Stand and Deliver" and "Selena," and most recently, the Showtime production of "Twelve Angry Men."
Growing up in the East Los Angeles barrio, Olmos barely escaped the violent, vicious cycle of gang life. Instead he played baseball, became a rock and roll singer, and eventually found his way into acting. Olmos has been referred to as America's most visible spokesman for the Hispanic community, and his humanitarian work is approached with the same dedication and discipline as his acting.
For information on the event or the lecture series, call (215) 881-7368.
Venture Investment Forum of Central Pennsylvania, a division of the Susquehanna Alliance, will hold its annual Venture Capital Day from 8 to 11 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 25, in the main hospital auditorium of The Hershey Medical Center.
Top venture capital firms will be available to give on-the-spot critiques to business presenters. This presentation and critique format offers unique insight into the world of venture capital financing.
Cost for this breakfast meeting is $35. For reservations, call (717) 730-9818. For information on making presentations, call Michael Hund, mentors committee chair, at (717) 257-3043.
The Schreyer Institute for Innovation in Learning will conduct a proposal writing workshop for all faculty from noon to 1 p.m. Sept. 30 in 304 Rider Building II. For information, e-mail Wendy Baker at Wmb1@psu.edu, or call the institute at (814) 865-8681. Registration is due Sept. 20.
The University is seeking candidates and nominations for the position of campus executive officer for Penn State Fayette. August A. Simonson, CEO at Fayette since 1992, has retired.The CEO is the chief administrative officer of the campus and is responsible for administering all of its programs. The CEO also is responsible for maintaining close relationships with the campus communities, including outreach programs.
The campus has 10 buildings with a new biomedical technology center containing nursing and natural science labs to be built this year. With the establishment of the new four-year degree in general business, Fayette will have four baccalaureate degrees. The other four-year degrees are in administration of justice; RN/BS; and letters, arts and sciences. Penn State Fayette has six associate degrees: architectural engineering technology; electrical engineering technology; two-year business administration; two-year human development and family studies; two-year letters, arts and sciences; and nursing. The Department of Continuing Education offers a wide array of credit, non-credit and management development courses on and off campus. In addition, a Weekend College was established to serve adult students in the community. There are 45 full-time and 30 part-time dedicated faculty serving more than 900 traditional and non-traditional students.
Candidates should have an earned doctorate, several years of experience in college and/or university teaching and substantial experience in academic administration.
Send resumes to: John Leathers, associate vice president, Commonwealth College, 111 Old Main, Dept. CHFE, University Park, Pa. 16802.
Applications will be accepted until a suitable candidate is selected. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.
Candidates and nominations for the position of campus executive officer for Penn State Shenango. Albert N. Skomra, campus executive officer at Shenango, retired Sept. 1 after 31 years of service. The CEO is the chief administrative officer of the campus and is responsible for administering all of its programs. The CEO also is responsible for maintaining close relationships with the campus communities, including outreach programs.
The campus enrolls approximately 1,000 students, all of whom commute. The student body is diverse, with a large cohort of adult learners. Founded in 1965, the campus offers seven associate degrees; select baccalaureate opportunities; the first two years of almost all of Penn State's 180 baccalaureate majors; and credit and non-credit certificate programs. Several of the degree offerings have an allied-health focus with curricula in physical therapy assistance, occupational therapy assistance and four-year nursing.
Candidates should have an earned doctorate, several years of experience in college and/or university teaching and substantial experience in academic administration.
Send resumes to: John Leathers, associate vice president, Commonwealth College, 111 Old Main, Dept. CHSV, University Park, Pa. 16802.
Applications will be accepted until a suitable candidate is selected. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.
One of Pittsburgh's pioneer suburban office park developers and the owner
of Kossman 
Development Co., Paul Kossman has been named a
1997 Alumni Fellow by the College of Arts and Architecture. In conjunction
with receiving the award, he will speak to architecture students at University
Park on Nov. 20.
Kossman graduated from Penn State in 1949 with a degree in architectural engineering. Since then, he has combined his talents and abilities as a registered architect, developer and real estate professional to design, build and manage in excess of three million square feet of office buildings and retail shopping centers in both Ohio and Pennsylvania. Kossman also is the sponsor of a lecture series at the University.
