"Astrobiology: Looking for Life in the Universe" is the topic of the 2000 Penn State Lectures on the Frontiers of Science, which begin on Saturday, Jan. 22. Designed for the enjoyment and education of central Pennsylvania residents, the free public lectures take place on six consecutive Saturday mornings from 11 a.m. to about 12:30 p.m. on the University Park campus. The lectures include:
n Jan. 22: "The Origin of Life on Earth: How Did it Happen and Could it Happen Elsewhere?" by James Kasting, professor of geosciences and meteorology and a member of the Astrobiology Research Center at Penn State, in the HUB Auditorium. Kasting will discuss whether life on Earth began at hydrothermal vents at the mid-ocean ridges or whether it was brought here by comets and meteorites. He also will explore how prevalent life could be elsewhere in the universe.
n Jan. 29: "Unveiling the Origin and Early Evolution of Life: Molecular Phylogeny" by Janet Siefert, Keck Fellow in molecular biology at Rice University, in 101 Thomas Building;
n Feb. 5: "The Snowball Earth: A Climate Catastrophe that Life Survived" by Paul Hoffman, Sturgis Hooper professor of geology at Harvard University and a member of the Harvard/MIT Astrobiology Consortium, in 101 Thomas Building;
n Feb. 12: "The Search for Life on Mars" by Bruce Jakosky, professor of geological sciences and director of the Center for Astrobiology at the University of Colorado, in 101 Thomas Building;
n Feb. 19: "DNA Clocks and the Evolution of Life" by Blair Hedges, associate professor of biology and member of the Astrobiology Research Center at Penn State, in 101 Thomas Building;
n Feb. 26: "Jupiter's Moon Europa and the Rebirth of Exobiology," by Chris Chyba, Carl Sagan chair for the study of life in the universe at the SETI Institute, consulting professor of geological and environmental sciences and co-director of the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University, and leader of the Science Definition Team for NASA's 2003 Orbiter mission to Europa, in 101 Thomas Building;
For more information about the series or for access assistance, call (814) 863-8453 or e-mail science@psu.edu.
The Department of Chemical Engineering has scheduled a series of seminars for spring semester. All seminars will be held at 10 a.m. in 140 Fenske Laboratory, with Themis Matsoukas, associate professor of chemical engineering, as host. For more information, call Sue Ellen Bainbridge at (814) 865-2574 or e-mail sesche@engr.psu.edu.
The seminars follow:
n Tuesday, Jan. 25: "Opportunities and Developments in Catalysts for Fuels & Lubricants," David E.W. Vaughan, Materials Research Laboratory.
n Tuesday, Feb. 8: "Aerosol Synthesis of Metal Nanocrystals and Their Self- Assembly into Electronic Nanostructures," Ronald Andres, faculty member at Purdue University.
n Tuesday, Feb. 22: "Single-Molecule Hydrodynamics of Polymer DNA Molecules," Ronald Larson, University of Michigan, Department of Chemical Engineering and Institute for Research Systems.
n Tuesday, March 14: "Reactions in Supercritical Water Mechanisms, Models and Molecular Insights," Phil Savage, University of Michigan, Department of Chemical Engineering.
n Tuesday, March 28: "Atmospheric Pollution From the Laboratory to the Supercomputer," Spiros Pandis, Elias associate professor of chemical engineering and public policy, Carnegie Mellon University.
n Tuesday, April 11: "Iterative Optimization of Continuous and Batch Processes in the Presence of Modeling Error," Evanghelos Zafiriou, University of Maryland.
n Tuesday, April 25: "Can Chemical Engineers Think Conceptually?" J.M. Wehman, director, capital and conceptual planning, BASF Corp.
Penn State Outreach and Cooperative Extension in cooperation with Elderhostel of Boston will host a five-day program for seniors who want to take a giant step forward into the Information Age. Elderhostel is a non-profit organization committed to being the preeminent provider of high-quality, affordable, educational opportunities for older adults.
From Jan. 23-28, seniors will take "Eldernetting" classes at The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel on the University Park campus and learn about the basics of using the World Wide Web. Students can learn to create their own Web pages, become e-mail savvy, learn to navigate using search engines, efficiently use chat rooms and go Web shopping.
Each participant will have a high-end computer to use during class, along with an e-mail account and network connection.
For more information, contact Nancy McCord at (814) 865-2581.
Anthony Grafton, Dodge professor of history at Princeton University, will give a lecture, "Alberti and Brunelleschi: Humanism, Technology and the Concept of Artistic Progress in Early Renaissance Florence," at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 27, in the Palmer Museum of Art's Palmer Lipcon Auditorium on the University Park campus.
The talk is part of the lecture series "The Presence of the Past in Renaissance Art and Culture," sponsored by the newly-endowed Harold E. Dickson Lectureship in Art History. The lectures are free.
A distinguished scholar, Grafton has reached a wide audience through his work on cultural and intellectual history. Grafton is the author of numerous publications, including Joseph Scaliger:A Study in the History of Classical Scholarship; Forgers and Critics: Creativity and Duplicity in Western Scholarship; and Rome Reborn: The Vatican Library and Renaissance Culture.
"VOICES," an annual conference for women graduate students in science and engineering, will be held Sunday, Feb. 6, at The Nittany Lion Inn on the University Park campus. Students, faculty and professionals are invited to network and interact with peers and colleagues in science and engineering.
VOICES gives participants an opportunity to find out how various women in the sciences and engineering handle their education, career and personal life. The seminar begins with brunch at 9 a.m. and runs through 2 p.m. Session topics may include negotiating skills, conflict resolution, stress management, financial planning for the future and more.
There is no fee for the conference, but registration is required. Registration is due by Monday, Jan. 31. For more information, call Katie Rung at (814) 865-3342 or e-mail cxg1@psu.edu.
The 2000 Penn State Mineral Symposium, an annual event sponsored by the Earth and Mineral Sciences Museum and the Nittany Mineralogical Society, will be held at University Park from May 19-21.
The theme of this year's symposium is "Fluorescence: Color and Light in Minerals." Speakers will be invited to address topics to include fluorescent minerals and other materials, and the theory of fluorescence and phosphorescence, and causes of color in minerals and gems.
For more information and registration forms, call Andrew Sicree at (814) 865-6427 or e-mail sicree@geosc.psu.edu.