Lectures
Penn State Intercom......October
25, 2001
Marker Lectures look at
roots of physical law
Gerard 't Hooft, the
1999 Nobel laureate in physics, will present the 2001 Russell Marker Lectures
in Physical Sciences from Oct. 30 to Nov. 2 on the University Park campus.
The series, "Searching for the Roots of Physical Law," includes a lecture titled "The Universe of Elementary Particles," intended for a general audience, at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 30, in 117 Osmond Laboratory.
This lecture is free to the public.
Other lectures consist of a Department of Physics colloquium, "Reductionism and Determinism in Fundamental Physics," at 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 1, also in 117 Osmond Laboratory, and two seminars: "The Quantized Black Hole and the Holographic Principle" at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 31, in 339 Davey Laboratory and "How Does God Play Dice? (Speculations on Quantum Mechanics at the Planck Scale)" at 11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 2, in 318 Osmond Laboratory.
The Marker Lectures were established in 1984 through a gift from the late Russell Earl Marker, professor emeritus of organic chemistry, whose pioneering synthetic methods revolutionized the steroid-hormone industry and opened the door to the current era of hormone therapies, including the birth-control pill.
Comparative Literature
speakers scheduled
The Comparative Literature Luncheon, a weekly informal lunchtime gathering of students, faculty and other members of the University community, has announced the next speakers in this semester's series.
The events begin with lunch from 12:15 p.m. to 12:40 p.m. in 102 Kern Building on the University Park campus. Participants may bring their own lunch or buy something in Kern Cafeteria. Coffee and tea are provided. The speaker will begin at about 12:40 p.m. The events are free to the public.
Speaking are:
* Oct. 29: Nancy Marie Brown, director of research publications and policy, on "Medieval Icelandic Sagas and Modern Icelandic Realities: The Writing of 'A Good Horse Has No Color.' "
* Nov. 5: Professor Santiago Vaquera, professor in the Department of Spanish, Italian and Portuguese, on "Limit, Divide, Gateway: Rethinking the Borderlands."
For information, e-mail Daniel Walden at dxw8@psu.edu.
Medieval literature
specialist to talk on Chaucer
Carolyn Dinshaw, professor of English at New York University, will give a lecture titled "Pale Faces," from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 1, in The Nittany Lion Inn on the University Park campus.
A reception will follow her speech.
Dinshaw is a specialist in medieval literature and is director of the Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality. Her talk will explore the relationships between Geoffrey Chaucer's poetry, queer studies and postcolonialism.
This is the inaugural lecture of "Millennium, Approached: Queer Literary Studies in the 21st Century: A Lecture/Discussion Series," organized by the Department of English. The series coincides with the Commission on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equity's 10th anniversary events, held this month, with the theme "A Decade of Pride: A Milestone on the Road to Equity."
For a schedule of upcoming speakers, visit http://english.la.psu.edu and check under "Forthcoming Events."
The lectures are free to the public. For information about the Millennium series, call Vincent A. Lankewish at (814) 865-4383.
Talk series to explore
historic peace churches
The fall installment in the Penn State Harrisburg American Studies Distinguished Lecture Series will focus on historic peace churches.
The lecture by Donald F. Durnbaugh is free to the public at 7 p.m. Oct. 29 in the Gallery Lounge of the Olmsted Building on campus. Three families of Christian churches have for decades been called "The Historic Peace Churches." These are the Religious Fellowship of Friends (Quakers), the Mennonite Churches and the Church of the Brethren.
Durnbaugh is archivist of Juniata College and fellow of the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College. He is professor emeritus of church history at Bethany Theological Seminary and currently chairman of the Publications Committee of the Pennsylvania German Society.
For lecture information, call (717) 948-6201 or e-mail amstd@psu.edu.
