Lectures
Penn State Intercom......February
21, 2002
Lecture will explore
environmental intelligence 
Eric Barron will lecture on "Creating an Environmental Intelligence Center" from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Feb. 23 in 100 Thomas Building on the University Park campus.
Barron is distinguished professor of geosciences and director of the Environment Institute in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences.
The free lecture is the sixth in the series titled "Planet Earth: Our Role in Its Health," the topic of the 2002 Penn State Lectures on the Frontiers of Science.
For information, call (814) 863-8453 or e-mail science@psu.edu. Check the Web at http://www.science.psu.edu/alert/frontiers/FrontiersIndex.html.
Technology and teaching
explored at luncheon
Kyle L. Peck, head of adult education, instructional systems and work force education, will discuss "No Significant Difference: Does Technology Really Improve Teaching?" at noon March 13 in the Faculty/Staff Club at The Nittany Lion Inn, University Park.
The informal lunch discussion is part of a monthly series, sponsored by the Teaching and Learning Consortium and the Faculty/Staff Club and is open to the public.
For information, call Tammy Homan at (814) 865-8563 or e-mail fsclub@psu.edu.
To assist with seating, let Homan know attendance plans by 9 a.m. March 13.
Civil engineer's topic is
modeling river changes
Howard Chang will discuss "Modeling of River Changes" from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27, in 202 Hammond Building on the University Park campus.
Chang's presentation is part of the Hydrosystems Seminar Series held by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Chang is on the civil engineering faculty at San Diego State University and is a registered civil engineer in California and Arizona.
Astronomist to discuss
bright stars, black holes
A free public lecture, "Can a Bright Star Find Happiness in the Deadly Embrace of a Black Hole?" will be given at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 24, in 100 Thomas Building on the University Park campus.
Michael Eracleous, assistant professor of astronomy and astrophysics, is the presenter.
The talk is the third of the 2001-2002 Friedman public lectures sponsored by the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics. This year's theme is "Black Holes and Time Machines."
'Thermal Bars in Great Lakes'
focus of seminar
Joseph Atkinson will discuss "Thermal Bars in the Great Lakes" from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. Monday, Feb. 25, in 202 Hammond Building on the University Park campus.
Atkinson is on the civil, structural and environmental engineering faculty at State University of New York at Buffalo and is director of the Great Lakes Program.
His presentation is part of the Hydrosystems Seminar Series held by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Women's reading practices
in France next topic
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.
Speakers are:
* Feb. 25: Willa Silverman, associate professor of French will discuss "Of Books and Book Women: Discourses on Women's Reading Practices in Fin-de-Siecle France."
* March 11: Anthony Tamburri, professor of Italian and Italian/American literature; chair, languages and linguistics; and interim chair, English, at Florida Atlantic University, on "Italian/American Literature: Where It Began and Where Is It Going?"
For information, e-mail Daniel Walden at dxw8@psu.edu.
Symposium offers a
public dialogue on ethics
"Ethics: The Inaugural Symposium" will be held March 14 to 16 at The Nittany Lion Inn on the University Park campus.
Sponsored by the Rock Ethics Institute, the symposium will reflect the wide range of ethical issues from medicine (stem cell research and bio-engineering), business, and war and terrorism to social equality, research integrity, expression in the arts and engineering. The goal is to promote an exchange of ideas between professionals and academics.
Keynote speakers are Head Football Coach Joseph Paterno; Wes Jackson, the co-founder of the Land Institute; Eva Feder Kittay, professor of philosophy, State University of New York-Stony Brook; Carolyn Zahn-Waxler of National Institute of Mental Health; Carey Fraser, director of the Africana Research Center and faculty member in the Department of African and African-American Studies; Jerry Holmes, retired major general of the U.S. Air Force and adjunct professor in the College of Engineering at the University of Oklahoma; and Susanna B. Hecht, professor of urban planning and associate director of the Latin American Center in UCLA.
The conference and reception are free to the public. Registration is recommended but not required. For details about the schedule of lectures, topics and speakers or to register online, go to http://philosophy.la.psu.edu/ethics/conference_schedule.htm or call (814) 863-0314.
To be added to the mailing list or for further information, e-mail the institute at rockethics@psu.edu. The Rock Ethics Institute Web site is at http://philosophy.la.psu.edu/ethics/.
Lecture looks at climate
modeling in Mid-Atlantic
Jody Gibson, doctoral degree candidate in soil science, will discuss "Climate Modeling and the Hydrologic Cycle of the Mid-Atlantic" from 3:35 to 4:25 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22, in 101 Agricultural Sciences and Industries Building on the University Park campus.
The Department of Crop and Soil Sciences is the host for the event. For information, call (814) 863-1601.
Williamsport's role in
baseball to be examined
James P. Quigel Jr. will discuss "Millionaires and Outlaws: a Century of Williamsport and Minor League Baseball," from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday, March 1, in the Foster Auditorium, 101 Pattee Library, University Park.
Quigel and Louis E. Hunsinger Jr. co-authored Gateway to the Majors: Williamsport and Minor League Baseball, published by the Penn State Press. He is head of University Libraries' Historical Collections and Labor Archives, The Eberly Family Special Collections Library.
