Lectures
Penn State Intercom......October
18, 2001
'Drive for Interstellar
Travel' set for Oct. 21
A free public lecture titled "The Drive for Interstellar Travel" will be given by Marc Millis, an aerospace engineer at the NASA Glenn Research Center, at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 21, in 100 Thomas Building on the University Park campus. The talk is the first of the 2001-2002 Friedman public lectures sponsored by the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, which this year have the theme "Black Holes and Time Warps."
Millis is at the forefront of research on "space drives," hypothetical devices that rely on the fundamental properties of space and time to create propulsive forces anywhere in space. His talk will be of interest to anyone who ever wondered whether science fiction ever become science fact or whether human beings ever travel to other stars. The series is designed for people keen on exploring the universe as they do in "Star Trek" or "Star Wars." Warp drives and wormholes once were considered pure fiction, but they now are being researched by NASA as real possibilities, albeit for the distant future.
Remaining lectures in the 2001-2001 Friedman series, scheduled in 100 Thomas Building, include: "When Black Holes Collide" by Pablo Laguna, professor of astronomy, astrophysics and physics in the Eberly College of Science, at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 11; "Can a Bright Star Find Happiness in the Deadly Embrace of a Black Hole?" by Michael Eracleous, assistant professor in the Eberly College of Science, at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 24; "Back to the Future: Time Travel in Modern Physics" by Sarah Gallagher, graduate student in astronomy and astrophysics in the Eberly College of Science, at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 17; and "The Physics of Star Trek" by Lawrence Krauss of Case Western Reserve University at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 7.
Lisa Ling to appear as
part of speaker series 
Lisa Ling, co-host of ABC's daytime talk show, "The View," will speak at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 30, at Eisenhower Auditorium on the University Park campus.
Ling's appearance is part of the University's Distinguished Speakers Series.The event is free to the public, but tickets are required.
Tickets will be available to faculty and staff beginning Wednesday, Oct. 24. Limited tickets may be available the night of the speech.
One of five female co-hosts of "The View," Ling produces "It's a Ling Thing" and "Lisa's Money Thing" segments for the show.
For information, call (814) 863-3786.
Performance art topic
of interdisciplinary talk
Charles Garoian, professor of art education and director of the School of Visual Arts, and Yvonne Gaudelius, associate professor of art education and women's studies, will give a lecture titled "Performing Resistance" at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 23, in 101 Engineering Unit D, University Park.
The lecture will explore the theoretical, experiential and pedagogical implications of performance art and address technological culture and its impact on the human body and identity.
This lecture is the second in a new interdisciplinary series, titled "Topical Tuesdays," sponsored by the Department of Architecture. The series, intended to serve as a forum for discussion on a wide range of ideas and issues, will include lectures and symposia by Penn State leaders in the arts, humanities and sciences. The lectures typically will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays in 101 Engineering Unit D. Future speakers include Richard Durst, dean of the College of Arts and Architecture (Oct. 30), and Romolo Martemucci, director of the University's architecture program in Rome (Nov. 6).
Check the College of Arts and Architecture's calendar on the Web at http://www.artsandarchitecture.psu.edu/news/cur_cal.html for the locations of future lectures.
Soil science seminar
to be given Oct. 19
"Cesium and Strontium Sorption and Mineral Weathering in Hanford Sediments at High pH" will be the topic of an Agronomy/Soils Seminar, to be given by Paula Rotenberg, master's degree candidate in soil science, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences. The talk will be given from 3:35 to 4:25 p.m. Oct. 19 in 101 Agricultural Sciences and Industries Building.
For more information, call the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences at (814) 863-1601.
Academic advising
brown-bag lunches to be held
Each semester, the Division of Undergraduate Studies holds a series of brown-bag lunches that focus on topics related to academic advising. This fall, the first session, "Academic Advising -- Helping Students to 'Get' General Education," will be held from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 24, in 118 Agricultural Sciences and Industries. Eric White, executive director of DUS, and Marilyn Keat, associate director for special projects at DUS, will discuss general education -- why research universities continue to embrace it and why students don't "get it" -- as well as strategies and techniques that can help students to understand the goals of general education in order to craft a meaningful general education program.
The second session, "What Advisers Should Know about the Bachelor of Philosophy Degree," will be held from noon to 1 p.m. Monday, Nov. 19, in 404 Old Main. Jeremy Cohen, associate vice provost in the Office of Undergraduate Education, will discuss the bachelor of philosophy degree programs that students have designed, how the program differs from other majors, and when, where and to whom to refer students who are interested in the program. Christopher Pupik, a student enrolled in the major, will discuss his experiences in the bachelor of philosophy degree program, which has allowed him to pursue his academic goals.
The Division of Undergraduate Studies brown-bag lunch series provides advisers with an opportunity for professional development and networking and serves as a forum for the discussion of advising issues. The lunches are open to all faculty and staff.
For more information, call Laura Brown at (814) 865-7576 or e-mail lsb7@psu.edu.
Lecture takes look
at Pamplona bull run
Gary Gray, visiting professor of finance, will discuss his new book, Running with the Bulls, from 4 to 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 25, in Foster Auditorium, 101 Pattee Library on the University Park campus.
The book is described as an adrenaline-charged immersion into the city and the festival Ernest Hemingway made famous in The Sun Also Rises.
The presentation will be followed by a reception and a book signing until 6:30 p.m. in the Mann Assembly Room, 103 Paterno Library.
In Running with the Bulls, Gray takes the reader on the run and also gives an intimate tour of one of Spain's most passionate and historic cities. At the center of the celebration of Pamplona's Festival of San Fermin is the encierro, the running of the bulls.
Since Gray's first visit in 1980, he has participated in the encierro nearly every year. His friendships with dozens of Pamplonicas, many of whom are involved in the encierro, fill his narrative with unique perspectives.
For more information, contact Shirley Davis at sjd3@psu.edu or (814) 865-2258.
Panel to focus on Web
technology at unit level
A panel discussion titled "Integrating Web Technology into Unit-Level Planning" will be held from 10:30 a.m. to noon Monday, Nov. 5, in Boardroom I of The Nittany Lion Inn on the University Park campus.
The event is co-sponsored by the Center for Quality and Planning and the Web Strategies Implementation Team.
Panelists will share ideas about integrating Web technology into unit level strategic planning. Guidelines for developing unit level plans for teaching with technology will be presented.
Panel members are: Ginger Breon, director of Administration and Information Services, Smeal College of Business Administration; John Harwood, senior director for the Center for Education Technology Services, Computer and Information Systems, and chair of the e-Education Council; Christine Moyer, publications specialist, University Relations, Penn State Great Valley; and Fred Loomis, special assistant to the provost and chair of the Web Strategies Implementation Team, moderator.
To register for the panel discussion, call (814) 863-8721 or e-mail psucqp@psu.edu.
Women's networks
topic of Nov. 28 talk
Matthew Restall, associate professor of history and women's studies will present "Spaniards, Africans, Mayas: Women's Networks in the Color Crucible" at 12:15 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 28, in 102 Weaver Building on the University Park campus.
The event is free to the public.
For more information, call (814) 865-1367.