Penn Staters
Penn State Intercom......March 15, 2001

Tom Griffiths, manager of aquatic facilities, has developed a systematic approach to lifeguard surveillance called "The Five Minute Scanning Strategy" based on surveys with more than 10,000 lifeguards since 1994. His recently released video illustrates the techniques that increase lifeguard alertness while reducing boredom and fatigue. The Pool Management Group, with headquarters in Atlanta, has required all 2,500 of its lifeguards to use the strategy. The success of the program has led to the development of a new line of lifeguard chairs by Griffiths, which provide a wider, more diverse platform to encourage lifeguards to stand and move around the station rather than just sitting while on duty.

Mark Guiltinan, associate professor of plant molecular biology, presented the paper "Greenhouse and Field Evaluation of Orthotropic Cacao Plants Produced via Somatic Embryogenesis, Micro and Macropropagation" at the13th International Cocoa Research Conference in Koto Kinabalu, Malaysia.

Martha T. Halsey, professor emerita of Spanish, delivered a keynote address in Spain at an international conference titled, "Antonio Buero Vallejo: Universal Playwright." Buero Vallejo is a promiment Spanish dramatist who recently died.

Larry Hutchinson, professor of veterinary science, presented three papers: "Control of Paratuberculosis in Cattle," "The Team Process of Problem-solving on Dairy Farms" and "Solving Mastitis and Milk Quality Problems," at the Portuguese Buiatrics (Cattle Health) Congress in Evora, Portugal.

Kwang Y. Lee, professor of electrical engineering, has been named a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Lee was selected for his contributions to the development and implementation of intelligent system techniques for power plants and power systems control.

George A. Lesieutre, professor of aerospace engineering, received a best paper award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics' Structures, Structural Dynamics and Materials Conference. The paper, "Modeling of Shock Propagation and Attenuation in Viscoelastic Materials," was co-authored with Razvan Rusovici, a Penn State aerospace engineering master's graduate, and Daniel Inman, G.R. Goodson professor of mechanical engineering at Virginia Tech.

Gabriella Varga, professor of animal science, received the American Feed Industry Award at the national meeting of the American Dairy Science Association in Baltimore.

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