The lecture will be followed by a reception and exhibit in the Social Sciences Library, 201 Paterno Library.
The presentation is part of the Social Science Library's First Friday series. For a schedule of upcoming speakers in the series, visit http://www.libraries.psu.edu/pubinfo/events.html.
The lecture is free to the public. For information, call (814) 865-4861.
CEO to talk about
new shipping venture
Roland K. Bullard II, president and chief executive officer of FastShip Inc., will be the speaker for the annual Spisak Lecture in Business Logistics at 2:30 p.m. Monday, March 18, in 112 Kern Building, University Park. Bullard's presentation is "FastShip: Strategic Innovation for Intercontinental Logistics." The lecture is free to the public.
Erie is site for information
economy conference
The Economic Research Institute of Erie will hold "Erie and the Information Economy" on Wednesday, March 6, at Penn State Erie.
In addition to an overview of the regional, national and international economies by institute representatives James A. Kurre, Kenneth K.T. Louie and Barry R. Weller, the conference will present forecasts for the Erie economy. This year it will include a panel of corporate representatives discussing Erie's place in the information economy as well as a presentation by Erie mayor Rick Filippi and Erie County Executive Rick Schenker.
The event begins with a continental breakfast at 8 a.m. and ends at 1:15 p.m. following lunch and concluding speakers. To register, call (814) 898-6200.
Prevention science to be
discussed at seminar
Laura Ferrer-Wreder, assistant professor at Penn State Harrisburg, will present "Prevention Science and Theory Building" from 4 to 5 p.m. Feb. 27 in 209 South Henderson Building on the University Park campus.
The event is part of the Prevention Research Center for the Promotion of Human Development seminar.
For information, call Celene Domitrovich at (814) 865-2616 or e-mail cxd130@psu.edu.
Author to discuss
gender, race 
Peggy McIntosh, author of White Privilege and Male Privilege: A Personal Account of Coming to See Correspondence through Work in Women's Studies, will lecture from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Feb. 27 in the HUB-Robeson Center auditorium on the University Park campus.
McIntosh will be discussing "Five Interactive Ways of Looking at Race and Gender."
The speaker consults widely in the United States and throughout the world with college and school faculty who are creating more gender-fair and multicultural curricula.
Conference will focus
on community design
The Hamer Center for Community Design Assistance and Design Corps, a nonprofit group with a mission to find ways to provide quality, affordable design service, is co-sponsoring a conference focusing on the benefits of community-based work.
Activities on April 6 will be held at the Palmer Museum of Art on the University Park campus.
"Structures for Inclusion 2: Good Deeds/Good Design" will feature panel presentations and "how-to" sessions intended to teach young designers the skills necessary to undertake community design projects.
Speakers include Teddy Cruz, from estudio teddy cruz; Jae Cha, founder of Light Inc.; Sergio Palleroni, of the Design/Build Mexico program at the University of Washington; and Deborah Gans and Matthew Jelacic, who have designed crisis housing.
For a full list of conference speakers and/or registration information, visit the Design Corps Web site at http://www.designcorps.org or e-mail structures_4_inclusion@yahoo.com.
Network to discuss
efficiency indicators
The Quality Advocates' Network will discuss issues related to the development and implementation of efficiency indicators from 8:30 to 10 a.m. Friday, March 15, in Boardroom 1 at The Nittany Lion Inn on the University Park campus.
Tony Wagner, special assistant to the senior vice president for finance and business, and Clay Hosterman, assistant director of the University Budget Office, will share information on the Penn State Efficiency Indicators report that they recently compiled for use in communicating the University's efficiency to key stakeholders.
To attend, send an RSVP by e-mailing psucqp@psu.edu or calling (814) 863-8721.
Visiting writers target
DuBois for presentations
A number of authors will share their works during the Spring 2002 Visiting Writers Series at Penn State DuBois.
In observance of Women's History Month, poet Sheila Squillante, Katey Lehman Fellow in creative writing, will read selections of her work at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 19, in 106B Multi-Purpose Building.
Kerry Neville Bakken and Christopher Bakken, both assistant professors of English at Allegheny College, will discuss their works from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 28, in 10 Multi-Purpose Building.
William Heyen, poet-in-residence at the State University of New York at Brockport, will give a presentation from noon to 1:30 p.m. April 8, in the Hiller Building Auditorium.
The events are free to the public. For information, call Anthony Vallone at (814) 375-4814 or (800) 346-ROAR.
Underground Railroad
historian to speak Feb. 28
Charles L. Blockson will discuss his book, African-Americans in Pennsylvania: Above Ground and Underground, An Illustrated Guide, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Feb. 28 in the Foster Auditorium, 101 Pattee Library, on the University Park campus.
Blockson is curator of The Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection at Temple University, one of the nation's largest private collections of black history material.
A reception and book signing will immediately follow in the Charles W. Mann Jr. Assembly Room, 103 Paterno Library. Copies of his book will be available for purchase at the event.
For information, call Shirley Davis at (814) 865-0401 or e-mail sjd3@psu.edu.