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Monica Alam, HUB Art Gallery assistant, is working on mural
panels at Art Alley in the
Hetzel Union Building on the University Park campus. The panels, depicting
Aboriginal
designs, are being painted to brighten the HUB's appearance during construction
of the new
HUB/Robeson Complex. Ann Shields, head of the HUB and Kern Art Galleries
and
also a creator of one of the panels, urges students or student groups that
want to help
with this ongoing art project to contact her at 865-2563.
Photo: Greg Grieco
By Barbara Hale
Public Information
University income from inventions developed through Penn State research increased 30 percent in 1997, topping the $1 million mark in a single calendar year for the first time.
The revenue, from royalties, fees and patent reimbursements, is largely reinvested by the University in the research activities of faculty, graduate and undergraduate students. After recovery of unreimbursed patent expenses, 40 percent of royalty revenue is returned to faculty and student inventors.
Penn State began its internal patent and licensing management program in 1989 under Thomas Monahan, director of the Intellectual Property Office. Previously, Penn State contracted with an independent firm, Research Corporation Technologies, to manage inventions.
"It takes an average of eight years of development from disclosure of a university invention to the point of commercial product sales," Monahan said.
Since 1989, the Intellectual Property Office has filed more than 400 patent applications; has had 105 U.S. patents issued; and now receives approximately 180 invention disclosures per year from University inventors and their research teams, Monahan said.
Since 1991, 106 companies have licensed Penn State inventions and 24 of these, including six in Pennsylvania, have successfully brought new products to market. These companies have paid royalties to the University on a little more than $14.1 million in new product sales, with approximately $11 million in sales occurring in the last 18 months.
"Once turned into new products, these Penn State inventions give competitive advantages to our industrial licensees and represent broader economic benefit to the public in the form of tax revenues and job creation," Monahan said.
Three inventions, all submitted in 1990-91, are the current royalty generating leaders: a hydrophone used in marine oil exploration; an asphalt testing device; and PennMulch, a turf management product. The hydrophone was invented by a research team led by Robert E. Newnham, retired Alcoa professor of solid state science. This is the first Penn State invention licensed by the Intellectual Property Office to generate royalties from product sales in excess of $100,000 per year.
The asphalt testing device was invented by David A. Anderson, professor of civil engineering, and colleagues. This device is currently manufactured in Pennsylvania and sold throughout the U.S. and overseas.
PennMulch is the brainchild of George W. Hamilton, senior lecturer in agronomy. The product, which is manufactured from recycled newspaper, won the 1996 Pennsylvania Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence. It is currently sold in 30 states and Canada.
Monahan noted that the increase in patent income is an indication of the value American industry places on Penn State's research enterprise, the largest university-based research effort in Pennsylvania. In 1997, in addition to the 106 companies that licensed Penn State patented research results, 379 companies invested in more than 800 Penn State research projects -- about 20 percent more than the previous year. In 1997, Penn State was first in Pennsylvania in research expenditures; No. 2 in the U.S. in research support from industry, behind only the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and 11th in the country in total research expenditures.
University faculty hired in the last two years are invited to join President Graham B. Spanier May 10-12 for his third annual Road Scholars outreach tour of Pennsylvania.
This year's tour has been expanded to three days and will involve a route through northwestern Pennsylvania, ranging from forests to beaches, grape vineyards to locomotives and oil wells to powder metal companies.
The annual tour involves two buses filled with faculty who will visit business, industry, government leaders, philanthropists and a number of Penn State campuses. This year, faculty will spend two nights staying in the apartments at Penn State Erie. All faculty expenses for travel, lodging and meals during the tour are paid for by the University.
The tour itinerary includes visits to Cook Forest, the Drake Oil Well State Park and Museum, General Electric Locomotive, Port Erie Plastics, Lake Erie Grape Research and Extension Center, Welch's Production Center, sunset at Presque Isle, a tour through Allegheny National Forest, Kane Hardwood, Windfall Products and Penn State DuBois.