Reclusive writer topic
for author's discussion
"Conrad Richter: Writing the Life of a Reclusive Man" will be presented by David R. Johnson, professor of English at Lafayette College, at 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 1, in the Charles W. Mann Jr. Assembly Room, 103 Paterno Library, University Park.
Johnson, author of Conrad Richter: A Writer's Life, will discuss the difficulties and challenges of writing about Richter, who was notoriously reclusive and shy. Richter (1890-1968), a native of Pennsylvania, is best known today for his books The Sea of Grass, The Trees and The Light in the Forest. His novel The Waters of Kronos won the 1961 National Book Award.
An exhibit of some of Richter's papers from the University's Special Collections Library also will be on display.
For information, call James L. W. West III at (814) 863-7551 or e-mail jlw14@psu.edu.
Lecturer to discuss
workplace career trends
"Tea Leaves in Turmoil: Reading Career Trends in the American Workplace" will be presented by Tim Dixon from 2 to 3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 2, in Foster Auditorium, 101 Pattee Library, University Park.
Dixon is director of Information Services and Technology at Career Development Services in Rochester, N.Y., which is a nonprofit organization that offers career development services to individuals and corporations.
The presentation, sponsored by Schreyer Business Library, is free to the public. A reception will follow in the Mann Assembly Room, 103 Paterno Library.
For information, e-mail Diane Zabel at dxz2@psu.edu or call (814) 865-1013.
Cuba subject of
Huddle with Faculty lecture
John Nichols will present "Cuba and Castro: Today and Tomorrow" at 9 a.m. Oct. 27 in the faculty-staff room at The Nittany Lion Inn on the University Park campus.
Nichols, professor of communications and president of the Penn State Faculty Senate, studies U.S.-Cuban telecommunications disputes and the right to international travel. He is a former newspaper reporter and U.S. Army information officer.
The free presentation is part of this fall's Huddle with the Faculty lecture series, a Penn State Alumni Association outreach program that features presentations by faculty before every home football game.
For information on upcoming speakers, call Mary Jane Stout, Alumni Continuing Education, at (814) 865-5466.
Conversations to
explore academic integrity
Professors Nancy Tuana and Kenneth M. Weiss will lead a conversation on academic integrity during Conversations at Kern from 5:15 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 1, in 112 Kern Graduate Building on the University Park campus.
Tuana is the director of the Rock Ethics Institute and professor of philosophy in the College of the Liberal Arts. The Rock Ethics Institute promotes ethical awareness and inquiry in the University and in the public and professional sectors by supporting curricular innovations designed to improve moral literacy across the University curriculum, building collaborative research projects around ethically based initiatives and encouraging public dialogue on ethical issues.
Weiss is Evan Pugh professor of anthropology and genetics. His research interests are in the role played by genes in complex traits, including human chronic disease, and in the variation and evolution of such traits. He has been involved in studies of many aspects of human genetic variation.
Registration is not required to attend.
For information, e-mail Richard H. Yahner, associate dean of the Graduate School, at rhy@psu.edu.
MathFest adds up to
its second conference
The second annual MathFest Conference for ninth- and 10th-grade students will take place Saturday, Nov. 10, in 101 Agricultural Sciences and Industries Building on the University Park campus.
The Women in the Sciences and Engineering (WISE) Institute is the host for this one-day conference and career fair. Conference coordinator Nüket Acar, associate director of the WISE Institute, and Diane Henderson, associate professor of mathematics, created the program to help bridge the interest gap in math and science for young women from middle school to high school and eventually into college.
For a brochure, registration form or information on WISE programs, call Katie Rung at (814) 865-3342 or e-mail cxg1@psu.edu.
Deadline for registration is Monday, Nov. 5.
Planned Parenthood
president to discuss rights
Gloria Feldt, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, will present "The Politics of Reproductive Rights: Why are we Still Fighting?" at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 30, in Heritage Hall in the HUB-Robeson Center, University Park.
Feldt's talk is free to the public.
For information, call (814) 863-4025.