Kossman is a Navy veteran of World War II and, following graduation, he joined his father, Curtis I. Kossman, in real estate operations. A registered architect since 1955, Kossman has received many professional awards, including a special citation from the American Institute of Steel Construction in 1984 for his personal contributions to the advancement of steel construction in the nation. Over the past 10 years, he has raised more than $200,000 for the annual Free Care Fund in Pittsburgh, establishing himself as on of the group's top 10 fund-raisers. In addition to other philanthropy, Kossman has sponsored an Architectural Design Award at Penn State, establishing a fifth-year design thesis prize. In 1989, he established the Penn State Fund for Excellence in Design.
While at Penn State, Kossman studied voice and played the flute in the Penn State Marching Band. Kossman and his wife, Agnes, live in the Morewood Heights section of Pittsburgh, in a house of Kossman's design. Three of Kossman's four children work for his firm.
The Alumni Fellow award, presented by the Penn State Alumni Association, is administered in cooperation with the academic units. The Board of Trustees has designated the title of Alumni Fellow as permanent and lifelong.
Arnold S. Hoffman |
Linda Brodsky Strumpf |
The College of the Liberal Arts has named two Alumni Fellows: Arnold S. Hoffman, senior managing director of Legg Mason Wood Walker Inc., and Linda Brodsky Strumpf, vice president and chief investment officer of the Ford Foundation. The Alumni Fellow Award, sponsored by the Penn State Alumni Association and administered in cooperation with the colleges, is the most prestigious of the association's awards. The Board of Trustees has designated the title of Alumni Fellow as permanent and lifelong.
Hoffman received a journalism degree from Penn State in 1957. Before assuming his current position at Legg Mason Wood Walker Inc., he was chairman of the Middle Market Group Inc., an investment bank affiliated with Shearson Lehman Brothers Inc. Hoffman was a managing director of Shearson Lehman Brothers Inc., where he founded and was responsible for the firm's middle market investment banking group. He also is a general partner of Financo Investors Fund L.P., a venture capital fund.
Hoffman has been named chair of the Liberal Arts Development Council for the upcoming capital campaign. In addition to being a member of the Mount Nittany Society, he has served as the regional co-chair of the Jewish studies campaign committee and a member of the National Development Council. A life member of the Alumni Association, Hoffman lives in Rydal, Pa., with his wife, Bette, a 1958 Penn State graduate in home economics.
Strumpf, who graduated in 1969 with a degree in economics, is responsible for the Ford Foundation's multi-billion-dollar investment portfolio. A chartered financial analyst, she is a member of the New York Society of Security Analysts and the Association for Investment Management and Research. Before joining the Ford Foundation in 1982, Strumpf was vice president and portfolio manager at The Equitable Life Assurance Society. In 1972, she earned an MBA. from New York University Graduate School of Business.
Strumpf, who served on the Liberal Arts Alumni Society board of directors from 1987 to 1995, is a member of the Liberal Arts Development Council for the University's upcoming capital campaign. She and her husband, Jonathan, a 1969 Penn State graduate in psychology, live in Newark, N.J.
Water treatment engineer Jim Tomlinson instructs operations
personnel and supervisors in one of the
short courses the institute offers annually. The institute also conducts
on-site workshops throughout Pennsylvania.
What began in 1947 with one engineer providing advice to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for steam generation and fuel burning problems, has grown into a University-based service organization with six engineers who will serve more than 100 state-run facilities this year.
The Penn State Facilities Engineering Institute, now housed in the Department of Architectural Engineering, is celebrating its 50th anniversary next week.
Most of its clients are state governmental agencies seeking technical expertise and research in areas including electrical distribution systems; heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems; central boiler plants; and water treatment systems. A new contract with the Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission will add security services and fire alarm systems for 27 historic sites to this list. More than $7 million in research has been conducted by the institute over the past 10 years.
The institute also:
* Offers continuing education courses for engineering and maintenance staff in state agencies. These courses have been provided for more than 30 years.
* Conducts research for agencies outside Pennsyl-vania, such as the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Army and the food and restaurant industry.
* Employs architectural engineering students in summer jobs. Over the last 10 years, the institute has employed approximately 200 students.
State agencies served by the institute include the State System of Higher Education and the departments of corrections, public welfare, military affairs, agriculture, labor and industry, and general services.