Many of the companies to be visited during the tour have Penn State connections, ranging from alumni who serve as CEOs to cooperative agreements with the University.
President Spanier launched the annual tour to allow faculty to learn more about the Commonwealth and to facilitate their understanding of the people, geography, industry and needs of the state. The tour also serves as an opportunity to gain an overview of the unique role Penn State plays in communities throughout Pennsylvania.
With 24 campuses and offices in every county of the state, Penn State has a larger impact on the Commonwealth than does any other college or university, and much of that influence occurs outside the classroom.
Details about the tour will be mailed to recently hired faculty in the next several weeks. If you want more information now, contact (814) 863-8890.
The State Department of Community and Economic Development Tuesday released $600,000 to the Greater Erie Industrial Development Corporation for the construction of a Knowledge Park at Penn State Erie.
GEIDC, a private, non-profit economic development agency, will serve as the developer for the industrial park -- which is expected to grow to 200 acres over the next 20 years. The park is being constructed between the southern boundary of the college and Interstate 90.
Penn State Erie recently entered into a lease agreement with GEIDC to develop 51 acres. The $600,000, released Feb. 17 from the state's capital fund, will cover initial infrastructure costs related to this portion of the park, such as site excavation.
The park, expected to help create hundreds of new jobs for the Erie region, should be a catalyst for technological innovation in manufacturing and business for the area. Knowledge Park will house research and development facilities, multi-tenant space for growing businesses, corporate and technical headquarters, and technical and information processing facilities.
The following information was gleaned from the internal publications of the institutions mentioned.
* Northwestern University's School of Law has received a $10 million gift from the Pritzker family -- the largest single gift to the school in its 139-year history.
Jay A. Pritzker, who has two degrees from Northwestern, is chairman of Hyatt Corp. and a partner in Pritzker & Pritzker. Several other members of the Pritzker family also have attended Northwestern. The money will be used to enhance the collections and services of The Pritzker Law Library, as well as for other purposes that have been identified as part of the law school's strategic plan.
* The University of Nebraska recently applied for a patent on a comprehensive program to economically produce special heart-healthy eggs, known as Omega eggs.
* Computer scientists at Washington University in St. Louis have patented two major inventions that should make Internet applications like e-mail, the Web and electronic commerce 10 times faster. This 10-fold increase in speed promises to make routers -- the hardware devices that route Internet messages -- faster by making it easier to find the destination addresses for their messages.
* In Arizona, a proposal to drastically overhaul its higher education system by allowing community colleges to grant four-year degrees has hit a roadblock.
Under the plan, proposed by a state legislator, community colleges can offer baccalaureate degrees not offered by the state's public universities. Supporters see it as a way to bring higher education to rural areas of the state. Opponents, like Arizona State University, the University of Arizona and several private institutions, say it clouds the roles of the separate college systems. Many opponents are concerned that allowing community colleges to grant four-year degrees will open the door for these institutions to turn into four-year colleges. A legislative committee is continuing to study the plan, which is now on hold until Dec. 15.
* Missouri Gov. Mel Carnahan has recommended a $394,924,735 appropriation for the University of Missouri System in his 1998-99 budget. Included in this amount was an inflationary increase of $14.6 million, a $15 million "mission enhancement" portion and $947,258 for maintenance and repair, in addition to the base appropriation. The nearly $395 million recommendation boosts the university's recurring budget by 8.4 percent. The Missouri governor also recommended capital appropriations totaling more than $50.6 million for projects on all four of the university's campuses.
* Northwestern University has postponed any decision on the future of its dental school until March 2. On that date, board of trustees members will decide whether to accept a recommendation from the university administration to close the school.
