James Earl Jones, known for his many acting roles including
the voice of Darth Vader in "Star Wars," and also as the voice
of CNN, spoke to a full house at Eisenhower Auditorium on the University
Park campus on Oct. 7. His speech was part of the Distinguished Speaker
Series, which also will feature Robin Roberts on Oct. 15; Sam Donaldson
on Nov. 8; Camelia Anwar Sadat and Mairead Maguire on Feb. 8; and Robert
Ballard on March 31.
Photo: Greg Grieco
Historically, plants have played a central role in medicine as a source of drugs. Herbal medicines are dominant in many countries throughout the world and chemicals extracted from plants are a substantial part of prescription drugs. Join Wayne Curtis, associate professor of chemical engineering, as he presents "How Biomedical Engineering Saves Lives" at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, at The Nittany Lion Inn on the University Park campus.
Curtis' free presentation is part of this fall's Huddle with the Faculty, a Penn State Alumni Association outreach program that features presentations by top Penn State faculty before every home football game.
For more information on upcoming speakers, contact Mary Jane Stout, alumni continuing education, at (814) 865-LION (5466).
Wlad Godzich will present a lecture at the Comparative Literature Luncheon titled "After Cultural Studies," on Monday, Oct. 19, in 101 Kern on the University Park campus. Lunch begins at 12:15 p.m., and the lecture and discussion begin at 12:40 p.m. Godzich also will present a workshop for faculty and graduate students, "On Emergent Literature," at 5 p.m. in the Alumni Lounge in Old Main. Contact Cynthia Coleman at (814) 863-0589 for details.
Godzich is professor of emergent literature and comparative literature at the University of Geneva, Switzerland. He also has authored a number of books and articles on literary theory, cultural studies, comparative literature and European studies. He founded the series "Theory and History of Literature" at the University of Minnesota Press which published more than 100 volumes. He is co-editor of several books and co-author of The Emergence of Prose, an Essay in Prosaics (University of Minnesota Press, 1987). His most recent book, The Culture of Literacy, was published by Harvard University Press in 1996.
What are the current employment prospects for new Ph.D.s? How good is the job market for our doctoral graduates?
These questions and more will be discussed during a University-wide workshop about postgraduate doctoral career opportunities sponsored by the Graduate School.
"Beyond Cloning the Academic: Preparing Doctoral Students for Postgraduate Opportunities" will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, at The Nittany Lion Inn, Ballroom, University Park. Peter Syverson, vice president for research and information services for the Council of Graduate Schools will deliver the keynote address.
The third in a series of workshops hosted by the Graduate School, "Beyond Cloning the Academic" will provide a platform for people to share successful approaches to preparing doctoral students for the job market -- academic and non-academic -- and for tracking students once they have graduated. In addition, the workshop will inform graduate faculty members of the range of career options open to doctoral students and will update participants on current employment conditions, both at Penn State and nationally.
For more information or to register for the workshop, please contact Mary Hosband at (814) 865-2516.
The Penn State Erie Open House Nights in Astronomy Series continues at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, with "Sunspots, Sunquakes, Solar Tornadoes and Neutrinos," presented by James LoPresto, professor of physics and technology at Edinboro University.
LoPresto's free lecture, in room 101 Behrend Science Building, will discuss recent advances that have made more detailed observation and understanding of the sun possible.
Open House Nights in Astronomy take place in the Otto Behrend Science Lecture Hall. Astronomical observing will take place following the lectures, weather permitting. For more information, call (814) 898-6105.
Christopher S. Wood, professor of art history at Yale University, will present a lecture, "The Emperor Maximilian I as Archaeologist," at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, in the Lipcon Auditorium, Palmer Museum of Art on the University Park campus.
Wood's lecture is part of the 1998-99 Department of Art History Lecture Series "The Presence of the Past in Renaissance Art and Culture." The lecture is free to the public. A reception for the speaker will follow the lecture.
The third Feminist Interdisciplinary Seminar for faculty and graduate students interested in feminist research is set for Thursday, Nov. 5, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel on the University Park campus. The seminar, which costs $12, includes dinner.
Sponsored by the Women's Studies Program, the seminar will feature speaker Lynn Phillips, author of The Girls Report (1998) and her upcoming Flirting with Danger: Women's Reflections on Sexuality and Domination.
Registration is due by Oct. 22. For more information, call (814) 863-4025.
Michael Mazaar, dean of intern scholars at the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Strategic & International Studies, will speak at 3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, in the University Office of International Programs Lounge, 222 Boucke, University Park. Mazaar will discuss "Global Trends 2005: The Challenge of a New Millennium," which looks at six major trends and their impact on the social and economic order in the next decade.
For more information, call (814) 865-0771.