For more information, check the Web at http://www.engr.psu.edu/www/dept/are/server/aetop.html; or contact Jim Myers, institute director, at (814) 863-1657 or jxm17@engr.psu.edu.
Fourteen women were recently named to the Commission for Women by President Graham B. Spanier to serve three-year terms. New members are selected from every employment category at the University and also include undergraduate and graduate students.
The commission, now in its 16th year of existence, serves as an advisory body to the president recommending policies and programs that enhance the working and learning environment for women faculty, staff and students. The commission also serves as a forum for the exchange of ideas within the University and annually organizes Take Our Daughters to Work Day. In addition, the commission produces special reports on a variety of topics affecting women, including the Tenure Track Faculty Study; A Vision for an Equitable University; and the Administrative Fellows Study, on top of its annual report on the Status of Women at Penn State.
This year's new members include: Merrilee Anderson , graduate student in plant pathology; Alison Bell, undergraduate student in microbiology; Terri Brooks, dean, College of Communications; JoAnne Burley, campus executive officer, Penn State McKeesport; Romayne Emel, stockroom worker, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Eunice Ferguson, residence utility worker, Housing; Michaelene Franzetta, staff assistant, athletics; Lynn Hill, undergraduate student in communications; Donna Rogers, associate professor, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese; Lisa Rosellini, manager of internal publications/editor, Intercom, Department of Public Information; Beth Rundstrom, teaching assistant, geography; Mirma Urquidi-Macdonald, associate professor of engineering, science and mechanics; JoAnn Vender, graduate assistant, geography; and Pamela Wolfe, assistant professor, Department of Educational and School Psychology and Special Education.
The current head of the commission is Tineke Cunning, career counselor in Career Development and Placement Services; chair-elect for the coming year is Robin Anderson, coordinator, process improvement in Computer and Information Systems.
Commission for Women meetings are open to the University community. The first meeting is slated for 3-5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 13, in 404 Old Main. For more information about the commission, contact the Commission for Women office, in the Office of the Vice Provost for Education Equity, at (814) 863-7696.
Penn State is offering graduate fellowships to American Indian and Alaska native students interested in doctoral level training in special education or educational administration. The program is affiliated with the University's nationally recognized American Indian Leadership Program. The fellowships are supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education.
The purpose of the program is to prepare American Indians and Alaska natives to be leaders in special education by completing doctoral degree programs in either special education or educational administration. Focus will be on special education, educational administration, leadership, policy and Indian education.
Participants who complete the program will receive a Ph.D. in special education or educational administration. Program graduates will be qualified to assume leadership positions in schools, tribes, colleges and universities, or professional organizations that provide special education services to American Indian and Alaska native people.
Applications are now being accepted. The deadline for submitting applications is Nov. 15 for the 1998 spring semester and June 14 for the 1998 fall semester. The fellowship includes a monthly stipend of approximately $1,000 per month, tuition, textbooks and relocation allowances.
Anna Gajar, professor of special education, and John Tippeconnic III, professor of education, are co-directors of the program. For more information contact Gajar at (814) 863-2284 or via e-mail at axg3@psu.edu; or Tippeconnic at (814) 863-1626 or via e-mail at jwt7@psu.edu.
There has been an enhancement to the University Life Insurance plans applicable to faculty and staff effective immediately.
This enhancement applies specifically to the beneficiary of the life insurance proceeds of a deceased participant. Until now, the beneficiary could either take a lump-sum payment of the proceeds or elect to receive the proceeds in several payments over a set period of time. Now, however, the beneficiary will have more flexible control over how and when the proceeds are received.
Upon approval of the claims payment, the proceeds are placed into a personalized account, called an "alliance account." The alliance account is in the beneficiary's name, and the funds in the account earn interest until withdrawn. The beneficiary is issued a draft book containing 15 drafts (which work similarly to bank account checks). The beneficiary can then write drafts for all or part of the money, with a minimum of $250 at a time, or leave the money in the account for as long as he or she chooses.
The funds in the account will earn a competitive interest, and monthly statements will be provided. If the balance falls below $250, the account will be closed automatically, and a check for the balance will be sent to the beneficiary. A specially designated alliance account customer service representative will be available on a toll-free basis, at (800) 353-4160, to assist the beneficiary.
A later article about the importance of using the correct wording when making beneficiary designations for minor children under 18 years of age will be published in an upcoming Intercom.
