Lectures
Penn State Intercom......April
25, 2002
College Board consultant
to speak at conference
Carol Aslanian, senior
consultant to the College Board, will be the keynote speaker at the Best
Practices for Adult Learners Conference from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday,
May 13, at the 
HUB-Robeson
Center on the University Park campus.
Aslanian is president of Aslanian Group Inc. and senior adviser for adult learning at the College Board, New York City. For the past two decades, she has directed the Community Assessment Program, a higher education analysis service which assists state agencies, colleges and universities, and other institutions in assessing the supply and demand for postsecondary learning in their communities.
The conference will include the best practices showcase exhibits, featured during the morning registration. The best practice programs also are included in the conference booklet. Go to http://www.sa.psu.edu/cals/commission/bp2002/ to submit program ideas for the booklet.
During the closing session, the commission will recognize the 2002 Outstanding Mentor for Adult Learners Award recipient and introduce the inaugural recipients of the newly established awards -- Superior Service to Adult Learners and the Outstanding Adult Learners Recruitment or Retention Program.
For information, call (814) 863-3887. Participants can register online at http://www.sa.psu.edu/cals/commission.
Editors' institute focuses
on copy, ethics
The Institute for Editors will offer interactive training for editors seeking to sharpen their skills from June 16 to 19 at The Nittany Lion Inn on the University Park campus.
This year's institute will include interactive sessions designed to help editors become better leaders, to effectively manage their staffs and guide their reporters to quality journalism. The institute will be led by Gene Foreman, Foster professor in the College of Communications and retired managing editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Featured speakers will include John J. Curley, distinguished professor in residence in the College of Communications and former chief executive officer of Gannett Co. Inc.; Phillip Dixon, former managing editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer; and Carl Sessions Stepp, professor in the University of Maryland's Philip Merrill College of Journalism.
Session topics will include "How to Improve Your Reporters' Copy," by Beth Rogers Thompson, senior lecturer in journalism, and "A Conversation about Fairness," by Russell Frank, assistant professor of journalism.
To learn more about the Institute for Editors, visit the Web site at http://www.outreach.psu.edu/C&I/Editors or call (814) 863-5100.
Soil science topic
will be binding interactions
Mark Strynar, doctoral degree candidate in soil science, will give a lecture from 3:35 to 4:25 p.m. April 26 in 101 Agricultural Sciences and Industries Building on the University Park campus.
The topic is "Determination of Binding Interactions Between Xenobiotic Chemicals and Soil Humic Material."The host for the event is the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences. For information, call (814) 863-1601.
National extension conference
begins May 18
"Innovation through Cooperation" is the theme of the 2002 National Extension Technology Conference, which will be held May 18 to 21 at The Nittany Lion Inn on the University Park campus.
Speakers and presenters at the conference will include President Graham B. Spanier; Iowa State University President Gregory Geoffroy; David Kerr, deputy policy director in the office of Gov. Mark Schweiker; Nirmal Pal, executive director of the eBusiness Research Center; John Harwood, senior director of Center for Education Technology Services; and information technology professionals from extension systems around the nation.
This year's conference will include sessions specifically designed to involve extension directors and administrators, addressing the impact of technology on outreach and how information technologies can be applied to land-grant universities' educational mission. The conference will include tours, a share fair/poster session and more than 70 breakout sessions.
For information, visit http://www.netc2002.psu.edu, call Tom Weber at (814) 863-3449 or e-mail him at thw@psu.edu.
For registration information, call (814) 865-8301 or visit http://conferences.cas.psu.edu.
Seminar focuses on
genealogy resources
The University Libraries' Arts and Humanities Library will offer "Genealogy and Family History Resources in the University Libraries" from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 30, in Foster Auditorium, 101 Pattee Library, University Park.
Th event is free to the public.
This seminar will provide an overview of the different types of genealogical resources -- such as the U.S. census, military records, county histories, newspapers and more -- and the tools that can be used to locate information about individuals and families. It will emphasize resources available in the libraries as well as outside resources such as Web sites.
No registration required.
For more information, call Eric Novotny at (814) 865-1014 or e-mail ecn1@psulias.psu.edu.
Bioterrorism threat
explored at conference
A one-day conference on "Risk Management and the Threat of Bioterrorism in the Food System" will be held May 2 at the Executive Education Center at University Park.
The seminar, a joint venture of the College of Agricultural Sciences and Executive Programs, will prepare senior managers to face changes posed by global events. The conference features experts on crisis management, public affairs, bioterrorism and legislative policy. It will address crisis management concerns faced by food producers, food-processing and distribution industries, biotechnology companies and industrial security firms.
Ernest Del Bueno Jr., vice president of Rowan and Blewitt Inc., will be a keynote speaker. With more than 20 years as a crisis and public affairs expert, Del Bueno served as public affairs officer for the U.S. Coast Guard during the Exxon Valdez oil spill clean-up. He is the author of an antiterrorist contingency plan for the Port of New York.
Caren Wilcox, co-keynote speaker for the seminar, is former deputy undersecretary for food safety for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. She developed strategic response mechanisms before and during critical food-safety emergencies and advised the U.S. secretary of agriculture on many food-safety issues and significant national recalls.
Other speakers will include state Secretary of Agriculture Samuel Hayes; Kelly Johnston, executive vice president for government affairs and communications for the National Food Processors Association; Bobby Richey, director of Food Safety and Technical Services in the Food and Agricultural Services division of the USDA; and Thomas Welgoss, director of risk management for the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority.
To request registration materials and a detailed schedule, call (814) 865-8301, or visit the Office of Conferences and Short Courses World Wide Web site at http://conferences.cas.psu.edu/. For information on seminar content, call (814) 863-2847.