* A study by professors at the University of Virginia and the College of William and Mary analyzing nationwide data shows that although the number of women faculty has jumped over the past two decades, the biggest increase has been in non-tenure-track jobs. The study reveals that women faculty in those jobs earn less than men in similar positions, publish less frequently than men and are often employed in traditionally female fields. Between 1975 and 1993 there were substantial gains in women holding tenured faculty posts (a 67 percent increase); and in tenure-track slots (21.6 percent increase). However, the largest gain was in the non-tenure-track positions (142 percent jump). The study, which looked at America's two- and four-year colleges and universities, was published by Jay L. Chronister and Roger G. Baldwin, education professors at the two institutions.
* At Harvard University, Sigourney Weaver and Kevin Kline were named the Hasty Pudding Woman and Man of the Year. The awards are presented annually by the Hasty Pudding Theatricals, the nation's oldest dramatic organization, to performers who have made a "lasting and impressive contribution to the world of entertainment."
Penn State fencer Aaron Stuewe, a freshman in the College
of the Liberal Arts, practices
his lunge in the fencing room in White Building on the University Park campus.
Photo: Greg Grieco
Harry K. Beck, farm machinery operator, College of Agricultural Sciences, from June 15, 1970, until his retirement Oct. 1, 1989; died Jan. 22, at the age of 77.
Charles R. Behrer Sr., seed service and agronomy technician, College of Agricultural Sciences, from July 1, 1968, until his retirement Jan. 19, 1983; died Jan. 16. He was 77.
John J. Bukowski, janitorial worker, Penn State Beaver, from Oct. 14, 1973, until his retirement Aug. 12, 1984; died Jan. 25. He was 83.
Laura I. Burris, janitorial worker, Office of Physical Plant, from July 6, 1976, until her retirement Aug. 2, 1986; died Jan. 12. She was 77.
Audrey Davidson, graduate enrollment assistant in Graduate School.
Brenda Hockenberry, graduate enrollment assistant in Graduate School.
Shawn Kuhlman, editorial assistant in Graduate School.
Sherri L. Letterman, coordinator, information systems in Division of Development and Alumni Relations.
Michelle L. Lucas, staff assistant III in Continuing and Distance Education.
Christopher Lose, applications systems analyst in Office of Vice President for Research.
Kimberly Martin, research support technician II in Office of Vice President for Research.
Michelle Matis, staff assistant V in Graduate School.
Cheryl A. McCamley, staff assistant IV in Continuing and Distance Education.
Kathryn M. Meyers, financial assistant II in Continuing and Distance Education.
Beverly J. Morgan, staff assistant VI in Continuing and Distance Education.
Anna Marie Nachman, staff assistant V in Office of Vice President for Research.
Barbara A. Nevling, staff assistant V in Continuing and Distance Education.
Marce L. Pancio, assistant director, residence life in Student Affairs.
Kay Partenheimer, staff assistant VI in Continuing and Distance Education.
Heather Shutica, graduate enrollment assistant in Graduate School.
Althea Spotts, staff assistant IV in Graduate School.
Workmen from the Leonard S. Fiore Construction Co. of Altoona
began work last week boarding
up the windows in the Hetzel Union Building on the University Park campus
as part of the second
phase of the HUB/Robeson Complex project. The project, which began in September
and is
expected to cost $26.8 million, will expand and renovate the current HUB
and house a new Paul
Robeson Cultural Center. The windows are being covered for safety reasons.
Photo: Greg Grieco
The Commission on Racial/Ethnic Diversity, which serves as an advisory body to the president on matters relating to racial and ethnic diversity, is seeking nominations and applications for positions that will begin July 1. Membership includes administrators, faculty, staff exempt, staff non-exempt, technical service employees and undergraduate and graduate students. Full members are appointed by the president to serve four-year terms or, in the case of students, until graduation. Associate members serve one-year renewable terms.
The commission, dedicated to enhancing diversity, actively seeks a broad base of nominations including self-nominations from all racial/ethnic backgrounds. More information and a nomination form may be obtained by calling the commission office at (814) 863-8493 or from the diversity Web page at http://www.lions.psu.edu/cored.
Nomination forms must be returned to the commission in 330 Grange Building on the University Park campus no later than March 6.
